Rory back to old Kuro Kage Proto

[Fujikura Golf]

On 10/27/2021 at 8:57 AM, rorykoepka said:

I do have to ask though…has DJ ever played a paint job shaft in the past made to look like something else? If not, we have nothing to ever speculate on going forward

he only likes grey or black shafts, I think there was a black painted atmos at one point he tested but never went in play. I believe there were a few iterations of his speeder that ended up with the grey graphics, but always a tour-only speeder (hence the 2.0 tour spec), nothing that reflected a retail-focused shaft I don't believe. Also there were some prototypes along the way.

 

21 hours ago, Valtiel said:

Normally I wouldn't speculate about something like that for that exact reason, but there is a Ventus Black in the Taylormade video on building Rory's driver that very clearly has a material pattern in the handle indicating it isn't a normal Ventus:



I don't think we expect to be given all the answers here, but this is where that kind of speculation comes from. 
 

 

Not sure exactly what that is Val, but I see what your speculation is based on and how keen your eye is! It might have been a prototype that Trottie grabbed from the drawer to just use for the purposes of the video? Not sure. At times our Tour reps bring out protos for players to test and learn from to inform future product. 

[Valtiel]

On 10/28/2021 at 12:09 PM, Fujikura Golf said:

he only likes grey or black shafts, I think there was a black painted atmos at one point he tested but never went in play. I believe there were a few iterations of his speeder that ended up with the grey graphics, but always a tour-only speeder (hence the 2.0 tour spec), nothing that reflected a retail-focused shaft I don't believe. Also there were some prototypes along the way.

 

 

Not sure exactly what that is Val, but I see what your speculation is based on and how keen your eye is! It might have been a prototype that Trottie grabbed from the drawer to just use for the purposes of the video? Not sure. At times our Tour reps bring out protos for players to test and learn from to inform future product. 

 

Thanks for the reply. Not trying to cause any drama, just pointing out that there are valid reasons to speculate about this stuff. I'm sure you recognize the Rombax box weave here which is the same as DJ's "2.0" part you mentioned that he has been playing for years. I assumed this was his shaft pulled from the drawer by accident. I have a handful of those old Rombax 115i iron shafts which have the same weave. If you guys are hiding a Rombax Ventus prototype over there then I'll keep quiet about it if you send me one. 😘😆

 

interesting you mention his preference for grey/black. I remember he played the Aldila Rogue Silver for a minute which was obviously white, so I wonder if that's why it didn't stick? Do you have any insights on Rory's preferences?

Edited October 30, 2021 by Valtiel

[jallen0119]

On 10/28/2021 at 3:09 PM, Fujikura Golf said:

he only likes grey or black shafts, I think there was a black painted atmos at one point he tested but never went in play. I believe there were a few iterations of his speeder that ended up with the grey graphics, but always a tour-only speeder (hence the 2.0 tour spec), nothing that reflected a retail-focused shaft I don't believe. Also there were some prototypes along the way.

 

 

Not sure exactly what that is Val, but I see what your speculation is based on and how keen your eye is! It might have been a prototype that Trottie grabbed from the drawer to just use for the purposes of the video? Not sure. At times our Tour reps bring out protos for players to test and learn from to inform future product. 

I thought it was confirmed DJ was playing a Fuel 2.0 that had a Speeder paint job (in the R15 days, when Taylormade switched from the TM TP shafts to just the standard Speeder paint job). There were several that popped up on Ebay. 

Edited October 29, 2021 by jallen0119

[Valtiel]

1 hour ago, jallen0119 said:

I thought it was confirmed DJ was playing a Fuel 2.0 that had a Speeder paint job (in the R15 days, when Taylormade switched from the TM TP shafts to just the standard Speeder paint job). There were several that popped up on Ebay. 

It goes back further than that based on my understanding. Everything that has carried the "2.0" designation has been the same shaft, and it goes back to prototypes that were either made specifically for him, or protos that were simply being made that they gave him to try. These protos carried 2.0, 2.2, 3.0, and 4.0 designations which were different weights and profiles. The Rombax Box Weave construction in the handle is the evidence that suggests it was a shaft that originated in the Rombax era, which was 2005-2006. This 2.0 shaft, whatever it actually is, has been the same under all the different Taylormade and Fujikura paint jobs over the years, which includes the Rombax TP, Motore, Fuel, Blur, and Speeder. The different paint jobs stopped when Taylormade stopped having their own finishes put on their shafts, and according to Fuji above, Dustin likes the color and that is probably why it has stayed the same. 

This isn't to say that whatever this 2.0 shaft is didn't become something else along the way. Maybe the "Fuel" shaft line was based on the prototype, or something else. Only the Fuji people know for sure, and even then only ones that have likely been around long enough.