Fujikura Speeder Evolution IV: Reassuringly Expensive?

Fujikura’s new Speeder Evolution IV shaft costs more than most drivers. But for some committed golfers, it just could be the answer.
fujikura speeder evolution iv cover
Courtesy of Fujikura Golf

Fujikura’s new Speeder Evolution IV shaft costs more than most drivers. But for some committed golfers, it just could be the answer.

By Tony Dear


Last week, we featured a best-selling item – the adidas TOUR360 golf shoe – that will probably never be as celebrated as the Callaway Big Bertha or Ping Eye 2 irons, for instance, but which had earned legendary status nonetheless – amongst gearheads at least. This week, we have another product no casual golfer will have ever heard of, and 90%-95% of regular golfers won’t recognize, but which is spoken about in reverential tones by committed golfers and equipment geeks.

Fujikura’s Speeder shaft has been around, in one form on another, for 20 years. Launched in Japan in 1995, the Speeder 757 was introduced in the US two years later becoming, the company says, the first shaft in the States to be constructed from ‘premium advanced materials that would forever change the market of golf equipment’.

First used on the PGA Tour in 1998, it became the most popular graphite driver/hybrid shaft on Tour in 2000. “Since then we have created several different models,” says Chad Embrey, Sales Manager at Fujikura Composite America, Inc. “We’ve used various multi-directional materials, and have introduced the Motore Speeder, Motore Speeder VC Series, Platinum Speeder, Onyx Speeder, Diamond Speeder, and the Speeder Evolution I, II, and III.”

The next in the series – the metal composite Speeder Evolution IV – came aboard earlier this month and, says Embrey, has its own unique profile but launch characteristics between those of the II and III. “The II launches lowest,” he adds, “and the III is now the highest-launching.”

fujikura speeder evolution iv ruler
Courtesy of Fujikura Golf

The new Speeder maximizes the amount of carbon in the shaft while eliminating as much of the resin as possible. This, says Fujikura, results in better consistency, while the 90 Ton fibers – extremely high tensile strength – reduce weight and maintain stability.

The softer-mid to tip section creates the higher launch, and new innovations – a strong intermediate modulus (IM) material, and ‘Engineered Outer-Bias Technology’ – produce a more predictable shaft with ‘smoother loading feel’

Top-quality materials and new technology mean the Speeder Evolution IV doesn’t come cheap. Embrey describes it as “exceptionally expensive” in fact. “It has more carbon and less resin,” he says. “It’s lightweight but incredibly stable, and it’s extremely difficult to manufacture.”

The previous 350 words will be utterly meaningless to you if a graphite golf shaft is that ‘plastic-y stick thing between the grip and the head’. If you appreciate the importance of a good shaft though, and are willing to spend big bucks on shrinking performance inconsistencies, the above information might be invaluable, and the Speeder Evolution IV worth every penny.

$400
fujikuragolf.com


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