This year we partnered with Fujikura Golf to launch the new Evolution 3 shaft. It was a huge success. I knew this shaft was going be a winner the first time I hit it. The launch was great, a little higher than I was getting with the Evolution 1. The best part was the ball just hung in air forever and went further than my old shaft. It immediately went in the bag. Spin for me was a little lower; launch was a little higher, more ball speed, and best of all more distance. I found myself consistently hitting new places around the course. What’s funny is several customers said the exact same thing. The customer feedback on these was amazing; several customers even came back and bought another one for their fairway wood. Its not the best shaft for a player who battles spin. But its perfect for a player who wants more hang time and distance. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your next build please email us. To purchase go here.
Here are a couple customer reviews.
“Was able to play 18 yesterday (in 43 degrees with 15-20 mph winds) and a couple of quick 9's late last week with the Evo 3 and that thing is soooo good....love it! Paired it with the 10.5 M2 head and it feels so solid. Love the launch it gives me (have the 10.5 head dialed way down to the actual "Lower" setting line so whatever loft that equates to), not too high and not too low. Held its line even in heavy cross winds, and didn't balloon into the wind. Hit it to spots at my home course where I've rarely hit it and that's even considering the mid-40 degree weather when the ball shouldn't be going anywhere. SOOO glad I made the decision to purchase it, like it way more than the Tensei CK Blue I got fitted for this spring paired w the M1 head....”
-Michael in MA.
Hey Will,
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Wanted to circle back to you with a quick write-up on the Evo III that you built for me. I've only played it a few times, but did have some range time with it as well. I've also be in a summer long search for a new driver/shaft combo.
As a quick background, for the 2015 season I played a 915D3 9.5 with at KK XT 70X at 44.5". The driver is a strength and greatest weakness in my game. When it's on, the thing is a weapon, leaving me short wedges in hand. When it's off, it' double bogey! Earlier this winter I was fit into an M2 10.5 set at 9.5 with a Tensei Blue Pro 60TX at 44.5. This was at True Spec Golf in NYC. In the fitting the fitter wanted to focus on the total, landing angle, and runout. After playing it for a month or so I found that this club launched similarly but flattened out quickly. Total runout was good, but the carry seemed similar. I really have been focusing on getting carry up. So with that I started playing an M1 with a KK XT 70x again at 44.5". This was back to a similar feel, but for some reason never really worked as good as the Titleist. The Titleist was just too loud for me and spun a bit much. It also wasn't as long at the Taylormdes. Later this summer I rented a bunch of shafts from Shaft Shack, which to be honest is a pretty interesting platform. I tried all of the shafts in my M1. The ones I tested in addition to my KK XT and Tensei Pro Blue were: Fuji Speeder Evo I, GD DI, GD GP, Diamana BF, and Fubuki J. The test was enlightening to say the least. I was sold on getting the Evo I as it seemed to stay in the air the longest and had the tightest dispersion. I liked the J, but the Evo just seemed to go further and not spin as much. I was consistently about 10 yards more on carry with the Fuji. The Evo was solid and my favorite of the bunch; the DI and GP just didn't stay in the air as long and were drastically different in feel, just not as consistent for me; the J was a close second, it just seemed to spin a bit more; the BF was too spinny for me and had a good bit of dispersion. Then I saw that you would have the Evo III and did some homework on the Evo III. It was just something that I couldn't pass up. A few quick stats from my last two fittings: 108-114 SS, avg around the 108-109 spot. Smoother transition and tend to favor a cut more recently. I can release the club a bit early on the downswing and my big miss is the low left snapper!! I love my 3wd and 5wd. The 3wd is a 913FD 15* with a Fuji Motore Speeder 8.3X and the 5wd is a 915 18* with a Fuji Motore Speeder 8.0X cut an inch short of standard (you build the 8.0 for me). I love the feel of both shafts. They get up in the air and seem to go forever. They seem to just stay in the air. The 5wd is a 240 carry and the 3wd is closer to 260 carry. Every other shaft I tried for the driver I just kept looking for the similar feel and flight that I got from these shafts.
Sorry for the long intro to the year, but I think it will help in giving you some feedback on the Evo III. When it arrived my wife quickly said, "Did you order another shaft?" There's been a few delivered here this year! The graphics on the shaft are typical Fuji and the paint job is just sick! I was able to get to the range at my club and hit some balls with both the M1 and M2. I had one of the pros there with me and we did a test without a launch monitor, just the human eye watching how the ball reacted. I brought the KK XT 70x and the Tensei Pro Blue 60TX again to compare. The EVO III shined immediately! I tried it in the M2 first, set at 9.5* with all three shafts and then in the M1 straight in at 9.5*. I've liked the M2 more than the M1 all year, but just couldn't find a shaft that worked best for me in it. The M2 with the EVO III was solid from the start. I immediately liked it more than the M1 and the other shaft combos. The KK XT was a close second, but the EVO III just stayed in the air a good 5+ yards longer. The ball was reacting similar to my fwy woods in that they ball seemed to get up and just keep going. I was curious to see what the ball would do if I set the head to 10.5* straight in. Though the launch did increase a bit, it didn't seem to increase the spin. I hit a few 295+carry's (we had my laser), which in the weather that day was absolutely killed! This shaft got up, didn't continually climb, planed out, and seemed to roll out well after the landing (those that we could see). The dispersion was much better than the XT and it definitely was longer. Maybe it's just my comfort with Fuji shafts, but this thing is legit. I've since played two rounds with it and have loved everything that this shaft has done in the M2. It will be a staple in the bag. The dispersion is great and even my playing partners said that it really seems to have brought in the right to left spread of the drives. It also seems to be a good bit longer than the M1 and KK XT combo. Last weekend on our first hole (which was our 9th that day) I hit one just shy of 310, leaving only 80 yards in (62 front edge) when everyone else had 140 or more in. This thing really shines!
So with that being said, this is a great mid/mid shaft that I would categorize as more of a mid launch and low-mid spin shaft. The ball flight seems very similar to the XT, but it might spin a bit more, which for me helps to keep it in the air a little longer giving me more carry. The feel of the shaft is typical Fuji, smooth and stable. It can take anything that I throw at it (which isn't as much as some). I have no fear of going after it or smoothing one out there. I was able to hit the ball both ways without much worry of it snapping hard and low left on me. I would say that anyone looking for a shaft that gets up and goes, that loves that great Fuji feel, and is looking to pick up some carry...they should look no further than the Evo III. Anyone from smooth transition to a quick transition should look hard at this. One of my buddies has a short, quick transition and a similar swing speed, and he absolutely loved it. He said it was one of the best feeling shafts that he's hit in a long time. I love the fact that I was able to go up in loft and pick up yardage, without any issues. I can't wait to get out more with this, cause it will certainly save me a lot of strokes.
You might have one problem here...I won't likely be back for a new driver shaft from you for a while!!!!!
Sorry for the long winded email, but I thought that you might like to see how this thing compares. It outshines all of the above shafts that I tried. Thanks again for building it. Let me know if there's anything else that I can give you from my thoughts/feedback on the shaft.
Talk soon
Doug in NJ
