KOBE, JAPAN – October 17th, 2012 – Dunlop Sports’ Miyazaki Shafts, an exclusive, premium graphite golf shaft brand, announced today the introduction of the new B. Asha series. With over 20 years of graphite shaft innovation and development, Dunlop Sports is one of the premier golf manufacturers in Japan and their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan has designed and produced over 17 million premium, graphite shafts. Miyazaki Shafts is introducing the new B. Asha series in response to continued requests from touring professionals and recreational golfers for lighter shafts, increased swing speed, and more distance while maintaining the stability previously offered only by heavier golf shafts. The B. Asha series is a follow-up to Miyazaki Shafts’ very successful C. Kua premium ultralite series. The C. Kua series launched on tour in 2010 and was golf’s 1st sub 60g shaft to see significant usage on golf’s global professional tours.
THE NEW B. ASHA SERIES
The new B. Asha series builds on the tour and aftermarket success of the breakthrough, premium ultralite C. Kua series with enhancements in weight reduction, elevated balance points and refined, more stable International Flex Code™ profiles. The B. Asha pushes the limits of weight reduction across the series through the use of advanced shaft materials, geometries, and manufacturing techniques. Every shaft is manufactured in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan to exacting tolerances for unmatched consistency from shaft to shaft and shot to shot. With ultralite innovation and performance already proven on tour by some of the games’ most demanding and longest hitters, the B. Asha series is a True Tour Ultralite™ shaft.
The B. Asha series offers three distinct driver and fairway wood International Flex Code™ profiles in up to 4 flexes.
The Miyazaki B. Asha 5 and 7 profiles were designed to feel extremely stable in the top 3/4 of the shaft with a slightly softened section under the hands to promote feel and a penetrating ball flight. This stable top section is coupled with an active but stable tip section to produce a mid-trajectory ball flight with added ball speed and a slight fade bias. The 5 and 7 series are excellent choices for players that value a very stable feel while reducing the weight of their graphite shaft.
The Miyazaki B. Asha 4 flex profile offers a similar stable feel to the 5 and 7 series with a slightly stiffer butt section and slightly softer tip section to produce a mid to high trajectory ball flight. Already proven through testing on tour by some of the game’s strongest players, the 4 series is the ultimate combination of speed and stability. The new 4 series has been engineered with a standard butt diameter to make it compatible with all standard golf grips.
The Miyazaki B. Asha 3 series wood shafts utilize updated, balanced International flex code profiles with slightly softer mid tip and tip sections to create a powerful loading and release, added swingspeed and distance via a mid-high trajectory ball flight. The 3 series is the lightest series offered by Miyazaki and will only be available in a 0.350 tip configuration. The 3 series is preferred by players with a smooth tempo and transition in search of the fastest swing speed possible.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Miyazaki Shafts is driven by the science and artistry of the golf swing. The shaft is the delivery vehicle of the modern golf club and Miyazaki Shafts places the highest premiums on performance, consistency, and effective fitting. Without optimized and consistent delivery of the clubhead to the ball, significant performance potential is lost with every impact. Miyazaki Shafts designs and specifies shafts using a superior approach to quantifying the actual bending and torsional flex profile of each shaft. Miyazaki Shafts has designed a proprietary International Flex Code™ fitting system which replaces the archaic specifications of frequency, kick point, and torque to give professional fitters and golfers alike a more detailed insight into the specifics of their current shaft and each Miyazaki Shafts design. Miyazaki Shafts utilize the highest grade carbon-fiber materials available to produce innovative bending and torsional profiles geared toward specific player types. Each shaft is precisely constructed to some of the industry’s tightest tolerances to ensure consistent delivery characteristics on each and every shot.
PERFORMANCE VALIDATION
Miyazaki Shafts are designed and prototyped in Kobe City and Miyakonojyo, Japan by in-house Research and Development teams. Technical validation is conducted at Dunlop Sports’ world-class 42,000 yd2 test facility in Ichijima, Japan. At this facility, researchers study and catalog the swing “signatures” of amateur and professional golfers, as well as the behavior of shafts, using state-of-the-art proprietary measurement and analysis equipment.
TOUR VALIDATION
Considered one of the fastest growing shafts on golf’s global tours since their introduction in May of 2009, Miyazaki Shafts has posted more than 25 wins on worldwide tours. Players such as Keegan Bradley, Graeme McDowell, Shane Lowry, Jason Kokrak, Charlie Beljan, Jeff Overton and Larry Mize, as well as many others worldwide, have made the switch to Miyazaki Shafts. These shafts are continuously tested in competition by a rapidly growing number of some of the best players in the world. Unique bending and torsional flex code profiles of each shaft are geared toward ball speed and launch condition optimization for each player type.
Using the same innovative International Flex Code fitting process that is now available to consumers, Miyazaki Shafts educates professional tour staff players on the technical elements of shaft design and fitting to ensure they receive a proper and comprehensive fitting experience. Compared to previous methods of shaft fitting, this tour-proven custom-fitting process results in a more efficient and precise, player-specific fit. As professionals test their shafts in competition, they provide critical feedback and insight into future iterations. The Miyazaki Shafts philosophy is to design, test, observe, listen and re-design until each offering satisfies their unwavering commitment to make one of the world’s best golf shafts.
GRAPHITE ARTISTRY
Miyazaki considers the golf swing one of the most artistic movements in all of sports. The originality of the designs is artistically expressed on the canvas of each shaft series. Each series will be named after and defined by the artistic contributions of a talented, but previously unknown, artist. The B. Asha series’ artwork was created by Miyazaki artist Ash Baharin, whose designs were inspired by the speed and accuracy of ancient Japanese swordsmen. For more information on Miyazaki Shafts and the new B. Asha series, please visit www.miyazakigolfshafts.com.
About Dunlop Sports Co. LTD™
Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd, a major golf company located in Kobe-city, Hyogo, Japan, manufactures golf clubs and balls under SRIXON and XXIO brands. It is the world’s 4th largest golf company and the #1 golf company in Japan. The company has established a reputation for producing high quality products based on world’s leading golf-club and golf-ball technologies. Dunlop Sports is represented by professional tour staff members such as Vijay Singh, Graeme McDowell, Keegan Bradley, Karrie Web, Peter Jacobsen, and many others throughout the world. In 2007, Dunlop Sports purchased Cleveland Golf, one of US’s top 5 golf companies, and keeps providing high-quality products to golfers across the globe. For North American inquiries, please contact Keith Patterson, PR/Media Relations Manager (714.889.5808) or visit us online at www.miyazakigolfshafts.com.
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