KOBE, JAPAN – December 7, 2012 – Dunlop Sports’ Miyazaki Shafts, an exclusive, premium graphite golf shaft brand, announced today the introduction of the new JDL 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 JDL series as the ultimate upgrade for the modern adjustable driver. The JDL series is a follow-up to Miyazaki Shafts’ very successful Dromos premium adjustable series. The Dromos series launched on tour in 2010 and was Miyazaki’s 1st design to utilize and implement Quad Orthogonal Bias™ technology. The JDL series continues the use of this technology with additional weights and flexes to provide added consistency in feel and performance for tour professionals and recreational golfers alike.
THE NEW JDL SERIES
The new JDL series builds on the tour and aftermarket success of the revolutionary, premium adjustable Dromos series by providing additional weight and flex offerings, tighter torque for added stability, and enhanced International Flex Code™ profiles. The JDL series shafts push the limit of innovation and manufacturing capabilities to provide superior, unmatched consistency regardless of the shaft’s orientation. These shafts truly are the ultimate performance asset for use in a modern adjustable driver. Every shaft is manufactured in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan to exacting tolerances for unmatched consistency from shaft to shaft and shot to shot. By utilizing and improving on the Quad Orthogonal Bias™ technology, Miyazaki’s JDL shafts can ensure a high level of consistency and stability regardless of the shaft’s orientation in a driver.
The primary technological innovation in the new JDL series is the second generation Quad Orthogonal Bias™ technology that was engineered to ensure that the JDL series shafts have superior multi-axis consistency in performance and feel. Inconsistencies or “spines” present in inferior graphite shafts can lead to axes of enhanced or reduced stiffness. When these inconsistent shafts are rotated in an adjustable driver, differences in feel and performance can negate or exaggerate the benefits of the precision adjustments. The improved Quad Orthogonal Bias™ technology available in the JDL series of shafts allows for precise, strategic orientation of the origination and termination axes for each layer of carbon fiber. By precisely controlling the carbon fiber orientation, the “spine” effect is essentially eliminated.
The Miyazaki JDL series shafts are offered in 4 different weights ranging from 87g to 49g with four consistent, yet precise International Flex Code™ profiles for each distinct flex – X, S, R, and A. The JDL 5 Series is available in A, R, S, and X flex and is specifically design for players looking for added head speed with unparalleled consistency. The 6 Series shaft is available in R, S, and X flex and is available for players looking for a slightly heavier shaft but without any change in performance. The 7 and 8 Series shafts are designed specifically for the low handicap tour quality player who desires a shaft that provides a consistent performance and feel regardless of orientation in an adjustable driver. The 7 and 8 Series shafts are each available in S and X flex.
The Miyazaki JDL shaft was designed to provide a consistent stable feel throughout the line without varying the bend profiles as the shafts’ overall weights change. Using high-grade composite materials, Miyazaki engineers are able to design shafts with consistent bend profiles while providing weight reduction to ensure that a golfer can find his proper fitting and performing shaft. The JDL series is an excellent choice for players looking for a penetrating, mid-trajectory ball flight and stable feel regardless of the shaft’s orientation. The weight offering – ranging from 82g down to 49g – make it a superb shaft for competitive tour caliber players as well as recreational golfers looking for added head speed to improve driver distance.
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 JDL series’ artwork was created by Miyazaki artist JD Ledford. For more information on Miyazaki Shafts and the new JDL series, please visit www.miyazakigolfshafts.com.
