Graphite Design Tour AD FI Driver Shaft Review - Specs, Flex, Weight

Graphite Design Tour AD FI Driver Shaft Review – Specs, Flex, Weight

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“Graphite Design has loaded the new Tour AD FI wood shaft with both familiar and new performance technologies.”

While not all players will fully appreciate the more obscure tech that went into this shaft like the TORAYCA M40X and T1100G carbon fiber pre-preg, the Tour AD FI is nonetheless a graphite wood shaft with mass appeal.

That’s because the more practical technology that was incorporated into this shaft like the AD Shield and Tornado Tip construction help tighten up dispersion across the weight chart.

That, and the fact that the Tour AD FI Driver shaft comes in a wide variety of weights to suit almost any swing speed. Still, that doesn’t mean this will be a good fit for everyone’s woods.

Is the Graphite Design Tour AD FI shaft the one to finally help you break 100 before 2025 is done? Let’s talk about it.

Graphite Design Tour AD FI Overview

“The Tour AD FI has a progressive bend profile that feels pretty firm in the handle and mid-section, then dramatically stiffens up in the tip.”

The handle of this shaft feels really stout and may be a bit of a stumbling block for high handicappers and slow swingers. But players looking for more control and tighter dispersion from the tee will love the responsiveness and control of the overall bend profile.

The butt of the Tour AD FI shaft is fixed to a “3+” firmness and the only shaft with a firmer handle in the AD line is the AD GC with a “4” firmness rating in the butt.

The Tour AD FI comes in weights from 49g to 85g. So overall it was still intended to be a pretty fast, agile shaft but the control it offers even from the Tour AD FI 4 (which ranges from 49g to 53g) line is very impressive.

That has a lot to do with the Tornado Tip technology which widens the internal diameter of the tip to make it stiffer, more responsive and to help the lower end of the shaft and club head to resist deformation.

This all comes in a sort of gradient, metallic, aqua-green finish that definitely makes the Tour AD FI stand out in the bag and in your hands.

Graphite Design calls this a finish with a “futuristic” look but to me, it’s more reminiscent of that metallic green that was a popular color for cars in the 80’s (I’m dating myself and I don’t care).

Why is the Tour AD FI So Popular?

“This will be a very popular shaft among mid-handicap players.”

That’s because it offers an excellent mix of shot shapeability and lightweight performance.

So it would be a great choice for players with swing speeds on the rise as it will yield just enough as you learn to maximize your load-up but stay stiff enough to keep you on target.

Overall, it’s a great shaft to usher you into faster swing speeds without sacrificing accuracy.

How Does the Tour AD FI Perform?

“The Tour AD FI shafts were designed to promote mid launch angles and low to mid ball spin.”

However, I found that even the heavier Tour AD FI shafts tend to produce mid to high launch angles. But the mid ball spin designation is spot-on – I was consistently getting ball spin readouts of 2750-2850 RPMs.

At this rate, the Tour AD FI strikes a good balance between carry and rollout distance. In terms of shot-shaping, you are pretty much relegated to a neutral to slight fade shape.

I did my best to draw this shaft a bit more but 9 times out of 10, I still got a gentle fade on accurate strikes and slight pulls on less accurate ones.

So if staying on the fairway is your issue, you’ll likely be very pleased with the Tour AD FI.

The advertisement of the Tour AD FI as a MID launch shaft is generally accurate as well; although I would call it a mid/high launch shaft as most of my shots were occupying the low-upper quadrant of the shot chart.

Tour AD FI Shaft Specs

Specs	Tour AD FI
Available Flexes	Lite/Senior, Regular, Stiff, X-Stiff, Tour X-Stiff
Weight	49g – 85g
Tip	.335”
Butt	.602, .604, .606, .608, .598, .600
Length	46”

What Flexes Are Available? What Swing Speeds Do They Suit?

“The Tour AD FI is available in lite/senior to tour extra stiff flex”

The lite/senior flex is good for players in the 71-85 MPH range.

The Regular flex would suit players in the 86-95 MPH range.

Stiff flex would be suitable for 96-105 MPH swingers.

Extra stiff will fit players swinging faster than 105 MPH.

The Tour Extra stiff version of the Tour AD FI would be good for 110+ MPH swingers who want maximum control.

What Weights Are Available? What Swing Speeds Do They Suit?

● Tour AD FI 4 (49g-53g) – would suit 71 to about 81 MPH swingers.
● Tour AD FI 5 (56g-60.5g) – a good fit for 82-90 MPH swingers.
● Tour AD FI 6 (64g-71g) – suitable for 91-100 MPH swingers.
● Tour AD FI 7 (75g-79g) – good for 100-105 MPH players
● Tour AD FI 8 (85g) – ideal for 105+ mph swingers

Why is the Tour AD FI So Good?

“You get exactly what you put into this shaft”

Throughout my entire testing session, I was amazed at how accurately the Tour AD FI shaft faithfully translated my swing to the club head.

When I opened the face up a bit, I got a near-perfect fade almost every time. The club head won’t bend or warp excessively thanks to the stiff tip so your face angle will be commensurate with your shot shape.

Tour AD FI First Impressions

“The first thing most people will likely notice is the flashy metallic green finish”

The finish is a bit gaudy for my taste but I was willing to forgive that after just a few swings. The Tour AD FI stands up to heavy load-ups very well and is very consistent right out the gate.

Key Features & Performance

The Tour AD FI features aerospace-grade carbon fiber materials that are optimally oriented in the shaft to promote a generally stiff bend profile.

This combined with the high modulus, TORAYCA carbon fiber pre-preg material helps you keep your shots from ballooning and faithfully recreate your input into the driver head.

Tour AD FI Driver Review

The Tour AD FI would probably fit best with slightly-mid CG driver heads to help temper the launch that can get a bit high if you’re not careful.

Off the tee, I was getting between 224.8 and 231.1 yards. It consistently produces a slight fade and is excellent for players trying to resist hooking.

Tour AD FI Fairway Wood Review

Off the deck, the Tour AD FI delivered much the same tight dispersion and ball spin (3300 RPM on average).

The stiffer bend profile is actually better-suited to bulky, forgiveness-oriented fairway woods in my opinion so even if you don’t like the Tour AD FI for your driver, you should at least try it out with your woods as it offers an excellent combination of distance and control.

Tour AD FI Pros & Cons

Pros:

● Wide weight range accommodates many kinds of players
● Advanced carbon fiber technology
● Stiff tip offers excellent feel and shot shapeability
● Consistently produces a slight fade
● Variable launch

Cons:

● The stiff butt may repel some high handicappers
● The advertised “MID” launch is more like mid-high

Overall Score: 94/100

Who Should Buy it?

“The Tour AD FI is a great fit for mid to low handicappers trying to eliminate the left side.”

Overall, the only real weaknesses I detected in this shaft were the feel of the butt, which probably won’t be an issue for low handicappers accustomed to a stouter feel in the hands, and the higher-than-advertised launch. Oh yeah, the color wasn’t my cup of tea either.

But if you want to eliminate a hook, you have to try this shaft. My testing session was marked by near-effortless fades and at least adequate distance.

So I view this as a shaft perfect for, again, players with swing speeds on the rise that would still prefer the comfort of a light, fast shaft but with enhanced responsiveness to make it easier to start strategically shaping drives.

In other words, it’s a great transitional shaft for committed and steadily improving players.