Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Shaft Review – Specs, Flex, Weight

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Shaft

Graphite Design is a company that should not be overlooked if you are in the market for a new shaft for your driver or woods.

While the company doesn’t have the market share that companies like Aldila and Mitsubishi do, their shafts are steadily gaining in popularity.

The Graphite Design Tour AD IZ is a perfect example of why their shafts are gaining more attention.

This is a shaft that is said to deliver high launch and low spin – a great combination for moderate swing speeds players. So does the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ deliver? Let’s find out.

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Shaft Overview

We’re not huge fans of the orange and matte black color scheme of this shaft. The colors make it look like this is a Halloween-themed shaft.

But once we got past the looks, we were treated with a very fluid feel. “Fluid” is the best adjective to describe the activity of the shaft.

There is a very subtle kick. In fact, unless you really load up on it, it’s easy to miss any distinct kick point.

Instead, the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ flexes smoothly and easily transfers energy down the shaft and into the ball. The Graphite Design Tour AD IZ was built to have a softer midsection than the butt.

And unless you opt for the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ in its lightest weight class (40g), the tip section is very stiff.

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 4 has a soft tip section. Overall, this isn’t your typical graphite shaft.

It just doesn’t feel exactly like a graphite shaft. But that wasn’t a bad thing for our testers. After a few swings, they grew to enjoy the unique feel of the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ.

Why is the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ So Popular?

It should be noted that the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ comes in a variety of weights and flexes.

This is one of the things that makes it so popular: there is a version of this shaft for pretty much every kind of golfer.

How Does the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Perform?

So does the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ live up to the promise of high launch and low spin? Yes and no.

The launch angles were really good. They fluctuated between 14 and 15 degrees. More importantly, it was very easy to achieve those launch angles. However, we were expecting lower spin rates.

During our testing, we couldn’t work the spin rates lower than 2100 RPMs.

This isn’t terribly high spin for a graphite shaft, but so much had been made about how muted the spin of this shaft was that we were a bit let down.

Still, this allowed for better workability. Our better testers were able to affect draws and fades and attack doglegs strategically.

Plus, the mid spin rates made it easier to control rollout. Distance was not a problem. After three swings, our testers were averaging a carry distance of 261.5 yards.

This was very impressive considering that our testing party consists of moderate and fast swingers. The Graphite Design Tour AD IZ was also pleasingly consistent.

On all but severe mis-hits, we were getting tight shot dispersion. In fact, our offline divergence never crept into double digits (yards).

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Shaft Specs

Specs Graphite Design Tour AD IZ
Available flexes Lite/senior, regular, stiff, stiff regular, extra stiff, tour extra stiff
Weight 46 – 83 grams
Butt .590” – .608”
Tip .335”
Length 46”

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

Lite/senior stiff is for anyone swinging their driver slower than 70 MPH.

Regular, stiff and stiff/regular would be a good choice for swing speeds in the 75-85 MPH range. Stiff and extra stiff are for 86-95 MPH swingers. Tour extra stiff is for 95+ MPH swingers.

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

The 40g weight class is for sub 70 MPH swingers.

The 50g class is for 75-85 MPH swingers. The 60g class is for 86-90 MPH swingers. The 70g class is for 91-100 MPH swing speed players. The 80g class is for 100+ MPH swingers.

Why is it So Good?

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Shaft1

The Graphite Design Tour AD IZ is a good shaft because it doesn’t waste an iota of your swing speed.

You can feel it working but it never feels “jerky” or out of control. Instead, you get a smooth transition of energy from the butt to the club head.

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ First Impressions

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Shaft2

Our first impression of the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ was that it had a very unique feel.

After testing dozens of graphite wood shafts, you sort of get tunnel-visioned. You think that all graphite shafts are supposed to feel a certain way.

But the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ has a more controlled feel than most graphite shafts.

Key Features & Performance

The Graphite Design Tour AD IZ utilizes a carbon fiber prepreg in the stiff section to enhance stability.

In terms of performance, this feature makes the Graphite Design Tour AD IZ incredibly consistent.

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Driver Review

Out of the box, we had the ability to work the ball or shoot it more or less straight.

It’s a great shaft to keep you on the fairway or aggressively attack doglegs.

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Fairway Wood Review

With our woods, we were comfortable able to avoid hitting the ball too thick. It maintained its fluid feel off the deck.

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • Consistent
  • Tight dispersion
  • Easy to get the hang of
  • Many weight classes

Cons:

  • Mediocre spin rates

Graphite Design Tour AD IZ Shaft

Overall Score: 96/100

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Who Should Buy it?

The Graphite Design Tour AD IZ would be a great choice for anyone who needs to improve their consistency from the tee.

There are so many weight and flex combinations so any kind of player can get in on the fun.

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