William L. Coney Blog: Tested: Project X HZRDUS Golf Shafts

Project X’s HZRDUS shaft lineup is heading into its second year as the it shaft on Tour. 2017 promises to bring new challengers for that unofficial title, but for now, PX keeps rolling and likely reveling in the fact that the new World #1 (Dustin Johnson) has the new HZRDUS T1100 in his 3-wood.

For those unfamiliar with the lineup; the original HZRDUS shaft (Black) was followed up with Yellow, and then with Red, and again most recently with the exotic T1100. The individual breakdown HZRDUS lineup shakes out like this:

HZRDUS Black – Low Spin, ultra-stable midsection, for aggressive players
HZRDUS Yellow – Low Spin, backweighted, for smooth tempo players
HZRDUS Red – Mid Spin, ultra-stable midsection with softer tip, for players looking for higher trajectory
HZRDUS T1100 – Lowest spinning (Spin Killer), stiff profile, extra-stiff tip, counterbalanced, for aggressive players.

The Disclaimer

Before we get to the details and the results of our test results, it’s important that we again point out that golf shafts will perform differently for different golfers, and as such, data from our shaft tests seldom aligns perfectly with the manufacturer’s stated expectations. A variety of golfer-dependent variables including, but not limited to, speed, tempo, transition, and release point will impact how a shaft will perform for an individual golfer. So while we actively encourage experimentation with your equipment, we wouldn’t advise spending big money on any shaft without spending some quality time with a reputable fitter first.

How We Tested

5 Testers with handicaps between 0 and 12 participated in this test.
The swing speeds of our testing pool ranged from just under 100 to upwards of 115.
All testers hit stiff flex shafts within the 65g range.
Shafts were outfitted with Club Conex UNI-FIT adapters, Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 Grips, and all shots were hit with the same 10.5° head.
With our algorithms adjusted to be more aggressive in dropping shots to provide a more consistent data sample, outliers were removed using Median Absolute Deviation.
To establish a reasonable baseline for our comparison, we used impact location data from the Foresight GC2 HMT to limit our averages to only those shots struck within the central region of the club face.
Shots were recorded using a Foresight GC2 Launch Monitor with attached HMT.
All testers hit Bridgestone B330-RX Golf Balls.

The Data

Observations:

Ball Speed averages suggest a slight advantage for the T1100.
The T1100 produced the lowest spin, followed by the Black, Red, and then Yellow.
Surprisingly, the Black launched highest (marginally higher than the Red) for our testers, while the Yellow launched the lowest.
The Red produced the highest apex, while the Yellow produced the flattest trajectory.
The T1100 was longest (both carry and total distance) while the Yellow was the shortest.
The HZRDUS Black was the only one of the four shafts for which the average shot finished right of the centerline (based on Avg. Yards Offline). This may be relevant for golfers looking to take the left side out of play.
The Yellow finished closest to the centerline (straightest), followed closely by the Red, while T1100 and Black were both produced respectable averages.
Our Shot Area metric (the area of a 90% confidence dispersion ellipse) shows that the T1100 produced a marginally (though not significantly) tighter grouping.

Individual Summary

While our results suggest a reasonably consistent launch and spin progression within the HZRDUS lineup that generally matches the stated expectations, the HZRDUS Yellow is perhaps an outlier in that, in a broader sense, our testing suggests a non-linear relationship with the rest of the lineup.

So with that in mind, here’s what we took away from the test on an individual model basis.

HZRDUS Yellow (MSRP: $350)

As noted in the introduction, the Yellow features a back-weighted design and is, according to Project X, perfect for smooth tempo players looking for lower launch. Our results suggest that while that’s true, from a performance perspective, the Yellow is also the most polarizing of the lineup. Our two smoothest swingers saw solid results, however, our more aggressive testers felt like they were fighting the shaft a bit (or a lot). That’s was certainly true in my case.

Painting with a broad brush, the Yellow is unique within the HZRDUS lineup, and that at least partially explains why the numbers aren’t exactly what we’d expect.

While I’m confident the HZRDUS Yellow will produce outstanding results when properly fitted, we can’t discount the fact that it produced the highest percentage of outliers in this test. 3 of our 5 testers clearly struggled with it (relative to the rest of the lineup). For the buy, sell, trade crowd; of the four HZRDUS Shafts, Yellow is the one we’d least recommend you roll the dice with.

HZRDUS Red (MSRP: $350)

High launch and high spin within the relative confines of the HZRDUS lineup, within the shaft market as a whole, the Red should likely be considered a mid-launch, low-mid spin offering.

Among those who noticed a difference, the HZRDUS Red rated highly for feel, which isn’t surprising given where it fits in the HZRDUS lineup. Somewhat surprisingly, even our more aggressive swingers found it stable and easy to control. It's not a shaft that the I think I need a super low spin shaft crowd should discount entirely. My hunch is that it will prove to have the broadest fitting application of the four HZRDUS shafts.

HZRDUS Black (MSRP: $350)

The original HZRDUS Shaft, the Black is billed as being for a more aggressive golfer, which makes it anything but surprising that PX’s online fitting tool suggested a PX Black for yours truly.

The Black has a has a noticeably firmer feel than the rest of the lineup. It's a reasonable assumption that some may not appreciate that aspect of the design, but we must also note that we found it to be the most consistent of the group (based on standard deviations) – especially among our quicker tempo and transition testers.

If nothing else, the HZRDUS Black has cemented its position as a moderately priced low spin option that’s readily available as an OEM upgrade.

HZRDUS T1100 (MSRP: $450)

While our testers questioned the T1100 name (why not HZRDUS Silver?), the results speak for themselves. The lowest spinning, the longest flying, and subjectively, the smoothest of the HZRDUS line, there appears to be just a little bit something extra in this shaft.

It reminds me a bit of the Aldila Rogue Silver 125 MSI in that it holds up to aggression well and never feels overly firm.

At $450, it is the most expensive of the HZRDUS line, but that’s the pretty much the going rate for shafts made from T1100 graphite. Toss in the fact that it takes four days to apply the various layers of reflective paint, and well, what can we say...sexy doesn’t come cheap.

Spin differences between shafts perhaps aren’t as great as golfers often believe, but if you’re trying to shave every last RPM and - and this is no small thing, people - the profile fits your swing, the HZRDUS T1100 appears to do just that. If you're that guy, it's absolutely a shaft you should demand to try on your next visit to your fitter.

The Final Word

As we always do, we recommend you visit a qualified fitter instead of blindly buying your next shaft. It’s far too easy to throw your money away. That said, we’re here to help, so if you have any specific questions about this test and how the data might relate to your game, we’re always happy to take a closer look.

For more information on the entire HZRDUS line, visit PXShafts.com.