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Why Fujikura’s new Ventus TR Blue+ shaft is picking up steam on Tour
The winningest driver shaft family from last season has a new member — and it’s already starting to pick up steam.
Fujikura’s new Ventus TR Blue with VeloCore+ launched on worldwide tours in mid-January, but it’s already found its way into the bag of PGA Tour pros.
Danny Walker and Kensei Hirata were some of the earliest adopters of the new shaft. More recently, Harry Hall and Rafael Campos added it to the bag. That doesn’t include the numerous players testing the new shaft (like Nicolai Hojgaard).
While it might seem quiet so far, Fujikura Tour rep Marshall Thompson says the new TR Blue is actually ahead of schedule compared to the rollout of the first Ventus shafts to get VeloCore+ two years ago. A lot of that had to do with timing.
“It’s much better. It’s much more received,” Thompson told GOLF. “When we launched [the previous one] it was the middle of the year, the middle of July. A lot of guys aren’t really doing testing, and a lot of guys by July are already locked in for the year.”
This time, Fujikura launched the new shaft in January, right when pros were figuring out their bags with a deluge of new products from the OEMs.
That’s led to the quicker adoption, but there’s still probably more to come.
“These rollouts always take some time,” Thompson said. “There are shafts that I build up for certain players where I think it’s got a really good chance of going in, and then I don’t see it for five weeks. Then all of a sudden that player brings it out of the garage and says, ‘Okay, now I’m ready to actually take it to the course.’”
Thompson pointed to the 2024 rollout of the first Ventus with VeloCore+ as appearing slow, but now dozens of players have the updated versions, including U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun and recent converts like Min Woo Lee and Tony Finau.
And while the name is the same as its predecessor, switching into the new version might not exactly be plug-and-play. Thompson said the Fuji team knew how good the original Ventus TR line was and wanted to improve it without straying too far.
By adding VeloCore+ to the shaft, the new TR Blue has an increased torsional stability (a resistance to twisting), which promotes stability throughout the shaft and center-face contact.
Fujikura 2026 Ventus TR Blue Wood Shaft (Velocore+)
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That additional stability meant engineers could reorient the Spread Tow fabric in the handle section of the shaft — the material that differentiates the Ventus and Ventus TR lines — to make the handle stiffer.
The result is a slightly stiffer handle with a slightly softer mid-section while retaining the same ultra-stiff tip. Thompson said they’ve noticed the tighter handle allows players to feel like they can go after the ball a bit more, while the softer mid creates a smoother feel throughout the swing.
That’s led to much tighter downrange dispersion for many players.
“When I can see 60 to 70 percent of players gaining and standard deviations getting tighter across the board, I know we’ve got a really good shaft,” Thompson said.
In my own personal testing, my first experience with the new TR Blue+ was on a day when I couldn’t find the face to save my life with my OG TR Blue gamer. We switched to the new shaft and instantly the sound changed, and I was finding the middle of the face with ease. On a Foresight GC Quad, I recorded a shot exactly out of the middle of the face.
Thompson feels confident about the rollout, especially this season, where the new drivers from the OEMs are more competitive than ever. There’s still plenty of testing going on.
“Even on tour, these non-contract guys still have four or five headcovers in the bag and they’re trying different options,” he said. “And we’re already into the Florida swing.”
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