• Equipment

  • Penley returning to the aftermarket shaft market

Quote from the link
" I’m going to hand build these shafts. I’m going to grind and sand these things right in the center of the range. And I don’t make 10,000 shafts. The biggest lot I’ll make is 100. In long drive, I make only 10 at a time. I hand grind those guys to a perfect TBAR. And I can move it up and down a bit with Zone Flex Characterization.”
“I want to go back to the way it was when Bobby Jones was playing golf. Hand making wooden shafts. Sanding and grinding, that’s what they did. Carbon fiber is just a composite…and so is wood".

That is a lot of work and not necessarily for better quality control. Customizing , yes.

I wonder when will anyone have a chance to try this out ?
A funny time to come back into the market. I hope their financial backing is solid to weather whatever could be ahead.
Love the Penley shafts when they first came on the market, there was not many choices for quality shafts back then.

mcavoy You aren't too far off......when Penley went under several years ago, the company was bought out, and production moved to Mexico. Those shafts were total crap; not Carter's doings. They kept the same colors/logos and even still labeled them as Made In U.S.A.. In the meantime, Carter did come back with a couple of new shafts, years later. And when he found out about all the problems buyers had been having with those Mexican shafts, he took it upon himself(and wallet) to round them all up, by giving trade-in allowance on his new shafts. I never did get around to buying any of the new as they were too pricey, esp. compared to his old line(which were excellent shafts). These statements come from personal experiences with his shafts, along with some info passed to me by a very reliable source.

I think he's been making shafts for several years now, but only a couple models, and maybe 1 for LD. I like the man, I like his older shafts, but there is not a shaft in the world worth that kind of money. Yet, people will buy them, for whatever odd reasons. Crazyiness.

      a month later

      Par4QC Carter has been making shafts for the last several years. He been spending his time developing his TBAR system, which is a truly revolutionary design and manufacturing process that allows home to build shafts to a much higher precision tolerance level than any other shaft. Also, each of his shafts co es with a TBAR sheet, which a blueprint of exactly how that shaft bends and performs. He is building shafts with specific zone flex characterizations and, most importantly, he can duplicate the result to near perfection. He can make the same shaft, with the same bend characteristics over and over again. Absolutely no other shaft company can do that. Also, the materials he uses are very unique to his products. They are a very high quality pre-preg that is very expensive. You say no shaft is worth it, well you obviously have not hit his newest shafts. They are so consistent and repeat the bend characteristics the same every time, which makes for a much more consistent and controllable shaft, which equal superior repeatable results. Additionally, he makes 100% of his shafts right here in the USA, In San Diego, ca...every aspect of production costs have risen considerably in the last 10 years...rents are doubled, labor and labor costs have more than doubled, insurance etc, all more than doubled, not to mention that the cost of his materials have gone way up, well more than triple. Of course his shafts cost more and they are worth it when you get such better results. More importantly, compare his $175.. retail ET2 shaft to all those other name brand shafts In the $400.00+ range and you will quickly see no fee the difference...his outperforms all of them for about half the cost. That is a bargain! Comparing the benefits of his shafts to others, there is no comparison, how do you place a clue on that? More green in reg, more fairways hit, better feel, isn't it a bargain? You really should check out the various videos he has put, they fully explain his technology and processes:
      https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC7v_AZflpKzSbhvyY2GmreQ

          I put the ET2 shaft in a mid stiff flex with a medium stiff tip, custom ordered from Penley, in a Taylormade SLDR 460cc head. It replaced a Hzrdus black. Final results, I gained an average of 12 yards and CJ control this shaft so much better control, I can shape any shot I want and have such confidence in this shaft, it just duplicates the same bend every time. It is AWESOME and is the best feeling shaft I've ever hit!

          I'm a 3 handicap and I'm telling you, there is no better shaft out there, not at any price! Put a value on that!

          I have a Penley Caliente on my non-conforming Juggernaut driver. It's an excellent shaft.

          Tradsports Even though I consider you a SPAMMER, what with the new membership + drumming up an older thread + adding a link in your posting, I'll make a short answer. With a few questions.

          I don't really care what Carter is putting in his shafts, or what he is putting them through, or if he is hand making them.... he has nothing to prove to me. I've played enough Penley shafts to know they were the best shafts ever made....I'll bar none at this point. And those shafts were not the most expensive on the market, but affordable for everyone, hack or Pro. They played great, they played consistent. AS LONG AS YOU HIT THEM CONSISTENT!!

          What shaft do you use in your 3 or 5 wood club???
          Not an off assumption, I don't think, but I assume you do use a FW club off the tee at least a couple times per round, no?
          And, at that 3 'cap, I assume you only still only hit around 50-60% of your FWs because the Pros only(at the top best) hit lower 70%, and you cannot be better than them at 3.

          How many strokes will this shaft take off a typical golfer's 18 hole score?
          You see, it's not how far or straight you hit off the tee, it's the final score that players look at, and it's what pays those Pros. (LDers excepted)

          Carter, and other shaft designers, are always barking up the wrong tree(teeshots). Max of 14 per round. What about shafts for those other 70-80-90+ strokes? The ones that really count?

          I've got $9.99 shafts in my drivers.
          Do you really think I'm going to hit the ball farther or even straighter, with a $250 shaft?
          Do you really think I'm going to hit the ball more consistently, either longer or straighter?
          What if I tell you I'm a scratch golfer?
          What if I say I'm an 11 'capper?

              Par4QC
              I've got a couple of Penley Stealth 90 wood shafts that I bought from Golfetail many years ago and never used. Anyway to know if they are decent shafts or the junk ones?

                  JoeHatesSnow
                  iirc, they still had the 'Made in U.S.A' label on them, even though they were made in Mexico; after Penley sold the rights. Never saw a label on them denoting anything about Mexico. I do think, though, that was the main company selling the shafts that were not up to snuff. They sure as hell did not feel or play the same as Carter's shafts did.

                    sdandrea1 You come from a much more affluent area, so naturally you are wealthy & can easily afford those high priced shafts. I live in a depressed area, thus I'm poor, and have to use the cheapies.😭

                        Gonna need a cult following to make it these days. Penley shafts seem ancient to me, like Rapport or Harrison, etc.