Everything You Need To Know About Mitsubishi Golf Shafts

If you are sitting around the table with your golf mates in the clubhouse over a cup of coffee, and the conversation turns to who the most successful golf companies are, you’d discuss brands like Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist, among others.

The conversation takes two routes if the question turns to who the most successful golf shaft manufacturers are.

With steel shafts, you might hear names like True Temper, KBS, or Project X. With graphite shafts, the two names that are likely to come up are Fujikura and Mitsubishi Golf shafts.

These two brands have been locked head-to-head for years, evolving the carbon composite shaft to new levels of performance and technology.

Sixteen of the world’s top 50 players employ Mitsubishi shafts in their drivers. Only Fujikura is ahead, with 21 players using one of their shafts.

Mitsubishi Chemical has had a long and illustrious heritage of producing some of the best golf shafts in the world. With major victories and numerous wins across the globe’s tours, Mitsubishi has given us many famous designs with lines like Diamana, Kuro Kage, Tensei, and Kai’Li.

What are the secrets to Mitsubishi Chemical’s longevity, and how do they keep producing high-quality shafts that benefit every type of player golfer, from a top 50 player to a weekend warrior?

Join us as we answer these questions by looking at:

• The Technology Driving Mitsubishi Chemical Golf Shafts
• The 2024 Mitsubishi Chemical Lineup
• Delivering Enhanced Distance and Accuracy Through Custom-Fitted Golf Shafts

The Technology Driving Mitsubishi Chemical Golf Shafts

When you look at a carbon composite shaft, it can be difficult to understand the level of design and engineering involved in its construction.

Making a shaft begins with sheets or flags of prepregs, which are composites of carbon fibre and resin.

Most manufacturers source their prepreg sheets from outside suppliers. Mitsubishi Chemical creates its own prepregs in-house. Mitsubishi Chemical Golf is part of a much broader organisation that conducts work on aerospace projects that are heavily reliant on materials like carbon composites for their lightweight and strength.

The advantage here is that with the process under one roof, Mitsubishi can clearly define the composition of its prepregs, experiment with new compositions and integrate different compositions within a single shaft to create specific playing characteristics.

Through the shaft families that Mitsubishi Golf has brought to the market, such as Diamana, Tensei, Kai’Li, and MMT, Mitsubishi has created key technologies that form the basis of how shafts are constructed and how different profiles are designed to offer distinct playing characteristics.

We can define these technologies as:

• Xlink Tech Resin
• Precision Crafted Design
• MR70
• 1K Carbon Fibre
• Metal Mesh Technology (MMT)

Xlink Tech Resin

As stated, prepregs are a mixture of carbon composite material and resin. The resin acts as the “glue” to keep the prepreg tight, but heavy use of resin produces a shaft with less feel to it. Xlink reduces the resin content as much as possible to improve the shaft’s feel while maintaining strength and stability.

Precision Crafted Design

Creating the tightest tolerances around weight and frequency helps to ensure the shaft performs as expected. Mitsubishi tests every shaft to be within plus or minus one gram in weight and plus or minus one CPM in frequency.

MR70

Designed in-house by Mitsubishi Chemical, MR70 sits within the core of the shaft and is a new form of carbon fibre material 20% stronger than any other competitor in the field.

1K Carbon Fibre

Only available in the Tensei 1K Pro shafts, 1K carbon fibre is Mitsubishi’s premium offering. It features a tighter, consistent weave for added strength and feel.

Metal Mesh Technology (MMT)

MMT technology integrates strands of braided stainless steel into a carbon composite prepreg created specifically for hybrid and iron shafts. The added steel mesh increases durability and improves feel.

With MMT, Mitsubishi has created a carbon composite iron shaft that golfers of any level can use.

Mitsubishi will create different forms of prepreg and blend different prepregs with some of the technologies above to create a shaft with a very specific feel and playing characteristics for every level of golfer.

The 2024 Mitsubishi Chemical Lineup

Mitsubishi Chemical’s current range of golf shafts is as strong as ever. Earlier this summer, Mitsubishi announced the launch of the latest version of its iconic Diamana Blueboard, “BB.”

It’s 20 years since Mitsubishi launched the original Diamana Blueboard.

The shaft featured the distinctive floral band and surfboard logo with the word Diamana written across it. The shaft quickly gained popularity amongst the pro ranks for its exceptional feel, with Tiger Woods being the most noticeable convert to the charms of the original Blueboard.

Now entering its sixth generation, the new Diamana BB still has its exceptional feel at the heart of its character. The floral pattern and surfboard motif are still present in the new “BB.” Mitsubishi has also returned to the original weighting system, with the 53/63/73/83 gram shafts joined by a lighter 43-gram weight in 2024.

The new Diamana BB is powered by a mix of 80-ton Dialed Pitch Fiber and 46-ton fibre. Mitsubishi’s Xlink tech system brings additional strength and stability to a shaft with mid-launch, mid-spin playing characteristics.

For the more aggressive swingers, the Whiteboard, or “WB,” offers lower launch and lower spin thanks to additional carbon fibre orientation reinforcing the tip section, increasing its stability.

Tensei

Translated as “transformation”, the Tensei series of golf shafts continues to be popular at both professional and amateur levels.

While Diamana is about creating the best-feeling shaft, Tensei is focused on technology and is split into two options: Tensei AV Raw and Tensei Pro 1K.

The AV reference is Mitsubishi’s use of Aluminium Vapour. During the bonding process, aluminium vapour is applied to add stability and make the weave lighter and stronger. A further distinction in the AV Raw comes from the exposed weave under the grip.

With the 1K, the difference comes in the use of 1K carbon fibre. Positioned in the butt section of the shaft, 1K carbon fibre is three times stronger than carbon kevlar. Using 1K creates a tighter weave, further stabilising the shaft.

Mitsubishi uses the same colour coding system as they do in Diamana to define the different profiles of the Tensei shafts:

• Red - high-launch, mid-spin
• Blue - mid-launch, mid-spin
• White - low-launch, low-spin

There is also a Tensei Orange option: a counter-balanced, low-spin, low-launch shaft.

Like Diamana, the Tensei range is available for the driver, fairway woods, and even in a hybrid option, helping to create a consistent feel throughout the longer clubs in your bag.

Vanquish

The modern game of golf is driven by power. Hitting the ball further makes scoring easier when you have shorter clubs in your hands, or so the theory goes.

In recent years, we have seen a trend of making shafts lighter to help generate more clubhead speed. However, making the shaft lighter can affect its stability, leading to inconsistent strikes and poor shot dispersion.

Mitsubishi Chemical has tackled these issues with the Vanquish shaft. Specifically designed as a lightweight shaft, the two weight options are 40 and 50 grams. Mitsubishi engineers have added what they term Amorphous Wire Technology in the butt section, creating a little more flexibility without compromising stability and helping to add clubhead speed.

The Vanquish also benefits from Super Low Resin Content Prepreg. In plain English, the shaft is more carbon-dense to enhance the feel of the Vanquish.

The Vanquish is probably closer to Diamana because it is designed for smoother power delivery and an outstanding feel.

A unique feature of the Vanquish is that it is available in all flex options, from R2 (senior/light flex) to Tour Extra Stiff, even in the 40-gram option.

Kai’Li

The Kai’li family was introduced in 2021, starting with the Kai’Li white, which was designed for golfers with the most aggressive swings who wanted to control launch and spin effectively. The Kai’Li White proved a massive success from its launch, and Mitsubishi followed up with red and blue variants.

Similar to what we see in Tensei, the colours mean something:

• Kai’Li White - low-launch, low-spin
• Kai’Li Blue - mid-launch, mid-spin
• Kai’Li Red - high-launch, mid-spin

The Kai’Li range features Mitsubishi’s MR70 technology. This is Mitsubishi’s premium carbon fibre designed in-house, combining strength and lightweight to drive the shaft’s performance.

The Kai’Li shafts are designed for custom fitting and have extensive weights and flexes available to our fitters, ensuring every golfer has a Kai’Li option.

MMT

Graphite shafts were only considered for irons aimed at female or elderly golfers, offering them more clubhead speed to hit the ball further.

Mitsubishi has been one of the pioneers in creating graphite shafts for irons that can be used for every level of golfer, including tour professionals.

It has achieved this by taking inspiration from the world of archery. Mitsubishi found an arrow manufacturer wrapping stainless steel threads into the carbon resin prepregs in the design of the arrow shaft. The result was an arrow that flew more accurately over a longer range. Mitsubishi adopted the technology to create MMT.

Delivering Enhanced Distance and Accuracy Through Custom-Fitted Golf Shafts

To some golfers, the only thing they are concerned about with the carbon graphite shafts they use is what the colour scheme and graphics look like.

For another group of golfers, the “waggle test” in the shop will convey all the information they need about a shaft’s suitability for their needs.

Golfers are becoming more educated on the benefits of custom fitting for their golf clubs. Understanding which head and the correct configuration for something like a driver fitting will help us gain yards and help us keep the ball in play better when we miss-hit it.

But the head is only one part of the equation.

When it comes to a club like the driver, fitting the correct shaft isn’t just about helping you gain more precious yards; it’s about improving shot dispersion. What’s the point in gaining 10 yards off the tee if you hit it 10 yards further into the woods?

As we see with the Mitsubishi Chemical shaft lineup, we have different shaft profiles that can:

• Enhance or reduce spin.
• Configured based on shaft weight
• Dialled in through the various flex options on offer

As with all elements of club fitting, the key information for the fitter happens at the outset, with the data picked up on the launch monitor when you start to hit shots. The fitter couples the information from the launch monitor with the feedback you provide about the typical shots you see on the course and what you like and don’t like.

When fitting the correct shaft, the fitter will consider data points such as clubhead speed, launch, and spin angles. The launch monitor will also provide data on shot dispersion, which can provide valuable insight into how well-suited you are to your current shafts.

The beauty of having access to Mitsubishi Chemical shafts is their range of options. Every type of golfer is covered, from players who need help maximising their spin to keep the ball in the air to optimise carry to players who generate lots of clubhead speed and need stability in their shaft to control spin and launch.

The variety of weight and flex options makes creating these ideal launch and spin numbers much easier. Dialling in the right weight and flex can also help add some extra clubhead speed while not harming or improving accuracy.

Mitsubishi Chemical has a long, distinguished history of making high-grade carbon composite shafts.

Through established lines such as Diamana and Tensei, Mitsubishi Chemical has chalked up an impressive 641 professional wins worldwide.

However, lines like Diamana and Tensei aren’t designed purely for professionals. Amateurs of every level can also benefit from the cutting-edge technology employed within each Mitsubishi chemical shaft.

Optimising your equipment to perform at its best on the course comes down to being custom-fitted. Mitsubishi Chemical shafts are explicitly designed for custom fitting. Custom-fitted golf shafts can help increase your clubhead speed for more distance and improve your shot dispersion.

Regardless of which model best suits your game, we can dial in the exact shaft that will benefit you, thanks to the extensive weight and flex options available on any Mitsubishi Chemical shaft.

At Nine By Nine Golf, you can book a custom fitting session with one of our experienced fitters for any department of your game. We stock the full range of Mitsubishi Chemical golf shafts, which you can try during your fitting session. With the help of our fitter, you can dial in the right shaft for you.

We also have the full range, including the new Diamana BB and WB, on our website. You can select what you’re looking for through our custom shaft facility or select your shaft when building your golf club or golf clubs on our website, which will be built in-house at Nine By Nine Golf.

We’d be happy to answer any other questions you have regarding the Mitsubishi Chemical golf shaft range or how custom-fitting can benefit your game.