Mitsubishi Diamana DF Shaft Review - PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway

If you followed the PGA and European Tours this year you'll know that Mitsubishi golf shafts had a dominating season.  Mitsubishi won total driver counts, total shaft counts, first place finishes, and second place finishes week-in and week-out. 

 

It wasn't uncommon to see entire leaderboards filled with Mitsubishi shafts, and at some events almost half the field was playing one.  That's not just dominating, that's ridiculously dominating.  One of these Mitsubishi juggernauts was always a Diamana shaft, and the DF-Series might be the most deadly. 

Mitsubishi's Diamana line is now in its fourth generation, and the DF-Series is a mid-low ball flight shaft with low spin, and produces shots with piercing trajectories.  Shots start off low and just keep rising like fighter jets taking off at scorching speeds. 

 

 

Tiger Woods made the Whiteboard profile legendary when he played it in his driver a handful of years back.  But don't assume you need blistering swing speeds to benefit from the DF.  Even moderate speeds in the 80-90 mph range will see stronger ball flights and tighter dispersion. 

 

 

The DF is designed for Total Driving.  And by that of course I mean combined distance and accuracy.  There are other shafts better suited to give you the greatest distance on perfect strikes, but the DF's stability makes it one of the most accurate shafts on the market.  That is provided you fit the DF swing profile - which is a moderate-to-fast tempo with a mid-to-late release. 

 

 

I put the DF in my Callaway Rogue Sub Zero driver, and the best way I can describe the DF ball flight, performance, and feel is to set you up with an example.  Imagine a long hole you've played (par-4 or par-5 doesn't matter), and it's a pretty severe dogleg-left hole.  The DF is the kind of shaft that's going to reward you for swinging as hard and as fast as you can. 

Your typical ball flight with the DF will be a high-boring fade.  If you're skilled enough you can still work the ball both ways, but the DF is pretty close to being as anti-left as it gets.  This shaft is all about stability and tight dispersion.  You're not going to have many crazy misses with the DF. 

 

 

Like the previous generations of whiteboard shafts, the DF is low spinning, but higher launching than what we've seen in the past (and that's usually something most of us can use).  This also gives you the opportunity to play with lower loft settings on your driver (which is fun if you're always looking to tinker). 

The DF feel is very linear and one-piece, which is not surprising given its stability.  It's not as soft in the handle as previous whiteboard profiles, and it's not a shaft you're going to feel much kick with.  However that's not to say it feels boardy or like a telephone pole.  In fact, because it's a mid-torque shaft I'd go so far as describing the DF feel as smooth and crisp through impact. 

 

 

 

 

For comparison sake with other shafts I've played, the DF launches higher than the Aldila Synergy, spins less than the EvenFlow, feels smoother than the HZRDUS Black, and rolls out a bit more than all of them.  It's also the straightest of the bunch.  If accuracy is your itch, the DF is pretty much your scratch. 

And a quick final word about the graphics.  Yes, I know this is a subjective area, but Mitsubishi freaking killed it here.  The dark metallic chrome gloss thing is absolutely wicked.  I could write a small novel on how bad-ass it looks, but this review has already gone on longer than I intended.  Suffice to say - well done all around Mitsubishi! 

 

 

 

 

PROS: 

World-class, smooth, and stable feel 
Sneaky long and extremely consistent
Straight and reliable flight 

CONS: 
Might not get along well with smooth tempo players