As you might be able to tell from the Trackman screen, Pampling doesn’t like to see his shots curve to the left. He also prefers a flat-to-downward attack angle for most driver swings. This combination of a fade-biased ball flight and a preference to keep his angle of attack neutral to down at impact are two factors that make optimizing carry distance a challenge for any player.  

With the TPT Red Range 17 Hi Driver Shaft, a softer shaft than is typically used by professional golfers, Pampling was free to hit his fairway-finding, low, running fades. But what the 17 Hi also offers him is the flexibility for him to hit higher, more carry-optimized drives when he wants to without concerns about consistency. 

“What we see in almost every TPT shaft fitting is that golfers can use a softer shaft than what they’re used to using,” Sinclair said. “This means they can get more ‘kick’ out of the shaft at the bottom, which increases their swing speed and ball speed for more distance. And because TPT shafts are more consistent than other shafts, golfers are hitting more drives in the sweet spot with TPT, which also adds more distance.”

Typically, softer shafts are harder to control for tour players. And that’s where TPT’s automatic manufacturing process, Continuous Fiber, changes the game. Because TPT shafts don’t have the inconsistencies of other graphite shafts — they don’t have seams or “spine” because they’re made with machines and not by hand — Pampling is able to play a softer shaft and still hit all the shots he wants to hit. 

“You see his swing speed around 110 mph and his angle of attack at 1.5 degrees in this screenshot, but we have to remember that this is a three-time PGA Tour winner that can do just about anything with a golf club,” Sinclair said. “If he wanted to swing faster, he could. He can swing 6 degrees up or 6 degrees down at impact. He can draw or fade the ball. It all comes down to what’s right for the moment. Rod has played TPT for all these years because it gives him the confidence to make whatever swing feels best to him for any given shot.”

If Pampling were to play a more traditional driver shaft for someone at his swing speed — such as another manufacturer’s 6X model — he would lose this versatility with his driver, according to Sinclair. 

“A stiffer shaft with a stiffer tip would cause his spin to get too low, and he would lose a lot of carry distance when he hits a low bullet,” Sinclair said.

As we like to say at TPT, flex and weight are highly overrated measurements. It all comes down to what shaft works best. That’s why TPT Red Range shafts are engineered with small and precise steps between each model to offer every golfer a shaft that can be optimized to their swing and shot preferences. 

Interested in a TPT shaft fitting? Locate a TPT Authorized Fitter near you to schedule your fitting.