The True Temper Elevate iron shafts come as a followup to the ongoing quest of club and ball technologies to reduce spin in the pursuit of more distance. It’s just not in the way you think it might be.
No, rather than more efforts to reduce spin that seem to permeate the game today, the Elevate looks to help modern irons with their low-spin technologies and stronger lofts launch shots higher with more spin—and help modern golfers as a result. There’s an obvious logic at work here: Unlike drivers, iron shots need spin so shots don’t bounce and roll significantly after they land.
The Elevate comes in two versions: a lightweight Elevate 95 (in two flexes at 106- and 108-gram weights), which is also the stock shaft on the new Callaway Apex irons; and a more mid-weight, better player shaft, the Elevate Tour (in R, S and X- flexes at 112-122-gram weights).
“This low-spin equipment trend is great for distance, but for a lot of amateur golfers and even some tour players, more carry and spin is actually needed,” said True Temper’s Keenan Phillips. “In fact, Elevate Tour came in direct response to feedback from tour players telling our reps that they were needing a shaft to help create proper launch and descent angles while still maintaining a mid-weight design.”
Both Elevate iron shafts also incorporate True Temper’s internal shock absorption mechanism. Called VSS, a strip of foam winds around the inside of the upper portion of the shaft. On the Elevate 95, the VSS insert reduces 71 percent of vibration for a softer feel, while the VSS Pro insert on the Elevate Tour reduces 56 percent of vibration to provide better players with the optimized feel they prefer.
The Elevate shafts ($60) are available through authorized True Temper Performance Fitting Centers.