TESTER BIO
Age/Bio : 51yr / Male / 5'8"
Handicap: 10
Swing speed: 95 mph
Driver: TM Stealth 10.5˚ at 45.5"
PRODUCT INFO
Shaft: Proxima MA80 driver shaft 5SR
Price: $650
Website : https://proximashaft.com/
PROXIMA GOLF - INTRODUCTION
Although not a household brand name in Korea as yet, the makers of Proxima have been in the industry for more than 20 years, honing their skills and reputation as one of the top golf shaft manufacturers around. Their latest masterpiece, the Proxima MA80 (Multi Angle) shaft featuring SSC (Straight Support Core) technology, has reached a new level of performance and has been gaining a small but rapidly growing following on the international scene.
Lightweight yet strong in torque and tensile strength, the Proxima shafts are a must-try for golfers who are looking for premium performance in ball speed and accuracy off the tee. Although it is not well-known yet, from our own experience with the shaft, it would not be surprising if the brand gained notoriety among pros and amateurs alike for its great feel and performance.
Below is our own experience with the Promixa shaft 5SR for a smooth transition golfer with an average 95mph driver swing speed.
DESIGN
The Proxima MA80 shaft color is matte black with the slightest touch of grey. The name is embossed in shiny gold letters adding to the premium look of the shaft, along with a somewhat electric-looking designs on one side near the top portion.
One thing I had issues with were the shaft specs that were also printed onto the shaft. While informative, the large letters along with the names of the technology seemed a tad too busy, thus taking attention away from the actual shaft design. Overall, the design is not obtrusive or too flashy, but has the feel of quality due to the muted matte color graphics.
The shaft is considered to be a premium aftermarket shaft in the upper price range. The Proxima MA80 shafts are available in 8 models ranging from 45g to 63g and are sold only outside of Korea. While sad news for Korean golfers, the Proxima is well-received among those who have had the chance to see and experience the shaft in person, including some well-known golf influencers and YouTube personalities.
TECHNOLOGY
According to the company, the shaft is made from high-end carbon materials to provide high elasticity and tensile strength in an lightweight shaft. The 5SR we tested weighed 54g uncut and measured 235 CPM with a firm 3.80 torque. The overall club felt light yet firm during the swing and felt quite pure at impact without the feeling of the head feeling disconnected or wobbly.
The company explains that through years of research and experimentation, they have fine-tuned their SSC (Straight Support Core) technology featuring Multi Angle structure, which aligns the carbon plys in a strategic way at the shaft's tip and butt end.
Without going into specifics, the angle of the shaft axis is cut and arranged in a "multi-angle structure" at different angles throughout the shaft, especially at the tip and butt end. As a result, the shaft's lightweight but firm torque helps decrease side spin to improve both carry distance and accuracy.
REVIEW
Without any specifics to delve into, only the actual test results gleaned from our hitting sessions are offered, and the verdict is that IT WORKS. The shots displayed smaller dispersion than expected, along with a highly satisfying feeling at impact. The ball felt as if it stuck to the club face a split second longer and exploded off the face. The feeling was softer than expected compared to the shafts such as Tensei or Ventus (which are also both great shafts), yet crisp and smooth to affirm a shot well struck.
Above is a sample chart provided by the company of their test results. Although the bulk of our own testing took place with the 5SR shaft not listed above, the results were comparable to the 5S shaft, with the average CHS at 96mph (a slight bump from 94-95mph average) and at 234 yard carry with a comfy and stable swing.
The shaft was compared with Fujikura Ventus TR blue 5R at 3.7 torque and 58.5g. In comparison, the Proxima shaft is similar at 3.8 torque but slightly lighter at 54g. Both felt similar in firmness at waggle and in swinging the club, despite the different designations of 5R and 5SR, respectively.
The feel of the two is quite comparable, but I must add that the Proxima shaft felt much lighter for some reason but not loose at waggle. One thing to note is that the Proxima shaft is more of a conventional shaft than an ultralight and flexible offering like the Autoflex or FreeFlex. But it is also noticeably lighter and lower in CPM than its direct counterpart in conventional shafts. So if you've ever tried the AF or FF shafts and loved the performance but not the overly whippy feeling, this shaft may be the optimal solution in both feel and performance.
On another side note, I have been using the FreeFlex FF38 shaft for over 8 months, and at 170 CPM and 5.5 torque, it is highly soft with a surprisingly stiff feel at impact. Given that I was used to swinging such a flexible shaft, I anticipated a slight learning curve to heavier, stiffer conventional shafts in the ventus and Proxima.
Surprisingly, while the Ventus 5R was as expected in requiring nearly 10 shots to get the feeling and swing tempo under control, the Proxima shaft took 2-3 swings to get into the groove to hit my normal shot distance and pattern. I had actually started out by hitting the Proxima shaft first, so this was saying a lot for me since I was warmed up when hitting the Ventus and it still seemed firmer and heavier than the Proxima. Comparing the best shots of both, they were quite similar with Proxima being a tad faster in CHS by 1.5mph on average for 3-5 yard increase. I'd imagine this difference will magnify even more at higher swing speeds.
What's more, the dispersion was also slightly better (~5%) for the Korean shaft, but the real difference for me was the feeling during the swing and at impact. The shaft felt light but firm and came around the transition point effortlessly into the impact and finish. Being a slower-speed golfer at 95mph, I tend to push or pull the shots if I overexert to squeeze out some more CHS and sometimes lose balance at the finish. So when I attempted to swing within myself and to try to complete the swing to finish, the Proxima shaft felt much more stable and confident.
The feeling at impact also felt crisper than the Ventus, which also showed good numbers but felt heavier, and I had to swing harder to make it work. It was surprising how only a few grams could make such a difference in feel, but the high-quality carbon material may also have helped. Below is a sample swing at about 90% power (100% being an all-out effort) with Proxima for a total 232-meter (253-yard) drive.
OUR VERDICT
The Proxima shaft is genuinely a high-performing quality shaft that seemed to straddle the middle grounds between ultra-light and flexible distance shafts (AF, FF) and top-tier conventional offerings (Ventus, Tensei). I particularly appreciate that the shaft seemed to impart less fatigue over a round of golf as my hands and arms felt less vibrations from mis-shots off center.
The Proxima shaft may be hard to get a hold of due to its exclusivity and higher-end pricing, but for serious golfers with serious intent to better their game and feel good about their swing, it is definitely worth a look.
