diamana whiteboard vs. redboard

[Teedub7]

ok, this year my drives have greatly improved, but now i feel like my shaft on my driver is a little weak. the pro even said my rombax feels weak for a stiff shaft. Anyway, i was looking at the diamana series from Mishuibishi Rayon, and i cant pick between these shafts. My swing speed with a driver was about 108 MPH and i carry the ball around 245 yards, with about 15-20 yards of roll. My trajectory is low to mid and i have a slight draw. My swing is very controlled, and i miss a fairway very few times during the round. Which shaft, the redboard or the whiteboard, is right for me.

[rebby]

You question is actually pretty loaded as there are quite a few factors that will make one shaft better or worse for your game. For me the White Board 73 X-Stiff was the correct shaft, that doesn't mean that it will suit you very well though.

Here is a quick break down between the White Board and the Red Board.

White Board
- Low torque, stiff tip. Helps stabilize the tip and provide for a more penetrating ball flight.
- Stiff mid section. Combined w/the stiff tip, provides more control and stability.
- Softer butt section. Enhances feel and helps loading during transition from backswing to downswing.


Red Board
- Low torque, active tip. Encourages a higher launch w/out sacrificing accuracy.
- Stiff mid section. Compliments the active tip design to control ball flight.
- Softer butt section. Enhances feel and helps loading during transition from backswing to downswing.

I guess the question would really come down to the difference in the tip and how that fits your game. I preferred to keep a lower launch angle that the White Board provided. I found that I had more control with the White Board as well. With a swing speed of about 118mph I was getting a launch angle of about 12.5' w/a ball speed of roughly 165mph. This resulted in about 300 yards of carry on the monitor and a left/right delta of <10 yards.

With the Red Board my launch angle increased to about 13.5' (which could have easily been fixed with an 8.5' head instead of the 9.5'). All other variables remained approximately the same but the left/right delta increased to 15-20 yards depending on how square I hit the shot. I had a similar experience with the Blue Board.

The other thing to consider is the shaft weight. I preferred the 73 series but also hit the 83 pretty good as well. Since I have the I-Mix I'll possibly get an 83 later on for the windy days. With the 83 my swing speed dropped to about 114mph, ball speed to about 160mph, launch angle to 11.5-12', and carry to about 290 yards. The main advantage however is my left/right delta was <5 yards! This came at a cost though, I really had a hard time working the ball with this shaft, which (in the end) is why I went with the 73.

My advise is to get on a launch monitor and swing as many different shafts as you can. I did this over a 3 week period and, although the wait was pure hell, I ended up with a shaft/head combo that I'm very comfortable and confident in. On the plus side I also learned how making simple shaft changes will affect the flight of my drives thus allowing me to make full use of the I-Mix system.

ETA: Almost forgot... Another thing to look out for is spin rate. This is where I really had a hard time with the Blue Board. I'm guessing this might be due to the higher torque of the Blue Board but I'm not sure. My spin rate with this shaft went way up.

I'm also not convinced that I hit my new driver combo 300+ yards on the carry like the monitor says. I just got it about a week and a half ago and life has gotten in the way of letting me get out to the course to find out for sure (2 kids, 3 dogs, 3 jobs, etc, etc). It did say that I was carrying my old driver about 285 though which was accurate though. On that note, I'd bring your current/old driver along for the test drive. It's nice to have a starting point to work from. It's also nice to understand where your numbers are now with your current driver so you'll understand what you're changing with the new driver.

[DJYoshi]

i'm a fan of the whiteboard!

[mbshaf]

I just went through the long process of changing from my trusty R7 460 9.5* with Blueboard 63 S tipped one inch to a new driver. The R7 was money but over the last 18 months I'd noticed those I played with beginning to close the gap off the tee. I finally narrowed it down to the G10 9* nuetral (never thought I'd leave TM) and began the shaft selection process. I tried both the PL Red and TFC 129 and really liked the PL RED (in one round with the demo I had two of my best drives ever...by 30 yards) but was leaving it out to the right a little and couldn't get it to turn over consistently. I went ahead and went with a WRX version with a Whiteboard. My drives went from 300+ to 250 (I check on course GPS - I don't trust the monitors). The spin was too low, leaving me hitting knuckle balls. I posted on another site and a guy locally had a similar set up with an AXIS 75-S and proposed a trade (he threw in the stock PL RED shaft to sweeten the pot). Long story short, it was the beginning of a love affair. The combination is magic...longest drives of my life and able to consistently put it where I want with the trajectory I'm looking for (I favor a right to left shot, but do like to work it both ways).

The point is, I wound up with a combo I'd never heard of...would not have looked at, and most definitely would have thought inferior based on what people recommend. For me it is golden. My recommendation is that while what we all have to say may be helpful, nothing is as useful as grabbing a some demos and getting to the range. Specs may help guide you, but putting the ball in play is what will ultimately tell the tale. Good luck!

[bleedcubbieblue]

i love the redboard for you.