Breakthrough Golf Technology ZNE Shaft
It’s a pretty tough task at this point but every now and then I come across a piece of golf equipment that stops me in my tracks and makes go, “what the…”. If I’m perfectly honest with you, the new Breakthrough Golf Technology ZNE wedge shaft did exactly that for me when it was first introduced to the world. Like most, I knew BGT from their super stable two-piece putter shafts and saw that the ZNE features very similar concepts in a two-piece wedge shaft. Consider me intrigued. Breakthrough Golf Technology took their learnings from the Stability putter shaft design process and modified it to fit in a wedge featuring a “Stiffness Stack” to optimize control and spin.
The Looks
It would be borderline irresponsible of me as golf equipment reviewer to not admit that the Breakthrough Golf Technology ZNE shaft takes some getting used to when looking at it in a wedge. Where traditional shafts gradually taper from wider in the handle to thinner in the tip, the ZNE is wide from the handle section to the middle. Then there’s an aluminum proprietary coupler* in the midsection that joins the graphite upper to the black dura-coated tip which is the same thickness all the way into the hosel. It certainly takes some visual adjusting to get used to, but it’s not difficult.
In terms of general aesthetics, the ZNE is offered in three different colors depending on which weight you select. The 130g option is black with white and green branding. The 115g and 90g options are both grey but feature orange and white branding respectively. There’s also a sort of “marbled” texture/underlay that looks pretty cool.
*The proprietary coupler that BGT uses with the ZNE features little “barbs” internally so as to create better grip at the connection point. This makes the bond stronger and practically impossible for the graphite and steel to separate.
How Does it Feel?
Breakthrough Golf Technology’s Stiffness Stack design optimizes the ZNE shaft’s kickpoint for ideal launch/trajectory control. It also makes the ZNE wedge shaft 2.5 times stiffer than most traditional wedge shaftS. The stiffest part of the shaft falls right above the coupler and it creates a unique “kick”. I’m hesitant to call it a kick, but there’s a definite energy transfer in the middle of the shaft that feels very stable, especially on full swings. I found that as the energy transfer is taking place right around impact, you can really feel the shaft’s stability kicking in making it easier to control. As firm as the ZNE feels, it doesn’t feel boardy or overwhelming in a wedge.
As far as responsiveness, the ZNE has a pretty interesting feel. The graphite upper certainly dampens the feel, but the added rigidity of the shaft seems to provide a little extra feedback in your hands. While the overall feel is firm and stable, there are definitely smooth and clean characteristics as well.
On-Course Performance
For this section, I think it’s important to note that I tested the Breakthrough Golf Technology ZNE in a 54º wedge and used it for everything I’d normally use that club for from 110 yards through the green. Piercing and “nippy” were my stock performance characteristics with the ZNE wedge shaft. Greenside chips and pitches want to stay low and bite for me. I was able to get the ball up more if I needed to, but had to open the face and move the ball forward a bit more in my stance than normal. This wasn’t a big deal, of course, I just had to adjust to it. As advertised, the ZNE was quite firm and stable for these shots making it easy to be accurate with.
I personally found that the BGT ZNE excelled most on fuller swings. I liked the piercing trajectory and really felt like I was throwing darts into the greens. Whether or not the “Advanced Materials Integration” was actually delivering a more reliably square face than my usual steel shaft, I can’t say. But I can say that I felt the stiffer profile really helped in keeping shots on intended lines and was impressively accurate.
Final Thoughts – Breakthrough Golf Technology ZNE Shaft
My biggest takeaway from the new Breakthrough Golf Technology ZNE wedge shaft is that its feel will be the big determining factor. Ok, fine, adjusting to the two-piece design/appearance may be a factor too. The performance is certainly there, but its super stable feel and mid-kick profile is pretty unique from any wedge shaft I’ve used in the past. One thing’s for sure, Breakthrough Golf Technology produced a really interesting piece of golf equipment in the ZNE wedge shaft, and while it’s definitely different than what you’re traditionally used to, it’s certainly worth testing for your own short game.
Bill, from previous reading, you swing a lot faster than I do. While i think my transition is abrupt, yours, I understand, due to the hockey you’ve mentioned, is even more so.
All of this is to ask: what were you using as wedge shafts before? I had thought you were something like a C-taper 130x guy in the rest of your irons. Is this new shaft evem stiffer than that?! (I use X100s in mine (despite me being a less ‘challenging’ golfer than a 117 driver speed, abrupt-transition guy might be. The X’s are what I was “fitted” into, and truthfully, I can execute a wide variety of shots competently with my four wedges.)
Just curious about how different this BGT shaft is from your normal gamers. Thanks again.
1-1 comparison is a KBS 610 in my sand wedge. (I’d say a good bit of that is personal preference combining feel and performance rather than a fitting.)
To your point of my transition likely being more aggressive, I’d say it’s a lot cleaner and smooth with a wedge. I also vary the transition a good bit depending on the type of shot I’m hitting.
So not sure if that helps, it really is a unique shaft that’s tough for me to tie to “a fitting of another wedge shaft”. If that even makes sense.
(And I play PX 6.5s in my irons with 9, PW soft stepped one time. Just for the record:) )