Graphite Design Tour AD UB Shaft Review
There’s one day each year that I count down the days in excitement. My birthday? No. Christmas? Nope. It’s the day when Graphite Design releases their new shaft! New for 2022, the Tour AD UB shaft (nicknamed “Up and Beyond”) will present an option for players looking for a mid launch and low/mid spin rates. They offer up a new twist on their classic paint scheme and the most modern materials and shaft technology.
The Looks
Bold and blue! The Graphite Design Tour AD UB comes in with a sparkling and vibrant light blue color scheme that fades into a deep silver at the tip. This blue has a metallic shimmer to it and has notes of teal and sky blue depending on what light you’re in. (You can tell I’m a whiskey fan if I’m detecting “notes” in my…golf shaft paint colors too…) It’s a similar look as the nearly all black Tour AD XC from two years ago with a darker paint job, but your eye will catch the more neutral silver color when addressing the ball. While the Tour AD UB may not have the boldness of the bright orange of the hyper popular Tour AD DI, it’s as distinctive as ever.
How Does it Feel?
I’ve been able to hit most of Graphite Design’s shaft lineup, and I’d describe the Tour AD UB as a stout but responsive golf shaft. What I’ve always liked about this brand is that they’ll accurately present what their shafts will feel like (in relation to other Graphite Design shafts) so you can choose what you like best. For example, most will describe the Tour AD BB and the Tour AD XC as feeling softer in the hands and firmer in the tip, or the Tour AD DI feeling all around “smooth”. The Tour AD UB feels as they say it does – medium through the hands and mid section, then a bit stiffer in the tip section. In my testing and on course experience, that describes it well.
I won’t describe this shaft as particularly smooth, and I don’t detect a huge “kick” to it either. It’s a pleasing feeling, kind of a “really hard hit” if that makes sense. It definitely feels a bit more stout and substantial than most Graphite Design shafts I’ve tried. While I’m no bomber, I’ve settled in to 70g X-Flex shafts for most models. The 6X is all I can handle here. For a long time, I’ve been waiting for a profile that can dial me in that last little bit. It’s now highly possible the Tour AD UB can give my gamer some challenges for 2022!
On-Course Performance
| Club Speed | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin | Carry (Yds) | Total (Yds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 107.1 | 155.3 | 13.4 | 2485 | 266.2 | 280.2 |
For the last 18 months or so, I’ve played 75%+ of my rounds with the Graphite Design Tour AD TP. I love it because it has a fun, smooth kick to it and I can really feel where the clubhead is during the swing. It pairs well with my preferred driver head, and I get reliable contact and distance with it. However, at times it launches a touch high and a sometimes a bit spinny (described as mid/high launch and low spin profile). That’s where the Tour AD UB comes in…
This shaft has seemed to hit the right trajectory windows for me so far. It’s that true mid-flight that I’m looking for, but not a hint of ballooning. Lately I’ve been trying to eliminate the left side of the course, so I attempt a straight ball or a power fade. When I square it up, the Tour AD UB gives me exactly what I want, and it’s deep bombs down the right-center of the fairway. If I leave the club face a bit open, yeah, it’s got a stiffer tip section so it will exaggerate the fade, but that’s on me.
Final Thoughts – Graphite Design Tour AD UB Shaft
With the Graphite Design Tour AD UB, we have another worthy addition to an already loaded menu of premium golf shafts. This year’s offering fills the need for a mid flight, mid/low spin profile with their usual visually recognizable styling. It may not have the most distinct feel to it, but it’s the golf shots you hit that matter most.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve become a big fan of Graphite Design shafts. Once you become familiar with the brand, you can make those subtle adjustments among shafts, flexes, and weights without significantly changing the feel like you would if you went brand to brand. I bet you if we did a “blind taste test” on the range, I could pick out a Graphite Design! Oh and if we’re doing a taste test, make sure to bring the Lagavulin, the Springbank, and the Bruichladdich too.
Hi Jon, would you say the AD UB is comparable to the Ventus Blue (if you have tried the Ventus Blue)? I moved from the AD DI 6X to the Ventus Blue 6X this year and was hoping the AD UB would be similar to the Ventus Blue based on the Medium+, Medium+, Stiff+ butt to tip profile. Thanks!
This is actually something I can comment on considering I’ve used the AD DI a lot and the Ventus Blue is in the bag a lot too! All 6X btw. My opinion is that they get firmer and a wee bit harsher as you go along from the AD DI to the Ventus Blue to the AD UB. Performance in all three is great. I typically hit the AD DI longest, but it can get offline. The Ventus Blue is a bit more controllable, and I too am hoping the AD UB can kind of steal away a few more yards but maintain the control. By my “eye test”, all of them seem to launch in about the same window and I don’t have any issues with too much spin on any of them. TL/DR, if you like those two shafts, I think you’ll like the AD UB too. Plus, it looks rad.
-Jon
I gamed the VENTUS BLUE 6-X all last year in TSI3 9 deg. I was at 65-75′ apex with 155-158 mph ball speed 2200 rpm typically. With the AD-UB-6-X it kicks the ball higher for me, 85-95′, same spin, and tighter dispersion. Loved the VENTUS BLUE but I find the AD-UB-6 more optimized for my game and a slightly higher launch.
Both great shafts and both I’ve a had a lot of time to play with. Your take is pretty similar to mine. Both really good products!
For me Tour AD DI still my best choice since 2014
There’s a reason it’s still winning tournaments on the PGA Tour. It’s legendary.
Great review.
When u say not overly smooth, is there any shaft in your mind that is similar in feel??
Cheers
Hard to say, as I’ve not hit EVERYTHING out there. In relation to other Graphite Design shafts, most of them are butter smooth and have a satisfying kick. I don’t often play other brands at this point. I think my comment above was that it’s a “hard hit” feeling.
-Jon
Hey Jon, your comment comparing and contrasting the AD UB with the Ventus Blue and AD DI was super helpful. I wondered if you might similarly share some thoughts on how the AD UB stacks up against the AD HD?
The two shafts I’ve used the most over the last year have been Ventus Blue and AD HD. I love, I mean LOVE, the feel from the AD HD. I like a mid-soft shaft that kicks, and the AD HD does that for me. Problem is, it sometimes tends to get high and spinny on me. Ventus Blue gets me into a slightly better window, but — and maybe I’m crazy here, but this is how it feels to me — it’s a little soft in the handle and the kickpoint is higher than I’d like, and that can cause some timing issues.
I’ve wondered if the AD UB might give me something similar to the AD HD, just tightening things up a bit. I’m a little concerned about what GD describes as a softer handle in the UB … which has me thinking it might be time to revisit something that’s more stiff-soft-stiff like the RDX Blue. Or the new Ventus TR seems really interesting as well.
Hey thanks! Just so happens that we both have a lot of experience with all those shafts. I really like the AD HD and the Ventus Blue. I’m still trying to figure out the AD UB. They call it Medium+, Medium+, Stiff, but I have found the AD UB to be pretty stout and just… heavy feeling. Hard to describe. My good swings are laserbombs, but I’m trying to figure out how to control it. To my eye, spin is probably the least of all of them with the UB, and the handle feels the stiffest. AD HD feels way softer in the hands IMO. Totally anecdotal, others may have wildly different experiences with it.
I’m going to spend more time with the AD UB this spring, but it’ll take a lot to get me to move away from my current faves, the AD TP or AD VR. I’ll also say that I’m pretty psyched for the updated Ventus TR too…
-Jon
Hi Jon, greetings from the island of Borneo, Sabah, Malaysia. I have been gaming UB 5s for the past 1 year. Stock shot is high baby fade. Thinking of changing to a less stout shaft that could still generate a lower ball flight and more roll upon landing. Would DI 5s be something worth trying OR would the DI be something too similar to the UB?
Hard to say! That’s a fine tuning that is best left to a professional fitter. In my hands, the UB and the DI feel very different. They’re not too far off in profile, but the DI is way smoother, the UB more stout the whole way.