VA Shafts Drago

VA Shafts first entered the golf shaft world with the highly acclaimed Raijin shaft.  Now VA Shafts introduces the Drago shaft to an already strong lineup from one of the best shaft designers in golf, Victor Afable.  The VA Shafts Drago is designed to have a stiffer bend profile with low launch and low to mid spin characteristics.

First Impressions

The first two VA shafts on the market had glossy paint schemes with more vibrant graphics which looked great.  There’s zero question about that.  When you first see the VA Shafts Drago, it’s a much different vibe.  With a primarily matte black finish, and minimal graphics aside from a purple diamond pattern and the Drago label, the Drago has a raw look to it.  There’s a certain “I mean business” look that’s different from its Raijin and Slay counterparts.  The purples and greens really pop off the black, but aren’t too overstated.  One look at the Drago gives you the clear view that VA Shafts has a great eye for the aesthetic.

How Does it Feel?

On the very first swing, the VA Shafts Drago established itself in my top three favorite wood shafts based on feel alone.  My swing falls somewhere in the quick transition, borderline aggressive, category with a decent amount of speed.  The Drago felt very sturdy and supportive during the swing, but at the release I could really feel the club give a nice tight kick.

VA made the Drago to be butt and tip stiff with slightly more flex in the middle of the shaft to give you that mid-kick point.  Honestly, I felt like I could rip the club through the ball and it was going to really jump hard.  Additionally, the response was perfect and it made being in tune with both the club head and face effortless.  I am comfortable saying this is one of the best feeling shafts I’ve hit, and easily my favorite feel out of the VA Shafts lineup.

On-Course Performance

In relation to the other two VA Shafts options (Slay and Raijin reviews coming soon), the Drago was definitely the lower launching and lower spinning of the three VA shafts.  Typically when I hear a shaft is supposed to have the low/low combo, I expect to see my shots in 9º-10º launch range and 1900-2300 for spin.  (Remember, that’s based on my personal experience with my specific swing.)  My spin numbers were in that expected range with the Drago, but I was pleasantly surprised with how well I could still get enough launch off the tee.  To have a shaft with the aforementioned stability, but still have just enough kick to put me in that 13º launch area is a big win for me.

Admittedly, I wouldn’t put 13º in the usual “low launch bucket.”  It’s important to keep in mind that this is how the shaft responded with my stock swing.  With the Drago, I also found it very easy for hitting “non-stock” shots like low bullets and high, soft floaters.  Often “the perfect stock swing shaft” but will be a fight to hit anything other than your stock shot.  With the Drago I had easy versatility and it gave me a lot of shot options off the tee – all with a wealth of confidence behind them.

Final Thoughts

I’ll openly admit that I excite easily when it comes to cool golf gear, but the Drago has really caught my attention.  After just a few shots, I quickly had the confidence to take the club back and just let it rip without thinking about it.  I was able to do so and consistently hit good shots to my targets.  If you’re looking for a premium stable, controllable, low-spinning shaft in your woods, the VA Shafts Drago is certainly worth putting on the short list to test.

As always, I will stress that you should do your testing alongside a reputable fitter.  Though the VA Drago clicked for me, you may have better results with either the Raijin or the Slay, which are also great shafts.

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