Aldila Tour Blue 75 shaft vs Graphite Design AD-DI

[bigeasy]

I am currently playing the Aldila Tour Blue 75 stiff in my driver and recently demoed the Ping G LST with the GD AD-Di.I was hitting some great shots with the GD and it got me to wondering how this shaft is different from the Aldila. Anybody who has compared the two or has the knowledge to tell me the difference in the shafts and the results? thanks.

[VNutz]

I played an ADDI 7S, tipped about an inch or so for most of the season 2 years ago. I also purchased a Tour Blue that same year and ended up giving it to a friend. The Tour Blue to me felt like it had a distinctive "hinge" feeling to it, like an extra kick. That didn't jive with my swing, but the ADDI was much more smooth even though it was probably a hair on the softer end for what I needed. With the Tour Blue I had a draw with every swing where the ADDI was straighter, even in the same head side by side. But that's just me. And I got more of a medium flight out of the ADDI rather than the high launch that many seem to get, but the blue was higher.

[Puppetmaster]

I had both side by side in my Bio Cell Pro, a Tour Blue 75X and a DI-7x, and while visually the results appeared similar, the feel was significantly different. Like VNutz said, the Blue feels like it has a more active mid or tip section, so you can feel it release through the ball. This is probably why it's such a popular profile for FWs. IIRC, Fowler, Walker, and Sneds are using it in FWs. The DI is supposed to be soft in the butt, but firmer and stiffer in the mid and tip, so you don't feel that sort of activity like you do in the Tour Blue. I ended up tipping the Blue 0.5" and using it in the a G30 LS Tec as a 44.5" experiment. While it was decent, it was nothing to write home about.

 

The DI-7x is still in my driver(s), while the Blue has been de-adaptered, and is awaiting a FW head where I can try it out.