Shaft Review – UST MAMIYA ‘THE’ ATTAS

By its own admission, UST Mamiya has become more of a graphite iron shaft company in recent years. Its primary focus has been on the development of the Recoil, which has exploded to become the game’s most popular graphite iron shaft. With the recent success of its Helium driver shaft, however; it sees an opportunity to insert itself back into driver shaft discussion – and any discussion of UST Mamiya Driver shaft technology likely begins with the ATTAS line.

That’s because, as much as anything else, ATTAS serves as a development platform where the price point gives UST the freedom to work without limitations to materials and design. What UST Mamiya learns from ATTAS development almost invariably trickles down into its other offerings.

With a couple of early exceptions, ATTAS designs originate in Japan and don’t necessarily target UST’s typical US customer with the same intensity as some of its other offerings. ATTAS profiles tend to be a bit softer overall, and the weights generally sit at the lower end of the spec range (the 6S, for example, is closer to 60 than 70 grams).

‘THE’ ATTAS

Typically, UST Mamiya releases a new ATTAS every season, the latest version of which is known simply as The ATTAS. It’s the 10^th generation of the ATTAS family, which is the reason for the bold color scheme, which Billy Horshel (who put THE ATTAS in play at the Dell Match Play Championship) calls Skittles.

While the graphics have a particular paint splatter look to them, they’re not without purpose. Each color represents a previous ATTAS model. The orange near the butt section represents the original ATTAS, the red the ATTAS 2, and so on and so forth until you reach the white paint of the 9^th generation ATTAS Cool.

As you’d expect from any shaft at this price point, UST Mamiya is using high modulus carbon fiber with low resin content. Because the profile is designed to be softer overall, you won’t find any of the ultra-stiff materials like T1100, but UST does leverage 40-ton material in the bias layer along with a constant taper design for a smooth feel and better energy transfer respectively.

While very often we focus on shafts with a spin reduction story, The ATTAS is different in that the target demographic includes the guy looking to add a little bit more spin. As drivers have progressively become lower spinning, there’s an increasing need to leverage the shaft as a means to introduce a bit more spin back into the performance equation.

In Billy Horschel’s case, he wanted something that would allow him to turn the ball over, without the risk of a big hook. The bit of extra backspin from the ATTAS helps the ball hold a straighter line.

Using the requisite language of the shaft world, UST Mamiya describes The ATTAS as a mid launch/mid spin offering. To see how it compares to the previous ATTAS as well as other similar shafts on the market, we turn to Cool Clubs and the S3 shaft database.

UST MAMIYA THE ATTAS Data Powered by Cool Clubs S3

We’ve partnered with Cool Clubs, the Golf Industry’s Leading Custom Fit Club Company, to bring you shaft reviews powered by its Shaft Simulation System (S3).

S3 TECHNOLOGIES UTILIZES THE MOST ADVANCED SHAFT TESTING TECHNOLOGY IN THE INDUSTRY. THE SHAFT SIMULATION SYSTEM (S3), WHICH WAS DEVELOPED IN 2013, IS A FULLY-AUTOMATED, ALL-IN-ONE SHAFT PROFILING MACHINE. IN A MATTER OF MINUTES, THE S3 DETERMINES THE FOLLOWING SHAFT SPECS: (STRAIGHTNESS, CONSISTENCY PROFILE, EI PROFILE, CPM ANALYSIS, AND TORQUE). WHILE SOME OF THE AFOREMENTIONED SPECS CAN BE OBTAINED FROM SHAFT MANUFACTURERS, A LACK OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS PREVENTS THAT DATA BEING USED FOR ACCURATE APPLES-TO-APPLES COMPARISONS. S3 TECHNOLOGIES SOLVES THIS CHALLENGE BY TESTING ALL OF OUR PRODUCTS IN-HOUSE USING THE S3. THIS GIVES S3 TECHNOLOGIES A UNIQUE AND IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE INDUSTRY’S SHAFTS.

Not only does S3 give us standardized quantitative information about the shaft(s) being reviewed, the data we share will provide you with a much better sense of how those shafts compare with similarly specced offerings on the market.

Using S3 data, we’ll be providing a comparison of The ATTAS to similar shafts in the S3 database, as well as the previous generation of ATTAS – the ATTAS Coool. Comparisons are based on stiff flex shafts in the 60-gram range.

Launch Characteristics

The dark gray line represents the S3 database average for stiff flex shafts in the 60-70g weight range. The light gray line represents a neutral profile – effectively the baseline for what we would describe as a mid-launch profile.

Based on measurements from Cool Clubs S3, The ATTAS is classified as a MID-HIGH launch shaft, while similar, the previous ATTAS (ATTAS Coool) is classified as MID launch.

ZONE EI

The following chart compares the stiffness of THE ATTAS in the butt, mid, and tip sections to the S3 database average of stiff flex shafts in the 60-70g range.

As you can see, THE ATTAS is slightly stiffer than similar shafts in the butt section though slightly softer than the ATTAS COOOl. The midsection is a bit firmer, while the softer tip section contributes to higher launch.

Balance Point

The following chart compares the balance point of THE ATTAS to the S3 database average of stiff flex shafts in the 60-70g range.

 

While the balance point is a bit higher than that of the ATTAS Coool, it’s a bit lower than the database average overall. We would not describe The ATTAS as counterbalanced.

SWING SPEED RECOMMENDATIONS

The chart below provides swing speed recommendations for the entire THE ATTAS lineup.

Note that these recommendations are based on the full range of Cool Clubs‘ building and fitting capabilities, including factors such as tipping and build length which can cause a shaft to play either softer or stiffer.

To simplify things a bit, you may wish to narrow these ranges. The sweet spot from a fitting perspective begins 25% from the slow end of the range. As a general rule, players with faster tempos, particularly in transition may fit into a stiffer flex, while smoother swingers often fit into a softer flex.

From the Cool Clubs Fitting Team

Ranging from flyweight to heavyweight, The ATTAS is available from a 51-grams in a regular flex to an 85-grams in X flex. The range of options covers swing speeds from 75 mph to 135 mph. Finding The ATTAS in a weight and flex combination that works for you won’t be an issue.

Using The ATTAS 6S for reference the balance point is slightly lower than the Cool Clubs S3 Shaft Database average while the launch parameters are marginally higher.  With a traditional taper design, this 10^th generation shaft is made with the latest high-quality materials available to the industry while maintaining the simple profile typical of most ATTAS designs.  This simplicity is what makes it so remarkable! If you liked (and benefited from) the performance and dependability of previous ATTAS versions, you expect to be satisfied with this latest version.

There are so many shafts on the market that are designed to decrease launch and spin, which is part of what makes The ATTAS a refreshing departure. It’s designed to increase launch and spin, and the platform has proven track record of serving golfers who need just that from their golf shaft.

The ATTAS 6S is a workhorse for the player who swings between 92 and 108 miles per hour with a quicker tempo and wants to launch the ball higher with a moderate amount of spin. The stiffer butt section helps the shaft keep up with a swing with a quicker transition while the softer tip assists in adding dynamic loft at impact for the player who needs to launch the ball higher for optimal trajectory.

The flash in The ATTAS 6S comes from the color scheme as UST Mamiya has shed their traditional look with refreshingly vibrant splashes of color – think golf shaft meets paintballs. Part of the fun comes from the graphics while lower scores can be traced to this dependable performer.

Information is based on test results of the S flex THE ATTAS shafts from Cool Club’s S3 Shaft Explorer with over 2500+ shaft profiles for comparison.

For more information on THE ATTAS, visit USTMamiya.com.

WHAT’S NEXT?

As we mentioned in a previous post, this is a relatively new way for us to review golf shafts. Let us know what you like, what you don’t like, and what suggestions you have for future Cool Clubs S3-Powered reviews.

Also, if there’s a specific shaft you’d like to see us review next, please let us know.