50 Words or Less
The Diamana R Series shaft has a smooth, lively feel, but still has consistent performance. Perfect for smooth swingers.
Introduction
Whether you call it the Redboard, Ilima, or R Series, the red Diamana shaft has always seemed to be the least-respected member of the family. While the Whiteboard/W Series is known to be for “big hitters” and the Blueboard/B Series is the everyman shaft, the Redboard/R Series is often thought of as a shaft for fairway woods at best. As we showed in our most recent Golf Myths Unplugged, however, there are many golfers who could improve their driving substantially by playing a shaft with a little more feel.
Feel
The Diamana R Series is the most lively feeling shaft in the series. It has a very active tip section, but the rest of the shaft feels very stable. Compared to past Diamana generations, the R Series does feel like it has a little less torque which gives it a tighter feel. The thing that I really like about the R Series is that, even though it has a lot of kick, it’s very consistent.
Looks
Like the other third-generation Diamana shafts, the R Series uses a mix of matte and gloss finishes to create its Hawaiian-inspired floral graphics. Additionally, Diamana’s signature flower band is seen just below the grip. The color of the R Series is a bit more orange than red, which adds to its unique appearance.
Performance
As I mentioned in the intro, there are a lot of players who can really benefit from a shaft with a little more kick or feel. For them, stiffer, lower torque shafts lead to over-the-top, out of control swings as they try with all their might to get the shaft to flex.
While I really like the feel of a more active shaft, they tend to lead to me holding back on my swing. That’s the main reason why my numbers with the R Series are not as good as they are with the B Series or the W Series. As I said earlier, the R Series is very consistent – I hit every ball left of center – but the ball speed and spin numbers were not as good as with other, stiffer shafts.
Conclusion
For players who want a smooth, strong kick, and a higher ball flight, the Diamana R Series shaft could be a great choice. This shaft combines great feel with consistency and is a solid upgrade over the Diamana Redboard and Ilima.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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what weight would u put these into a ping g30 3 and 5 wood ?
David,
That’s a fitting question you can only really answer by trying different weights with a qualified fitter and a launch monitor.
Best,
Matt
The ilima has very low tip torque, why/how is this so stable. Love the ilima in FW woods, but sounds like the upgrade might be worth the price.
I should clarify, why/how is the R series that much better than the Ilima?
Jake,
If you’re looking for a technical explanation, I’m sure you can find something on the MRC website; I’m not really the best person to answer that. All I can say is that the shaft feels much more stable while still having the “action” that the red Diamanas are known for.
Best,
Matt
Hey Matt,
Do you think that golfers with a driver swing speed at around 100mph that have a smooth transition can benefit from firmer aftermarket shafts such as this or the B series? Or would it maybe hurt them due to their inability to bend the shaft enough in transition?
Thanks,
Mike
Mike,
It’s all a matter of individual fit. There are smooth swingers who need stiff tips, some who need active tips.
Best,
Matt
Matt, how do you compare the red diamanti with the fubuki 51 stiff? I have that in my nike stra8 vsr driver….I have had it for 4 year and love it. Thinking about getting the nike vaporfly pro driver with a diamani blue 60 or found one iwth the diamate red 50 stiff.
Tom,
I’ve never compared the two head to head. If you want see guaranteed improvements over your current set up, you need to work with a fitter.
Best,
Matt
What shaft would you choose for a taylore made M1 driver for a guy that needs a low kick point because I have an 80 MILE PER HOUR SWING SPEED ?
Scott,
I would recommend getting a fitting. No recommendation that you get over the internet is going to be anything more than a guess.
Best,
Matt
Hello Matt. I play a titleist 915 with a b series stiff. Roughly 95 mph speed. It’s the only club in the bag that I will fade on a bad one. Never draw. All other clubs are straight to draw. Do you think a r series regular might help?
Cheers
James,
It’s possible, but rather than buying a new shaft blindly I would recommend a fitting.
Best,
Matt