By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Images from Breakthrough Golf Technology

RICHARDSON, TX – “I’m 83 and would gladly welcome an advanced blend of ingredients in pill form that would move me back to 73,” remarked innovative golf club design legend Barney Adams when I asked him if he had anything to add regarding his latest cutting-edge invention, the Brava Driver Shaft from Breakthrough Golf Technology.

It's safe to say most of us would appreciate some sort of pill that would take ten years off the wear and tear on our bodies, but aside from informercial-type claims of products more or less offering access to the Fountain of Youth in terms of energy, fitness health and vitality, don’t count on it.

What is readily available today are products from people like Adams who have been making the game of golf “easier” for over three decades now. Starting in the late 80’s with the now famous “Tight Lies” fairway woods, millions of golfers worldwide have benefitted from Adams’ wisdom. Who would’ve ever known that, at least in Barney’s case, his latest golf gig almost happened by accident. How did Breakthrough Golf Technology come about?

Adams explained, “I was happily retired. Lots of folks don’t know I was 50 when I started Adams Golf so I’m definitely at retirement age or as it’s known ‘expired’. I met Blair Philip by accident and he showed me data which indicated that the putter shaft could be improved on. My premise was, ‘fine’ but the new shaft has to weigh and balance the same as steel as that’s what golfers are used to playing. To make that shaft while incorporating Stability technology turned into a very difficult two-year project but we succeeded.”

Yes indeed, they did succeed. Seeing as many companies and products as I have in my two-plus decades of covering golf, I’m a tad skeptical whenever a manufacturer claims to have developed something so new and distinct that it must be tried by everyone. That was the feeling going into demoing BGT’s putter shaft a couple years ago, but I was pleasantly surprised. Simply put, it works. I’ve never putted better. Scouts honor!

“The mere fact that we were able to get a very inclusive patent says that we are unique,” Adams said proudly.

Barney Adams

But would the stability concept translate to driver shafts as well? Again, Adams expounded, “The thing to understand is the putter shaft is a technology. Once you have a technology the logical step is to see where else it can be used. Providing golfers with the ability to achieve more hits closer to the center of the face is a positive offer. Not some wild promise but real technology.”

Because of its proprietary nature, Adams wouldn’t spill the beans on exactly what the technology does, but knowing that it seems to work is enough in most cases. Professional players apparently haven’t picked up on the notion – yet – but Adams says it’s mainly due to the fact his company won’t pay them to use BGT’s products and they don’t have a full-time team on tour to tend to the pros’ every whim and demand.

Beyond that, how does the Brava shaft work? “We use Stability technology to keep any movement (outside flex) to a minimum. This, in turn increases the chances of making contact in the middle or more specifically center of percussion. Very simply, center hits produce the most distance, we’re trying to help.”

Adams confesses the Brava shaft won’t correct a bad swing but it will allow you to use what you have to hit the ball better. And what eternally frustrated player wouldn’t want that?

“Your swing is your swing and promising to improve that would be false advertising,” Adams said matter-of-factly. “I will say as more shots are struck closer to the center of the club face there is a confidence boost but that is strictly player oriented. We’ve applied Stability Technology (which I can’t detail without invading our patent). Nothing beats a solid shot and we’re using technology to promote that result.

“The best thing you can do for golfers be it club design or custom fitting is to create an environment that features more solid shots. As it’s often been written, golf is a game of mishits and all of my experience over the years leads me to try to improve that situation. And I don’t care if its more solid putts, drives, wedges, whatever is being swung at the ball” Adams added.

Having endured more than my share of mishits over the years, I’m in complete agreement with Adams. The company’s website describes the Brava shaft this way: “It’s a lightweight shaft that delivers the power and consistency to perform shot after shot regardless of swing speed or driver model. It was designed for maximum ball speed and smash factor because it delivers more center strikes and a better face angle.

“In head-to-head testing, Brava was up to 10 yards longer than two of the top performing premium driver shafts on the market. The magic comes from a shaft that feels very light yet still delivers incredible power.”

One other thing: “Designed with exclusive Speedflite NRG technology and built with premium Toray carbon fiber, which is 10x the strength of steel at a fraction of its weight. This translates to less energy needed when swinging and results in an exceptionally stable driver head for more distance & tighter ball dispersion.”

Sounds like they should put this stuff in a NASA rocket, doesn’t it?

Based on a recommendation from BGT and the pro at my local club (Jeremy Hyjek at Ford’s Colony Golf Club), I selected the Ping G425 MAX to go along with the Brava shaft. The company says you can use any driver head and it will be an improvement on the available shaft selection. Hyjek suggested that Ping drivers are easy to hit and provide great performance, so I went with it even though I’ve never owned a Ping driver before.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had as much opportunity to try the Brava as I might’ve liked this summer, but I did put it through some very vigorous “real world” playing trials whenever I got a chance. I found the new driver to be extremely easy to hit and even my mishits ended up better than my previous “big dog”, which was custom fit at a very high-tech operation.

Adams is correct – keeping it in play makes the game more fun. I’ve always had reasonable distance off the tee, but sometimes had difficulty finding the playing areas. Upon examination of the “hit marks” on the Ping face after striking a tee shot, I was surprised to find most of them were right in the sweet spot.

Did I get more distance? Can’t really say. As Adams claimed above, it would be false advertising for me to boast that I got another 10 or 20 yards. I will say the ball flew higher than my usual flight and had a decent amount of roll. Put it this way, I almost matched my big swinging teenage son off the tee, so something must be going right.

Would I recommend the Brava shaft? Definitely. I don’t understand shaft technology as much as some players would, but I do comprehend the value of good golf shots. Life is hard enough… who needs to look for wayward drives every hole?

Sadly, the Brava shaft won’t add ten years to your life, but consistently being in the fairway will add to your interest in going golfing again. In that sense, Barney Adams and BGT are a huge success.