Spotlight on Project X Golf Shafts: HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX

Project X golf shafts such as the Smoke Black RDX and Smoke Green are known for their low-low, if not ultra low-low performance, which makes them highly sought after by players with the most blazing fast swing speeds and highly aggressive tempos.  

But these shafts are not for everyone, and if you aren’t swinging over 100 MPH, or at least very close to it, they’re going to feel like dead rods of iron in the hand. You’ll struggle to generate the clubhead speeds necessary to get the carry distance you need (or want).  

Either way, something has to give if you have a slightly slower swing speed or, if for any reason you want a shaft that launches a little higher or produces a little more spin.  

That’s why there are so many Project X golf shafts. Players vary, as do their abilities, and good golf shaft manufacturers know that.  

Enter the Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX. It is everyman’s golf shaft from Project X and offers quite a lot of versatility paired with value. Here’s the sort of performance you can expect from this gem from their lineup.

Mid Trajectory and Spin  

Unlike some of the other more tuned Project X golf shafts in the Smoke RDX lineup, the Smoke Red RDX is engineered to produce medium launch and medium spin characteristics.  

The fact that it doesn’t launch too high or produce too much spin is a benefit for players that have slightly higher swing speeds. You don’t need to be an amateur to appreciate these golf shafts. They offer middle of the road performance that can widely benefit a number of players of varying skill sets.  

Besides, players with even somewhat faster swing speeds can sometimes still benefit a little bit from a slightly higher launch or the extra lift that just a bit more spin offers. High-high is not a trait that only benefits the faint of swing, so to speak.

That being the case, these two attributes are still beneficial to those who are just starting out, or who are not amateurs any longer but are still strengthening their swings and honing their other swings.  

The higher launch produces more carry distance by giving a boost to the ball height, and the spin generates a little more lift that helps carry the ball farther. Both of these things can benefit a wide range of golfers - not just beginners.

To be quite direct, only golfers with the greatest strength and most aggressive swing speeds should look elsewhere. This in fact brings up another interesting point about the unique mix of performance attributes offered by these golf shafts.

Fast Tempo

Some golfer shafts that offer more mid-mid performance, like the Project X golf shafts in question, are better suited for players with more measured swing tempos. That is not the case here.

If you have a fast backswing or a quick transition, the Smoke Red RDX should perform just fine for you. This is one of the attributes that makes it most unique in its class.

This is a rare trait for a golf shaft of this nature to possess, and most others would quail when swung aggressively, but not the Smoke Red RDX. It handles those rough, jerky swing mechanics like a champ.

Either way, the bottom line here is that these Project X golf shafts are uniquely suited to handling sharper swing mechanics. Even if your swing speed does not improve much, if you cultivate a faster tempo, the Smoke Red RDX will be able to hang with you.

Lighter Weight, Optimized Torque

Another thing about the Smoke Red RDX that will benefit players with slightly slower swing speeds is the fact that it boasts such a lightweight design.

Across the board, the golf shafts in this series are super lightweight, among the lightest options out there. They start at 50 grams in the Smoke Red RDX 50 and only get up to 73 in the RDX 70.  

As you might imagine, if you can’t make concessions elsewhere, lowering the shaft weight itself is one of the ways you can coax a slightly faster swing. And, as you can imagine, a faster swing means more clubhead speed, which means more energy transfer, which means more carry distance.

Add in a mid-launch angle and medium spin, and you have the makings of a great golf shaft for just about anyone.

Another thing is that these shafts are torque-optimized. You might expect a shaft of this nature to offer slightly more torque, but they actually don’t. Torque ratings range from 5.9 on the high end to 2.6 on the low end.  

That’s a little elevated on the high end, but still fairly stiff, which will offer considerable consistency so that golfers will experience less shot-to-shot variation in shot shape and less shot dispersion than shafts that exhibit more torque.

Ultimately, the balance of these attributes - swing weight, launch angle, spin characteristics and torque optimization, make these shafts suitable for basically anyone.

Everyman’s Project X Golf Shaft  

Ultimately, if you are looking for a shaft that is super-stiff and produces low-low performance across the board, going so far as to produce a detriment to players with slower swing speeds, look elsewhere.  

The Fujikura Ventus Black, or perhaps the Kai’li White, or the Smoke Green RDX, will serve you better.

But if you’re looking for a Project X golf shaft that performs the best for the widest range of players, well, then the Smoke Red RDX might just be what you should be looking for, even if you didn’t realize it.

Contact a Golf Fitter If You Have Any Questions 

Thinking one of these Project X golf shafts might be for you, but you still have questions before you invest in it and aren’t sure? Get in touch with our professional golf club fitters and let us know your concerns and questions.

We’ll let you know if we think this - or some other golf shaft - is better for you.