UST Mamiya Helium Featured

UST Mamiya Helium Shaft

There has been quite the uptick in lightweight shafts for woods in recent years.  I have to imagine the demand (and even understanding) for lighter shafts has gone up largely based on the evolution of fitting and how much better the fitting process has gotten in recent years.  At first, a lot of these lightweight shafts were in fact lighter, but severely lacked in stability and feel that players want need.  Well UST Mamiya tried to address that with their new Helium shaft.  The UST Mamiya Helium shaft is a lightweight design that has a strong and responsive feel for players looking for greater distances with their woods.

Looks 10

The Looks

UST Mamiya went with a fairly simple cosmetic design for the Helium but it still looks slick.  A shiny silver base supports a white and blue hexagonal graphic and UST's "HeLIUM" logo.  It's definitely a noticeable shaft but doesn't scream out for attention.

Feel 7

How Does it Feel?

There are a couple of areas we need to cover in the feel section.  First, the UST Mamiya Helium generally does indeed feel like a notably lighter shaft.  That just comes with the territory when you get under 60 grams.  Typically, this lighter weight will throw me off from a tempo perspective, and in some cases, I'll struggle to adjust to it.  In this case, I did have to adjust a little bit but was able to do so just fine.  This meant minimal tempo change and making a more natural swing.

Second, the Helium is a counterbalanced shaft.  This can make a huge difference when a lighter shaft is getting paired with a more modern and heavier head.  With a more traditional shaft design, a lighter shaft with a heavier club head could make you feel like you're swinging a sledge hammer at the end of a pool cue.  A counterbalanced shaft has more weight distributed to the butt end of the shaft to even out the balance point of the club as a whole. The Helium's counterbalance allows the club to feel more balanced for better control despite its much lighter weight.  Counterbalance has historically worked well for me in a lighter shaft.

Last is the stability. UST created a stiffer profile with more carbon fiber in key points of the shaft to make sure the lighter shaft stays stable throughout the swing.  This is usually my biggest criticism in a lightweight shaft and the Helium holds up great. I never felt like there was a weak or soft point in the shaft during my swing.  Additionally, the response in your hands is still strong for accurate shot feedback.

UST Mamiya Helium 5

On-Course Performance

Club Speed Ball Speed Launch Angle Spin Carry (Yds) Total (Yds)
115.3 169.5 13.4º 2667 279.6 300

A common theme you'll hear from me with lightweight shafts is that my end results ultimately come down to tempo.  My more aggressive tempo typically does not mix well with lighter golf shafts.  In the case of the UST Mamiya Helium, it was actually a lot better than normal. I found I didn't have to change my tempo too much and I was therefore able to keep my swing speed up.  Don't get me wrong, I still had to make a few changes to consistently find the sweet spot, but it wasn't too bad.  I just had to be a little smoother in the transition from my back to my down swing.  Yes, I understand that that sounds like tempo, but I would argue it was more the control of my hands and not tempo.  I guess you just had to be there, huh?

I also tend to find that lighter shafts launch and spin higher with my swing.  As you can see in the data, the Helium did a pretty job managing both launch and spin for me.  A 13.4º launch angle is pretty mid-level for me and I'd say 2667 rpm falls at just about medium as well.  This kept the ball in a very playable range for me and allowed me to just focus on controlling my swing.  The less to worry about it during the swing, the better!

Helium 6

Final Thoughts – UST Mamiya Helium Shaft

The UST Mamiya Helium is a stable shaft that doesn't sacrifice feel and performance as a result of its lighter weight.  Balancing stiffness, stability, and feel for a wider audience in a lightweight package is no easy task for a shaft company.  I believe that UST Mamiya managed to accomplish that balance pretty well.  Players that want to pick up more club speed without having to change their actual swing may want to consider testing the UST Mamiya Helium with their local fitter.