Product Spotlight: Mitsubishi’s new MMT iron shafts

With modern composite technology, steel-shafted metalwoods have gone by the wayside; when’s the last time you’ve seen a golfer use a steel shaft in their driver? In recent years, golfers have also found composite shafts to be helpful in their irons. There are drawbacks in using composite versus steel, however, most notably in stability and control.

When it comes to iron shafts, composite constructions typically produce faster speeds while steel shafts provide stability and consistency. Both materials can be limiting in their own right.

To extract the benefits of both composite and steel in the same shaft, Mitsubishi Chemical (MCA) has launched new MMT (Metal Mesh Technology) iron shafts.

Using an end-to-end manufacturing approach, Mitsubishi begins the shaft-making process with layers of prepreg stacked up to create the core of the shaft. Then, a section of Metal Mesh, which is made up of braided strands of 304 Stainless Steel, is integrated into the tip of the shaft. This Metal Mesh construction adds density and stability to the shaft, according to Mitsubishi, much like an all-steel shaft.

Mitsubishi’s manufacturing process allows the company to precisely distribute flex into the irons shafts, which the company says cannot be replicated with an all-steel product. Compared to steel, Mitsubishi also says the MMT shafts, due to the Metal Mesh tips, allow for shot shaping and control that steel shafts would provide, while also being highly responsive.

According to Mark Gunther, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Mitsubishi, the design originated in the company’s Archery Division, and was brought into the golf sphere.

“MMT stands for Metal Mesh Technology, an exciting, new innovation that expands the potential for composite iron shaft construction,” said Gunther, in a press release.

“It’s born from more than 30-years of composite shaft mastery at MCA – with the technology actually originating in our Archery Division – and opens up new avenues for our continued cutting-edge exploration.”

The new MMT iron shafts come in parallel tips and taper tips. The parallel-tipped shafts became available August 1 at $90 MSRP each, while the taper tips will become available on September 15 at $100 MSRP each.