TORRINGTON, Conn. — Completely dominating the top money positions in the land down under, premium Rifle steel shafts won first-, second- and third-place in the centennial Australian Open in Sydney. The overwhelming win completed a pair of Pacific Rim victories in the same weekend as Rifle-branded shafts also won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Hawaii.
 
“The Australian Open is a great victory for Rifle-branded shafts, and it clearly shows the preference of many of the world’s best golfers to play with Royal Precision’s premium products,” says John Lauchnor, president and CEO of Royal Precision. “Rifle steel shafts have been a favorite among many of golf’s professional players for many years, and we’re proud to continue our winning tradition all around the world.”
 
In fact, Rifle-branded shafts have won more than 40 tournaments this year, and some of those victories have included the Scottish Open, Volvo PGA Championship, Deutsche Bank-SAP Open, Telecom Italia Open, Open de Sevilla, Telkom PGA Championship, ANZ Championship, Heineken Classic and the Omega Hong Kong Open. Closer to home, steel shafts manufactured by Royal Precision — America’s first steel shaft manufacturer — have also won the 2004 U.S. Open and Masters Tournament as well as THE TOUR Championship and many other prestigious events on the PGA, Champions and Nationwide Tours.
 
Lauchnor explains that most steel shafts on the market today utilize a ‘step’ design which originated from a 1930s technique for reducing a shaft’s diameter along the length of the shaft. However, Rifle shafts feature a modern ‘stepless’ design which eliminates the periodic steps found in other steel shafts, and provides for a smooth, seamless transition from the shaft’s butt end to tip end.
 
“Royal Precision’s innovative stepless technology provides for greater energy transfer to the ball that gives golfers tighter shot dispersion, better control, greater distance with improved accuracy and a smooth, yet solid, feel at impact,” adds Lauchnor.

Unlike most steel shafts on the market today, Rifle-branded steel shafts combine four advanced technologies to produce steel shaft innovation unparalleled in the industry. Only Rifle steel shafts offer: Frequency Matching that perfectly matches a set of clubs through electronic calibration; Stepless Design Technology that eliminates the energy-robbing ‘steps’ found on most other steel shafts, and provides greater accuracy and a smooth, yet solid, feel at impact; Patented Internal ‘Rifling’ that transfers energy more efficiently than other steel shafts, reduces vibration and increases distance; and advanced Flighted Technology that produces variable ball trajectories for different clubs within a single set.