Breakthrough Golf Technology has been creating high-tech shafts for putters and woods for a few years now. BGT has a new shaft out that is engineered to help golfers improve their short game even more.
The new ZNE (pronounced zone) shaft is a multi-piece shaft that combines graphite, aluminum, and steel. All these pieces come together in order to add stability and consistency to wedge shots. BGT offers the ZNE shafts in three different weights (90, 115, and 130 grams), so you can match up your wedge shafts to your irons. Make sure to listen to the full review on the Club Junkie podcast below or on any podcast platform.
Out on the course, the Breakthrough Golf ZNE wedge shafts offer just a different feel than traditional steel. The really stout shaft gives you the feeling that you know exactly where the wedge head is throughout the whole swing. The feeling is very controlled wether you are hitting a full swing gap wedge or a short pitch shot from just off the green. The ZNE provides a little softer feel, with less vibration, from the multi piece construction. You will still know when you hit a solid shot or if you missed the center, but the overall vibration will be muted.
Consistency is the word when it comes to the ZNE shafts. I installed the 115 in my 50-degree gap wedge and the first shots on the range were within such a tight window. I was hitting at a “green” out on that range and out of 10 balls, I don’t think one would have missed. Every shot was exactly the same and had very little right or left curvature to them. I am a player who hits a draw and that shape was massively minimized to a straight shot. At first I chalked it up as the honeymoon phase but when taking the ZNE to the course it was more of the same. I am a player who can easily miss greens from just about any yardage but out on the course I probably hit more greens from 110 yards and in than I have in awhile.
Launch is a little higher than my Nippon Modus 125 Wedge shafts that I have been using for the past 2 years on full shots. Spin is high and every full shot from the fairway will hit and spin back a little for me. Shots out of the rough a very predictable and land with a controlled amount of release.
I went with the heavier ZNE 130 in my 56-degree wedge and could actually notice a little weight difference from my previous wedge shaft. Building the sand wedge with the ZNE was super easy and BGT has the balance perfect as I didn’t need any tip weights or tricks, the wedge came out to stock D4 swing weight at standard length. On the range, I noticed the same thing as the gap wedge with the ZNE 115, The ball just went exactly where I swung it. During the swing, you again feel like the shaft is directly connected with your hands and you know right where the face is. I rarely every take full swings with my sand wedge and on partial shots you can again see the consistency and stability of the ZNE shaft.
Shorter, high lofted shots are easy to pull off and I seemed to feel the use of the wedge bounce slightly more. Center contact seemed to be more consistent for me on those tough, for me, 30-50 yard pitch shots. I found my contact was closer to center and less out towards the toe for every shot I was hitting. Bunker play was still easy and you didn’t have to change anything about your swing to splash the ball out of the sand. Spin with the shorter shots was very predictable and the ball checked up well from tight lies.
Overall, the Breakthrough Golf ZNE shafts impressed me more than I thought they would. I found them to be consistent, stable, and offer solid feel around the green. I love seeing technology be put into more than just driver shafts and think that we are at the very beginning of some great advancements for wedge and putter performance.
