Jody Baucom - When I first started AccuFLEX, I had a really good friend that was competing in LD.  He came to me and said, "I cannot get  a shaft that won't break or that works for me."  So I told him that I would give it a shot. 
 
Well the first LD shaft was born  (Extreme LD)  my friend (Chad Roberts) went on to win several tournaments right away when he switched,  so I was bombarded with requests,  and to fit into our theme of "A Golf Shaft to Fit Every Swing", I answered with more LD shafts to fit a niche.  The rest is history.
 
World LD championships were being won so the LD success rate was high,  little do people know, AccuFLEX shafts won on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour before winning the first World LD title.  We already have 20 Tour Wins,  Champions, PGA, LPGA, and Nationwide Tour,  3 of those Being Major Championships!  so for those thinking AccuFLEX is LD specific,  they haven't paid too much attention!  LOL...

 
 
G.WRX -Accuflex had a great year on the Nationwide this year and some success on the PGA.  Has there been a change of focus at Accuflex to get into the "premium" market and start going after the "Big Boys" in the Shaft market?  
Jody Baucom - Well, actually when we finally introduced our product line to the "World" at the 2002 PGA Show,  many looked at our product as "high priced."  We had the ICON at $200, the Icon v2 at $89, etc....  at this time $60 + was not the "norm" for shaft prices.  So as you asked into the "premium" market,  we like to think we helped lead the industry into that direction. Today, the industry has went "all out" with shafts upwards of $400 to $1,000 and we have decided to "take off the gloves" and bring the best to market as quick as possible, regardless of the cost. 
 
When we were the first to utilize Nano Technology, we could have easily charged $200 for our Evolution shaft,  but we "sat" on the design until the price came down. We waited until we were able to offer the Evolution for $89 but,  not with some of the new Products.  Even though the technology price has come down for our Creation, it is still many times higher to "create" than other models.  We feel today's customer will want the best they can get,  and we feel that the Creation is it!
 
 
G.WRX -The Icon HL has been a very popular shaft.  What are the characteristics and which swing profile does it fit?
 Jody Baucom - The Icon HL has been the #1 Hybrid Shaft MODEL on the Nationwide Tour 10-11 weeks.  The players out there love the fact that the shaft is stable,  keeps the spin manageable and does not go left. 
 
The Icon HL needs to be fitted properly,  most players that are a legit Stiff,  need a Reg.  and so on.  The shaft was made to be "firm" to handle the spin and "hooking" issues of players that used hybrids. 
 
If you are a player that needs more trajectory and a touch "softer" feel,  the AccuLAUNCH Hybrid would be the ticket,  we use those quite a bit on the Champions Tour,  as well as the Nationwide Tour for players that need that extra "help"

 
 
G.WRX - Can you talk a little about a "A Golf Shaft to Fit Every Swing"?  Is the product range that in depth?
 Jody Baucom - When I started the company,  it was because no one shaft company had a deep enough product line to fit all of my customers,  so I set out to create "A Golf Shaft to Fit Every Swing"  and just not push the flavor of the month,  we have close to 20 different models,  and we do feel we can fit Anyone!

G.WRX -You've mentioned in the past that Accuflex is one of the tightest spec shafts on the market.  Can you explain that more?  Was that in relation to puring?
 Jody Baucom - Our manufacturing method allows us to produce a golf shaft with no seam or "spine"  meaning more consistency.  There is a large company that computer checks for inconsistencies in a golf shaft,  we have many customers that own these machines, that have reported back to us time and time again that AccuFLEX shafts rate the highest they have ever seen.  Some shafts even close to "Perfect" at 98%

G.WRX - Are Accuflex shafts spine aligned before or after graphics are screened?  If a player has a need for "logo down", could that be an issue?
 Jody Baucom - As mentioned above, our shafts have no seam or "Spine" and show very minimal FLO,  we have done countless studies with all level golfers, with the same club set up  with shafts installed differently,  using launch monitors, face impact,  and have found very, very little difference, no matter where the shafts were aligned..  SO logo down is NO problem,  most tour players request this,  and with 20 Tour Wins (mainly Driver shafts) seems like there has been no issues  :-)

G.WRX -The Creation Shaft has been getting great reviews by people who've hit it.  Can you talk a little bit of the technology that goes into it?  Is it coming to retail and is there a price point in mind yet?  Will  there be creation shafts in more weight and in Hybrid, Iron, Woods, etc?
 

Jody Baucom - We currently have for "Tour Only" a 65 and 80 gram Wood shaft.  We already have the mandrels created for a Hybrid and Iron shaft.  We are testing and seeing where these will possibly "fit"  so yes the Creation line may be expanded.  Even though the shaft line has not been officially released yet.  We expect to release the Creation line just prior to the 2007 PGA show. Price point,  soon to be announced   "Perfection has its Price" tm  

 

G.WRX - The cost of Nano technology seems very high on per gram basis.  What are the benefits to Nano technologies and why do you think it hasn't been adopted by larger shaft manufacturers yet? 
 
Jody Baucom - We were first to introduce Nano Technology to the Consumer Golf Shaft Market.  We actually "sat" on the technology for about a year because of the concern about cost issues.  Since then the cost has "eased" a bit, but still costly.
 We currently are using NanoMetal Polymer Composite Technology  (dubbed NANOMET, our trademark name) for the Creation Line.  We find that we can increase the surface area of a golf shaft,  create tighter "areas" of a golf shaft,  and utilize the Nano Technology to the advantage of the design and better improve the shaft.
 As for why the technology has not been adopted,  it seems that a couple of our fellow shaft companies are utilizing the Nano Technology to some degree,  just maybe not as widely used by us At AccuFLEX.
 

G.WRX - What's going to be big for Accuflex in 07?

 
Jody Baucom - Ohhhh,  it seems like every year we have something "BIG",  that most people just love.  The problem is we are a David  competing with several goliaths,  but we keep "plugging" away.  It is the small companies like ourselves that have proven in most all industries to be the most creative and innovative. We just keep pushing the envelope, and wait for our "Big Break."  Look for the Creation series to really open some eyes of the "I have to have the best no matter what" crowd  :-) We will also expand on the success of our Hybrid Technology with a couple additional models,  and will expand heavily on a segment of the market we feel can grow rapidly,  Graphite Iron Shafts.
 
 
G.WRX -  Jody, thanks again for spending the time with us and we will be checking back soon.  Keep plugging!