HISTORY of TRPX
TRPX is a Tokyo based premium golf shaft producer and stylish performance golf brand. TRPX was founded in February of 2013 and during our 2.5+ years of operation, we are already considered one of the top premium performance shaft brands in Japan. The strength of any company lies behind it’s staff and their ability to focus on the brand mission. The members of team TRPX come from different golfing backgrounds, with different skill sets., but all with the same focus in mind, a mission to not only create the best high-performance shafts in golf but also in creating a stylish image and lifestyle that appeals to most performance minded and fashion conscious golfers. Our products feature cutting-edge design details, materials, and attention oriented quality manufacturing.
The TRPX team of 9 may be few, but our skills, dedication, and belief in our products from a performance and style perspective, more than make up for our lack of numbers. TRPX is all about quality not quantity.
TEAM of TRPX
CEO
KENJI YASHITA
Kenji Yashita was born into a family that ran golf courses. His family has been running golf courses in Kanagawa Prefecture for three generations, starting with his grandfather. He belonged to the golf club and played golf in high school. He also has experience competing in various tournaments as an amateur golfer.
Kenji founded TRPX in 2012. He became interested in making shafts when he received a request from Daiichi Golf, a major Japanese golf shop, to create a custom shaft. This sparked his interest in shaft making. It was around this time that he was introduced to a fishing rod factory, which led him to decide to establish a shaft brand.
Kenji wanted to create a shaft company that was different from others and aimed at amateurs. He was looking for a talented designer for shaft making, and it was then when he met Nakayama, who was a Tour Rep for Taylormade at the time. Together, they started to produce a unique shaft brand.
PRODUCT DESIGNER
CHIKAYOSHI NAKAYAMA
Shaft designer Nakayama previously worked as a tour rep for TaylorMade, setting up clubs for many tour players every week at tournament venues.
However, as Nakayama set up many golf clubs, he began to wonder if many golf clubs, even if they fit tour pros, would not fit the average amateur. He wondered if it was not a matter of flex or weight, but rather if the characteristics of the shaft itself were not what amateur players needed to perform.
Many professional golfers are in their 20s to 40s, whereas many amateur golfers are older. Nakayama thought that if he could develop a shaft for amateurs with slower head speeds, they would be able to enjoy golf for a longer time. It was then that Nakayama met CEO Kenji and decided to design shafts for TRPX.
At that time, Nakayama decided to design the shaft for TRPX after meeting CEO Kenji.
The first shaft he developed was the Messenger 1st.
Graphic Designer
Akihiro Shimamori
Akihiro Shimamori is a graphic designer at TRPX.
Shimamori has been working as a graphic designer since 2007 and has been involved in shaft design for many years since TRPX was first established in 2012.
As a graphic designer, he has also received commissions from Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. His accomplishments include designs for universities, schools, and television stations in Japan, as well as app logos and interface designs.
Shimamori’s motto is to turn the performance and characteristics of shafts into art, and he approaches shaft design with this in mind.
TIMELINE of TRPX
2012
TRPX ESTABLISHED
2015
Air・Messenger FW
2017
FEATHER
Messenger
I-50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90
2019
AFTER BURNER AB501
AFTER BURNER AB401
AFTER BURNER AB301
2021
Xanadu
INLET・RH FW Type-K・RH FW Type-MK・
EL DORADO
Phantom
2013
Raytis Lavie Raytis Touale
Messenger 1st
X-Line 65
X-Line 75
2016
Xanadu
INLET
RH FW Type-K
RH FW Type-MK・
EL・DORADO
Phantom
2018
T-series 1
T-series 2
T-series 3
2020
AFTER BURNER 601
AFTER BURNER Blackflare
AFTER BURNER FW F-4 / F-5 / F-6