Jim McLean, perhaps the world's most-watched golf teaching professional, announced signing a multi-year agreement to endorse and co-design Harrison golf shafts. The first product of McLean's consultation with Harrison's shaft-design engineers is the Harrison Striper J, a graphite shaft with integrated titanium filaments that minimize shaft lagging and twisting during the golf swing.

McLean, the frequent host of the Golf Channel's Academy Live teaching programs, is a PGA Teacher of the Year and is consistently rated among the top golf instructors in the world. His teaching articles, books and videos are best-selling instruction tools. McLean was a successful PGA Tour professional prior to becoming a top teacher, winning the 1987 Westchester Championship and playing in the Masters and two U.S. Open Championships.

"Harrison is excited to have Jim McLean joining the Harrison team," Harrison Sports president Michael Cheng said. Harrison Sports, Inc., Pacoima, Calif., is a leading producer of premium golf shafts and one of the top five manufacturers of golf shafts in the world. Harrison shafts are proudly made in the U.S.A. Its patent-pending process of integrating titanium with graphite to produce a superior golf shaft is gaining recognition and use among professional golfers worldwide. In 2002, Harrison shafts were seen frequently in the clubs of PGA Tour, Senior Tour and European Tour champions and among the finalists at the ReMax World Long Drive Championships.

"Jim McLean is one of the most respected golf teachers in the world." Cheng continued. "He is dedicated to helping golfers improve their swing, and by helping Harrison design better shafts for golfers of all levels, we will be able to help anyone who wants to achieve real game improvement. Jim will also be able to test prototypes as he teaches, which will give us a practical laboratory to test shafts and make refinements before

releasing them to the public. We'll know how the shaft works from the perspective of a master teacher, and the shaft will have Jim McLean's personal endorsement to testify its superiority."

Jim McLean has a passion for both teaching and refining golf equipment. For years, McLean noticed that even the best swing sometimes produces unwanted results. He began to wonder how much of the unwanted results were caused by poor shaft performance? His belief now is that not only does the golf swing need to be fitted to each golfer, so does the shaft.

"I've watched my students improve dramatically once the correct shaft is put into their clubs since the shaft is the engine." McLean said. " Over the years, I've encountered numerous situations, in which a reasonably good swing failed to bring the club head back to square at impact. I wondered how much of that result was due to the shaft, which can twist and lag as the clubhead approaches the ball. The agreement with Harrison will let me test my ideas. I'm pleased with the first shaft we've designed together, the Harrison Striper J."

The Harrison Striper J is a 60-gram, mid-launch shaft consisting of titanium-reinforced super high modulus graphite. The material and design make it highly resistant to twisting, which is a leading cause of hooks and slices. The integrated titanium significantly reduces shaft lag, which is the amount the club bends just prior to impact. Reducing shaft lag promotes longer drives.

"This is the first in a series of shafts with design and testing consultation provided by Jim McLean," Harrison President Cheng said. "With his input, we are sure that Harrison shafts will set the standard for playability and reliability for golfers on the professional tours and at local courses."

The Jim McLean Golf Schools, rated at the top of golf instruction schools around the world, are located at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Miami, FL, PGA West and LaQuinta Resort and Club, La Quinta, CA, La Costa Resort, Carlsbad, CA, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Traverse City, MI, Weston Hills Country Club, Weston, FL, and Mariners Point Links and Practice Center, Foster City, CA. The mission of the Jim McLean Golf School is to teach, "a golf swing fitted to your personal capabilities. A golf swing that will last. Ideas that will help you play better and longer."