Equipment
Nippon springs forward with a new Modus iron shaft
If a company can manufacture automotive springs, it can probably make a pretty decent golf shaft.
That’s exactly the case for Nippon Shafts, whose parent company NHK Springs is a large automotive springs manufacturing company.
Mark Pekarek, North American distributor for Nippon, gives NHK credit for the construction methods and materials that give Nippon shafts their smooth feel and make them efficient at transferring energy.
Nippon’s latest iron shaft, the N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 130, is stiff in the butt and mid sections, but it has a softer tip section.
“What that creates is a little bit of a higher, easy launch but then a lower, Tour-type spin to get the ball to go through the air in a more penetrating fashion,” Pekarek said.
This is the opposite construction of the company’s N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 shaft that debuted in 2012, which is about 10 grams lighter than the Tour 130. Usually, lighter weight shafts are designed to hit the ball higher than their heavier weight counterparts, but the Tour 120 has a stiff tip with softer mid and butt sections — a construction that actually results in a lower flight.
Like all of the company’s shafts, the Tour 130 is created from a specially picked base metal. It then undergoes an NHK-learned heat treatment process that the company says helps with distance control.
The Tour 130 is currently used by Sergio Garcia. It comes in three flexes: the R (121 grams), S (124 grams) and X (129 grams) and sells for about $37 each.
The Tour 120 comes in four flexes: R (111 grams), S (114), X (120) and TX (126) and sells for the same price.
Check out the video interview about the Tour 130 with GolfWRX’s Zak Kozuchowski and Pekarek to learn more about the shaft.
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Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.
From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4
3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
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Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
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Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
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Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105
Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
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Patrick Beach
Aug 14, 2014 at 11:17 pm
This is the same description as the ProV1x and the taylormade SLDR …so somehow comlnies believe high launch low spin is possible…the SLDR results in a knuckle ball…aka hardest driver on the market to hit..these irons do not knuckle…so amazing!
TheLegend
Sep 24, 2013 at 12:33 pm
is this the shaft henik stenson is playing in his irons?
Zak Kozuchowski
Sep 24, 2013 at 1:27 pm
Stenson is playing the slightly lighter, lower-flying Tour 120X shaft.
Here’s Stenson’s full WITB: http://www.golfwrx.com/96594/henrik-stenson-witb/
Rich
Mar 6, 2013 at 1:18 pm
I have the 130 in my 4 and 5 iron. The ball flight is higher than my old Nippon tour preening blue shafts. The ball does not appear to float in the wind and I am looking forward to playing these this spring.
marionmg
Feb 23, 2013 at 9:53 pm
I hit it back to back with my modus 120 in same head and this shaft launches higher and spins a little more. It does feel stiffer than the 120 though – which kind of defies physics in some ways considering the results.
Tony Lopez
Feb 22, 2013 at 1:07 pm
This shaft is being described as a physics changer, I agree with Todd.
Todd
Feb 18, 2013 at 5:57 pm
When a shaft allows a higher launch, it does so by increasing the loft on the clubhead just before impact. This MUST be accompanied by a higher spin rate, when all else is the same. Sorry, but a shaft can’t give you BOTH a higher launch AND a lower spin rate.