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.
[youtube id=”ldc3smHTxAM” width=”620″ height=”360″]
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Whats in the Bag
Team McIlowry (Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry) winning WITBs: 2024 Zurich Classic
Rory McIlroy WITB
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @8.25) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: TaylorMade Proto (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X 7.0 (4-9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB) Buy here, Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-K @59) Buy here.
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X3 Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour
Ball: 2024 TaylorMade TP5x Buy here.
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Rory McIlroy’s WITB in the forums.
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Shane Lowry WITB
- Shane Lowry what’s in the bag accurate as of the Cognizant Classic.
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (8.5 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 70 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X
Irons: Srixon ZX Utility (3, 20 degrees) Buy here, Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4, 5) Buy here, Srixon ZX7 Mk II (6-PW) Buy here.
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X (3), KBS Tour 130 X (4-PW)
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID) Buy here, Cleveland RTX Full Face (58-8) Buy here.
Shafts: KBS Tour Wedge X Black
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour Z Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 1.0
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV Buy here.
The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
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Whats in the Bag
Steve Stricker WITB 2024 (April)
- Steve Stricker WITB accurate as of the Zurich Classic. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, C4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 7.2 X
3-wood: Titleist 915F (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist 816 H1 (17 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (3, 4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8 (46-10F @55), Titleist Vokey SM10 (54-10S @53), Titleist Vokey SM4 (60 @59)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 w/Sensicore
Putter: Odyssey White Hot No. 2
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Grip Rite
Check out more in-hand photos of Steve Stricker’s clubs here.
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Whats in the Bag
Alex Fitzpatrick WITB 2024 (April)
- Alex Fitzpatrick what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 TX
Irons: Ping iCrossover (2), Titleist T100 (4-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 9 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-12F, 56-12D, 60-08M)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Bettinardi SS16 Dass
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Alex Fitzpatrick’s clubs here.
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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.