Ultimate Nippon Golf Shaft Comparison | Does the Weight of an Iron Shaft Matter?

This golf shaft comparison identifies the importance of playing a golf shaft that is fit for a golfer's swing tendencies. One of the most important pieces of an award-winning club fitting at 2nd Swing is ensuring that the golf shaft is the right fit for the player. In this video, 2nd Swing master fitter Thomas Campbell tests several Nippon iron golf shafts against one another using Trackman technology to identify the differences in performance.
For more information about 2nd Swing Tour Van fittings and to schedule yours, click here: fitting.2ndswin...
To see more videos from 2nd Swing and subscribe to the 2nd Swing KZbin channel, click here: / 2ndswing

[@robmatthews4680]

This is perfect!!! This is exactly what I was looking to find out. Thank you!

[@Doinitwell007]

Hi i have seen really good results from light xstiff shafts but those really rely on having the correct head combo

[@samalm9819]

Please do a similar video with Kbs shafts such as c taper, $ taper and the standard kbs tour. Furthermore a comparison of shafts like kbs tour 120, nippon modus 120, dynamic gold s300 and project x lz 6.0 would be awesome - I believe a comparison of these shafts would be relevant to a ton of people considering how many companies have them as standard offerings.

[@stephprime]

good idea! I went through a fitting process and gamed all the shafts you mentioned. All those shafts are nice, for me it comes down to the personal "feel" of each shaft! The difference in maybe 500spin or 1-2 yards is not that important. Much more important is that you go out and hit your irons and everytime you hit them you just LOVE the feel of the shaft you are gaming! So get fitted and try them all =) For me the best feeling was by far with the Nippon Modus 3 Tour, s300 is a good allrounder that can be compared to the lz 6.0, however the s300 feels al litte bit stiffer (just my impressions) - the KBS did not make it for me, I tried it several times and it just does not suit my swing - and the feeling is by far the worst (again: just my opinion and feeling)!

[@cameroningram5101]

I just got fitted into Apex 21's and after testing a large selection of shafts i got fitted into the Modus 120. Seeing Thomas's despersion makes me feel more confident in the selected shaft, although I hit it nowhere near as consisitent as Thomas does. Now I'm just waiting, waiting waiting for them to be delivered.

[@2ndswing]

Awesome! Thank you for watching! Hope they come soon!

[@stephprime]

Thank you for the test! Very nice video! I got fitted for new clubs two years ago and really tested a tons of different combinations. I endet up with the Nippon Modus 3 Tour 105 stiff in the irons and in the wedges i have the Nippon Modus 3 Tour 120. The one thing that was outstanding with the Nippon shaft - for me and my swing - was the perfect, superb feeling and the consistency. And by the way: since I got fitted I improved my HCP from 18 to 10 - fitting is the most important thing in the golf game !! don't go out and just by a random set of clubs just because you want to play them or you heard that these are good clubs.....

[@danielcohen3159]

Would love to see a comparison of all the Nippon ultralight shafts - Zelos 6, 7, and 8, and the 850 and 950 Neo. Maybe with a slower swinger, since that's who they're for. Jackie, perhaps?

[@davidmeeks7449]

Thomas Campbell is one of the very best reviewers on the web. Comes up with interesting tests and explains it well. And let’s be honest: He could hit any shaft or head. Doesn’t matter. It’s a stripe show every time.

[@2ndswing]

Thanks for the great feedback! It's no secret that Thomas has game! -Danny

[@mattw36]

Great video. Just got fit into the modus 3 tour 120 for my srixon zx5/7 combo

[@legend9018]

Excellent video, obviously the weight of the head affects each shaft differently in how it bends not only in the loading axis but also the toe up/toe down axis which is probably what affected dispersion and efficiency to some extent.

[@andymcg8353]

The Nippon 950GH Neo performed very well for you in this review. I think you were just a bit biased in favour of the heavier shaft.

[@PawleyWalnuts]

your yellow dispersion circle was actually pretty tight. you drew it to capture the orange too! 950gh looks like a great shaft for you

[@william_hartman]

So you give up a bit of speed/distance for tighter dispersion by going for a heavier shaft. But since the neither the dispersion difference nor the distance difference was that significant, would it be fair to say it mostly comes down to personal preference in feel?

[@elijahbarber2013]

Really do appreciate the great content here on KZbin. Thank you. Wish your guys eBay prices were competitively priced so I could support you over there too.

[@Damajesticone]

I always been curious about Zelos nice to see it tested

[@dcx45]

Got Zelos 8 put into my irons a few years back. Driver SS 90-95, high teen hcap. Absolutely love them (had a test set of identical iron mades with other 3 shafts, with big differences to "feel" not necessarily the result). Well that and lessons :)

[@manthings1568]

Fantastic video! If you throw out the one light blue dot push to the right, the flyweight 68g Zelos 6 wins in every category! And even more interestingly, no pro club fitter would even think of fitting this 90mph golf swing with a 68 gram shaft! Mind blowing steel shafts from Nippon. I have recently discovered and have tried the Nippons in the 1030GH (08 cobra FP), 950GH, 95O Neo...So far the 950GH wins...I just got a set of JPX921 HM with stock 950 Geo R and I dont hit these as well as MX-25s with 950GH (MX25s came with TT Dynalite SL R but reshaft 950GH are far superior). So now (Apr 2023) Im about to re shaft the JPX 921 HM 6i with the Zelos 7 R, 74 grams...I am super antsy about trying this. It may win out over the stock 950Neo but I think the 950GH (wasnt tested in this vid) is one of the greatest values and semi secrets in steel iron shafts! FWIW Im a mid-high HC in his 50s with a quick tempo 7i about 140... I dont play a lot but I prefer lively (more flexy) forged clubs with light nippon steel shafts theres nothing like it IMO.

[@AGClassicCarTuning]

Great test, in particular for the shaft weight and the trends that can be observed by weight. After testing each shaft I would have also been interested to hear your feedback about feel, loading, and tempo versus weight also as I am sure also of these get inside a players head and can then influence their perception of the shaft too. The other aspect that needs tagging along side is how the different weight shafts feel for little chip shots. I had some $ taper lite and whilst great on full shots but they were so light that little chip shots lacked any pendulum weight or fee which also brings confidence and consistency. Great review though....keep them coming.

[@HeyItsAsmus]

so I went to the simulator and was hitting a 7 iron at 26.5* loft (so more like a 6 iron) roughly 160 total. my swing speed was 75-78mph. It's winter here so I haven't hit for a few months now. my driver club head speed ranges from 95-105. So I just switched to Stiff shafts in my driver/FWY. I'm looking at going with Nippon 105 or 120. I am a very High iron hitter so I prefer to get the shaft that will keep my launch down, but what I can't decide is whether I should play Reg or Stiff in my irons. Looking at simple speed charts it says I should be in Reg. I thought about getting Reg and hard stepping it once.

[@jaytucker4338]

Great video...GRRREAT! I love the NIppon shaft line up! Playing MP4s in the NS Pro 1150 in Regular flex. 6 iron SS is 97. The 1150 holds up really well for me and I love the elasticity of that shaft. Note: At my fitting for the MP20s this past year (before the 221 came out) I was fitted to the Modus 120 Stiff - but I am reluctant to leave the 1150...I love them that much. Q: Is the 1150 still available? Keep these videos a comin' Thomas! (Happy new year.)

[@charlieboylol527]

Great video,I love the feel of the nippon shafts 🙏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@2ndswing]

Thanks for watching!!

[@johnk.atchley5079]

You took out one bad shot to show how tight the dispersion was with the Modus 130. To be fair, why not take out that one bad shot to the right with the Zelos. This would give you a greatly improved circle with most shots right down the target line and the distances more consistent. Sure, one shot rather far to the left. But still a very good result. Given we are human and not robots, and you cannot swing with exactly the same timing and contact each and every time, it seems to me that wider dispersion of one club vs another is mostly due to natural variation in your swing and contact. Dispersion could only be measured exactly if each shaft was tested by a robot.

[@peterrod16]

Modus 120 are great with my P790 irons. Great video

[@andreysto1202]

You are the machine, man! Never saw such consistent swing and data. Better than a robot as you have similar swing characteristics but can speak about feeling, too)

[@2ndswing]

Thanks for watching & the kind remarks I work hard on my swing - Thomas

[@coombesy2]

That helps, thanks. I’m looking at the P770/MC combo set, and was a little uncertain as to the 105 or the 120 shafts.

[@2ndswing]

Thanks for watching! I would test both shafts out to compare the differences some golfers can notice some cannot it's going to be player dependent on the results. - Thomas

[@johnk.atchley5079]

I watched a 31 minute talk on DevotedGolfer with Nippon's representative and one factor that can make a major difference in which shaft fits which player is the bend profile, not just the weight. The 120 and the 130, the Nippon rep said, have opposite profiles. Which shaft fits depends a lot on tempo of the player's swing as well as the speed. So the profile more than the weight could be the key ror a skilled pro like Campbell. All of the shafts, even the Zelos, have been played by pros and have won.

[@SlAAnsky]

Love to see these test with different shafts. I wish you could get hold of a mid handicap player as well with a good iron game to do some tests across all brands of shafts. Both woods and iron shafts. I also would love to se a test with wedge shafts.

[@jasonverbarg9790]

Such a solid swing!! Do you have any feedback on the Modus 115, as it seems to be right in the middle for weight? Thank you!

[@JDSFLA]

Very interesting video, and you gave me peace of mind too! I play the N.S. Pro 950 GH (stiff, 98 grams) in my Cobra F8 irons. I was looking for a lighter shaft that would improve my swing speed and yet not have me loose "feel" of where the club was in the swing. It has been a good match for me. However, equally good for me is the True Temper Dynamic Gold S300, 103 grams. Yet , when I tried the N.S. Modus 105 (stiff, 106.5 grams) I hated it - it felt like a 2x4 and my performance fell off. There is something very different between the Dynamic Gold 105 and the N.S. Modus 105 so you can't go by just the weight and flex - you really must try it. There must be something else in the design between these two shafts that makes them play differently for me. Overall your results were as I would have thought, but to actually see the numbers - especially spin, height, swing speed and carry - is really helpful in narrowing the shaft choices for one. Thanks.

[@BuffaloNickel9]

No actually those two shafts are about as comparable as you can get and about as interchangeable as you can get actually.. Absolute closest shaf to modus 105 is the dynamic gold 105. Txg golf just did a video about this exact Topic in a time where shafts are on backorder and what very similar shaft you could use if your preferred shaft is not available. Two things: I've actually never heard anyone who liked the dynamic gold who didn't also like the modus 105 and I certainly never heard of anyone who said the modus was "board like"..... Interesting but you are certainly an anomaly..

[@wanderdude3582]

Great test

[@stephendibari5010]

Awesome test Thomas. Would like to see this test using graphite shafts. I’ll be coming into your Delaware location sometime in the spring time for a fitting and recovering from shoulder surgery I need to go to graphite shafts. My last few sets of irons had the Nippon tour 105 stiff steel shafts in them. Like to see what’s compatible to that shift so I have an idea of what I need to try before I go into the fitting

[@cliffordholliday679]

Really interesting. I'm similar club speed on my 6 iron, 90mph and I use 110 shafts. Dispersion is my biggest gripe, perhaps I should try the modus 120....

[@BourneAccident]

Very good video and it helped me a lot. Thank you very much.

[@Sam.1981]

Great vid Thomas. I currently use modus tour 130. I still hit ball relatively high would the project x 6.5 give a lower flight. Considering I didnt realize they said high trajectory in the beginning of this vid. Thanks

[@landdevil]

Given the same weight, the launch difference would really be very small. Maybe just bend the head a little stronger to hit them lower.

[@mcnillerandsons7906]

I’m playing the 850gh regular on my irons and I’m a tall strong guy. I was able to swing effortlessly and get solid distance on my irons. Had to get over my ego to go with a lighter regular flex shaft.

[@2ndswing]

Effortless swings go just as far and are more consistent - Thomas

[@allahalibaba9063]

Great review Thomas...could you do a review on the Mizuno JPX 921 forged with the Nippon NS Pro 950 HT shaft vs the NS Pro GH shafts.....with Reg and Stiff shafts...would like to see the results.....Thanks...

[@alexmcmichael2091]

Useful information, well explained.

[@krusher74]

Can you test the KBS TGI and max graphite iron shafts again their typical steel shafts, i cant find any good info on them from one of the biggest names in golf!

[@Doinitwell007]

Wish you tested light x stiff and the nspro models but not the ht models

[@shughalonly4724]

Awesome video ..amazing effort

[@Skelly6752]

Have just been fitted into a set of JPX921 forged with AMT White Stiff shafts, on the day of testing this shaft produced the tightest dispersion. I only tested using the standard 7 iron, but am finding it difficult to get sufficient launch height with the longer irons. I have previously had Modus3 Tour105 Stiff Shafts and been happy with them, should I ask the fitter to swap them out?

[@svtferrari]

Of course, if you aren’t happy you should see what they can do

[@stuboy13]

Given the weight changes as the clubs change in the AMT, ascending mass technology, surely the point is to let you test the longest iron and ah rest iron also? The black is the middle weighting. Red lightest. White heaviest. I can swing 120 true Temper stiff, but I couldn't hit the white r300 AMT at all in my utility one iron. I strike my dad's AP3 amt blacks really well though. Did you get a refit?

[@kenturner4974]

If you took away the furthest left shot of the modus 105 the dispersion looked even smaller than the 120, from what I could see on my monitor anyway. Cheers

[@2ndswing]

Good point!

[@Mac13587]

Well summarised! Thanks

[@2ndswing]

Thanks for watching - Thomas

[@joeflorence938]

Always enjoy your insight

[@2ndswing]

Thanks for watching! - Thomas

[@adolfocourrier1204]

Great work as always, Thanks!!!

[@craignelson5689]

I really like the idea of comparing such a wide range of shafts, but I'm disappointed that all of your analysis was focused on the end result - the ball flight itself, rather than any of the delivery metrics or feel. I think this conveys the incorrect conclusion that these resulting ball flight trends will transfer to any golfer. I'd love to see you guys dive deeper into the WHY - i.e the lower ball flight of the heavier shafts was directly correlated to the more closed face at delivery. More thoughts on feel, timing, and strike consistency would be great too! I feel like it's easy to over-simplify the comparison as-is to "If I want distance, get a lighter shaft; if I want better dispersion, get a heavier shaft" - when in reality it's about finding the best fit for a given player's timing and delivery

[@dsloan9561]

Hoping you guys have the Modus 125 in the mix!!

[@wally6193]

interesting that the Zelos 6 has no flex rating on the Nippon site. I would have liked to see you also test the Zelos 7 & 8. I'm actually really surprised that the zelos 6 worked so good for you. 2 out lyers for the 6, was it you or the shaft. It seemed like the 6 had the highest and most consistent SF and spin for the 7 iron you used which would tell me that that shaft fits you fairly well. I'm surprised that a shaft that lite works for someone with your swing speed. Did you adjust the SW for each shaft or did you use them as is?

[@ItsGambleFFS]

I agree with this comment so much. To me the Zelos 6 performed best overall by a margin. 2 outlyers which could be down to timing of the swing as the user is used to a much heavier shaft. Can see there is some confirmation bias towards the heavier weights though as he was willing to remove one shot from the 130 weight to show the difference it made but never did this with the Zelos 6?

[@allahalibaba9063]

What golf simulator are you using???? Great data....How would you compare a Nippon NS Pro 950 GH stiff vs a True Temper XP 95 Stiff shaft.??? looking at a new set of irons and the Nippon shafts are offered were the TT are not...Thanks....

[@firstnamelastname6038]

Great review thanks for the insight.

[@kingeyechoi9306]

Thank you for the good video

[@mootrail9487]

I know you probably left subjectivity out purposely, but I wish you would have commented on feel differences across the board.

[@hildashubby]

Another awesome video

[@barneygermany530]

Love the 105S in my 4iron to 51°, and the 120S in 56°and in the 60°. 👌 (60°soon) Come from DG S300🤷🏻‍♂️

[@russhughes9273]

i hv mizuno mp-5 irons and NS PRO 11050HG shafts in them. 2 years after getting fitted for them i had neck surgery. Lost some yardage due to age (46) and some strength along with range of motion. I am currently 10-12 handicap. I cant get a straight answer/opinion from anyone on if changing the shafts would help me with feel and distance. The irons obviously feel like butter when hit well.

[@russhughes9273]

after watching the full video to see the results, it looks like a lighter shaft would help. Now i wonder if i need to stay with a stiff shaft or change to a R Flex. If i'm changing shafts, I may as well go get re fitted and get new irons all together and sell the MP-5s ( Hard to let go I love the feel of them!

[@manthings1568]

Hope you are getting better. In this video the Zelos 6 wins IMO. For me late 50s 70-75mph 7i I find lighter shafts easier to hit. Zelos line has a lot of good options Im about to try a Zelos 7 in JPX921 6i. But the stock Nippon 950GH (on mizuno forged irons) is probably the easiest decision you cant go wrong with it.

[@johnk.atchley5079]

The Zelos 6 does not come in stiff flex. Nippon's web site shows regular flex only. The Zelos 7 comes in regular 2, regular, and stiff. So if the staff was stiff, it must have been a Zelos 7.

[@jhn146A]

Excellent!

[@roniealipio6913]

I just bought a PING G410 with shaft modus 3 tour 105 is this any good for 13 handicap

[@BuffaloBarber24]

What flex did you use?

[@justinstephenson9360]

I have always found the shaft weight matters to me. Too light and it is both uncontrollable (I can hit 4 great shots and then get 1 which flies 15 yards further which is no use) and I lose any feeling of where the club face is - so it is more inaccurate than I am usually. Too heavy and I struggle to close the face so I have to concentrate more - accuracy is not too bad but I cannot play a draw with a heavy shaft - and lose distance. In the end I found a shaft that worked for me SteelFiber i80 regular (I have an average swing speed). On the test I would also highlight the change in launch angle Thomas had - basically launch angle varied with shaft weight so the lightest was the highest launching. The differences were marginal but IMO the differences were purely driven by shaft weight

[@joeduncan4206]

this is good but shouldn't you be comparing dispersion from shafts that go approx. the same distance? i.e. if an 8 iron goes the same with the 70 gram as a 7 iron with the 130 gram, isnt that the proper comparison for dispersion?

[@allenwood5411]

Good video. I recently had a short swing analysis done where the Mizuno swing device thingy suggested a handful of shafts that could be options for my swing. I didn't have time to test any that day, but I'd be curious to see a test comparing similarly weighted shafts, same flex, with different bend profiles as this is basically what my list consists of.

[@matthewcritchley1214]

Would I make sense to use a lighter shaft

[@cameronloveless1751]

Thanks for the video Thomas. Does the same hold true for driver shafts? There’s been a bit of a push towards lighter driver shafts in the past few em years to increase clubhead speed and generate more ball speed. But does that make it fly higher with more spin?

[@jamesstang4234]

good test. try trimming the extreme observations and present just the five best. the zelos 6 appears to give a reasonably tight pattern. also the zelos 6 I believe only comes in a regular and much more flexible than the other shafts. I play the ns959 neo and would highly recommend them.

[@johnnyhershberger6294]

Great video! I currently game the recoil 95 F4, but was looking to buy a set of Mizunos with the np 950 gh neo, how do these shafts compare in your opinion? Thanks Johnny

[@jonathanmebane3782]

from what i see outside of the one way right which could have been his swing or club face but teh zelos 6 was far better than all the other shafts in almost every category. so why would he not be fit for this shaft i mena the zelos is the only club that hit the center line twice and a 3rd shot closer that the other shafts best shots

[@Criscross292]

Your dispersion ring on the 950 Neo (Yellow Ring) is not correct. Count the 7 dots and then make a circle (oval) around it. It’s pretty far off.

[@paulgouge1896]

120 is a great shaft.

[@jcstreck74]

This is interesting. I saw some things I expected, and some I didn’t. I expected the swing speed, spin rate, and height to follow the light to heavy order. But I expected the distance, ball speed, and efficiency to be reversed. I saw this type of comparison done on another channel between 2 shafts that did what I expected. He used the DG S300 (132g) and NSPro 840 (90g) shafts with the TM P790 7 iron head. Swing speed was higher with the lighter shaft by 3.5 mph but the ball speed was slower by 3 mph. Distance was 8 yds longer with the heavier shaft. The heavier shaft did launch lower, spin less, and peaked lower as expected. I feel that you can’t just use one comparison to make all conclusions. Plus, you need to get the shafts in your own hands to test. DG120’s are my shaft of choice as lighter shafts are horrible for my swing.

[@CraigalFun]

Zelos wins!!!

[@grant_-chester4617]

Don't forget your shafts.....

[@dennismurray00]

Farthest, geez lol