Garry Price, European sales manager for Nippon Shaft, explains why the brand is held in such high regard: “The ‘Made in Japan’ mark is important,” he says. “It’s been proven time after time in surveys that the best products are made in Japan. This is due to the higher quality of materials used, an unparalleled work ethic and pride in workmanship. Nippon works to Japanese automotive standards and is a zero-defect company.
By 1965 Nippon Shaft had become the number one supplier of steel shafts in Japan, and by 1995 the production volume had doubled at the manufacturing plant in Komagane.
“The foundation for Nippon’s success is provided by its parent company NHK, specialists in spring technology,” adds Price. “The shaft of a golf club is essentially a spring, and Nippon shafts are made from an automotive spring steel exclusively developed by Nisshin Steel. This, coupled with the individual heat treatment each shaft receives, gives the Nippon Shaft PRO Series the lead in feel and performance.”
Nippon takes great pride in its attention to detail throughout the production process. Unlike some other shaft manufacturers, Nippon does not ‘batch’ heat its shafts, but each shaft is individually treated, which ensures every shaft is uniformly and consistently given the same amount of heat.
This combination of Nippon’s unique steel alloy and heat treatment offers golfers superb shock-absorbing properties, which is less wearing on the golfer during a round.
During Nippon’s manufacturing process there are six weight-check stages, and if a shaft is out of tolerance by 1.5 grams it is scrapped. Only the best quality golf shaft will ever leave the Komagane factory, and second-grade shafts are simply not released to the market.
Breaking through the 100-mark
Propelling Nippon Shaft to the forefront of shaft technology was the launch of its NS PRO 950GH lightweight steel shaft in 1999. Weighing 95 grams it was the first sub-100 gram constant-weight shaft that maintained the consistency of traditional steel shafts, which weighed in at approximately 125 grams.
“There are three main benefits of swinging a club fitted with a sub-100-gram Nippon Shaft,” says Hiroyuki Fukuda, head of Nippon Shaft USA’s Chicago office. “They are increased club head speed; better control; and it’s much easier on your body over the course of 18 holes. Even the difference of an ounce per club combined with the dampening effect of the steel itself translates to much less wear and tear on the body. The beauty is that in addition to your body feeling good after a round of golf you also get the performance benefits of a technically superior product.”
Key to the modern shaft is not just to be lightweight, but also to combine stability, pliability, consistency and strength, which means withstanding stress levels in excess of a staggering 100 tons per square inch. This means the shafts rolling out of the Nippon factory in Komagane, Japan retain strength with lightness.
Benchmark
Sometimes graphite shafts can be too light and inconsistent, so the advent of the Nippon Shaft PRO 950GH was a major breakthrough, providing all the elements of a great shaft without compromise for the first time. That is why the NS PRO 950GH is in as high demand from clubmakers today as it was eight years ago, with total sales of over 20 million units.
This is also why approximately 200 tour golfers around the world, including seven-time major winner Karrie Webb, use Nippon shafts as the ‘engines’ of their clubs.
The NS PRO series is a complete line designed to fit the needs and distinct styles of golfers around the world. From the lightweight NS PRO 750GH (at a mere 75 grams), 850GH and 950GH, to the more regular weighted NS PRO 1050GH, 1150GH and Super Peening, Nippon Shaft is relied on to perform by professionals on every tour.
The successful launch last year of the NS PRO WV wedge shaft has seen PGA tour players enjoying the lower launch and controlled trajectory into the green that is crucial to good scores.
Tour presence
The Nippon Shaft technology and commitment to the highest quality performance, means the NS PRO series golf shafts are the most uniform, consistently manufactured golf shaft available. Time after time, delivery after delivery, the Nippon standard remains the industry benchmark.
In the summer of 2009 Nippon Shaft appointed Lee Oyer as its first full-time product representative on Tour, offering player support and product information. Lee, a skilled tour technician, has spent over 20 years on tour, most recently with Titleist.
The move to the PGA Tour is a logical step in the evolution of the company, as the world’s best shafts should be showcased weekly in the highest-level tournament competition.
To complement Nippon’s existing NS PRO series, new ‘tour’ prototypes were developed to suit the needs of tour professionals. Listening to player feedback over the last 12 months, these have been further refined.
In testing with a launch monitor in some cases, players reported that launch and spin were lower and more consistent with the prototypes than what they were using. The result was very tight shot dispersion.
At The Memorial Tournament in June, Nippon Shaft had three players in the top 12, and at the US Open at Pebble Beach, Nippon Shaft was the second most popular shaft in the field with eight players, seven of whom made the cut. Then nine players used the new Prototype Tour shafts at The 150th Open Championship, including one who tied for third, as well as the top amateur.
We are delighted that Nippon Shaft products played a part in their success.
On the European Tour there have also been successes with players testing and using the new Prototypes, as well as models from our existing NS Pro series. A highlight last year was the winner of the European Open playing NS PRO 850GH S flex in his irons. An elbow injury made it uncomfortable for him to use conventional heavier steel shafts. The lightness, feel and consistency helped to bring out the best in his game at The London Club in Kent.
Nippon shaft has more than 50 professional victories worldwide and is the number one selling steel shaft in Asia. In North America Nippon Shaft is the number two selling steel shaft and is growing.
Nippon Shaft is a company heading in the right direction.
Contact Nippon Europe:
www.nipponeurope.com
sales@nipponeurope.com
