QUESTION: Dear Sirs,

I am interested in ordering a set of PING irons with Nippon Pro 950 steel shafts.

Based on a smooth tempo and a 6-iron carry distance of 155-160 yds., what flex would you recommend - RS or S?

Thanks and best regards, Ed

 

ANSWER: Hi Ed,

You are thinking about two premium products, Ping irons and Nippon Shaft models. The hard part is to find the right “dimension” of length, lie, shaft, flex, weight, geometry, etc. for your new set.

If you read through a few of my posts on this subject in this Q&A section, you will learn what I have learned after 20,000+ fitting sessions- there is no mathematical formula that can quantify the interaction between a golfer and a golf shaft in motion. Despite the misinformation that whirls around the internet forums and travels the golf shops, company brochures and websites all over our golf community- mathematical formulas still have no relevance in selecting the shaft for your new set of Ping irons.

You will have a much better chance of the optimum shaft selection if you take step number one and ERASE this idea of some magical shaft formula from your brain.

Next- if you want to make a reasonable shaft flex choice- choose a flex that you have generally have had success with in the past. This will yield much better results and more consistent contact and ball flight than a mathematical chart.

Finally- if you want to achieve high-end, efficient shaft performance, you will need to embark on a journey of live, interactive testing of shaft comparison, flex comparison, length comparison and connecting with a skilled, competent clubfitter. This is a lot of work and costs more and might even be a bit uncomfortable- but, afterwards the game is so much easier. All that swing adjusting and modifying and conforming is left behind and you are left with your best, most natural, most powerful swing.

Best regards, Mark

QUESTION: Gooday Mark,

Just a quick one here- will the SI-A13 PRO X N.S.PRO Super Peening ORANGE steel shaft work with my Vokey Wedges? Looking to upgrade and add a little more touch and feel.

How should the shaft be cut (tip or butt)?

Thanks, Woody
ANSWER: Hi Woody,

I am looking at our different shaft parts codes and it seems like you have taken a couple of codes and jumbled them up. I am going to just ignore the codes and focus on your description of our Nippon Shaft NS PRO Superpeening ORANGE model.

This model is manufactured in R,S,and X flexes, (not typically readily available in X flex), is a taper tip model, (which matches up with your Vokey hosels), is approximately 120 grams, and is a mid kick model. 

Regarding installation, this combination of .355 taper tip shaft model and .355 taper tip hosel, must always be trimmed to length from the butt end. Trimming from the tip end would render the shaft useless since it would no longer fit into the hosel.

Regarding whether this is a match for your game and would add touch and/or feel is a different question. The shaft itself is of premium quality, but the performance depends on your body, swing, trajectory and feel needs.

If you have access to a competent, skilled clubmaker in your area, I strongly urge you to consult with them. Show them what you have used in the past, what success or struggles you have had, and what you are trying to achieve.

Best regards, Mark  

QUESTION: Mark, What is your opinion on putting 

the NS PRO 750GH on a Mizuno 57and 67 club?   

If it won’t be a good fit ..why?   They only 

provide for the 950.What is the major difference

between the two different styles of the 950 that  

Nippon offers. Do you have any playing experience

with the 750, 850 or 950.   Thanks, SSG

ANSWER: Hi SSG, You are first asking a clubfitting

question. Have you ever tried
the 750 model? It is one of the lightest iron models
on the planet. Are you looking
for a light-playing golf club? There are many 
questions that every golfer should have
answered and you are just scratching the surface.  
In the most general sense- you 
should, at the very least visit a golf shop, 
driving range, or indoor dome and hit 
a variety of clubs to get a sense of the feel, 
appearance and weight of any club
and shaft combination. Ideally, in the most 
specific sense, every golfer would
greatly benefit from a premium fitting session
in which the shaft model, flex,
length, lie, grip size, grip model, and head 
style were compared, tested and recommended.
Q2: Nippon Shaft manufactures dozens of set 
variations of our popular 950 shaft model. 
We offer over 100 specific individual
variations of our 950 series to our
Authorized Installation Centers. The variations 
are about flexes, lengths, tip
diameters, and weight distributions.
Q3: Yes, I have vast playing and testing experience
with all of our NS PRO models. I am the type of
golfer that requires extra length in my irons, 
performs best in the 98 gram weight range, achieves
a natural,  efficient swing with a flex that is
approximately 1/3 of a flex softer than a 
traditional ‘S’, and prefers a mid kick, mid 
launch shaft geometry that produces a mid/hi
ball flight. I also perform well with my longer
iron shafts slightly lighter for the speed I need, 
and my short iron shafts slightly heavier for the
stability I need.
I am describing a set of shafts 
that I have played with all last year, our new 
NS PRO 999GH which will be introduced
later this spring- available exclusively through 
our North American Authorized
Installation Centers. This model is very unique
and is approximately twice the price of most
iron sets- just for the shafts and installation.
Regarding your questions and a good frame of 
reference- after describing my set
preferences, the 750GH model, while a very 
expensive, premium performing model,
it is very light for my body and swing and I gain
some clubspeed, but lose 
overall feel for the club during the swing and thus 
fall short in the areas of 
control and solidness of hit. One heavier model, 
our NS PRO Superpeening Orange,
I have excellent control, and make repetitive, 
solid contact, but find myself
laboring at my length needs, especially if I 
am feeling at all tired.
I hope some of these thoughts help you in your 
search. Please read through
some of the other posts in this FITTING Q&A section
and think about contacting
one or two of our Authorized Centers. They have 
access to our entire model line
and work with Mizuno products everyday. 
Best regards, Mark   
 

QUESTION: Hi, What can you tell me aboout your 8950 shaft? How does it compare to your 950GH model? Rifle? Dynamic Gold? Thanks, Golfen

ANSWER:Hi Golfen,