Nippon Shaft Fitting

[mtharpRR09]

Hey guys so I purchased a set of Taylormade P760s before the season started this year and decided to go with the Nippon Modus 105 shafts (stiff with no stepping). I had previously played DG S300s my entire life but felt I needed something lighter to help with fatigue during a round. I loved the feel of the Modus 105, but as the season progressed and I played more, my swing got stronger as it usually does. I really liked the feel of the shafts but I always felt like they were just a little too light for me. I struggled with 3/4 shots and flighting the ball down in the wind because I felt like I lost a little feel with the lighter shafts. I did like the mid trajectory/spin that I got with these. The mid flight/spin gained me a little distance in my irons as I typically am a low spin player with my irons due to the fact that I'm a sweeper. So I'm looking at switching to the Modus 120 in a stiff. I don't want to go back to a low flight/ low spin shaft like my DG S300s. What experience do y'all have with the Nippon Modus shafts and what can I expect with the Modus 120 shaft given all my swing characteristics? One tidbit, I did also play with a set of KBS Tours (Stiff) for half a season a couple years ago and hated them. All I hit were low bullets with them and didn't like the feel at all.

[BCC1898]

105 and 120 don’t feel at all alike. 105 feels like a DG shaft, while 120 is very unique. It’s one of those shafts that you have to try and see what it does for you, as results are all over the board.

[Tree Levino]

KBS Tour is a terrible fit for me (it used to fit me prior to swing changes). I'd recommend doing a fitting as Modus 120 is a unique profile that does not fit everyone, despite the overwhelming obsession with it on this forum. I get a later apex and a bit more spin with DG vs Modus but everyone's swing is different. My preference now lies with PX shafts but many dislike them. Best to fit at the end of the season than the beginning.

[Z1ggy16]

I find KBS shafts, other than the new $ Taper to be fairly stout feeling with little feel. I haven't liked a single KBS shaft except for the $ taper. What you'll find with modus 120 is improved feel but still a very stiff tip section. Maybe the ligher weight KBS stuff can load but that's because there's probably less material. I even felt like CTL was just as firm feeling as regular C taper, just a bit less heavy.

 

The above person is right though, modus 120 is a fairly unique profile (stiff tip, pretty soft middle and only a little more stiff in the butt) and the only thing shaft that comes close as far as how the shafts loads and feels for ME, is PX LZ.

 

Before the 120's I like you, played 105's but felt they were a bit too light and encouraged me to over swing. MY CHS rose a bit from lessons and speed training, so the 120's were a seamless transition.

[mtharpRR09]

> @Z1ggy16 said:

> I find KBS shafts, other than the new $ Taper to be fairly stout feeling with little feel. I haven't liked a single KBS shaft except for the $ taper. What you'll find with modus 120 is improved feel but still a very stiff tip section. Maybe the ligher weight KBS stuff can load but that's because there's probably less material. I even felt like CTL was just as firm feeling as regular C taper, just a bit less heavy.

>

> The above person is right though, modus 120 is a fairly unique profile (stiff tip, pretty soft middle and only a little more stiff in the butt) and the only thing shaft that comes close as far as how the shafts loads and feels for ME, is PX LZ.

>

> Before the 120's I like you, played 105's but felt they were a bit too light and encouraged me to over swing. MY CHS rose a bit from lessons and speed training, so the 120's were a seamless transition.

The only KBS shaft I've ever found that I liked was the Tour V but there is absolutely no feel. I even had them in a set of blades and still felt like trash. I've heard that the Modus 120 could be compared to a DG R300 bend profile but with a stiffer tip???

[Z1ggy16]

> @mtharpRR09 said:

> > @Z1ggy16 said:

> > I find KBS shafts, other than the new $ Taper to be fairly stout feeling with little feel. I haven't liked a single KBS shaft except for the $ taper. What you'll find with modus 120 is improved feel but still a very stiff tip section. Maybe the ligher weight KBS stuff can load but that's because there's probably less material. I even felt like CTL was just as firm feeling as regular C taper, just a bit less heavy.

> >

> > The above person is right though, modus 120 is a fairly unique profile (stiff tip, pretty soft middle and only a little more stiff in the butt) and the only thing shaft that comes close as far as how the shafts loads and feels for ME, is PX LZ.

> >

> > Before the 120's I like you, played 105's but felt they were a bit too light and encouraged me to over swing. MY CHS rose a bit from lessons and speed training, so the 120's were a seamless transition.

> The only KBS shaft I've ever found that I liked was the Tour V but there is absolutely no feel. I even had them in a set of blades and still felt like trash. I've heard that the Modus 120 could be compared to a DG R300 bend profile but with a stiffer tip???

 

It's not apples to apples because R300's will weigh a bit more. 120S is 115g, and r300 is ~125g.

 

It's been a while since I've actually gamed anything else other than modus. I've briefly played sets with R300 in them and I think I'd say the R300 have a slightly more stiffness in the mid section, but fairly same in the tip area.

 

I know this prob doesn't help much because it's different stiffness, but I think the overall shape of the EI curves are similar:

 

Do note that 120TX is quite stiff compared to even X flex of modus. My guess would be though trends are similar; you'd notice a much smoother feel out of modus because the mid section gets pretty soft. DG are very linear feeling, which I think is supported by the graph. I never liked DG shafts really or even PX. I'm pretty much a modus guy through and through.

[mtharpRR09]

> @Z1ggy16 said:

> > @mtharpRR09 said:

> > > @Z1ggy16 said:

> > > I find KBS shafts, other than the new $ Taper to be fairly stout feeling with little feel. I haven't liked a single KBS shaft except for the $ taper. What you'll find with modus 120 is improved feel but still a very stiff tip section. Maybe the ligher weight KBS stuff can load but that's because there's probably less material. I even felt like CTL was just as firm feeling as regular C taper, just a bit less heavy.

> > >

> > > The above person is right though, modus 120 is a fairly unique profile (stiff tip, pretty soft middle and only a little more stiff in the butt) and the only thing shaft that comes close as far as how the shafts loads and feels for ME, is PX LZ.

> > >

> > > Before the 120's I like you, played 105's but felt they were a bit too light and encouraged me to over swing. MY CHS rose a bit from lessons and speed training, so the 120's were a seamless transition.

> > The only KBS shaft I've ever found that I liked was the Tour V but there is absolutely no feel. I even had them in a set of blades and still felt like trash. I've heard that the Modus 120 could be compared to a DG R300 bend profile but with a stiffer tip???

>

> It's not apples to apples because R300's will weigh a bit more. 120S is 115g, and r300 is ~125g.

>

> It's been a while since I've actually gamed anything else other than modus. I've briefly played sets with R300 in them and I think I'd say the R300 have a slightly more stiffness in the mid section, but fairly same in the tip area.

>

> I know this prob doesn't help much because it's different stiffness, but I think the overall shape of the EI curves are similar:

>

>

Wow that EI profile on the Modus 120 is definitely a different beast. What kind of ball flight/spin characteristics are you seeing compared to the Modus 105?

 

[Z1ggy16]

> @mtharpRR09 said:

> > @Z1ggy16 said:

> > > @mtharpRR09 said:

> > > > @Z1ggy16 said:

> > > > I find KBS shafts, other than the new $ Taper to be fairly stout feeling with little feel. I haven't liked a single KBS shaft except for the $ taper. What you'll find with modus 120 is improved feel but still a very stiff tip section. Maybe the ligher weight KBS stuff can load but that's because there's probably less material. I even felt like CTL was just as firm feeling as regular C taper, just a bit less heavy.

> > > >

> > > > The above person is right though, modus 120 is a fairly unique profile (stiff tip, pretty soft middle and only a little more stiff in the butt) and the only thing shaft that comes close as far as how the shafts loads and feels for ME, is PX LZ.

> > > >

> > > > Before the 120's I like you, played 105's but felt they were a bit too light and encouraged me to over swing. MY CHS rose a bit from lessons and speed training, so the 120's were a seamless transition.

> > > The only KBS shaft I've ever found that I liked was the Tour V but there is absolutely no feel. I even had them in a set of blades and still felt like trash. I've heard that the Modus 120 could be compared to a DG R300 bend profile but with a stiffer tip???

> >

> > It's not apples to apples because R300's will weigh a bit more. 120S is 115g, and r300 is ~125g.

> >

> > It's been a while since I've actually gamed anything else other than modus. I've briefly played sets with R300 in them and I think I'd say the R300 have a slightly more stiffness in the mid section, but fairly same in the tip area.

> >

> > I know this prob doesn't help much because it's different stiffness, but I think the overall shape of the EI curves are similar:

> >

> >

> Wow that EI profile on the Modus 120 is definitely a different beast. What kind of ball flight/spin characteristics are you seeing compared to the Modus 105?

>

 

Yeah, it's quite unique but I think that's why I can't switch to anything else. The feel is even similar in the wedge shafts.

 

I mean, based on what I've seen on launch monitors, shaft makes very little difference to my launch angle. It's purely a timing mechanism for me, mostly effecting my dispersion (left right) and spin (due to strike). Compared to 105, all else equal you *may* notice a little bit less spin from the 120's due to having a little more stability in the tip and maybe you'll swing your 7i 1-2mph slower from the weight. You never know ... I've launched and spun "low spin" shafts of all kind higher than mid spinning stuff. It's just how I deliver the club but more importantly, the feel I get out of the club influences how I make delivery. I like a softer-ish feeling mid section almost universally.

[cmatthews77]

It's funny how everyone reacts to shafts differently based on swing characteristics. For example you said you "hit nothing but low bullets" with the KBS Tour but most would argue that the KBS Tour will launch noticeably higher than the DGS300 or Project X 6.0 (at least my opinion). You could perhaps test the Modus 120 in R vs S if you're wanting to keep it closer to the Modus 105 except the weight. I always think weight influences much more than flex... The Modus 105 in S is 106.5 grams (103 grams in regular) whereas the 120 is 111 grams in reg (114 in stiff). Actually as I'm writing this I'm not sure there's enough difference really there to feel 106.5 vs 111 so maybe going to the 120 in stiff (114 grams) would be a more substantial change to test. In their bend profile the 120 and 105 are virtually the same stiffness in the butt with the 120 actually getting marginally weaker in the middle and stiffer in the tip (very marginally) so the feel should be very similar but with the added weight and very slightly stiffer tip it could bring that flight down for you a touch.

 

I'm currently game Recoil 95s F3 in my scoring clubs and Recoil 80s in my longer irons to try and keep my spin and ball speed up but recent Mizuno Optimizer test said I should be in the Modus Tour 105 S or the KBS Tour R so if you end up pulling those Modus 105s I might take them from you.

[Andus]

I originally played Modus 105 S shafts in 4-PW. Really liked them actually, they had a really smooth feeling to them (like many on the forum say) but hadn't compared them to anything else.

 

From there, I tried the Modus 120 X as my swing speed had risen significantly since my first set of irons. I liked them as well, the 120 still had that smooth feeling but my ball striking was noticeably worse.

 

After the Modus 120X, I tried the DG S300 and ditched those after 2 weeks, the always felt too heavy for my liking. Keep in mind I'm 25 and my swing speed with a 7 iron is 91-93MPH usually. Theoretically I should gain more control and consistency with a heavier shaft but I never found a difference.

 

I currently have the irons shafted with KBS C-Taper S hard stepped and after a few months I'm starting to get along with them but it's been a rough ride. They do not seem to flight the ball much lower than any of the other shafts I've used and actually I have ballooning issues with them when hitting into wind. Spin with a 7 iron is currently right around 7,000, which is too high for me but this "low spin" shaft really hasn't helped bring it down. I'm going back to the 105 Modus soon, this time in X stiff. I tested them on a launch monitor and was seeing good consistent numbers and spin right around 6700. Hopefully it stays that way when I get them out on the course. All of the testing has been done on the same MP-18 MB/SC combo set too.

[Tree Levino]

> @Andus said:

> I originally played Modus 105 S shafts in 4-PW. Really liked them actually, they had a really smooth feeling to them (like many on the forum say) but hadn't compared them to anything else.

>

> From there, I tried the Modus 120 X as my swing speed had risen significantly since my first set of irons. I liked them as well, the 120 still had that smooth feeling but my ball striking was noticeably worse.

>

> After the Modus 120X, I tried the DG S300 and ditched those after 2 weeks, the always felt too heavy for my liking. Keep in mind I'm 25 and my swing speed with a 7 iron is 91-93MPH usually. Theoretically I should gain more control and consistency with a heavier shaft but I never found a difference.

>

> I currently have the irons shafted with KBS C-Taper S hard stepped and after a few months I'm starting to get along with them but it's been a rough ride. They do not seem to flight the ball much lower than any of the other shafts I've used and actually I have ballooning issues with them when hitting into wind. Spin with a 7 iron is currently right around 7,000, which is too high for me but this "low spin" shaft really hasn't helped bring it down. I'm going back to the 105 Modus soon, this time in X stiff. I tested them on a launch monitor and was seeing good consistent numbers and spin right around 6700. Hopefully it stays that way when I get them out on the course. All of the testing has been done on the same MP-18 MB/SC combo set too.

 

I'm the same and I do think it is a technique thing... Not full on flipping but I think maybe a touch combined with high speed. I get very high ball flight with irons (7 iron between 38-42 yards with 50+ descent) with excessive spin. S300 + iBlade combo I was getting 7 irons that ripped back 10 feet at times. 7 carry for me is 180 ish maybe a touch more when warm. I think until swing changes are made no shaft will change it much.

[jmgledhill]

I did a lot of fitting early this year and ended up going with the modus 120x and I like them a lot. this shaft gave me the lowest ball flight in the 120g category that i tried.

I think golf galaxy has all of the modus shafts in the mizuno fitting cart - it's probably worth getting an apples to apples comparison with your current shafts if you're going to go through the efforts. good luck.

[mtharpRR09]

> @cmatthews77 said:

> It's funny how everyone reacts to shafts differently based on swing characteristics. For example you said you "hit nothing but low bullets" with the KBS Tour but most would argue that the KBS Tour will launch noticeably higher than the DGS300 or Project X 6.0 (at least my opinion). You could perhaps test the Modus 120 in R vs S if you're wanting to keep it closer to the Modus 105 except the weight. I always think weight influences much more than flex... The Modus 105 in S is 106.5 grams (103 grams in regular) whereas the 120 is 111 grams in reg (114 in stiff). Actually as I'm writing this I'm not sure there's enough difference really there to feel 106.5 vs 111 so maybe going to the 120 in stiff (114 grams) would be a more substantial change to test. In their bend profile the 120 and 105 are virtually the same stiffness in the butt with the 120 actually getting marginally weaker in the middle and stiffer in the tip (very marginally) so the feel should be very similar but with the added weight and very slightly stiffer tip it could bring that flight down for you a touch.

>

> I'm currently game Recoil 95s F3 in my scoring clubs and Recoil 80s in my longer irons to try and keep my spin and ball speed up but recent Mizuno Optimizer test said I should be in the Modus Tour 105 S or the KBS Tour R so if you end up pulling those Modus 105s I might take them from you.

 

Yeah it is weird how everyone reacts to different shafts. A lot like putters I guess. All comes down to personal preference. I did fail to mention earlier that I do have the Modus 115 Wedge shafts in my Cleveland RTX4 wedges and do love those. They definitely give more of a loading feeling than the stock DG S400 Tour Issue shaft did. Much better feel. I wonder how I would get along with a Modus 105 in X flex? Or maybe I would like the Modus 120 since I like the Modus Wedge shaft? Not sure how similar they are? I've also pondered the Project X LZ shafts in a 5.5 or 6.0 flex.

[Hammer22]

There’s a bunch of info on the Nippon site that helps...

 

 

[mtharpRR09]

Anybody have any experience with the Project X LZ shafts?

[wilymo]

Can anyone describe in layman’s terms what the difference between the 105 and 120’s are besides the weight? I’ve heard it mentioned a few times that the profiles are completely different. I have the 105’s and love them but recently got a srixon utility iron that had the 120 and I hit it great.

[BCC1898]

105 is stiff-looser-stiff

120 is loose-stiff-very stiff