MEMBER REVIEWS: Nippon Regio Formula Plus Shaft Testing! See What Members Are Saying!

[GolfWRX_Official]

 

Thank you to everyone who applied to be a tester for the new Nippon Regio Formula Plus shafts! We have 3 great testers putting these shafts through their paces. Please feel free to ask these testers any questions you might have. The testers are...

 

@bdmiller61

@CAT GOLFER

@bbfifas

 

We want to give a big THANK YOU to Nippon for putting on this great testing event.

[CAT GOLFER]

First of all, thank you to Golf WRX for continued opportunities to showcase new and exciting equipment.  And second, thank you to Nippon for the opportunity to test and review the new wood shafts.

 

I am a recent convert to the Nippon Modus 125 shafts, coming from PX LZ.  The consistency and predictability of my iron shots during testing was undeniable for me.  As such, I elected to test the MB+ shaft.

 

The shaft was built up with no tipping and plays roughly 45.75”, playing in a Ping G410+ driver.  Midsize Super Stroke S-Tech grip. I currently play an Accra TZ6 CB shaft, which I was also fit into recently [should be healthy competition as this shaft  brought consistency and yards during my fitting and on course].
 

I have a full range session and 1/2 a round under the belt, so far.  On the range, I have a Garmin G80 that I use for relative speed data[not sure I completely believe the yardage, but that is a separate conversation].  I ended up splitting about 40-50 drives between the two shafts, swapping them out after 5-7 shots, after I had fully warmed up my swing.  Initial results were promising.  I had my two fastest ball speeds with the Nippon shaft [104mph],  but had more overall above 100 with my gamer.  That being said, the Nippon was ~2mph faster on average.

 

Some interesting notes:

- ball flight is very similar to my iron shots, mid to mid/high to my eye

-ball appears to come out with less “side spin”, the ball just seems to fly on a straight line

-the shaft feels tip heavy, relatively speaking, but overall the driver felt balanced.

[bbfifas]

Thank you GOLFWRX and Nippon! Finally I have won a giveaway since that one time when I won a scooter at the county fair when I was 10 so this felt nice for sure. 

 

Executive Summary:  This Nippon Regio B+ 65 stiff shaft is awesome.  As a Modus 120 iron lover this seems like the perfect addition for the driver slot.  First range session and first round confirmed great results.  Balanced, Smooth, stable when going after it, great feel with a little kick like the 120 irons.  Trackman data confirmed gained 20 yards carry over my gamer shaft.  

 

Background:  37 year old, 5 ish handicap golfer with a self described smooth swing, ~105 mph swing speed range.  Older video I have but this is my swing. 

 

 

Like most golfers (and especially on this forum) I have been chasing low launch low spin in my irons and drivers over the last decade.  It started with Project X in my irons and recently I had the c-taper lites in my cobra forged tecs.  I went to an iron fitting and basically I hit all iron shafts very similar and I thought to myself "Why do I continue to play irons shafts that have NO feel to them?"  The c-taper lites are harsh on mishits and 3/4 swings for me.  So in true GOLFWRX fashion I picked up some sub70's with MODUS 120 stiff to test out on a whim and WOW...these are everything I have been missing out on.  Feel is spectacular, ball flight is mid to mid-high with good spin for me and the feel is smooth with a nice kick in the shaft.  Great on full swings with a divot, and also got some wedges with MODUS 120 to match and that is a game changer on those 1/2 shots to 3/4 shots 50-70 yards out with a wedge.  So responsive.  Good mid weight.

 

When  I saw this giveaway I thought the Regio B+ Formula that supposed to match MODUS 120 would be perfect.  According to my grint, average score is 80, average GIR's per round is 9, average fairways 54% hit.  I struggle most with a fade/wipe shot that hurts the smash factor and ball speed, perhaps a little bit flippy.    

 

Current Driver:  Taylormade M6, 9* head, 45.5", clicked down 1 notches in upright setting, Aldila Rogue Silver 110 60 stiff.  First gen model is labeled as low/mid launch and low spin.  Does launch low ish for me but struggle with center strikes on face and can lose it way right when going after it.  Previously played a St190 driver with Tensei White X-stiff that was too stiff for me.  I'm discovering these stiffer clubs with no kick I find myself flipping or trying to hit the ball and lose my timing.

 

First Impressions:

Shaft neatly wrapped and bonus headcover in package.  The black is very nice with minimal graphics, feels premium for sure.  Took it down to local ship to add a tip and off to the range the next day.  Club is at 45.5", feels lighter then my Rogue Silver but passes the waggle test with flying colors and a nice balance to it.  The black finish going with the M6 crown it begs to be hit.  

 

First range session:  Warmed up with my irons with the MODUS 120  to focus on smooth swings and the feel of the shaft and I like the little kick they provide.  Smooth feel as expected.  Not penalizing harshness off center.  Next was the driver.  I was hitting some nice shots carrying the 245 yard flag with ease which was acceptable for me at this range based on going there many times before.  I was hitting the center of the face often and that was a big difference I noticed right from the start compared to my Rogue Silver.  Ball flight was a little bit higher then my Rogue so I dropped the loft down a click on the adapter and that was the sweet spot for sure.  Mid launch flat ball flight was the theme.  The biggest thing was the feel and I know feel=sound sometimes and this delivered. I mention this because the sound felt solid and more interesting to me and I made a note of it in my phone on the range...and no joke the guy next to me actually asked me what club I was hitting because it sounded great (very random this happened).  I also had 2 other random guys come up to me and say man your striping that thing.  Was a nice ego boost but literally I think the sound of driver changed for better but realistically I think it was because I was consistently making center club face contact. Rated 10/10 on that range session.

 

First round:  Started out in the fog, literally could not see 50 yards and finally cleared up right around this picture on the 6th hole.  Had a great round, Hit 9 Fairways and 12 GIRs, 3 birds, shot 74.  I measured some bombs based of the scorecard (I know that is not GPS but I can confirm that I was hitting PW's and even less a LOT of times into the green that is not normal for me on this course).  Scorecard measured drives early in the 230-245 range in the fog but then 280,270,260,275, 290 (downwind almost drove green on this 426 yard sever dog leg).  I was swinging out of my shoes and the shaft held up to it.  I never ever lost one to the right which is my typical miss when over swinging.  I had the confidence to swing hard and continued to make center contact and produce a nice mid trajectory.  I had the same confidence with my irons and hit the flag from 125 with my PW and almost holed out and 80 yarder with my 58.  Again the Modus 120 has this smooth kick that I love on the irons and the kick is not as pronounced on the driver but that feel and the way the club releases is there.  Rate this day 10/10.  (Can I put modus 120 in my putter! I had 2 three putts)

 

 

Trackman Data:  OK after the above I did a Trackman session on 4/22 at Moon Golf in my town.  I warmed up with my 7 iron with modus 120 (hit great numbers btw) and then I hit 10 drives with my M6 and Regio B+ shaft.  I then hit 10 drives with my gamer shaft the Aldila Rouge Silver 110 stiff. I then went back to the Regio B+ due to really good results for another 15 shots.  I will get in the numbers in second but the Regio B+ is such a great feeling shaft and I swing it faster for some reason (confidence?) and I was really trying to get after some towards the end and still making good contact. I mean a few I reached 108-109 SS and still felt full control over the shaft and that is fast swing for me for me but still controlled with some balance.    I had my highest ball speed ever during a fitting at 164 mph with the B+.  All I can say is I have tried a ton of shafts over the last couple years and as mentioned early always chasing some low spin low launch combo and nothing has felt this good or produced these numbers.  

 

Regio B+ (first 10 shots, threw out 1 outlier)

Swing Speed= 106

Ball Speed= 157

Smash Fac= 1.48

Spin Rate= 2456

Launch ang.= 12.2

Carry yds= 262

Total yds= 288

 

Aldila Rouge 110 Silver (Next 10 shots)

Swing Speed= 103.7

Ball Speed= 150

Smash Fac= 1.45

Spin Rate= 2787

Launch ang.= 13.8 

Carry yds= 240

Total yds= 264

 

 

Regio B+ (last 10 shots)

Swing Speed= 107

Ball Speed= 159

Smash Fac= 1.49 

Spin Rate= 2600

Launch ang.= 13.2

Carry yds= 268

Total yds= 289

 

And my best shots of the day (I will never get that much roll in FL but the carry is excellent)

 

I gained +22 to +28 yards of CARRY.  Pretty amazing numbers I was surprised but this also goes in line with what I experienced on the course for the first time based on the irons I was hitting into greens and outdriving my playing partners.  I was definitely longer off the tee then previously and this trackman confirms it.  

 

So thanks again to Golfwrx and Nippon! I'm super happy and feel like I finally am optimized with my driver and have a ton of confidence now.  

 

Thanks for reading, any questions let me know.  

Edited April 23, 2021 by bbfifas

[bbfifas]

@CAT GOLFER

 

"Some interesting notes:

- ball flight is very similar to my iron shots, mid to mid/high to my eye

-ball appears to come out with less “side spin”, the ball just seems to fly on a straight line

-the shaft feels tip heavy, relatively speaking, but overall the driver felt balanced."

 

You said the above and I agree, less side spin for me as well.  Ball just wanted to go straight.  I think that is due to making consistent center strikes.  Also agree driver felt very balanced from the waggle to the strike.  

 

Are you going to be able to get on a trackman or flight scope?  

[CAT GOLFER]

3 minutes ago, bbfifas said:

@CAT GOLFER

 

"Some interesting notes:

- ball flight is very similar to my iron shots, mid to mid/high to my eye

-ball appears to come out with less “side spin”, the ball just seems to fly on a straight line

-the shaft feels tip heavy, relatively speaking, but overall the driver felt balanced."

 

You said the above and I agree, less side spin for me as well.  Ball just wanted to go straight.  I think that is due to making consistent center strikes.  Also agree driver felt very balanced from the waggle to the strike.  

 

Are you going to be able to get on a trackman or flight scope?  

I don’t have easy access to a launch monitor, but I do track on course shots with Game Golf.  And I do like to aggregate data and compare over time.

 

this should be good testing reviews, I am very similar to you 38yo, 100+ swing speed,   Smooth-ish swing but much more active with my hands[read controlled flip], but not as skilled with a 16 handicap.  
 

I concur, I really went after my drives and the shaft was very stable.  My Accra is more a “higher launch, lower spin” shaft, I felt like the Nippon reminded me more of an OG PX iron flight [hitting shots on a tight rope].  The wind in TX right now is not doing me favors, so the Nippon really rewards me for well struck drives that find the fairway.
 

[bdmiller61]

First off, big thanks to Golf WRX and Nippon for giving me the honor and privilege of testing the latest Formula Plus series shafts.  I had my first range session today with the Nippon Regio Formula M+.  Shaft is a 65x, plays 45” in my Sim2 9°.  My gamer is a PX Smoke Black RDX 6.5.  
 

I warmed up with my gamer and was hitting high draws off the toe.  After about 10 swings I swapped out to the Regio.  My first impression was how well this shaft loaded.  It felt very smooth, even with varying swing speeds and aggressiveness.  I could tell the tip was quite stout but it didn’t feel boardy to me.  My normal swing is fairly aggressive with an avg speed of 118.  I didn’t have my best stuff today but actually gleaned quite a bit of good data nonetheless.  My dispersion was phenomenal even with several mishits.  With normal swings I was getting a mid-trajectory launch with a very slight fade.  I mixed it up with various types of drives starting with teeing it high and hitting the high draw and finished with a low tee’d ball with a low boring fade.  The Nippon handled it all with ease.  So far I’d say say Nippon has a winner with the Regio Formula Plus series.
 

On a final note, Ive been playing the Modus Tour 130’s for years and currently play them in the my Mizuno MP 20 irons.  I’ve always loved the consistency, feel and performance of the Modus Tour and the Formula M+ matches up favorably in all categories.  
 

I’ll be getting in a round on Friday and will provide an on course performance review shortly after.  

[bbfifas]

@bdmiller61 Great keep us posted how it does on the course.  "Dispersion phenomenal"  is awesome thing to have and I can concur I had same with my B+ shaft so far in testing.  Also I point and shoot my irons with my modus 120 also.  Both just want to go straight.  Going on the trackman after work so I can't wait. 

[bbfifas]

Added some trackman data to my review above!  Check it out.  

[CNelsJr]

I'm in.

[CAT GOLFER]

Had to take a break from rounds and only got to swing driver once or twice riding around with my kids on the short course a few weeks back.  Last week it rained most of the end of the week in my area, finally got out for a round last Sunday.

 

I can’t say I gave the shaft the best conditions, driving range was closed, and the course was saturated.  And I forgot my Game Golf fob.  
 

I’ll be honest and admit that I stunk it up.  It took me about 11 holes to warm up and put a decent swing on the ball.  I can attest to more of the same for right now.  Very consistent trajectory, and appears less spin overall than my normal shaft. Big positive, my drives didn’t appear to be negatively effected by wind, into or across.

 

I have two rounds upcoming so I should have data and favorable conditions...and a warmed up swing.

Edited May 7, 2021 by CAT GOLFER

[bbfifas]

Keep the reviews coming.

 

I had my best driving day in years yesterday.  The confidence I have in this shaft is great.  I can swing as hard as I wan't and I'm never missing right.  Or I can keep a smooth swing on it and the feel is there for me.  I hit 6/7 fairways on the front yesterday and 5/7 on the back.  Technically my miss fairways were just off the edges on the dog legs.  Amazing driving day for me.  I hit some very long shots and was playing wedges on holes I normally do not.  The club just feel perfect in my hands as far as the weight and balance.  This shaft wants to go straight for me no matter what and I was able to hit fades on some of the dog legs on command.  Something I never felt comfortable with before.   I might try to up my loft one click to see if I can get a few more yards I might be hitting it a hair low.  I will experiment.  

 

My playing partner tried a few swings and the ball came off a little lower and straighter then he is used to and he commented that shaft felt a little stiff for him.  He plays the M6 driver with stock atmos orange and hits a high cut for reference.  

[CAT GOLFER]

Another 9 holes today.  
 

conditions: 90, overcast, wind 18mph.  
 

results: I am impressed still at how straight the flight of my drives have been.  I miss plenty, left and right, but they are blocks or pulls.  I am not being punished with drives that continue to tail away to the right or “hook and run” to the left[read as, balls remain in play].  Well struck balls just have a flat, boring and medium flight.  I can’t confirm this, but I want to say it appears to be less spin.  My reasoning is my drives into the wind seem to penetrate much better, and on down wind drives I don’t feel I get as much carry (ball appears to be pushed down).  This may be my only critique at this point, for what I feel is a well struck ball, down wind, my drives don’t carry as much.[there is a hole where I know a good, not great drive, will carry a sand trap and run forever especially when the hole is down wind.  Today I smoked a drive, on my usual line, and it landed 10-15yds short and kicked left into sand vs flying over and leaving me a wedge in]. Not sure if it is me or the influence of the shaft, but my usual high-ish toe side hit seems to be middle to heel side now. I’ll monitor that.

 

I usually have data to share, but Game Golf has had issues recently and I think I am SOL.(was on MAC which appears to be no longer supported, pulled out an old Microsoft laptop but it appears to be too old).  I can only go by my eye and usual yardages in for now.  My Garmin will track location to location distances, but I need to remember to set it( haven’t been good about it, sorry).  Overall, I feel like I am having shorter shots from drives into wind, and the same or further back with wind.(I may need to adjust my aim and lines to get the full benefit). Right now for me, I would say my Accra TZ is more high launch mid-low spin, and the Nippon is a mid launch low spin.
 

Side note:  I just swapped out PX LZ for Modus 125’s and I am really enjoying them.  I get a very familiar flight from my irons and driver.  Medium and flat trajectory.  I had shots that would balloon with the PX LZ, these seem to be more manageable into wind, while retaining consistent distance.

 

Next:  I have another round tomorrow, hopefully it doesn’t rain. And hopefully I can get all 18 in.

[CAT GOLFER]

Mixed bag on Sunday to be honest.  Im finding that I pull most of my drives with the Nippon.  Truth be told, I play with extra weight in my Ping head and was fit with a CB shaft.  When I put my Accra shaft in I could aim down the left and and keep it straight or having fall slightly over.  The Nippon has me likely OTT with a closed face.  That is a me problem just to be transparent, I didn’t expect I could simply plug and play into my “fit” setup, but I tried. 

 

I need to set aside some range time to start from dead neutral, and incrementally adjust the driver for this shaft.  
 

overall, I am liking this shaft a lot.  Once I can find the fairway, my drives should start running out on the hard TX fairways.

[tourpure]

Are these shafts available for purchase anywhere in the USA?

[CAT GOLFER]

On 5/27/2021 at 4:27 PM, tourpure said:

Are these shafts available for purchase anywhere in the USA?

Honestly, not sure how they are getting shafts out.  I assume any custom shop can get them, not sure if they are into shafts matrix for current drivers?

[CAT GOLFER]

Lots of rain in TX as of late, so not many full rounds and not much range time either.  My range has been closed, ground too soft for pickup and rounds after rain are cart path only.  I managed to get 27 in with the Nippon over the weekend.

 

I decided to try flat setting -1*,weight in the toe and I am still pulling drives left.  Not really sure where to go, as I think that is the most anti left setting.  Something has me either more OTT or stall/flipping(my speculation).

 

I went back to my Accra for 18 yesterday and right back to before.  I can Aim down the right and it goes straight or I can release harder and it will turn over.  Don’t get me wrong I have the odd pull with it as well, but all my drives are well struck  and more predictable.

 

im not giving up on the Nippon, I really do prefer the feel, it is a more linear feel, the Accra has a noticeable bend, kind of why I preferred T1100 over Hzrdus Yellow.  Just need to find the right combo of settings.

[TaderSalad]

Anymore feedback on these shafts?  I recently switched to Modus 120 stiffs and looking for similar feel for the driver. TIA

 

[NerdyGolfer]

Anyone playing these shafts? Looking for some feedback on the different profiles

[CAT GOLFER]

1 hour ago, NerdyGolfer said:

Anyone playing these shafts? Looking for some feedback on the different profiles

@NerdyGolferSorry, mine got stolen.  The formula MB+ was a good feeling shaft, matched up nicely to the feel of Modus 125 iron shafts.  Felt a tiny bit tip soft though and ultimately didn’t match up to where my swing was at during testing.  

[NerdyGolfer]

18 hours ago, CAT GOLFER said:

@NerdyGolferSorry, mine got stolen.  The formula MB+ was a good feeling shaft, matched up nicely to the feel of Modus 125 iron shafts.  Felt a tiny bit tip soft though and ultimately didn’t match up to where my swing was at during testing.  

Thanks Cat!

[spacetime]

On 5/31/2021 at 11:34 PM, CAT GOLFER said:

Lots of rain in TX as of late, so not many full rounds and not much range time either.  My range has been closed, ground too soft for pickup and rounds after rain are cart path only.  I managed to get 27 in with the Nippon over the weekend.

 

I decided to try flat setting -1*,weight in the toe and I am still pulling drives left.  Not really sure where to go, as I think that is the most anti left setting.  Something has me either more OTT or stall/flipping(my speculation).

 

I went back to my Accra for 18 yesterday and right back to before.  I can Aim down the right and it goes straight or I can release harder and it will turn over.  Don’t get me wrong I have the odd pull with it as well, but all my drives are well struck  and more predictable.

 

im not giving up on the Nippon, I really do prefer the feel, it is a more linear feel, the Accra has a noticeable bend, kind of why I preferred T1100 over Hzrdus Yellow.  Just need to find the right combo of settings.

I had a similar experience testing the MB+ on the fitting bay it was nice stock fade 90% of the time. Warm up at the range was perfect. First tee OB left. Next hole was piped but then more left on left on left.