Yonex NANOV NEXTAGE Drivers initial test results.

driverhead · April 26, 2009

For the past week I have been extensively testing the 2 new YONEX NEXTAGE drivers. Both are 10 degree with the stock nanospeed S shaft. I have plenty of top quality shafts on hand, and wanted a common baseline between the 2 clubs as a starting point.

The Nextage 460 is the next gen version of the 450D, and the 430 the next gen version of the 425. Comparing the generational versions, the Nextage drivers have a more solid dense feel. Comparing the 460 to the 430 , the 460 is a shade closed, but not to the degree of the 450D. The 430 is a classic shaped head, and hands down is the best feeling driver at impact Ive ever hit. It sets up dead square and frames beautifully behind the ball. Surprisingly the smaller deeper faced 430 launches higher than the 460 with the same shaft. I also get more rollout with the 460. But my gut feeling is in the long term, with the right shaft, and maybe a stronger loft to flatten the ball flight out, the 430 has the biggest upside of any driver Ive ever hit. You can hit this club anywhere on the face and you get a good to great shot, with half a golf swing. When you hit it near perfect it feels so effortless that it seems like the ball is overpowered against the face, and the club is on automatic transmission, as it carries the ball miles. I hit one such shot today hitting the 430 close to 270 uphill. I used a Cally HX tour, and it was the best feeling shot at impact Ive felt all year.

The 460 is also excellent. I get incredible rollout with it and a mid flight draw. The feel is also amazing , but not quite as awesome as the 430.

These drivers have impressed me so much that as much as I like testing all drivers, the upside of tweaking these clubs to max performance with shaft and weight tweaking is my project for the rest of 2009.

Ezgolfer · June 1, 2009

Anyone else tried the 430 cc.

What 's good place to buy these besides tourspec ?

Big Ben · June 1, 2009

I'm looking forward to finding a set of the new forged players CB's; they look very promising....BB

shuttle1 · June 1, 2009

Won't be buying this Driver this year as I have too many now.... but it is my first choice for the start of next year.

Thanks for the review and will be watching and learning from your summer of experimentation.

Ezgolfer · June 1, 2009

I talked to my Yonex rep yesterday . He quoted 1000 USD for the 430 . I was able to see it . Look s and sets up like R5.

Do you give up some distance with 430 cc model ?

Skai NinJa · June 1, 2009

Yeah I like the look of the Yonex 2009 NanoV tour forged irons. Does anyone have input on these beautiful clubs, I've been looking for reviews, but it seems like no one has fired away and bought a set yet.

phil

socalkid86 · June 8, 2009

you definitely do not lose distance with the 430.

if anything, if you're swing and flight pattern works with it, I think the 430 could give you more distance with the roll out you get.

me personally, I don't do well with MOST 460cc heads. my trajectory is too high with it. that being said, that's because most 460 clubs have a pretty shallow face compared to 430s, that have a deeper face. (deeper face+smaller head=lower flight)

the Yonex 430 for me has been a dream! I still hit the ball too high with it, but with this head I can drop 10 grams in shaft weight to get the same ball flight I do with a 460 club. (i use a 73 g in my 430, and a 83g in my other 460 heads). I could go with the 83g shafts with this head, but I like that I can swing smoother and still get it up, up and away.

the face is amazing. You really can't compare it to anything else. it's the difference in feel of a cast iron vs forged. it's that much better.

the whole face pretty much is a sweet spot and it feels sooo soft when you hit it, and the ball feels weightless. it's weird sounding, but if you hit it, you'll know

yUmaRouS · June 8, 2009

I talked to my Yonex rep yesterday . He quoted 1000 USD for the 430 . I was able to see it . Look s and sets up like R5.

Do you give up some distance with 430 cc model ?

A grand for a Yonex driver?! mate that is insane. I'm a Japanese and live in japan but no one(including pros) is even talking about Yonex drivers. I thought it'll sell a bit because of Ryo(i hate him), but a staff from Yonex told me that golf clubs aren't been sold at all. All they're selling is their apparel line lol. It's just like a Wilson. Even though Paddys won 3 majors, I don't think it has greatly affected people to buy wilson clubs.

If you're paying 1000USD, trust me it'll be a hell lot cheaper buying it on the internet and paying them extra for international shipping.

yUmaRouS · June 8, 2009

I talked to my Yonex rep yesterday . He quoted 1000 USD for the 430 . I was able to see it . Look s and sets up like R5.

Do you give up some distance with 430 cc model ?

A grand for a Yonex driver?! mate that is insane. I'm a Japanese and live in japan but no one(including pros) is even talking about Yonex drivers. I thought it'll sell a bit because of Ryo(i hate him), but a staff from Yonex told me that golf clubs aren't been sold at all. All they're selling is their apparel line lol. It's just like a Wilson. Even though Paddys won 3 majors, I don't think it has greatly affected people to buy wilson clubs.

If you're paying 1000USD, trust me it'll be a hell lot cheaper buying it on the internet and paying them extra for international shipping.

socalkid86 · June 8, 2009

日本でヨネックスのクラブ売れてないて本当？　けっこう人気有るみたいだけど。。。

it's a shame if they aren't selling, but at the same time, I didn't pay $1000 for mine. I paid $600 flat, with the upgraded shaft. Of course that's not retail...I had to haggle a bit with the manager but it was a smaller shop where that sort of thing is possible. So, in reality, I paid $300 for the head, and $300 for the shaft.

A Japanese-clientele serving golf shop in Costa Mesa, CA that I spoke to said Yonex is currently working on bringing the price down via cheaper shafts...which is unfortunate because if a great head comes with a crap shaft, it might spoil the initial impression that a user might get.

hard to believe, but not all golfers are as particular or interested in aftermarket upgrades in terms of shafts like a lot of the golfwrx members are.

Then again, Yonex isn't a big name in the US, and their market share isn't big...volume isn't there to sell a lot for less to make up for the margin they lose.

Sadly, Yonex might fall out of the spotlight in Japan again soon if what was said was true, but I truly believe they have quite an amazing driver here with the NanoV Nextage series.

I really think anyone that tries it will be amazed...there was definitely a lot of work put into these drivers. The feeling is unparalleled.

Siteseer2 · June 9, 2009

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it's a shame if they aren't selling, but at the same time, I didn't pay $1000 for mine. I paid $600 flat, with the upgraded shaft. Of course that's not retail...I had to haggle a bit with the manager but it was a smaller shop where that sort of thing is possible. So, in reality, I paid $300 for the head, and $300 for the shaft.

A Japanese-clientele serving golf shop in Costa Mesa, CA that I spoke to said Yonex is currently working on bringing the price down via cheaper shafts...which is unfortunate because if a great head comes with a crap shaft, it might spoil the initial impression that a user might get.

hard to believe, but not all golfers are as particular or interested in aftermarket upgrades in terms of shafts like a lot of the golfwrx members are.

Then again, Yonex isn't a big name in the US, and their market share isn't big...volume isn't there to sell a lot for less to make up for the margin they lose.

Sadly, Yonex might fall out of the spotlight in Japan again soon if what was said was true, but I truly believe they have quite an amazing driver here with the NanoV Nextage series.

I really think anyone that tries it will be amazed...there was definitely a lot of work put into these drivers. The feeling is unparalleled.

agreed

Ezgolfer · June 15, 2009

I have the demo vesion of 430 cc . It's great driver prolly the hottest face , forgiving sets up nice . I tried with the yonex 63 s shaft . I am seriously thinking about getting one .

rexishi · September 3, 2009

I split time between US and Japan and just completed my Japan set, including the Yonex Nextage 430 with AD EV-7 shaft in 10 degree loft.... Best driver I've ever hit, with my prior fave being the R510TP. It is soooo long and straight, and provides such great feel. I was mesmerized during the round not thinking about much more than my next tee shot.

socalkid86 · September 9, 2009

i've posted on this thread before and i got excited to see it's name come up again!

i've been using this driver since it came out basically and i am a pretty big club ho...and this one's definitely kept it's place in the bag for a while (in fact, I have two...for each of my sets).

i've been gaming the 430 version in a 9 Degree. It's a .350 tip so I have my clubbuilder place a shim in it to wedge the shaft into an angle where the face opens up a degree and therefor takes off a degree of loft in the process.

although considered square, i've realized the 430 sets up close to 1 degree closed, thereby making the loft closer to 10 degrees (eventhough my head says 9). hence, I've got it clocked it to 1 degree open...therefore opening it 2 degrees and making it closer to 8 degrees. (started at 1 degree closed/10 loft-->1 open/8 loft

i hope that wasn't too confusing but I have definitely been playing with this club and its settings quite a bit, trying to tweak it to what I consider perfect.

I tend to hit up on the ball a bit, and this club already launches high (for a deep faced club, it's unbeliveable how high the ball launches off the face), so even those who don't think they can "handle" a deep faced and 430 cc club upon hitting it realize that the club is way more forgiving and user friendly than it appears to be based on visuals.

I originally gamed the EV-6 stiff that came with the club, but realized although advertised as low spin, since it's a low kickpoint shaft, my problem of hitting up on the ball constantly, compounded with a shaft that picks the ball up made me launch it too high...making me lose against the wind (although without wind the amount of carry i got with this club was just simply LOOOOONG).

I then got fitted with another company's driver just for comparison, and realized I need to be in a much heavier weight category, and went with the lower spin, lower launching Diamana Whiteboard in an 83. This setup works pretty well. Still launches high, but gets the carry I need. But I didn't get the roll out i was looking for...and JUST this past week, I made a shaft discovery that has made this club PERFECT (for now anyways!)

shafted it with a MATRIX OZIK F7M2LTD in a "strong" flex. the lowest spin shaft they make that doesnt break the $500 barrier (I don't have Anthony Kim or Camilo money for that pretty white shaft they use) This thing feels great, and is so low on spin that my high as hell tee shots still get some legs when it hits the deck. Plus, with all the red accents on the club head, the shaft matches very nicely.

truth be told, there are some driver heads i've bought since the NanoV that might go 10 yards longer than this, but I keep going back to the NanoV because it is SO straight and the feel is a league of it's own.

i don't think there is another driver out there with a softer feeling face at impact or a more pleasing and muted "thud" on impact. the ball feels weightless and that's a feeling that is quite addicting. No matter where you hit it on the face you barely lose distance or straightness off the tee (yes, even in a 430 CC head).

AMAZING!!!