@Iceman! 2/15 Shaft Fitting at Nippon Shaft Test Center

[Iceman!]

So late last year Nippon Shaft opened a shaft testing center in partnership with Shaftology Centers in West Chicago.
Here is the press release:

So I read about this and kept it in the back of my mind.
Fast forward to two weeks ago and I was hitting my T400 irons and just wasn’t happy with my results. In the meantime I pulled out my Bridgestone TourB JGR HF1 Irons I bought with Nippon Zelos 8 R shafts. Well I the TourB’s 5 yards further on the fly. That made me think about Zelos shafts in my T400 however there isn’t anywhere that has the complete line of Nippon Zelos shafts (Club Champion has some-not the entire line) so that me think of the Nippon Shaft Testing Center.
I reached out to them and received this email:

Talked to Mark and told him about my TourB and T400 irons. Also told him that I also I had a set of Zelos 6 irons in the past that I had a blast playing. So he told me to bring both sets of Irons.
Received this email today:

So I go tomorrow, weather permitting.
I’ve read some reviews about the fittings and I think I’m in for some fun. Just hope my Iron swing shows up.
Since the Grandaddy I’ve only played Callaway irons. I would buy them with a bonus trade in and maybe tweak the shafts. This time I’m opening it up to all the models and see what shakes out.

 

[e1iterate]

Good luck! @J.B. Cobb III is super jealous.

 

[Snickerdog]

Sounds like a good time for sure. Enjoy it.

 

[Golfers Anonymous]

This seems like a fantastic opportunity to try shafts you’ve always been curious about. Free of charge and up to 12 times a year is a bonus.

 

[Thrillbilly Jim]

Good luck! @J.B. Cobb III is super jealous.

 

[OldandStiff]

Hell. Yes.

That's awesome. Hope the weather let's it happen and your swing shows up.

OH! And you hit the new 115s!! Even just as a comparison.

 

[McLovin]

man this is so cool!!! i freaking love everything nippon does. i’m insanely jealous. cant wait to hear more!

 

[Jman]

Nice. Have fun!

 

[Maric]

Wow this is great, can't wait to read about it after the fitting

 

[TCB2010]

This looks super awesome, have a great time. Have you thought about the 950gh neo’s at all? I’ve been kind of curious about this shaft for awhile and now seeing them stock in the zx4’s I’m really curious!

 

[Iceman!]

This might be fun!

 

[Scorp]

Oh, that's Awesome!!! And fir free even! NICE!

 

[Kenomikes]

Lefties not welcomed.

 

[golfinnut]

This is awesome! So jealous of this opportunity. Enjoy it buddy! Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Drumdog]

Very cool....enjoy !!

 

[G-Man]

Enjoy the day and cannot wait to hear more about how the fitting went!

 

[ranger1989]

Super cool can't wait to see your complete feedback. Enjoy!

Wish it was close enough for me to take advantage.

 

[JonD]

Post for sub. Looking forward to your results @Iceman!

 

[Iceman!]

Couple of more pictures/

 

[Iceman!]

So I got the Fitting Center and met Mark. Really nice guy. He looks at my clubs and takes specs on what I’ve bought in. He asks: “What are you hoping to achieve?” I show him my Strokes Gained Report from ShotScope:

I’m looking for more consistency from my irons.
He then grabs a T300 head because he hasn’t a T400. After he had troubles connected the head, he grabs another head but I don’t look at it as to alter my thought process.
He asks me what ball I play and I tell him V1x.
He grabs a dozen of TourB X balls.

I hit 4 with my T400 7i for a baseline on Trackman. He then gives me a set up and I hit 4 balls. I brought my swing, at least that’s what I call it. The switching out goes for 4 rounds. Guessing 750/850/950/950 Neo. He the puts in a 105 Modus Tour Regular Flex and the numbers came alive. I’m hitting it 10 yards further than my 7i. We’re getting somewhere.
We try 105’s in Stiff and 120’s in Regular flex but now the numbers are going backwards.
We also tried different lengths of certain shafts. Once we picked a shaft, he checked my lie angle by putting a line on a ball and have me hit it 3 different time.

He said that with my aggressive swing, I need a heavier shaft to handle my transition. Mark also said that getting a shaft to match my swing was the key to my success.

Also I have a plus AOA on my Irons, so he said I’m a “Picker” which I’am. Said that a wide soled irons would be better for me. Mark told me that if I get these shafts put in, I might want to think about adding a 5 & 6 iron to my bag because I’m going to gain distance

Told me not to change my wedge shafts because they are working.
When we were done we reviewed the results and I received this email.





No pressure to get them done by them.
Overall it was great experience and one that I would recommend.

I asked about getting the Trackman read outs but was told that is not part of the fitting. I did notice that he did bring down my spin by quite a bit.

BTW: I find out later the I was hitting a Mizuno HMP 6i. Never would have thought that I could have handled that iron.

 

[McLovin]

that’s awesome @Iceman! i’ve done some fittings and been between modus 105 r and s. the entire modus lineup is my unicorn. well, except the 130 that i despise haha. i have 115 in one set and 120 in another, adore them both. i’m so jealous of what you were able to do today!!! thanks for bringing us along.

 

[OldandStiff]

Sounds like a pretty great experience! And some pretty sweet results. Thanks for sharing it with us. I don't think many people knew they did something like this. I sure didn't, and I'm going to try to set something up on one of my many family visits nearby.

 

[formula8]

Wow how did I have no clue this existed??? Looks like you had a good time and learned a few things. I was fit to the NS Pro 1150 a few years ago but feel my tempo has changed. I need to do this!

 

[Iceman!]

Wow how did I have no clue this existed??? Looks like you had a good time and learned a few things. I was fit to the NS Pro 1150 a few years ago but feel my tempo has changed. I need to do this!

You should for sure - Take a half day off of work and make an afternoon appointment - the fitting process was amazing.
I wish I screen grabbed the trackman readings because the correct shaft cause my number to really jump in a good way.
We didn't look at the numbers until we had narrow down the shaft. Think he does that on purpose so you don't alter your swing or your thoughts.
Mark really knows what he is doing.
I'll tell you after 45 minutes of swinging I was out of gas just from swinging different shafts and the nervousness of making good swings.

 

[MarMill]

Thanks for sharing. I love the 105 stiff