If you’ve ever looked at Nippon Shaft’s product catalog you already know it’s massive. The company seems to have an iron shaft for every player out there already, but they haven’t stopped innovating or trying to find new ways to help golfers maximize their performance. In particular, Nippon has always been a trailblazer in lightweight steel shaft technology, with the N.S. Pro 950GH leading the way. As technology and manufacturing techniques improved, the company was able to drive weight down even more, all the way to the 70 gram range, which is no small feat.
Still, weight alone isn’t the only thing to consider when it comes to matching an iron shaft with a golfer. Design and manufacturing techniques can impact both how a shaft feels and performs, and in turn how many consumers Nippon can reach. The new N.S. Pro 750GH neo is the company’s third “7” series shaft in the N.S. Pro line and offers another option for lower-speed players using larger, stronger lofted iron heads. At the most general level, Nippon says the 750 GH neo will appeal to those that find “the Zelos7 to be ‘too soft’ and the 750GH to be ‘too firm’.”
Modern game improvement or distance irons are typically quite adept at launching the ball high at impact, but often produce lower-than-optimal spin rates, especially for golfers with lower swing speeds. What that sometimes means is that these players struggle to maintain sufficient height on their iron shots, and subsequently have problems maximizing carry distance and holding greens. The 750GH neo is designed specifically to work with these types of irons so that lower speed golfers can “maximize distance with optimal spin”, according to Hiro Fukuda, sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft.
“Nippon Shaft is very excited to add the N.S.PRO 750GH neo steel shafts to our family of super-light steel shafts,” Fukuda said. “Our goal always is to develop products that will bring more enjoyment to people who play the game. Adding the 750GH neo is just the latest product to do that.”
By looking at Nippon’s EI curve charts, we can see the N.S. Pro 750GH neo sits right in the middle ground of the “7” series shafts when it comes to both feel and performance. Thanks to a firmer butt and mid-section than the Zelos 7, it should feel quite a bit more stable through the swing, while the soft tip section should encourage high launch and optimal spin rates. In addition, the butt section has a slightly smaller diameter, which Nippon states will encourage “sharper swings”. At times, concepts can get lost in the translation from Japanese to English, and in truth, we aren’t 100% clear what that means, but we do know that this feature should appeal to those with smaller hands or less grip strength.
The N.S. Pro 750GH neo in Regular and Stiff flex will be available in late October at club fitters and through a variety of online retailers, including GolfWorks, Swing Science, Grips for Less and The Golf Club Trader. While we do not have an exact number available at this time, we anticipate they will be priced in the $30 to $35 range per shaft. More information can be found at nipponshaft.com.
