Equipment

Nippon expands Modus line with Tour 105 and 125 iron shafts

Published

11 years ago

Aug 1, 2015

Nippon iron shafts have gained the attention of many PGA Tour players in recent years. Proof can be found in our Tour/Pre-Release forum, where a thread published in November 2014 — “Is it just me or are a lot of pros switching to Nippon iron shafts” — has amassed nearly 2,000 replies and 165,000 views.

Most of the conversation in the thread has revolved around Nippon’s N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 and Tour 130 shafts. Expect the conversation to continue now that the company has released two new Modus shaft models: the Tour 105 and Tour 125.

Both the Tour 105 and Tour 125 are mid-launching, mid-spinning shafts, but as their names imply they use different weights to target two distinct audiences.

N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 105

The Tour 105 is the company’s lightest N.S. Pro Modus3 iron shaft, and was known as the “Proto ST” during its 48-month testing phase on the PGA Tour that saw as many as 25 players using the shaft at one point. It weighs approximately 106 grams in stiff flex, and 112 grams in x-stiff flex, making it a fit for golfers who prefer the lightweight steel and composite/graphite shaft models that have increased in popularity in recent years.

[quote_box_center]”The Tour 105 really caught us by surprise,” said Hiro Fukuda, sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft in the Americas. “We didn’t expect this shaft to do so well on Tour. We brought it out based on the recommendation of our tour reps, and the feedback was that its spin rate and trajectory was more consistent than other shafts in the 115-gram category.”[/quote_box_center]

OEMs have taken notice. Ping chose the N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 105 as a stock shaft option for its new “i” and GMax irons.

N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 125

The Tour 125 shaft weighs roughly 125 grams, and first gained traction on the Japan Golf Tour. It will launch higher than the company’s Tour 120 shaft, yet lower than the company’s Tour 130 shaft. According to Fukuda, the Tour 125 has been most popular with former Dynamic Gold players.

The Tour 125 uses Nippon’s MHT or “Multi-Heat Treatment” Technology, which allows the company to use different heat treatments on different areas of the shaft to fine tune feel and performance. The technology was also used on the company’s N.S. Pro Modus3 wedge shafts, which were released in April. In the Tour 125’s case, the heat treatment gave the shaft a slightly softer tip section and a slightly stiffer butt section.

Both shafts are currently available through Nippon’s network of retailers and fitters for $37 each.

Related Topics:nippon shafts

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12 Comments

Joe

Aug 13, 2015 at 11:09 am

In stiff PING says the Nippon Modus 105 actually weighs 100g, cut. The CFS weighs 110g, cut.

Reply Report comment
Mat

Aug 3, 2015 at 10:35 am

I could imagine the 105’s in some S55s would be rather enjoyable…

Reply Report comment
Dave

Aug 2, 2015 at 8:40 am

Just got fitted for Ping new I release. It came down to the Modus 105 or the True Temper Project X 95. It was so close. I was within 0.5% on ball speed, swing speed, smash factor, launch angle and average carry was identical. TT had a bit higher average spin for me 5357 vs. 5296 and total carry with a 7i was 172 with TT versus 167. I went with the TT based purely off of comfort and feel since they were so close. But these were very consistent shafts and if I have any second thoughts, I will move to these.

Reply Report comment
Mark

Aug 2, 2015 at 5:34 am

Our assistant has these in his AP2s. Very smooth to the point of feeling “soggy”. No discernable
difference in performance considering the upcharge.

Reply Report comment
Mats B

Aug 1, 2015 at 3:47 pm

Nippon rules! Smoothest iron shaft in the current market, with tight dispersion and great trajectory and spin. I play Modus3 120 Stiff in my forged Mizuno 850s and in my 50 deg. Titleist SM5 Gap Wedge. Thinking of changing my 54 and 58 deg SM5 Wedges to Nippon Wedge shaft as well. It may well happen, before the grooves are worn out. 🙂

Reply Report comment
Joe

Aug 1, 2015 at 3:34 pm

Ping calls the 105 a high launch shaft in their media. Yet in this article it’s called mid. Which is true? How does it compare to the CFS which PING calls “mid”. Thank you.

Reply Report comment
- Mats B
  
  Aug 1, 2015 at 3:51 pm
  
  CFS:s can’t compete, if you ask me, I’ve tried them both in I25:s and S55:s. Doesn’t provide the same smooth feel and dispersion is not keeping up. At least not with my swing speed and the way I load the shaft…..F.Y.I I’m a swinger not a hitter.
  
  Reply Report comment
- KK
  
  Aug 1, 2015 at 7:52 pm
  
  I’m guessing it’s mid in X, high in R and maybe S. I think steel shafts have fairly similar specs per weight class and is differentiated more on feel and individual swing/iron head. That’s compared with graphite which can vary wildly in the same weight class because of the increased engineering potential of composites. You may draw your own conclusions based on the raw weight of CFS but of course, in-person demo is the way to go.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Joe
    
    Aug 2, 2015 at 12:36 am
    
    They just seem so similar spec-wise. Within a few grams. CFS vs MODUS 105. Hmmm
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Mats B
      
      Aug 2, 2015 at 1:38 am
      
      Ask your fitter to put one of each in a 6 or 7 iron and try it out, using Trackmann or Flightscope on an outdoor driving range. Compare your feel with the given data. Make sure both clubs has the exact same swing weight to start with. Otherwise you’re not comparing the shafts. If you like your current 6 or 7 iron, use the same swing weight, with the CFS and Modus 105 shaft. I agree with KK graphite has a wider range of engineering dispersion. But for steel shafts engineering possibilities has changed dramatically over the past 5 – 10 years. And steel shafts currently has an advantage over graphite in one area, it might change in the future, but that is the shaping of the profile of the shaft, which in my opinion hugely influence, what we feel as players. All options brings out both pros and cons for us amateurs, unless we decide to stick to TT Dynamic Gold. If you ask me a regular set of Nippon iron shafts are delivered with roughly the same tight tolerances as TT tour issue shafts. To me that’s a quality mark. Good Luck, for more info, check out: http://www.golfwrx.com/231525/iron-shaft-shootout-top-rated-steel-and-graphite-iron-shafts-get-put-to-the-test/
      
      Reply Report comment
      - Joe
        
        Aug 2, 2015 at 7:09 pm
        
        I’ve played x100 for years. It was more just a curiosity question. Tnx
        
        Reply Report comment
        
        Mats "PUMP 2" Bergsten
        
        Aug 4, 2015 at 4:13 am
        
        Fair enough Joe. Coming from X100:s you’d be looking more towards Modus, 120, New 125 or 130, if you’re looking for something to compete with your X100:s. 🙂
        
        Reply Report comment

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Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

7 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.