66 Percent More Tour Pros Used Nippon Shaft In 2015
Growth momentum continues for high-quality Japan-based manufacturer
CARLSBAD, Calif. – The popularity of Nippon Shaft on the world’s major golf tours continued to explode in 2015, with 106 players on the PGA TOUR and European Tour combined utilizing steel shafts built by the Japan-based golf shaft manufacturer.
That computes to a 66 percent increase over the prior year when 70 major Tour pros used Nippon Shaft.
And it’s a whopping 220 percent increase over 2013 when 48 players used Nippon Shaft products.
“Nippon Shaft is proud and gratified that its product penetration continues to experience meaningful growth year after year on the world’s major men’s golf tours,” said Hiro Fukuda, head of sales and marketing for the company.
“Nippon Shaft made a strategic decision a number of years ago to design and manufacture shafts for players at the highest level and we are pleased to be making significant progress in that area,” Fukuda said. “We will redouble our efforts this coming season to make sure the world’s top players understand how the outstanding quality of Nippon Shaft products can improve their games just as they have been helping amateurs for many years.”
Nippon Shaft players won 16 times on the world’s top tours, including the PGA TOUR, European Tour, Web.com Tour, Challenge Tour and the LPGA Tour. Already in the 2015-16 wraparound season Nippon Shaft has posted two victories.
Seven of the 30 contestants in the PGA TOUR’s TOUR Championship used Nippon Shaft steel shafts in their irons and/or wedges.
The iron shaft models used by golf’s elite players were the N.S. PRO 950GH, the N.S. PRO MODUS3 Tour 130, N.S. PRO MODUS3 Tour 120, N.S. PRO MODUS3 TOUR 105shaft, and N.S. PRO MODUS3 PROTOTYPE ORA steel shafts.
In addition, more than 70 players used Nippon Shaft N.S. PRO MODUS3 WEDGE shafts, which were designed exclusively for wedges, utilizing unique technologies that contribute to high levels of stability and feel in the short game. The WEDGE shafts were released to the public in March of 2015.
Meanwhile, Nippon Shaft continues to be the preferred shaft on the LPGA Tour, with several players having recorded victories on the world’s predominant women’s tour.
Over the years, Nippon Shaft recorded hundreds of victories on professional golf tours worldwide, as the best players in the world increasingly chose to install in their irons steel shafts manufactured in Japan to unparalleled quality standards.
Nippon Shaft products are available globally either as stock or custom shafts in many of the world’s top iron brands. In addition, Nippon Shaft products are available through Nippon Shaft’s dedicated global club fitter network. Details of these can be found at nipponshaft.com
Nippon Shaft manufactures all of its steel and graphite shafts in a state-of-the-art factory in Komagane, Japan. The company’s integrated production lines are strictly monitored and controlled with thorough checks conducted responsibly through the entire production process. As a result, Nippon Shaft is able to control high product quality – from material selection to final testing.
Callaway Golf Announces New XR 16 Line Of Woods
Today Callaway Golf Company has officially announced its new line of XR 16 woods. Available at retail nationwide beginning January 29, 2016, the new products include:XR 16 Driver, XR 16 Pro Driver, XR 16 Fairway Woods, and XR 16 Pro Fairway Woods.
For the XR 16 Driver, Callaway R&D worked with aerodynamics experts at Boeing to redefine what is possible with clubhead speed and aerodynamics in a golf club. Callaway engineered its most forgiving head shape ever, and the specialists at Boeing made it fast with a re-engineered Speed Step.
In addition to delivering our most forgiving shape, a high speed head, and low drag in the crown, the XR 16 Driver also features a next generation R*MOTO Face that is lighter and up to 19% thinner. The price for the XR 16 Driver is $349.99 and it is available in 9-, 10.5-degree and 13.5-degree HT lofts. The XR 16 Pro Driver will be $399.99, and will be available in 9- and 10.5 degree lofts.
The XR 16 Fairway Wood builds on the category-defining face cup technology that has helped Callaway achieve the #1 fairway wood position in golf. The XR 16 Fairway Woods feature a design that is bigger, hotter, and more forgiving with our lightest crown for even more ball speed and distance. The XR 16 Fairway Wood is $229.99; the line of metalwoods will be available in a 3+, 3-, 4-, 5-, 7-, 9- and 11-Wood. The XR 16 Pro Fairway Wood will cost $249.99 and will be available in 14-, 16- and 18-degree lofts.
Innovation Shapes the New Nike RZN Tour Golf Ball
Rock Ishii, Nike Golf’s Senior Director of Innovation for Golf Balls, and his team of engineers are constantly looking into the future to find ways to modify the ball so that it performs better.
Since launching its first ball in 1999, Nike Golf has continuously found ways to break traditional molds and discover new construction methods and materials that give the athlete the best possible tool to succeed at the highest level. These include scientific investigations — in physics and aerodynamics — and material explorations for each layer in the ball. The result is an unwavering pursuit of improvement in distance, feel and spin.
Nike Golf’s latest advancement is the RZN Tour ball, engineered to feel soft without sacrificing distance.
“We still have so many opportunities to innovate the golf ball,” says Ishii. “This is innovation. This is where we are now. And we are heading toward our future.”
RZN TOUR
Featuring a four-piece urethane cover design, the RZN Tour ball utilizes four key components: RZN 4.0, Speedlock X Core, Speedlock Mantle and Flight Suit Cover. These combined technologies help propel the RZN Tour/Black and RZN Tour/Platinum balls to added yardage and a softer feel, versus the previous RZN Black and RZN Platinum.
“The ball feels much softer, yet I’ve maintained my ball speed and even picked up a few yards overall,” declares Nike Golf athlete Rory McIlroy. “It’s easily the best combination of distance and feel I’ve ever played.”
Made with the newest iteration of RZN material, RZN 4.0, the blue center core is not only softer but also 10 percent bigger than the previous generation. This gives the ball what amounts to a bigger engine, thus unlocking faster ball speeds.
RZN SPEED
In addition to the RZN Tour, Nike Golf engineers also created the RZN Speed golf balls, two new three-piece constructed balls designed for ultimate forgiveness and softer feel.
The same Speedlock X Core technology from the RZN Tour ball helps maximize energy transfer for faster ball speed and ultimate forgiveness, while a softer RZN formulation provides a softer feel without sacrificing distance.
Matt Meeker
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