Quality is Common Denominator as Japanese Company Supplies Shafts to Traditional and Upstart Equipment Companies Alike
SCHAUMBURG, Illinois (January 2006) – Already dominating shaft sales in Asia with more than 80 percent of the market, Japan-based Nippon Shaft quietly has been making steady inroads in North and South America thanks to its innovative products and peerless quality.
Now the No. 2 steel shaft maker in the world, Nippon Shaft currently provides lightweight steel shaft products as stock options for such highly respected brands as Callaway, Cobra, Nickent, Precept, Titleist, and Tour Edge. In addition, Nippon Shaft products are available as custom options for Cleveland, Mizuno, Ping, and Srixon clubs.
"The golf equipment industry is aware that Nippon Shaft takes pains to maintain the highest standards in terms of its business practices and in the quality of its manufacturing processes at our plant in Komagane, Japan," said Hiroyuki Fukuda, head of Nippon Shaft USA’s office, located in suburban Chicago. "These high standards translate into better equipment and more enjoyment for all golfers, be they average players or the 100 tour pros worldwide who rely on Nippon Shaft to help them earn their livings."
This week, Nippon Shaft announced it is providing the stock steel shaft for Nickent Golf’s 3DX Pro Series Irons and the company’s 3DX DC Series of hybrid clubs. Since last year, Nippon Shaft products have been a custom lightweight steel shaft option for Nickent irons while Nippon Shaft’s awesome N.S. Pro GT600 has been a graphite shaft option for Nickent woods and hybrids.
Nippon Shaft also is providing stock steel shafts for the following brands:
Steel and graphite Nippon Shaft products are available as custom options from golf equipment manufacturers Cleveland, Mizuno, Nickent, Ping, and Srixon.
In addition, Nippon Shaft N.S. Pro models are available for installation and customization through Shaftology Centers (www.shaftology.com), a network of independent clubmakers authorized to install Nippon Shaft products. Premier clubfitters operating these centers are able to fit shafts to specific needs, assemble them using the latest technology, and finish them to a golfer’s personal taste and game.
All shafts sold by Nippon Shaft – both steel and graphite – are made in Japan in order to maintain the highest quality labor and technical expertise, according to Fukuda.
SOME BACKGROUND
The product that propelled Nippon Shaft into the elite group of golf equipment manufacturers was the N.S. Pro 950GH lightweight steel shaft. Introduced in 1999, at 95 grams, it was the first sub-100 gram steel shaft that maintained the consistency of traditional steel shafts, which weighed in at approximately 125 grams.
The lighter weighted shafts enabled players to increase their swing speeds and therefore their distance. The increased stability of the steel shafts meant that their clubs would perform consistently and accurately.
At the time, the development of a lightweight steel shaft was significant because many golfers were enjoying the benefits of graphite shafts in their drivers, but found graphite too light and too inconsistent to use in their irons.
Nevertheless, the slower swing speeds of most amateurs – and the eternal search for more distance by better players and pros – cried out for iron shafts that were both lighter and more pliable yet more consistent than graphite. The N.S. Pro 950GH provided the light weight, pliability and, perhaps most significantly, the stability inherent in steel.
Even low-handicappers and pros took note.
"Before the N.S. Pro 950, there was not a consistently-made, sub-100-gram steel shaft on the market," Fukuda said. At the time, he said, the lightest steel shaft on the market with acceptable consistency weighed 115 grams.
In addition, all Nippon Shaft steel shafts are "constant weighted." This means that every iron in a player’s bag weighs the same whether it be a 3-iron or a pitching wedge. The irons also are available in either parallel or taper tips, which is unique in the industry.
"Constant weighting is a Nippon Shaft specialty," Fukuda said. "It doesn’t make sense to have a 3-iron that weighs more than your pitching wedge. The pros want a constant weight throughout their set for consistency. The concept not only works for pros but for higher handicappers, too."
The real "magic" of the Nippon Shaft sub-100-gram steel shaft is its ability to be both "soft" and "hard" at the same time. This marriage of pliability and stability is an apparent contradiction that is overcome by a combination of the type of steel Nippon Shaft uses in its manufacturing process and in the manufacturing process itself. Both can be traced to the company’s roots in the automobile industry.
AUTOMOBILE SPRINGS
Nippon Shaft is a subsidiary of NHK Spring, a Yokohama, Japan-based manufacturer of steel engine valve springs used in automobiles. Such springs must be both pliable and durable over the course of 100,000 miles. That same principle is at work when Nippon Shaft makes lightweight shafts for golf clubs.
"Essentially, we view golf shafts as springs," Fukuda said. "That’s why we can manufacture our shafts to very precise weights and it’s why they can be both soft and hard at the same time."
HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE DOES 20 to 30 GRAMS REALLY MAKE?
What are the benefits of swinging a club that weighs, says, 95 grams versus one that weighs 125 grams? How much difference does 30 grams really make?
"The three main benefits of swinging a club fitted with a sub-100-gram Nippon Shaft are increase club head speed, better control, and it’s much easier on your body over the course of 18 holes," Fukuda said. "Even a difference of an ounce per club combined with the dampening effect of the steel itself translates to much less wear and tear on the body. And the beauty is that in addition to your body feeling good after a round of golf you also get the performance benefits of a technically superior product."
Today, more than 100 touring pros worldwide use Nippon Shaft products as the "engines" of their golf clubs. Nippon Shaft products were used in more than 15 tour victories worldwide in 2004. And, in contrast to other shaft companies, Nippon Shaft does not pay the pros to play its shafts – with the exception of endorser Kelly Robbins, runner up in the 2003 U.S. Women’s Open.
Nippon Shaft will be exhibiting at the 2006 PGA Merchandise Show Jan. 26-29. The company will be located in Booth 4015 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Nippon Shaft also will be participating in the industry-only 2006 Golf Demo Day on Jan. 25 at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge.
Contact:
Barry Cronin
Cronin Communications, Inc.
847-698-1801
847-867-3032 (mobile)
bcronin@cronincommunications.com
