SCHAUMBURG, Illinois (March 23, 2006) – Over the last year, Tour Edge’s decision to choose Nippon Shaft’s classic N.S. Pro 950GH as the stock shaft for it hot new Exotics irons has paid big dividends.
"The Exotics line overall has been wildly successful," said Tour Edge director of marketing Jay Hubbard. "The partnership we entered into with Nippon Shaft to develop a high quality product that produces a responsive and forgiving iron is a big part of that."
At only 95 grams, the N.S. Pro 950GH is the first sub-100 gram steel shaft to combine increased club head speed – resulting from its light weight – with the stability of steel, giving golfers both increased distance and the accuracy commonly associated with much heavier steel shafts.
"It allows people who have been using graphite in their irons to switch to steel," Hubbard said.
Nippon Shaft officials said they are pleased with the success of the Exotics.
"We are delighted that Tour Edge chose to make the N.S. Pro 950GH the stock steel shaft for its Exotics irons and we are pleased that golfers have embraced the Exotics so enthusiastically," said Hiroyuki Fukuda, manager of sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft for the Americas. "The N.S. Pro 950GH is the shaft that started the trend toward lightweight steel shafts, which help increase club head speed while causing less stress on a golfer’s body."
Each club in the Exotics iron set is "constant weighted," meaning that every shaft in the bag weighs the same, 3-iron through pitching wedge.
The difference between Nippon and other steel shaft companies is that Nippon Shafts are 100 percent made in a state-of-the-art Japanese factory using unique proprietary materials and a specialized heat-treatment process, Fukuda said. The manufacturing process is overseen by a highly-trained and veteran staff that operates according to the highest manufacturing standards in the world.
Moreover, each category of Nippon Shaft products is manufactured to a specific weight, meaning that manufacturers are able to receive them and immediately send them to the production line, improving productivity and efficiency, Fukuda said.
"A Nippon Shaft is better because it provides golfers with better overall control: superior distance control, superior trajectory control, and superior shot dispersion control," Fukuda said. "Because Nippon Shaft makes good shafts, the ball goes where you want it to go."
Nippon Shaft is the No. 1-selling steel shaft in Asia with more than 80 percent of the market and ranks No. 2 in North America. Currently, more than 100 touring professionals worldwide use Nippon Shaft products, resulting in more than 50 victories in the last three years, Fukuda said. All shafts sold by Nippon Shaft are made in Japan in order to maintain the highest quality labor and technical expertise.
Nippon Shaft is a subsidiary of privately-held NHK, a Japanese automobile parts manufacturer based in Yokohama, Japan. Nippon Shaft’s North American headquarters is in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Contact:
Barry Cronin
Cronin Communications, Inc.
847-698-1801 (office)
847-867-3032 (mobile)
bcronin@cronincommunications.com
