It’s a First for the 85-Gram Steel Shaft
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (June 6, 2006) – Nickent Golf Equipment has selected Nippon Shaft’s ultra-light N.S. Pro 850GH as the stock steel shaft for Nickent’s 3DX Hybrid Iron Set, Nippon Shaft officials announced today.
The move makes California-based Nickent Golf the first U.S. golf club maker to choose the N.S. Pro 850GH as the stock steel option for one of its irons, according to Hiroyuki Fukuda, manager of sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft for the Americas.
"We are very happy to provide Nickent Golf with the N.S. Pro 850 for its 3DX hybrid irons," Fukuda said. "The shaft weighs only 85 grams, meaning that players can generate more club head speed, which could translate to greater distance. Just as important, despite its light weight, the N.S. Pro 850GH is manufactured to the highest tolerances so that it maintains its stability through impact."
A spokesman for Nickent praised Nippon Shaft and the N.S. Pro 850GH as a high quality product.
"Because the 3DX Hybrid Iron set is designed to be the longest set of irons in the history of golf, it was very important that we had the right shaft in this innovative set," Nickent director of marketing John Claffey said. "The 850GH is perfect because it is a light, soft steel that is easy to hit and easy to load, giving golfers the best of consistency and distance. This is a high-performance, Tour-proven set designed for golfers of all levels that is likely to change the way a lot of people look at irons and the shafts that are in them."
Nippon Shaft’s Fukuda said his company also is pleased with its growing relationship with Nickent Golf.
"As a club designer and manufacturer, Nickent Golf adheres to the highest standard of excellence," Fukuda said. "Nippon Shaft is pleased to provide Nickent with a shaft of the highest quality."
The N.S. Pro 850 marries the pliability of an extraordinarily light shaft with the stability of steel in order to increase clubhead speed and distance while maintaining the stability and accuracy associated with steel shafts, Fukuda said.
Nippon Shaft’s N.S. Pro 950GH is the product that propelled Nippon Shaft into the elite group of golf equipment manufacturers, when it was introduced. At 95 grams, it was the first sub-100 gram steel shaft that maintained the consistency of traditional steel shafts, which were more than 25 percent heavier.
"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. Most weighed 125 grams or more."
The higher quality shaft is a result of Nippon Shaft’s superior materials and manufacturing processes.
"Nippon Shaft uses the highest grade materials and manufacturing techniques, specifically in heat treatment," Fukuda said. "The common feedback we get from golfers is that they are amazed at how "soft" the shaft feels and how consistently it performs in terms of consistent length, trajectory and dispersion – characteristics found in heavier or ‘harder’ shafts."
Nippon Shaft is the No. 1-selling steel shaft in Asia with more than 80 percent of the market and ranks No. 2 in the North America. Currently, more than 100 touring professionals worldwide use Nippon Shaft products in their clubs, 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 / 847-867-3032 (mobile)
bcronin@cronincommunications.com
