Before we look at the five things you didn’t know about the new Nippon NS PRO MODUS3 Tour 110 iron shaft, let’s look at one thing that should be painfully obvious.

It, along with its MODUS3 brethren, has the longest name in all of shaft-dom.

So, for our purposes today, let’s call it the Nippon NS PRO MODUS3 Tour 110 something simple, like the MODUS Tour 110. NS PRO will be implied, as will the superscript 3. My fingers will be happy for the next thousand words or so, and you’ll be pleased with the brevity.

The Nippon MODUS Tour 110 is the sixth and, presumably, final member of the MODUS3 family, although nothing is ever etched in stone. The Tour 110 brings balance and symmetry to the family, but there’s more to it than just numerology.

Let’s dig in.

#1. The are two “sub-families” in the MODUS family

The Nippon MODUS3 family was launched 15 years ago with the original MODUS Tour 120 shaft. The lighter Tour 105 launched shortly thereafter, followed by the Tour 130, 125 and its previous recent release, the Tour 115. You’d think the 110 exists just to fill in the weight gap between the 105 and 115, but you’d be wrong.

“That’s a misconception about our products, that it’s simply the same type of structure at different weights,” Nippon Shaft Sales and Marketing Director Hiro Fukuda tells MyGolfSpy. “MODUS, as well as our other NS PRO models, are all unique in terms of bend profiles. The weights themselves are independent of performance.

If it helps, Fukuda says you can split the MODUS family into two sub-families: The “0” family and the “5” family. All the MODUS shafts ending in “5” – the 105, 115 and 125 – feature traditional EI curves, and their bend profiles are similar to other steel shafts on the market, albeit with Nippon Shaft’s signature feel and consistency.

The “0” family includes the 130, 120 and the new 110. Fukuda says those shafts feature unique EI curves and are the first to market with specific performance attributes. The interesting thing about the “0” series is that those unique performance attributes don’t go in a straight line from the TOUR 110 to the TOUR 130.

#2. The “0” family differences are different

 The Nippon MODUS Tour “5” shafts bear an uncanny family resemblance. They all have very similar performance, with spin and launch going up as the shafts get lighter. The “0” shafts are more like that family where one kid looks like the mom, another kid looks like the dad and the third kid looks like they brought the wrong baby home from the hospital.

This performance chart from Nippon tells the story.

As you can see, Nippon Shaft lists the Tour 125 as low-ish launch and spin, the Tour 115 as slightly higher launch and spin and the Tour 105 as slightly higher than that launch and spin. The difference is the weight, with roughly 10 grams of weight between the same flex of each model.

The “0” is a little more schizophrenic. The Tour 130 is, flex-to-flex, lighter than the Tour 125. In the Nippon Shaft catalog, it’s categorized as high launch and low spin. The Tour 110 is only slightly heavier flex-to-flex than the Tour 105, but you can say the X-flex is a lower spinning version of the Tour 125, the S-flex is a lower spinning version of the Tour 115 and the R-flex is a lower spinning version of the 105.

The Tour 120 is a true unicorn. The R- and S-flex models are considerably lighter than their Tour 115 counterparts, but the X-flex is half a gram heavier. Depending on who swings it, the Tour 120 could be a low-launch, low-spin shaft to a high spin, mid-to-upper-mid launch shaft.

For point of reference, the MODUS Tour 120 is Nippon’s most popular shaft, followed by the Tour 105.

#3: It’s more about the bend profiles…

Relative to the rest of the “0” family, the MODUS Tour 110 is much softer from the midsection up to the grip. It also has a soft tip but gets progressively stiffer from the tip to the midsection.

“That’s where our proprietary Multi-Step Adjustment technology comes into play,” says Fukuda.
“We have the ability to change wall thicknesses through the whole shaft from the tip through the grip section.”

Again, this chart from Nippon Shaft can help explain the differences.

The MODUS Tour 130 is the heaviest in the family, and it starts with a very stiff grip and mid-section but ends with a very soft tip. That combination produces high launch and low spin. The Tour 110 is soft in the grip compared to either the 115, 120 or 130. It stiffens up toward the mid-section and winds up as soft at the 130 in the tip.

“The impact will feel a little bit softer due to the softer handle,” explains Fukuda. “In terms of the overall shaft, the flex point moves a little bit toward the handle. You might feel more flex in the mid-section toward the handle area.”

That should translate into feeling a little bit of a kick just below the grip area.

#4: …And less about the weight

It’s common practice to connect shaft weight to shaft performance. It’s only logical to think that the heavier the shaft, the lower the launch and the lower the spin.

“People do tend to associate weight with flight,” Fukuda says. “But the Tour 130 is considered mid-to-high flight even though it’s one of the heaviest MODUS products we have. Weight is independent of performance or trajectory.”

Nippon Shaft’s 70-gram series of products might serve as the perfect example. The NS PRO 750 GH, the 750 GH Neo and the Zelos 7 are all in the 70-gram category, but each model has a unique bend profile that’s directly attributable to a different wall thickness profile.

“They perform quite differently from each other and will feel different at impact,” Fukuda explains. “Even though they weight about the same, the Z7 would be the highest flying. The 750 GH NEO would be mid-launch, and the original 750 GH would be the lowest launching of the three.”

The light weight has been ongoing for the last 15 years or so. Fukuda says even Tour players are looking at the benefits of lighter-weight shafts.

“It’s useful for players who are seeking something a little less taxing on their body but can still hit the show window they’re looking for. We have Tour players in every shaft model, but weight is more of a factor today on Tour than it was 20 years ago when everybody was playing a heavy, beefy type of product.”

#5: Iron shaft fitting might be more important than driver shaft fitting

Drivers get all the love and attention, and there’s something undeniably sexy about an exotic (read: expensive) shaft. You can, however, make a compelling argument that getting the right head/shaft match will be more impactful for your game.

“You hit more shots with your irons than you do your driver,” says Fukuda. “That’s where your scoring comes into play, so your irons require more precision. It’s not just distance.”

Between Nippon Shaft, KBS, True Temper and others, there are dozens (at least) of steel and graphite iron shaft options. If you include prototypes, Nippon Shaft was 20 different models on the market. Finding the right one for your game is kind of like finding your way through a corn maze in the middle of a blizzard while tripping on LSD. 

In other words, it ain’t easy.

“Theoretically, the 110 should flight a little lower with a little less spin than the 105 or the 115,” explains Fukuda. “That’s where the 110 would benefit you, although some players prefer higher launch and spin. It just depends on your window.

“Fitting is very important. We encourage players to try all of our products and also try as many other manufacturers as possible to see what fits best for them.”

The new Nippon NS PRO MODUS3 Tour 110 shafts should be in fitters’ hands by early next month.

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