Nippon Modus 3 105 X vs 115 S

[tfarmer]

I've been playing Mizuno MP20 MMC with Nippon Modus 3 105 X flex soft stepped once.  I just recently scored a set of Mizuno 223 with Nippon Modus 3 115 S.  I know the the weight of the 105's in X is 112 vs 118.5 on the 115 in S.  However, they both have torque values of 1.6.  So in theory they should play the same stiffness I'm assuming.  I would like to soft step the 115's in the new 223 to gain 1/2" per club which is what I've been used to playing.  I know the weight will be different but If I soft step them, do you think they will play similar from a flex perspective? 

[Drivingrangehero]

I’m not a machine by any means, but the Modus 115s felt like the Modus 105x ss/x1 which I had in a 4 iron. 
 

For what it’s worth, I think they will play very similar to your 105x ss/x1. 
 

If I wasn’t having elbow issues that seem to be disappearing due to some helpful suggestions here on WRX, the Modus 115s would be my first choice, followed by a KBS Tour 120 ss/x1 or the KBS R+ 115. 
 

I was playing Modus 105s hs/x1 at 1/2 over up until recently. The Modus 115s feel very similar when I tested them out at standard length straight in, but had a touch better dispersion with the short irons. It’s a better weight range for me. 
 

Great shafts! 

[tfarmer]

Excellent feedback. I’m going to pull the 115’s out next week and ss/x1. I will report back my findings. I think the 115’s are becoming the standard in most of the new Mizuno’s.

[tphilp]

On 6/17/2022 at 7:24 PM, tfarmer said:

Excellent feedback. I’m going to pull the 115’s out next week and ss/x1. I will report back my findings. I think the 115’s are becoming the standard in most of the new Mizuno’s.

How did this expirament go? I’m very curious about these shafts 

[tfarmer]

The 115’s brought the ball flight down.  They have similar feel to the 105’s.  I’m hitting the same distance with them being 1/2” shorter than my soft stepped 105x.  However altos went from Mizuno MP 20 MMC to Mizuno 223.  However irons are same loft so who really knows.

[bnperrone]

I tried the 115s to get a slightly softer and heavier version of 105x. 
 

For me they felt nothing alike. The 115 felt more like a 120 which I cannot stand. 
 

FWIW in my hands the TT Elevate Tour in S300 accomplishes my goal of feeling and playing like a heavier softer 105x.

[dmeeksDC]

This should be good. The Modus 105, 115 and 125 are the same profile in different weights. They are all Nippon’s version of the Dynamic Gold shaft profile. 
 

Modus 120 and 130 are different shafts. 

[markheardjr]

31 minutes ago, dmeeksDC said:

This should be good. The Modus 105, 115 and 125 are the same profile in different weights. They are all Nippon’s version of the Dynamic Gold shaft profile. 
 

Modus 120 and 130 are different shafts. 

115 has a firmer mid-section which has less kick than Tour105/Tour125. 105 and 125 are not DG profile, Tour120 is more of a DG Profile.  105/125 would be closer to a KBS Tour IMO.  115 is more like a KBS C-Taper Lite.

[dmeeksDC]

1 hour ago, markheardjr said:

115 has a firmer mid-section which has less kick than Tour105/Tour125. 105 and 125 are not DG profile, Tour120 is more of a DG Profile.  105/125 would be closer to a KBS Tour IMO.  115 is more like a KBS C-Taper Lite.

You should write Russ Ryden who tests shafts for a living and has all the equipment. I wasn’t making it up. Not sure where your info is from but I can say the Modus 120 is not like Dynamic Gold. The 120 is its own design. And in Ryden’s Modus 105 review he says he was told Nippon said it was similar to Dynamic Gold. So consider his expert opinion if you like. 
 

From Ryden’s golfshaftreviews.info:

 

“The Modus3 Tour 115 shaft is now available with the standard Modus3 chrome finish and is in the 2022 Mizuno fitting cart. We now have Nippon Modus3 shafts in 5 weights, 105, 115, 120, 125 and 130. It is important to note that these are more than simple weight options of the same design. The Modus3 120 and the Modus3 130 are radically different designs. The Modus 115 is a third weight of the Dynamic Archetype, joining the 105 and 125. This is explained in the review of the Modus3 105. “
 

Edited October 11, 2022 by dmeeksDC

[bnperrone]

2 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

You should write Russ Ryden who tests shafts for a living and has all the equipment. I wasn’t making it up. Not sure where your info is from but I can say the Modus 120 is not like Dynamic Gold. The 120 is its own design. And in Ryden’s Modus 105 review he says he was told Nippon said it was similar to Dynamic Gold. So consider his expert opinion if you like. 
 

From Ryden’s golfshaftreviews.info:

 

“The Modus3 Tour 115 shaft is now available with the standard Modus3 chrome finish and is in the 2022 Mizuno fitting cart. We now have Nippon Modus3 shafts in 5 weights, 105, 115, 120, 125 and 130. It is important to note that these are more than simple weight options of the same design. The Modus3 120 and the Modus3 130 are radically different designs. The Modus 115 is a third weight of the Dynamic Archetype, joining the 105 and 125. This is explained in the review of the Modus3 105. “
 

Have you hit them? 115 didn’t feel anything like 105 to me, despite the marketing. I’ve got a couple hundred wasted dollars that remind me to take reviews and paper specs with a grain of salt and make sure to hit everything first no matter what it’s supposed to be. 

[dmeeksDC]

16 minutes ago, bnperrone said:

Have you hit them? 115 didn’t feel anything like 105 to me, despite the marketing. I’ve got a couple hundred wasted dollars that remind me to take reviews and paper specs with a grain of salt and make sure to hit everything first no matter what it’s supposed to be. 

No argument there. I was just detailing where I came across that analysis. The different takes are indeed amazing. My reviews are based on the imperfections of the human golf swing. Honestly, no matter how they feel, steel shafts of similar weights often perform very similarly for me, even a flex difference either way, depending on the profile. The shaft is always more repeating than me! It comes down to liking or not liking. That does matter. Hate the shaft, you’ll hate your score.

 

I tend to like the Project X Rifle feel, but it will post the same numbers as a C Taper Lite X. But yeah, I agree with you — I didn’t care for the 105 and yet I am playing a Modus 115 in an Edel wedge. Do not know if it is the same Modus 115 but I love the club and shaft. Does 10g matter that much or would it not over time? Or is it a difference I am picking up on and it is not purely a heavier 105?
 

I didn’t feel like the Nippon 105 stiff was similar to DG 105 s300 — the DG 105 feels better in my book — and the Modus 120 stiff feels whippier to me, but at the same time the Modus 125 stiff did feel similar to a DG shaft to me. It’s my favorite Modus but it is heavy. I’ve seen all the flex comparisons between DG and Modus 120, but the Nippons seem more active. I’m don’t think it is a stretch that Nippon would be looking at DG designs given it’s the most successful shaft in golf history. They may want something similar in their lineup. But they also use their own steel and process. It likely cannot be figured out on paper. 

 

For us golfers, there’s so much individual familiarity and preference involved. Probably a lot of confirmation bias, too. Ultimately I find a wide variety of steel shafts in the 110-115g range work well for me and I’m currently seeing/hoping I can work lighter another notch to a 95-100g graphite shaft. 
 

And yes, I’ve burned plenty of cash trying out shafts after reading about them. But someone else always wants them. It is tricky to predict. The Fuji Ventus is already considered one of the all-time greats but you still see plenty for resale on the BST. 

[Pepperturbo]

6 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

This should be good. The Modus 105, 115 and 125 are the same profile in different weights. They are all Nippon’s version of the Dynamic Gold shaft profile. 
 

Modus 120 and 130 are different shafts. 

Agree, those two are different from the others.  I am currently testing 120 & 130

[bnperrone]

3 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

Ultimately I find a wide variety of steel shafts in the 110-115g range work well for me and I’m currently seeing/hoping I can work lighter another notch to a 95-100g graphite shaft

This is roughly where I’m at. I moved down into midweight shafts are a lifetime of playing heavy stuff, which was pretty normal over the last several decades. A solid fitting gave me C-Taper Lite X and LZ 6.0 as top options. I went with the CTLX and I could happily play it, but I started feeling like the big weight shift was step one, and a better mid weight shaft was out there. I liked the TT Elevate Tour in S300. The X didn’t feel overly stiff but I don’t think I needed the extra weight. That was in a PXG fitting but I wasn’t sold on the heads I tried. I asked the fitter if he thought there were any other shafts he’d suggest I check out and he said Modus 105x but he didn’t have it in his fitting cart that day. Ultimately I wound up checking out Srixons and wound up in the 105x That’s another one I could happily play. I just felt like the smoothness was maybe masking some stiffness I didn’t need, but in retrospect it might’ve just been the low spin of the ZX7 head that wasn’t producing my preferred real world flight. All of this was a lot of change because I was buying well, sourcing heads and shafts opportunistically, and then the COVID marketplace was allowing me to get out without losing my Word not allowed. 
 

I circled back around and compared the 0211 ST irons to the ZX7 set and I had better numbers all around and was seeing what I was expecting for flight and spin. It was a no-brainer with the Elevates being stock. 
 

The 115s was something I tried when I came across a set of Wilson Staff Model Blades for cheap. I’ve hit them on a few occasions and listed after them for a while, so my thinking the 115s would be like a softer 105x right at Elevate weight was why I went that way. Now I’m settled in with the STs and I pull out the Wilson with 115s side by side and don’t like the shaft feel at all despite a proper build. I know for a fact that I like the Wilson heads. If I was smarter I’d have snagged a set of PXG Elevate pulls for the Wilsons, but I believed the 115s was going to be the unicorn setup for me. 
 

And there you have it. Now I have two sets of blades but I’m super happy with the 0211ST set but I’m having a hard time listing the Staff Models. Obviously I could pull and sell the 115s and keep the heads but I don’t play and practice all that often so it isn’t like I’m gonna wear out the STs. 
 

So I guess my point is that for people reading here, don’t sleep on the Elevate Tour when you’re looking at a similarly weighted Modus. 

[dmeeksDC]

1 hour ago, bnperrone said:

This is roughly where I’m at. I moved down into midweight shafts are a lifetime of playing heavy stuff, which was pretty normal over the last several decades. A solid fitting gave me C-Taper Lite X and LZ 6.0 as top options. I went with the CTLX and I could happily play it, but I started feeling like the big weight shift was step one, and a better mid weight shaft was out there. I liked the TT Elevate Tour in S300. The X didn’t feel overly stiff but I don’t think I needed the extra weight. That was in a PXG fitting but I wasn’t sold on the heads I tried. I asked the fitter if he thought there were any other shafts he’d suggest I check out and he said Modus 105x but he didn’t have it in his fitting cart that day. Ultimately I wound up checking out Srixons and wound up in the 105x That’s another one I could happily play. I just felt like the smoothness was maybe masking some stiffness I didn’t need, but in retrospect it might’ve just been the low spin of the ZX7 head that wasn’t producing my preferred real world flight. All of this was a lot of change because I was buying well, sourcing heads and shafts opportunistically, and then the COVID marketplace was allowing me to get out without losing my Word not allowed. 
 

I circled back around and compared the 0211 ST irons to the ZX7 set and I had better numbers all around and was seeing what I was expecting for flight and spin. It was a no-brainer with the Elevates being stock. 
 

The 115s was something I tried when I came across a set of Wilson Staff Model Blades for cheap. I’ve hit them on a few occasions and listed after them for a while, so my thinking the 115s would be like a softer 105x right at Elevate weight was why I went that way. Now I’m settled in with the STs and I pull out the Wilson with 115s side by side and don’t like the shaft feel at all despite a proper build. I know for a fact that I like the Wilson heads. If I was smarter I’d have snagged a set of PXG Elevate pulls for the Wilsons, but I believed the 115s was going to be the unicorn setup for me. 
 

And there you have it. Now I have two sets of blades but I’m super happy with the 0211ST set but I’m having a hard time listing the Staff Models. Obviously I could pull and sell the 115s and keep the heads but I don’t play and practice all that often so it isn’t like I’m gonna wear out the STs. 
 

So I guess my point is that for people reading here, don’t sleep on the Elevate Tour when you’re looking at a similarly weighted Modus. 

That was a good read. Entertaining in a way only wrxers can appreciate!

 

I agree on the Elevates. That’s a nice shaft, works very well with MB heads for me with its little launch boost. I thought the first Elevates with VSS felt fantastic I even hard-stepped a regular flex (112g) in a long iron and it did just what I wanted. Easy to launch.

 

Also, of all the shafts I have sampled, Modus 105 stood out to me for the X flex feeling significantly stiffer than the stiff. Very low torque. I did not care for that. 
 

I know those PXG STs are nice. Not too punishing if you miss. But man those Wilsons are sweet and they win the beauty contest if I’m judging. They look similar in size to the Srixon 900 series? So not too intimidating? Those would be hard to part with. 
 

If you like CTL, have you tried Project X IO in 6.0? I like that one. Strong but not harsh. A touch easier than CTL or Rifles. 

[bnperrone]

54 minutes ago, dmeeksDC said:

works very well with MB heads for me with its little launch boost. I thought the first Elevates with VSS felt fantastic I even hard-stepped a regular flex (112g) in a long iron and it did just what I wanted. Easy to launch

I agree on all of it but this really stands out to me. I play the ST in 6-G. FWIW the GW has an 8-iron Elevate X in it cause I wanted to try that out. Love it. I bought an ST and an identical 0311T in the 5-iron position and I definitely need a touch of help on the 5. I might have to experiment with maybe 2xSS (?) R300 dropped into the 5-iron ST head. Could then also drop the S300 into a T200 5-iron or something. The 0311T is fine but then I’d have all the scenarios covered cheaply. 
 

The 0211 ST irons feel great and all the iron changes I discussed above have involved chasing feel as well. I came out of a blended set of MP32 and MP60 I was fit into in 2005. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to keep great feel. Bad swings with these are punished a bit and that’s fine, but on good swings distance control is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced and that’s what I value. I’m currently a mid single digit with a repeatable swing, a preference for knockdown shots due to being in a windy region, and a recovering weak putter. 
 

I’m almost glad that the Wilsons bring so little money. I can pull the shafts and justify keeping the heads because I know they’re awesome and underrated. 

[markheardjr]

On 10/11/2022 at 12:34 PM, dmeeksDC said:

 Not sure where your info is from
 

😶

Not to toot my own horn, but I'm probably the leading most expert on Nippon shafts on the internet save their own employees.

[Thayneil]

18 hours ago, markheardjr said:

😶

Not to toot my own horn, but I'm probably the leading most expert on Nippon shafts on the internet save their own employees.

toot away!

[CMZ24]

Has anyone here tested out the Modus 120 vs the Modus 115? If so, which did you prefer and what differences would you say you noticed between them? 

[T_Golf_23]

3 hours ago, CMZ24 said:

Has anyone here tested out the Modus 120 vs the Modus 115? If so, which did you prefer and what differences would you say you noticed between them? 

They aren’t even close. More linear profile in the 115…. While the 120 is very but soft and tip stiff.. the 120 responds to different swings drastically different.some it launches low and other super high. 
 

the 115S is smooth, but tight… the 115X is a little boardy… it requires a bit more of an aggressive transition to get working. There is a surprisingly big difference on stiffness between the 115s and x. 
 

the 120 will tend to play soft to flex. 
 

 

[CMZ24]

On 3/12/2023 at 1:43 AM, T_Golf_23 said:

They aren’t even close. More linear profile in the 115…. While the 120 is very but soft and tip stiff.. the 120 responds to different swings drastically different.some it launches low and other super high. 
 

the 115S is smooth, but tight… the 115X is a little boardy… it requires a bit more of an aggressive transition to get working. There is a surprisingly big difference on stiffness between the 115s and x. 
 

the 120 will tend to play soft to flex. 
 

 

Thanks for the reply. 
I have played modus 120x and have been playing the modus 115 stiff lately. Those two shafts fit me the best. I want to try out the modus 105 line as I think I may want to go lighter in my irons. Do you think I would be better off trying them in a stiff or x stiff flex? Does the 105 line run true to flex? Thanks for any help 

[T_Golf_23]

I love the modus 120s and also play the modus 105x - they are different animals. But they both work for me. I tired the 105S once and they were too soft. 

[wolverine_man]

On 10/11/2022 at 10:56 AM, markheardjr said:

115 has a firmer mid-section which has less kick than Tour105/Tour125. 105 and 125 are not DG profile, Tour120 is more of a DG Profile.  105/125 would be closer to a KBS Tour IMO.  115 is more like a KBS C-Taper Lite.

 

I just did an iron fitting, and besides the head recommendation (King Tour/923 Forged), I best fit into the C-Taper Lite S (110 g). Project X iO 6.0 was also decent, and Modus 105 S wasn't too bad either. CTL gave me a higher launch and spin than my current shaft, which I am after.  I have a slowish backswing, but a faster transition. Across the board, I need a heavier iron shaft than my Recoil 95, which is killing my timing. 

 

The day after the fitting I was hitting the MP 223 with the Modus 115 S and I was getting some good numbers. I had a 225 iron fitting head built up with that shaft and also got better numbers than my current shafts. The Modus 115 shaft just feels more 'plush' than the CTL.  I am worried about the CTL being too fatiguing on week-long golf trips, etc. I originally went to graphite due to a hand/nerve injury.  

 

I will probably just get back on the Trackman for another fitting, but is the C-Taper Lite Stiff going to play very similar to a Modus 115 Stiff, Modus 115 Reg? Soft stepped 115 Stiff?  I'd like a similar result as CTL but with the Modus smoothness. 

Edited January 2, 2024 by wolverine_man

[379]

On 6/17/2022 at 1:34 PM, tfarmer said:

I've been playing Mizuno MP20 MMC with Nippon Modus 3 105 X flex soft stepped once.  I just recently scored a set of Mizuno 223 with Nippon Modus 3 115 S.  I know the the weight of the 105's in X is 112 vs 118.5 on the 115 in S.  However, they both have torque values of 1.6.  So in theory they should play the same stiffness I'm assuming.  I would like to soft step the 115's in the new 223 to gain 1/2" per club which is what I've been used to playing.  I know the weight will be different but If I soft step them, do you think they will play similar from a flex perspective? 

My top two candidates are 115s and 105x. Any follow-up thoughts on this topic?

[Mookie91]

On 1/13/2024 at 9:46 PM, 379 said:

My top two candidates are 115s and 105x. Any follow-up thoughts on this topic?

Following

[third-times-a-charm]

On 1/1/2024 at 3:39 PM, wolverine_man said:

I will probably just get back on the Trackman for another fitting, but is the C-Taper Lite Stiff going to play very similar to a Modus 115 Stiff, Modus 115 Reg? Soft stepped 115 Stiff?  I'd like a similar result as CTL but with the Modus smoothness. 

 

I wish you had gotten an answer for this from @markheardjr or anyone because I am in the exact same boat 😂

[wolverine_man]

Well, I have just gotten my irons, C-taper lite Stiff. I will hit them soon. My wedges are Modus 115 S (iron) and I happen to like them, so not likely to change. Plus, I just had them made at the end of last season. I haven’t gotten a Gap yet, because I like to calculate my actual distance gap and buy the club and loft based on that. Then, I will need to decide if I should go same shaft as my irons or my specialty wedges (55, 60) for my gap wedge.  We are getting there…

[third-times-a-charm]

11 hours ago, wolverine_man said:

Well, I have just gotten my irons, C-taper lite Stiff. I will hit them soon. My wedges are Modus 115 S (iron) and I happen to like them, so not likely to change. Plus, I just had them made at the end of last season. I haven’t gotten a Gap yet, because I like to calculate my actual distance gap and buy the club and loft based on that. Then, I will need to decide if I should go same shaft as my irons or my specialty wedges (55, 60) for my gap wedge.  We are getting there…

Well my modus 115 shaft set comes tomorrow and I like building clubs, so I'll probably be rebuilding my forged tec's with the 115's as soon as they get here.

 

I was debating soft stepping them but I think I'll just go straight in and/or just SSx1 the 5 iron since I'll have a 4i shaft on hand.

[Puttersaurus Rex]

46 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

Well my modus 115 shaft set comes tomorrow and I like building clubs, so I'll probably be rebuilding my forged tec's with the 115's as soon as they get here.

 

I was debating soft stepping them but I think I'll just go straight in and/or just SSx1 the 5 iron since I'll have a 4i shaft on hand.

After three sets of 115s, I suggest straight in if you are going in blind.  Be careful with shorter builds; the swing weight drops fast. 

[wolverine_man]

6 minutes ago, Puttersaurus Rex said:

After three sets of 115s, I suggest straight in if you are going in blind.  Be careful with shorter builds; the swing weight drops fast. 

 

My SW is a 9-iron Modus 115 S. On full shots, it's probably a tad high. The distance and spin numbers work out, though. Club builder got it to a D5 without issue. The LW which has a 115 S PW shaft, required a tip weight and is closer to a D6. 

[third-times-a-charm]

13 minutes ago, Puttersaurus Rex said:

After three sets of 115s, I suggest straight in if you are going in blind.  Be careful with shorter builds; the swing weight drops fast. 

Do you say that because I'm coming from the c-taper lite or just in general that SS the modus 115 would be too soft?