2020 Official Member Review: Nippon Modus GOST Hybrid Shaft

[tehuti]

The best I can do at the moment is hit the range, but hopefully this will be my opportunity to really work on my hybrid shots.


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[GolfSpy SAM]

On 4/3/2020 at 6:38 PM, Bucky CC said:

As we wait on the new shafts I thought I would spend some quality time with my Skytrak to get a current baseline with my club.  After a decent warmup I fired up the 3 hybrid with a goal of hitting 15 shots (no deletions).  As a reminder I'm hitting a 19° Cobra F9 hybrid with Fujikura Atmos 7 Stiff shaft.

Overall I would say this is a pretty accurate representation of my club.  Distance is pretty solid but I have a two way miss.  I hit one shot 30 yards left of the target followed by a 37 yard shot right of the target.  Of course my two most offline were back to back after I tried to over-correct from the big hook.

Averages for the session were 218 carry, 232 total, and 7 yards right of the target.

Love that you have all this data to compare against - this might be a silly question, but what is Skytrak? Is that similar to GCQuad or some of the other tracking software? Is this an at-home thing, or do you go to a center/driving range that gives you access to this data? Really great stuff! 

Exited to see what you think, especially after seeing TXG's take on the shaft. 

-Swanson

[Bucky CC]

6 hours ago, Jondough said:

Love that you have all this data to compare against - this might be a silly question, but what is Skytrak? Is that similar to GCQuad or some of the other tracking software? Is this an at-home thing, or do you go to a center/driving range that gives you access to this data? Really great stuff! 

Exited to see what you think, especially after seeing TXG's take on the shaft. 

-Swanson

SkyTrak is a personal launch monitor that can also be turned into a home simulator.  MyGolfSpy did a review of these back in November https://mygolfspy.com/the-best-personal-launch-monitor-2019/.  While it's not quite as accurate as a Trackman or GCQuad the price tag could not be beat.

Currently I have it set up in my garage with a simple mat and net to hit into.  It's not fancy but works perfectly to swing during the winter and help with this MGS test while Wisconsin golf is shut down.  Eventually I plan on adding an impact screen and projector so I can get the full simulator experience.

[tehuti]

Hey [mention=604]Jmikecpa[/mention], [mention=76027]tehuti[/mention], and [mention=71159]Dr Strangelove[/mention]; what's everyone hoping to get out of these shafts?  Did you just want a reason to post a ton of Pac-Man ghost pictures? ‍
Right now I think my order would be:

1. improved dispersion
2. ghost pictures
3. eliminate hooks
4. hold more greens
5. distance

 

I am hoping for more forgiveness and distance.


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[GolfSpy BOS]

Hi Testers!  Have any of you been fit for the KBS hybrid prototype shaft?  Or something similar?  For the shaft in your hybrid now, were you fit to it or is it a standard one?

Hoping we can all get out there sooner than later... looking forward to hearing your thoughts especially after seeing the TXG video last week.

[Bucky CC]

15 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

Hi Testers!  Have any of you been fit for the KBS hybrid prototype shaft?  Or something similar?  For the shaft in your hybrid now, were you fit to it or is it a standard one?

Hoping we can all get out there sooner than later... looking forward to hearing your thoughts especially after seeing the TXG video last week.

I've never tried the KBS hybrid shaft.  It does look like they are trying to create a similar feel to the GOST without having the steel core inside the graphite shaft.

Unfortunately with all the craziness going on I don't believe any of us were able to hit the GOST shafts before placing our order.  They only have one model though so our sole fitting aspect would have been the flex.

I think we're all super excited to get these in-hand and take them out to the course; whenever it is that they finally open back up.  Wisconsin's "safer at home" order is scheduled to go until April 24th but that is almost certainly going to be extended.  Golf courses are not considered essential and are all fully closed as well but there is hope that will change during the next extension.

[Jmikecpa]

Hi Testers!  Have any of you been fit for the KBS hybrid prototype shaft?  Or something similar?  For the shaft in your hybrid now, were you fit to it or is it a standard one?
Hoping we can all get out there sooner than later... looking forward to hearing your thoughts especially after seeing the TXG video last week.

To answer both yes and yes. I did a full bag fitting earlier this year and was fit into a KBS Porto 95x. This would not be a standard offering with my hybrid and not really sure what PXG would consider their standard shafts.


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[zbdubs]

Will be curious to see what clubhead you all use. Wonder if the shaft is better suited to a traditional hybrid head versus a driving iron head?

[Bucky CC]

Looks like my GOST hybrid shaft will arrive tomorrow!  Golf courses in Wisconsin opened back up last weekend (with standard social distancing guidelines) so hopefully I can get the shaft installed in the next few days and this time next week start playing on the course with it.

 

[Bucky CC]

Had my GOST shaft installed today in beautiful sunny and 70° weather.  Of course tomorrow's high temp is only going to be 47°.  Looks like my first test of the new shaft is going to be on Thursday during league play.

In the meantime here are a few pics.  First up; the shaft graphics.  It's a little hard to tell but the shaft is matte black and not glossy at all.

Here's a full club installed view.  Went with the graphics facing down so it has a clean Back in Black look.  AC/DC would be proud.

And the club head of choice: the 19° Cobra F9 3-hybrid.

Any questions for us before we start putting these into play?

[Rtracymog]

Had my GOST shaft installed today in beautiful sunny and 70° weather.  Of course tomorrow's high temp is only going to be 47°.  Looks like my first test of the new shaft is going to be on Thursday during league play.
In the meantime here are a few pics.  First up; the shaft graphics.  It's a little hard to tell but the shaft is matte black and not glossy at all.

Here's a full club installed view.  Went with the graphics facing down so it has a clean Back in Black look.  AC/DC would be proud.

And the club head of choice: the 19° Cobra F9 3-hybrid.

Any questions for us before we start putting these into play?

Looks like it sets up a bit closed. Can’t wait to hear about the first round with it!


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[Bucky CC]

Tested the GOST shaft a bit on my Skytrak over lunch break today.  That's definitely one benefit of working from home in all of this.

Some very quick observations from only 10 shots after a warmup.

1. Ball speed was up slightly
2. Carry distance was down slightly
3. Launch angle was down; most likely the cause of the distance loss
4. Did not slice any shots but did have a few hooks

Overall it was a really promising quick session.  If I can get the ball elevated just a little more this could be plusses across the board.  Next test will be out on the course this Thursday.

[Bucky CC]

First time out on the course with the Nippon GOST shaft last night.  I used the club twice off the tee to see if this could be my new fairway finder.

Started on the back nine and tried it out on hole 12.  Definitely had some hook/draw spin and ended up plugging directly behind a small tree 199 yards from the tee box.  Not a bad shot by any means, but definitely unlucky since I had to chip straight sideways.  The one putt par was pure luck.

2nd chance to use it off the tee didn't come again until hole 5, my 14th hole of the day.  The hole was playing downwind and I hit an absolute rocket into the middle of the fairway.  That shot didn't move more than a yard or two from my intended line and felt amazing.

Overall stats for the round:

• GOST hybrid used 5 times
• 1 of 2 fairways hit
• 4 of 5 were dead straight
• one draw/hook

I'm excited to hit it again on Saturday during my next round.  I'm less excited about the predicted 36° temperature for my 8am tee time.  Let's see if the GOST can handle cold weather.

[MattWillGolf]

On 3/27/2020 at 9:36 AM, GolfSpy Stroker said:

 

Who's ready for a little GOLF MATH ??

Graphite

Steel

G(raphite) O(n) S(teel) T(echnology)

Hybrid

lower scores, more greens in regulation? 

 

Let's find out!

Join me in congratulating our 4 testers of the Nippon G.O.S.T. hybrid shaft:
@Jmikecpa
@Bucky CC
@tehuti
@Dr Strangelove

Fairways and greens gentlemen!

 

This the first thing I thought of when I read the math lead in your post. Looking forward to learning more. I’m curious as to how they will compare to the MMT shafts.

[Bucky CC]

Unfortunately nothing great to report on the GOST shaft from yesterday's round.  After a 30 minute frost delay the temperature never broke 50° and winds were gusting up to 30mph.  Although I was out on the course my game apparently stayed in bed.

Take these numbers with a grain of salt as I've only hit my hybrid 3 times off the tee and 10 times total.  Hopefully this week I can devote an entire round to hitting the GOST shaft as many times as possible in every situation I can think of.

[Bucky CC]

@Jmikecpa, @tehuti, @Dr Strangelove

How's everyone coming along with their G.O.S.T. shaft?

I have a pretty good idea on how the shaft works in perfect conditions (based on SkyTrak numbers), but it'll be interesting to see if the on course testing shows similar trends.  Indoors there have been some noticeable differences from my old setup.

[Dr Strangelove]

I've outfitted two exact clubs, one with the standard and one with the GOST.  Same exact length.  Same exact swing weight.  I plan to give it a go using Skytrak this coming Thurs and Friday.

[Dr Strangelove]

On 5/8/2020 at 8:03 AM, Bucky CC said:

First time out on the course with the Nippon GOST shaft last night.  I used the club twice off the tee to see if this could be my new fairway finder.

Started on the back nine and tried it out on hole 12.  Definitely had some hook/draw spin and ended up plugging directly behind a small tree 199 yards from the tee box.  Not a bad shot by any means, but definitely unlucky since I had to chip straight sideways.  The one putt par was pure luck.

2nd chance to use it off the tee didn't come again until hole 5, my 14th hole of the day.  The hole was playing downwind and I hit an absolute rocket into the middle of the fairway.  That shot didn't move more than a yard or two from my intended line and felt amazing.

Overall stats for the round:

• GOST hybrid used 5 times
• 1 of 2 fairways hit
• 4 of 5 were dead straight
• one draw/hook

I'm excited to hit it again on Saturday during my next round.  I'm less excited about the predicted 36° temperature for my 8am tee time.  Let's see if the GOST can handle cold weather.

268 yards with a 3 hybrid? Sold!

[Bucky CC]

So this just happened.  It looks to be a bad epoxy job by my local head pro but I'll take it in tomorrow to make sure.

[Dr Strangelove]

I did an initial round of testing on my SkyTrak today.  I plan to do this over a period of days as I am trying to eliminate the benefit of hitting one club before another.  Initial day's results below.  I don't know what good fitting numbers SHOULD look like on a 5 hybrid (e.g. spin or launch).  If you have insight into how bad these are, I'd appreciate it.

[yungkory]

What weight and flex are you guys testing? I assume @Jmikecpa is using a 100x because he's a strong dude, what about the rest of you? Hoping you guys get to test these more now that states are reopened, I'm really considering trying one, and playing it an inch shorter than standard 4h length like the TxG video

[Bucky CC]

7 hours ago, yungkory said:

What weight and flex are you guys testing? I assume @Jmikecpa is using a 100x because he's a strong dude, what about the rest of you? Hoping you guys get to test these more now that states are reopened, I'm really considering trying one, and playing it an inch shorter than standard 4h length like the TxG video

I ended up going with the Tour Stiff option at 91g.  With everything shut down when our orders were placed I did not get a chance to try out any of the options.  I play an X flex in my driver and 3 wood but went with the Tour S to match my old hybrid shaft more closely.  Here are the GOST options.

 

My old 3 hybrid (and current 4 hybrid) shaft is the stock Cobra F9 Fujikura ATMOS 7 Stiff.  The GOST shaft definitely feels heavier (91g vs 75g) and stiffer.  Results are still pending!

[Jmikecpa]

What weight and flex are you guys testing? I assume [mention=604]Jmikecpa[/mention] is using a 100x because he's a strong dude, what about the rest of you? Hoping you guys get to test these more now that states are reopened, I'm really considering trying one, and playing it an inch shorter than standard 4h length like the TxG video

I am playing the 100x installed in my PXG 0317x Gen 2 19* hybrid with a finish length of 40.25 inches and a swing weight of D3. Essentially the same weight and length as the club was built with a KBS Proto hybrid shaft.


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[yungkory]

Guess I'm in the market for one of the 91g stiffs to throw in this 2020 Mizuno CLK 22* I just picked up 

[tehuti]

So far so good with the GOST. I have worked it out at the range a few times already and on the course fo just a couple of rounds. Today I used it exclusively off the tee on several holes and hit the ball decently each time. Prior to the shaft swap I had no confidence hitting the same 3h head off the tee, or anywhere else. The stiffer shaft seems to suit me better with a hybrid.

Still need more opportunities to use it from the deck to really get a good gauge of how I am doing.




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[Bucky CC]

Played 27 holes today and hit my GOST shaft hybrid 8 times.  Out of the 8 shots I would label 7 of them as great, and one push that put me into chip-out territory on a tight hole and forced a bogey.  I'm really liking this shaft.

Highlight of the day came on hole 18 when I hit my hybrid off the tee only 2 yards behind my playing partner's driver.  His response: "If you would have out-drove me with that thing I think I would have keyed up your car."  With friends like that who needs enemies?

[hartrick11]

Enjoying the updates on this thread - keep it up guys! I'm curious for feel impressions as well as left/right dispersion impressions (in addition to the great data sets y'all are already posting). 

I have a gapr lo head sitting around that is *this close* to going on the classifieds, but part of me wants to pony up (that part of me is pretty consistent ) for one of these shafts for one last ditch effort to be a driving iron guy instead of a 5w/hybrid guy.

[Bucky CC]

1 hour ago, hartrick11 said:

Enjoying the updates on this thread - keep it up guys! I'm curious for feel impressions as well as left/right dispersion impressions (in addition to the great data sets y'all are already posting). 

I have a gapr lo head sitting around that is *this close* to going on the classifieds, but part of me wants to pony up (that part of me is pretty consistent ) for one of these shafts for one last ditch effort to be a driving iron guy instead of a 5w/hybrid guy.

What's wrong with being a 5w/hybrid guy?  I'd gladly bag a 9-wood if it meant lower scores.  

I haven't been able to hit my GOST shaft much on the course yet but so far the results are trending in the right direction.  Average dispersion with my old 3 hybrid shaft was 18 yards over 67 tee shots.  Fairway accuracy was 42% with an almost equal number of shots missed left and right.

I've only hit my GOST shaft 9 times off the tee so numbers could still vary wildly.  Right now my average tee shot dispersion with the GOST shaft is down to 15 yards.  I struggled with hooking it too much my first time out but since then everything has been nearly perfect with the exception of one push/block poor swing.  Fairway accuracy is 55% (5 of 9).  Distance is very similar.

I'm hoping to at least double my number of shots before coming to any real conclusions about the GOST hybrid shaft.  It's definitely showing promise but I'm not quite ready to declare it a permanent fixture in my bag yet.

[yungkory]

1 hour ago, Bucky CC said:

What's wrong with being a 5w/hybrid guy?  I'd gladly bag a 9-wood if it meant lower scores.  

I haven't been able to hit my GOST shaft much on the course yet but so far the results are trending in the right direction.  Average dispersion with my old 3 hybrid shaft was 18 yards over 67 tee shots.  Fairway accuracy was 42% with an almost equal number of shots missed left and right.

I've only hit my GOST shaft 9 times off the tee so numbers could still vary wildly.  Right now my average tee shot dispersion with the GOST shaft is down to 15 yards.  I struggled with hooking it too much my first time out but since then everything has been nearly perfect with the exception of one push/block poor swing.  Fairway accuracy is 55% (5 of 9).  Distance is very similar.

I'm hoping to at least double my number of shots before coming to any real conclusions about the GOST hybrid shaft.  It's definitely showing promise but I'm not quite ready to declare it a permanent fixture in my bag yet.

Same! I'd bag a 7/9w, but woods just have a higher chance to go miles offline for me. Hoping a hybrid can keep my big miss, smaller!

[hartrick11]

1 hour ago, Bucky CC said:

What's wrong with being a 5w/hybrid guy?  I'd gladly bag a 9-wood if it meant lower scores.  

I haven't been able to hit my GOST shaft much on the course yet but so far the results are trending in the right direction.  Average dispersion with my old 3 hybrid shaft was 18 yards over 67 tee shots.  Fairway accuracy was 42% with an almost equal number of shots missed left and right.

I've only hit my GOST shaft 9 times off the tee so numbers could still vary wildly.  Right now my average tee shot dispersion with the GOST shaft is down to 15 yards.  I struggled with hooking it too much my first time out but since then everything has been nearly perfect with the exception of one push/block poor swing.  Fairway accuracy is 55% (5 of 9).  Distance is very similar.

I'm hoping to at least double my number of shots before coming to any real conclusions about the GOST hybrid shaft.  It's definitely showing promise but I'm not quite ready to declare it a permanent fixture in my bag yet.

I should have been more specific : Absolutely nothing wrong with that, other than my swing with those clubs LOL! It’s the swordsman, not the sword.