SST Pure is a system that defines the most stable shaft orientation through computer analysis of each prior to assembly. Simply no shaft is perfectly round or symmetrical and SST PURE dramatically reduces the out of planar oscillation of the shaft resulting from such imperfections. A proper aligned shaft improves the centeredness of contact thus improving control of distance and direction of golf shots.

The other new addition to the Nakashima Golf line up is the Kanji Wedges. Offered in 8 different loft angles and in two finishes, black and Satin, the wedges add a new dimension to the line up. Previously wedges were offered in 52, 56 and 60 and would be custom bent to whatever configuration of loft and lie required by the club builder. “Some golfers don’t particularly like playing a 52 degree with a 50 loft printed on it so we went out to cater for this need” explained John Nakashima. 

John and Gary were treated to their first game of golf in Hong Kong at the Kau Sai Chau Golf Course in Sai Kung. Although they weren’t on their game falling victims to the locals of yours truly and Victor Cheung, John had a moment when he sailed his drive using the prototype 280 460cc driver onto the green on the par 4 17^th hole and went on to hole the putt for eagle. We shall return to play the East course next week.

The best players in the world have always been able to change their equipment to match their game and course conditions by going into a Tour van and getting their clubs altered before a tournament. Now, with Interchangeable shaft and head Technology, everyone has that option. It could quite possibly be the wave of the future and a very simple way of custom fitting your equipment to suit your changing swing.

There are currently many club manufacturers offering their version of interchangeable head and shaft combinations with a range of customizability. One such company – Nakashima Golf – The originator and leader in interchangeable hosel technology – have developed possibly the most revolutionary driver of all time. Every aspect of the Nakashima Htec 460 driver can be customized: loft, lie, face angle, internal head weighting, shaft, shaft flex, club length, swing weight, gross weight and even impact sound. This allows complete optimization of your personal launch conditions.

In designing the HTEC, we felt that it was very important to take into account the needs of the master club builders that we work so closely with. A common belief that finding the spine of the shaft and placing that spine in its proper position when building the club is an essential element of making a higher performing driver. The HTEC body and the aluminum hosel each have twelve splines which help create a secure fit between the HTEC head and the hosel. These splines also enable club builders to place the shaft in one of twelve positions which will give them the ability to place the spine in its optimal position should they so desire. (John Nakashima)

The offset 12 spline hosel allows adjustment of face angle and lie angle (2 degrees in either direction)

The Nakashima Htec Driver head has been designed with a completely removable hosel made from CNC milled 7075 Aircraft-Grade Aluminum. This feature allows the Htec head to be quickly and easily assembled with any shaft for play and of course the all important fitting process.

All Nakashima drivers are constructed with a state-of-the-art 2-piece pull-face design. The body is vacuum cast from high-grade titanium and then the forged face is plasma welded in place. This design avoids any energy loss at impact, creating maximum power transfer.

The Nakashima forged face is produced with a proprietary process with super-micro forging. This forged face gives Nakashima drivers unmatched distance with a sound and feel unlike any other in the industry.

The Nakashima Htec Driver is the maximum USGA legal size which provides an unbelievably high moment of inertia (MOI) that creates a huge sweet spot for maximum forgiveness and distance on off-center hits. Its slightly shallower face with a slightly lower center of gravity produces more dynamic loft for a higher initial launch angle with optimal spin for unbelievably long tee shots with unmatched carry and roll distance.

Although these claims are from the company itself I can assure you that until now I haven’t found a driver yet that out performs Nakashima Golf’s 460cc and 440cc on the launch monitor and in play. This comes down to two main reasons. Firstly Nakashima Golf offers a vast range of shafts in their fitting system that caters for every golfer regardless of swing speed, swing type or stature. Secondly the scope of loft options (6 different lofts) in two different head designs allows the fitter to tune the launch angle and ball spin rates to optimize carry distance. Add to this the ability to adjust lie angle, face angle, internal head weight and even the sound – it just doesn’t get any better.

Specifications
HTEC 460cc
Lofts: 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 ,11.5, 13 and 15 degrees
Lie Angle: 57.0 degrees
Construction: Multi-material design featuring separate face, body and hosel
construction
Body: Titanium
Face: Proprietary Super Micro Grain Forged Titanium
Hosel: CNC Milled 7075 Aircraft-Grade Aluminum
Connecting screw: Stainless Steel
Weight screws: aluminum, stainless steel, tungsten
C.O.R.: .830 (Maximum Allowable)

Oban Devotion
With various shaft weights ranging from 43 grams to 84 grams, the design pattern remains consistent throughout the Devotion Series, while kick points and torques vary depending on the weight class.

Materials
Ultra premium, high modulus graphite equate to better feel and performance.

Structural Design
High quality graphite utilized throughout shaft construction creates firm butt, mid and tip sections and provides inherent stability throughout the shaft load sequence.

Performance
Devotion 6,7,8 – Mid Launch. Low Spin. Responsive feel. Structural integrity throughout the swing dynamics. Ideal for the player who tends to create more load in the shaft with a quicker tempo.
Devotion 4, 5 – High Launch. High Spin. This shaft favors the lower swing speed player.

Fitting Notes – Precision Golf (Mark Smith – Nakashima Certified Master Club Fitter)
The Oban Devotion has fitting perfectly into our Nakshima Fitting system for golfers requiring lighter shafts with a high launch angle. In the firmer flexes the ball spin rate is optimized to provide greater carry distance.
The Devotion 4 can be set up with very light flex which set’s it up perfectly for the slower swingers in the range of 40-70MPH as well as golfers who load the shaft progressively due to smooth tempo.

The SST PURE® equipment generates a printout that accompanies each shaft that provides visible proof that the shaft has been “PUREd” by SST or its licensees. The printout shows the shaft’s performance characteristics before and after the PURE process.