Modus 130x - review - unexpected outcomes

[Pnwpingi210]

Wanted to share my experience with the modus 130 x shaft.

 

TLDR; as a high ball and high spin player, the modus 130x shaft gave me a very low to mid penetrating ball flight, a club more distance through my bag, and equal or better dispersion to any shaft I’ve tried to date.  Do not rule them out based on being a high launch shaft.

 

About me - 41, 6’1’’, 95+ mph 7 iron ss, 115- 120 on course driver ss.  playing golf off and on since my teenage years.  Decided to focus on Golf in 2021 and played more than 5 rounds (26 rounds) in a year for the first time in 12 plus years.  High ball (iron apex 125 feet) and high spin player. I ended the year at a 9 handicap, with putting being my weak spot.

 

I’ve tried tour v 120x, project x7.0, dg x7, and finally modus 130x.  All in ping i210 heads

 

Up until trying the modus, my best rounds and overall ball striking were were with the px 7.0.  Yardages were incredibly consistent and the ball just wanted to go straight.  The knock was the apex was very high, like 125 feet high.  And the px tended to get to that apex quickly and flatten out which creates  problems in the wind.  Also was tough to flight low.  Feel was fine.

 

The x7 gave me the penetrating ball flight I was looking for, along with the ability to control my shot shape unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.  The problem with them was they tend swing weight 3 points higher than the other irons and made my short irons in particular feel like sledgehammers.  Very tip heavy, which lead to inconsistency in my delivery.  3 out of 5 shots were perfect.  The other two left me in bad positions.

 

Then I hit a demo club with the 130 x shaft, expecting this higher than high ball flight.  After 5 shots I couldn’t believe it.  Indoor trackman telling me shots were apexing at 105 ft and going a full club longer than the px or x7.  Bought a set of 130x from golf works and installed them the next weekend.  Outdoor testing was more of the same.  Ball flight was a tad higher than the x7’s, with that same piercing flight.  Gained a club of distance throughout the bag.  Easy enough to flight low, and can draw or fade the ball a bit. And to top it off, they are easy to swing.  One round in with them and hit my most greens in reg this season.  
 

it’s possible I may still be in the honeymoon phase (600 or so range balls and one round).  Only time will tell.
 

 

[NicholasP]

I don't have the swing speed you do, but have similar experience with the Stiff flex.  In the past I've played X100 , Nippon SPB X SS 1x, KBS Tour X.  Tried Project X & LZ, which absolutely didn't work.  

 

Enter randomly building a set with Modus 130 stiff SS 1x.  For reference my 7 iron is about 90 mph, driver 108ish.  It was like a revelation, incredible feel, increase by about a club in distance, and a lot less "spinny", with much better performance in the wind.  My iron play has never been better

[markheardjr]

I played 130S for about 2 years. After some prototype trials and before I settled on the ORA/125 setup I use now.

 

130S felt incredible and was probably the best middle to long iron shaft I have ever played. 8-5i were absolutely perfect. Great feel, great trajectory, great spin, great control.

 

Why I utimately switched was the short irons (mainly PW) and the longer irons:

PW I just couldn't produce the low punch shots I was very good at with previous shafts. No matter what I did, the ball launched high for me. I could control the distance, but not the height.

 

In the longer irons, I found my 3-5i bunched in distance. They were all equally VERY easy to hit with a perfect launch, high soft shot. But they all went about 195y. I think this is more to do with the weight of the longer iron shafts and my strength. I maxed out speed and the combinations of each irons launch angle, ballspeed and spin resulted in the same distance, just higher, medium and lower but the same result.

 

Now I play a frankestetup of stiff flex lower irons shafts, X flex mid irons shafts and a lighter TX in a 5i.  I tried to go back to 130S earlier this year when I moved into the ZX7 irons. I found the same issues right away. No trajectory control on PW/9i. Bunched up distances in the longer irons. But man, those mid-iron shots are fantastic. Nothing feels cooler than a flushed Tour130 shot, with that softer tip. I dont' feel the energy transfer like on the Tour125, but thats because I almost dont' feel anything at all.

[Pnwpingi210]

13 hours ago, NicholasP said:

I don't have the swing speed you do, but have similar experience with the Stiff flex.  In the past I've played X100 , Nippon SPB X SS 1x, KBS Tour X.  Tried Project X & LZ, which absolutely didn't work.  

 

Enter randomly building a set with Modus 130 stiff SS 1x.  For reference my 7 iron is about 90 mph, driver 108ish.  It was like a revelation, incredible feel, increase by about a club in distance, and a lot less "spinny", with much better performance in the wind.  My iron play has never been better

Revelation is a great way to describe it.  Agreed on the less spin on shots.  Haven't lost many high and right

 

do you play the 130s in wedges?

[Pnwpingi210]

12 hours ago, markheardjr said:

I played 130S for about 2 years. After some prototype trials and before I settled on the ORA/125 setup I use now.

 

130S felt incredible and was probably the best middle to long iron shaft I have ever played. 8-5i were absolutely perfect. Great feel, great trajectory, great spin, great control.

 

Why I utimately switched was the short irons (mainly PW) and the longer irons:

PW I just couldn't produce the low punch shots I was very good at with previous shafts. No matter what I did, the ball launched high for me. I could control the distance, but not the height.

 

In the longer irons, I found my 3-5i bunched in distance. They were all equally VERY easy to hit with a perfect launch, high soft shot. But they all went about 195y. I think this is more to do with the weight of the longer iron shafts and my strength. I maxed out speed and the combinations of each irons launch angle, ballspeed and spin resulted in the same distance, just higher, medium and lower but the same result.

 

Now I play a frankestetup of stiff flex lower irons shafts, X flex mid irons shafts and a lighter TX in a 5i.  I tried to go back to 130S earlier this year when I moved into the ZX7 irons. I found the same issues right away. No trajectory control on PW/9i. Bunched up distances in the longer irons. But man, those mid-iron shots are fantastic. Nothing feels cooler than a flushed Tour130 shot, with that softer tip. I dont' feel the energy transfer like on the Tour125, but thats because I almost dont' feel anything at all.

interesting on the wedges.  8-pw is where I noticed the biggest drop in apex.   Also the ability to hit 1/2 and 3/4 shots and still feel like the shaft is unloading a bit.

 

Glad to hear the 125 are working!  

[NicholasP]

11 minutes ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

Revelation is a great way to describe it.  Agreed on the less spin on shots.  Haven't lost many high and right

 

do you play the 130s in wedges?

I play Nippon SPB 8 iron X flex shafts in the wedges

Edited December 9, 2021 by NicholasP

[markheardjr]

10 hours ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

interesting on the wedges.  8-pw is where I noticed the biggest drop in apex.   Also the ability to hit 1/2 and 3/4 shots and still feel like the shaft is unloading a bit.

 

Glad to hear the 125 are working!  

 

I have noticed comments from the really strong guys that dabble with X7, PX7.0+, CTaper130x, etc seem to think the 130X provides the launch and spin characteristics they were searching for. And never make comments about long vs. short irons. It still allows them to flight the ball how they want.

 

I tried the 130S in a wedges but didn't last too long in the bag.  I am amazed anyone can play a 130x in a wedge. I actually think a 130R might be worth a trial run to see if you can get that nice pop feel off the face and still get some load in the shaft on softer swings.  Never did pick up a 130R though. Might be something to tinker with in the future.

[LeftyMatt24]

On 12/8/2021 at 12:02 AM, Pnwpingi210 said:

Wanted to share my experience with the modus 130 x shaft.

 

TLDR; as a high ball and high spin player, the modus 130x shaft gave me a very low to mid penetrating ball flight, a club more distance through my bag, and equal or better dispersion to any shaft I’ve tried to date.  Do not rule them out based on being a high launch shaft.

 

About me - 41, 6’1’’, 95+ mph 7 iron ss, 115- 120 on course driver ss.  playing golf off and on since my teenage years.  Decided to focus on Golf in 2021 and played more than 5 rounds (26 rounds) in a year for the first time in 12 plus years.  High ball (iron apex 125 feet) and high spin player. I ended the year at a 9 handicap, with putting being my weak spot.

 

I’ve tried tour v 120x, project x7.0, dg x7, and finally modus 130x.  All in ping i210 heads

 

Up until trying the modus, my best rounds and overall ball striking were were with the px 7.0.  Yardages were incredibly consistent and the ball just wanted to go straight.  The knock was the apex was very high, like 125 feet high.  And the px tended to get to that apex quickly and flatten out which creates  problems in the wind.  Also was tough to flight low.  Feel was fine.

 

The x7 gave me the penetrating ball flight I was looking for, along with the ability to control my shot shape unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.  The problem with them was they tend swing weight 3 points higher than the other irons and made my short irons in particular feel like sledgehammers.  Very tip heavy, which lead to inconsistency in my delivery.  3 out of 5 shots were perfect.  The other two left me in bad positions.

 

Then I hit a demo club with the 130 x shaft, expecting this higher than high ball flight.  After 5 shots I couldn’t believe it.  Indoor trackman telling me shots were apexing at 105 ft and going a full club longer than the px or x7.  Bought a set of 130x from golf works and installed them the next weekend.  Outdoor testing was more of the same.  Ball flight was a tad higher than the x7’s, with that same piercing flight.  Gained a club of distance throughout the bag.  Easy enough to flight low, and can draw or fade the ball a bit. And to top it off, they are easy to swing.  One round in with them and hit my most greens in reg this season.  
 

it’s possible I may still be in the honeymoon phase (600 or so range balls and one round).  Only time will tell.
 

 

Wow thanks for sharing. I have similar speeds and played everything except modus 130x. I might give it a try the next time I do a fitting. Luckily my X7 are paired with Titleist heads (usually lightweight) and swingweight out in my preferred range. 

[Cactus Jack]

I went through a fairly extensive fitting process and ended up with Titleist T100 with 130X shafts. I tried a bunch of shafts, and for whatever reason I always get similar results across the board. For example, I can hit a Dynamic Gold in the same realm as a C-Taper. Feel certainly changes, but no material difference in performance. Until, I hit the 130. 

 

For the first time ever, a shaft helped center my strike pattern, shrunk my standard deviation, and produced near identical flight conditions throughout the entire bag. Below is a peak height snapshot of P-7, and all are bang on with the ball launching through the same window every time. Standard deviations from a recent range session (throwing out obvious mishits) for ball speed, spin, and carry were 1 mph, 208 rpms, and 3 yards, respectively. I have never experienced results like that in my life. Now, the T100s play a role, so does a recent run of lessons, but no other shaft has produced results like this for me, ever. 

 

 

[NicholasP]

1 hour ago, Cactus Jack said:

I went through a fairly extensive fitting process and ended up with Titleist T100 with 130X shafts. I tried a bunch of shafts, and for whatever reason I always get similar results across the board. For example, I can hit a Dynamic Gold in the same realm as a C-Taper. Feel certainly changes, but no material difference in performance. Until, I hit the 130. 

 

For the first time ever, a shaft helped center my strike pattern, shrunk my standard deviation, and produced near identical flight conditions throughout the entire bag. Below is a peak height snapshot of P-7, and all are bang on with the ball launching through the same window every time. Standard deviations from a recent range session (throwing out obvious mishits) for ball speed, spin, and carry were 1 mph, 208 rpms, and 3 yards, respectively. I have never experienced results like that in my life. Now, the T100s play a role, so does a recent run of lessons, but no other shaft has produced results like this for me, ever. 

 

 

Amazing, thanks for sharing that data.  I haven't dove deep into the numbers like you have, but my results are very similar.  I hit the ball out of the center of the face more often, and my trajectory is right where I like it.  Does make me want to hit some T100's though🤣

Edited December 9, 2021 by NicholasP

[bladehunter]

Modus 130x is by far the best performing steel shaft I’ve ever hit.  To this day. Modus 130x in my titleist mb 6 iron rules the ballspeed record for any iron plus or minus 2 degrees loft I’ve ever hit.  It simply works for me.     I’ve been playing mmt125tx since an elbow injury last winter. But recently tested the modus pw vs the t100 with mmt pw.  And the stock shot is 6 yards farther with the modus.  And that iron is 3 degrees weaker in loft. That’s how much better the weight  and bend profile works for me. 

Edited December 10, 2021 by bladehunter

[NRJyzr]

This thread has me exploring the 130 shaft profile data more than I had previously.  I had tried 130 S in demo mode, back in the day.  But, that was at a point in time I'd devolved to a DGS player, coming from DGX.  The relative profiles show why that wasn't a great translation.

 

However, 130 Regular is eerily close to SteelFiber i95 stiff (which I like, in my limited use of one club with it), and almost as close to DGS, except for a slightly stiffer upper-mid.  And, of course, the much softer tip in the 130, compared to either i95 S or DGS.  Makes me wonder about trying the 130 R...

 

Going back to steel concerns me a bit, but Nippon shafts are considerably smoother than True Temper, and there's always the Prosoft or Billy Bob's replacement for sensicore...   A ho's gotta ho, right?

 

sharing profile data below, which helps show why 130 S was no bueno for me

 

[bladehunter]

9 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

This thread has me exploring the 130 shaft profile data more than I had previously.  I had tried 130 S in demo mode, back in the day.  But, that was at a point in time I'd devolved to a DGS player, coming from DGX.  The relative profiles show why that wasn't a great translation.

 

However, 130 Regular is eerily close to SteelFiber i95 stiff (which I like, in my limited use of one club with it), and almost as close to DGS, except for a slightly stiffer upper-mid.  And, of course, the much softer tip in the 130, compared to either i95 S or DGS.  Makes me wonder about trying the 130 R...

 

Going back to steel concerns me a bit, but Nippon shafts are considerably smoother than True Temper, and there's always the Prosoft or Billy Bob's replacement for sensicore...   A ho's gotta ho, right?

 

sharing profile data below, which helps show why 130 S was no bueno for me

 

I’d definitely suggest the R.  You won’t hit the 130 and say” oh that’s too soft” 

 

to me I think it the lively tip that just wins. But somehow it’s not loose on dispersion 

[NRJyzr]

8 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

I’d definitely suggest the R.  You won’t hit the 130 and say” oh that’s too soft” 

 

to me I think it the lively tip that just wins. But somehow it’s not loose on dispersion 

 

Might be a cool fit for my Tommy Armour 986 Tours.  🙂

 

Or hell, my Vibration Matched Golden Ram clubheads, just lying around.  LOL

 

I sense an order of a couple individual shafts could be on the horizon...

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by NRJyzr

[Pnwpingi210]

22 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

 

Might be a cool fit for my Tommy Armour 986 Tours.  🙂

 

Or hell, my Vibration Matched Golden Ram clubheads, just lying around.  LOL

 

I sense an order of a couple individual shafts could be on the horizon...

 

 

22 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

This thread has me exploring the 130 shaft profile data more than I had previously.  I had tried 130 S in demo mode, back in the day.  But, that was at a point in time I'd devolved to a DGS player, coming from DGX.  The relative profiles show why that wasn't a great translation.

 

However, 130 Regular is eerily close to SteelFiber i95 stiff (which I like, in my limited use of one club with it), and almost as close to DGS, except for a slightly stiffer upper-mid.  And, of course, the much softer tip in the 130, compared to either i95 S or DGS.  Makes me wonder about trying the 130 R...

 

Going back to steel concerns me a bit, but Nippon shafts are considerably smoother than True Temper, and there's always the Prosoft or Billy Bob's replacement for sensicore...   A ho's gotta ho, right?

 

sharing profile data below, which helps show why 130 S was no bueno for me

 

My experience with the 130x is that it is smooth without feeling whippy.  It’s also very easy on the joints compared to the other steel shafts I’ve used.  

[MtlJeff]

Modus 130's are great. I'd highly recommend them to anyone who had been using Ctaper or S300/X100 but needed just a tad bit more help elevating the longer irons.

 

I supposed AMT Whites exist for that also. But i'm very happy with Modus

[Pnwpingi210]

Little update: round 2 (9 holes) in the books.  Played in high winds today (steady 10-15mph, gusts 25+) on a soggy course  in pnw.  

Into the wind, I wasn’t able to flight the ball down like I could with the x7, however it didn’t seem to matter.  Was able to hit full shots that seems to cut right through the wind.   Was nervous initially after seeing the ball flight in the first couple shots but was still hitting my yardages.  Previously I’ve lost a club or more into wind like that on that course.  Pretty incredible.
 

 

[bladehunter]

2 hours ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

Little update: round 2 (9 holes) in the books.  Played in high winds today (steady 10-15mph, gusts 25+) on a soggy course  in pnw.  

Into the wind, I wasn’t able to flight the ball down like I could with the x7, however it didn’t seem to matter.  Was able to hit full shots that seems to cut right through the wind.   Was nervous initially after seeing the ball flight in the first couple shots but was still hitting my yardages.  Previously I’ve lost a club or more into wind like that on that course.  Pretty incredible.
 

 

Yep. That’s 130x.  They just push through. I had the same with x100 or x7 forever. Spin up and die. 

[NicholasP]

Looked up Leishmams WITB as I was curious what he played in the wedges being a 130x player, which is indeed 130x's.  What I didn't realize is that his irons and wedges are all hard stepped.  That's a lot of shaft......

[Pnwpingi210]

21 hours ago, NicholasP said:

Looked up Leishmams WITB as I was curious what he played in the wedges being a 130x player, which is indeed 130x's.  What I didn't realize is that his irons and wedges are all hard stepped.  That's a lot of shaft......

I can’t imagine.  Wonder what he was looking for by hard stepping?  Doesn’t look overly aggressive.

Edited December 13, 2021 by Pnwpingi210

[markheardjr]

22 hours ago, NicholasP said:

Looked up Leishmams WITB as I was curious what he played in the wedges being a 130x player, which is indeed 130x's.  What I didn't realize is that his irons and wedges are all hard stepped.  That's a lot of shaft......

I'm guessing when they say "hardstepped wedge" they mean he's using the 37" shaft, which is the shortest offered uncut raw length shaft. Unless he's tipping it?

 

Nippon has their raw 9i shaft at 37.5" when most companies use the 37" for all wedges and the 9i. So one might say that Nippons are half-soft-stepped to begin with. But flex is subjective between companies anyways, some meh. But perhaps Leishman  is using the 37" in his 9i as well, which would mean more likely his 9i up to 3i is "hardstepped" in Nippon terms, and his wedges are normal. Unless they tip trimmed, or hand plucked a higher CPM shaft, or Nippon made a proto for him, which i doubt. The only TX proto I know of was for the Tour125. A Tour130TX would be pure rebar. And I am unfamiliar with any tour130 protos besides the 2G18 which became the retail Tour130.  There were lighter weight versions.

[Pnwpingi210]

Question for modus 130x players, what are you playing in your woods??

 

Currently bouncing around between a smoke green tx, aldila silver 130 tx, Kuro kage xd tx, and Ventus black x - all 70 grams.  Most consistent are the smoke green and sliver 130.

[goje22]

On 12/14/2021 at 8:09 PM, Pnwpingi210 said:

Question for modus 130x players, what are you playing in your woods??

 

Currently bouncing around between a smoke green tx, aldila silver 130 tx, Kuro kage xd tx, and Ventus black x - all 70 grams.  Most consistent are the smoke green and sliver 130.

I am on my 2nd set of iBlades with modus 130X shafts (have two backups too!) and have a driver ss of about 122 on course. I used for the longest time Oban revenge 75-05 in driver and 85-05 in woods due to its VERY similar profile to modus 130x (Uber stiff handle, stiff mid, soft tip). 
 

in 2022 I have switched to Hzrdus RDX Red 70TX and 80TX in my woods which is a similar profile but slightly lower spin for me. 

[RobDMB]

Are Modus 130X players finding it as stiff as some say? I've read where some seem to say it plays stiffer than a typical X shaft whereas others say its smooth. 

[LeftyMatt24]

14 minutes ago, RobDMB said:

Are Modus 130X players finding it as stiff as some say? I've read where some seem to say it plays stiffer than a typical X shaft whereas others say its smooth. 

It is very stable in the handle but is smooth. I do not find it as harsh as a project x 7.0 or CTaper 130x. It plays stiff but has a modus feel compared to other x flex. It does launch higher. 

[RobDMB]

Just now, LeftyMatt24 said:

It is very stable in the handle but is smooth. I do not find it as harsh as a project x 7.0 or CTaper 130x. It plays stiff but has a modus feel compared to other x flex. It does launch higher. 

Do you find it stiffer than PX 6.5?

[LeftyMatt24]

I think very comparable. What’s different is the modus is extremely butt stiff but softer tip. Just depends on how you react to the profile. Project x has a stiffer tip for sure. 

[Pnwpingi210]

4 hours ago, RobDMB said:

Are Modus 130X players finding it as stiff as some say? I've read where some seem to say it plays stiffer than a typical X shaft whereas others say its smooth. 

If you are able to load the modus, it definitely feels smoother and less stiff.  If you aren’t a heavy loader, it might feel as stiff or stiffer as anything else

[BubbaBallesteros]

On 6/2/2022 at 6:36 PM, goje22 said:

I am on my 2nd set of iBlades with modus 130X shafts (have two backups too!) and have a driver ss of about 122 on course. I used for the longest time Oban revenge 75-05 in driver and 85-05 in woods due to its VERY similar profile to modus 130x (Uber stiff handle, stiff mid, soft tip). 
 

in 2022 I have switched to Hzrdus RDX Red 70TX and 80TX in my woods which is a similar profile but slightly lower spin for me. 

Where did you find the HZRDUS Smoke RDX Red 80TX? I thought they only went to 70g.

[goje22]

On 10/31/2022 at 7:49 AM, BubbaBallesteros said:

Where did you find the HZRDUS Smoke RDX Red 80TX? I thought they only went to 70g.

those are tour issue for that weight only! You can find them on eBay here and there, it will (as most TT Tour products) only come in TX.