Nakashima Golf prides itself in offering outstanding and unique technology in the construction of their golf clubs.

Can you describe more about Nakashima Golf?

“Nakashima Golf is a premium golf equipment manufacturer dedicated to providing golfers the finest feel, forgiveness and distance ever offered to the golfing public. We are committed to using the finest materials available in combination with the most advanced golf equipment manufacturing techniques to achieve our goals. As a small boutique studio, we are able to set higher standards for ourselves than the larger equipment manufacturers do.”

What separates Nakashima Golf from its competition?

“What really separates Nakashima Golf from our competitors is our attention to detail in the following three criteria: Performance, Beauty and Craftsmanship. Mass production is great for some products, but not for golf clubs. One example is the extensive forging process of our NP-1 driver face insert. Utilizing our proprietary forging technique, we are able to produce a sense of feel and control that can’t be duplicated by our competition. PGA Tour professionals expect the highest level of quality in their equipment. Until now it has been very difficult for amateur golfers to receive the same level of quality. We at Nakashima Golf are proud to be at the forefront of a revolution aimed toward the average golfer, which will enable him or her to experience the benefits of a superior quality product.”

Please explain your “true loft and face angle” system?

“Each Nakashima driver head is carefully checked, with a tolerance of 0.5 degree on loft and face angle, and then we CNC mill the loft on each head. We have measured some heads from some large reputable OEM’s that were off as much as 2 degrees. This measurement is very important when golfers demo a driver on the range and then go to the pro shop to purchase what they think is an identical driver. The driver that the golfer purchases may have a completely different loft and face angle from the one that he or she was hitting so well on the range. These specifications are absolutely critical to the outcome of how well the driver ultimately performs for the golfer. The amount of clubs manufactured by large OEM’s on a daily basis does not lend itself to exact and time-consuming standards such as ours.”

What is the technology behind the NP-1 woods?

“Our woods are manufactured with the latest state-of-the-art construction. Every NP-1 (Nakashima Performance-1) wood is made from a 2-piece pull-face construction. The body is cast from high-grade titanium or steel, and then the face insert is plasma welded. Using our proprietary process (Super Micro Forging), we’re able to produce a forged face insert that has a sound and feel unlike any other wood in the

Why is it important to have variable sole thickness?

“All the NP-1 line of woods feature variable sole thickness. This technology allows our engineers to precisely position the center of gravity in the optimum position to create an ideal launch angle and lower spin-rate to achieve maximum distances on carry and roll. The NP-1 driver is designed to deliver maximum forgiveness to the mid to high handicap golfer while also giving the more accomplished player the ability to shape their shots on demand.”

Will golfers get more distance with the NP-1 driver?

“Absolutely. The NP-1 driver is designed to achieve the maximum distance under the rules of the U.S.G.A. Achieving the U.S.G.A. limit of .830 C.O.R is not difficult. Even poorly constructed woods can achieve the maximum C.O.R. What separates our advanced construction is that it maintains the highest C.O.R. possible almost entirely across the face of the driver. This translates to solid feeling and performing miss hits that can achieve similar distances to a perfectly struck shot.”

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A Q & A, Published in Golf Champion Magazine

Nakashima NP-1 and NX-5 Irons
John Nakashima, President

What goal did you set forth when you decided to produce your first set of irons?

“Our goal was simple: make the best performing and best feeling irons in the industry or don’t make anything at all. Our devoted customers expect irons with the same superior performance and finish of our woods. At Nakashima Golf, we are devoted to the pursuit of Performance, Beauty and Craftsmanship. No expense is spared in any of our construction and finishing processes.”

What are the design and performance features of your NP-1 forged irons?“

Like our NP-1 woods, we sought to create a modern classic to be appreciated by the most discriminating players. The lines on the irons are tour influenced. They feature a slightly rounded toe and thinner top line. The graceful shape is timeless in design. The NP-1 irons are true billet forged to make the grain as tight as possible. We double forge and double chrome our NP-1 irons for ultimate feel and durability.”

Have the NX-5 irons met your expectations for a cast club?“

Absolutely. There are so many uninspired cast irons on the market today. Our goal was to create a set of forgiving cavity back irons that could be appreciated by weekend golfers and at the same time coveted by tour players. The irons are for players of all skill levels. They feature progressive offset and a low center of gravity, which result in ease of alignment and higher trajectory. By coin forging the 303 stainless steel heads we are able to have the smoothest grain structure possible in a cast iron. Our method eliminates any internal voids that occur in traditional casting methods. The effect of our method generates a deeply solid acoustic tone at impact only found in our NX-5.”

What made you decide to go with the “no-paint fill” look with your new irons?“

I thought that by not using paint filling on the backs of the irons, we could showcase the quality aspects of employing milling in the finishing process. The end look is very clean and custom looking. We don’t want anything to distract your eye from the classic lines of the heads.”

Why go through the expense of CNC milling your heads rather than just casting the grooves and other engravings?“

Most, if not all other manufacturers cast their grooves and logos early in the production process and clean them out in the finishing process. Their end results are grooves that are not nearly as uniform as they should be. By painstakingly CNC milling the engravings and grooves, we are able to have more precise control of depth and greater consistency, which in turn allows us to create crisper, more refined grooves and engravings. The grooves stay sharp longer and the engravings retain a higher quality appearance. Our heads are then individually weighed and matched within a set for optimal performance.”

What distinguishes the sound and feel from your competitors?

“On both the NP-1 forged and NX-5, I believe we have achieved the finest sound and feel in the industry. The accomplished golfers will truly appreciate the feedback resulting from our refined forging process and precision casting. The sensation at impact imparts a feeling of total purity.”

Are golfers able to customize their NP-1 and NX-5 iron sets?“

Entirely. A majority of our dealers are top clubmakers. One of our goals was to create for them an easily adjusted set of irons for the individual player. Any master clubmaker can easily adjust both our NP-1 and NX-5 irons. We chose 303 stainless steel for the cast irons not only for its buttery soft feel, but also for the fact that it allows for easier bending than the 17-4 and 431 steels commonly found in other cast clubs. Clubmakers can easily adjust our irons 3 to 4 degrees in any direction with ease and confidence.”

How are your irons tested to meet your performance expectations?

“As with all Nakashima designs, the NP-1 and NX-5 irons, went through a great deal of both mechanical and human testing. Our engineers tested the center of gravity on each iron to assure optimum trajectory throughout the set. We experimented with numerous steel alloys and finishing materials to achieve the exact look we were aiming towards. After we attained the look we wanted, it was time for personal feedback on performance and feel. We took our irons to the course to see for ourselves if we had realized the high mark we had initially set for ourselves. Through much personal testing and fine-tuning the results speak for themselves. We sincerely believe we have achieved our goal of manufacturing the highest performing and best feeling irons in the industry.”