The story of Nike Golf’s ascension has been well documented. When they originally signed Tiger Woods way back when, they offered next to nothing as far as golf was concerned. Nike slowly introduced footwear, apparel, accessories, and finally they weaned Tiger off of Titleist clubs. After decent success with the Ignite line, Nike had a huge hit with the Sasquatch. They built upon the SQ line with the SUMO, and then the DYMO, and finally the Machspeed series. In the driver and fairway woods categories Nike has been successful and innovative, though sometimes criticized. They were among the first adoptees of square drivers as well as 460cc clubheads and adjustable shaft offerings, but they have been ripped for the sound of some of their drivers, which can best be described as “tinny.”
In the iron category, Nike has been solid, but their huge successes have been few and far between. The original Pro Combo irons (and its several variations) did pretty well, and several pros even kept the long irons in their bags until just recently. They were also successful with the Slingshot irons, which, despite being as far from traditional as possible, packed loads of technology into a high-performing package. The last few years Nike has been heavily marketing their Victory Red line of irons, which were co-designed by none other than Tiger Woods. The Forged TW Blades were good looking, yes, but even Tiger took them out of his bag after half a season (though they have since been granted reentry). Many liked the Forged Split Cavity, which were supposed to offer forgiveness and great feel. Unfortunately, in my opinion, they lacked both of those, and the waffle pattern in the cavity wasn’t particularly easy on the eyes either.
This year, Nike has gone back to basics. They have taken one of their most successful lines of irons, the Forged Pro Combo, and they have simplified them, similar to the original Nike Forged Blades that Tiger and other pros played for years. This has all come together to create a set of irons that not only looks great, but aims to offer great feel, forgiveness, and workability for golfers of a wide range of handicaps.
I’ve spent some time with the new Victory Red Pro Combo irons, so let’s see how they stack up.
Continue reading “Nike Victory Red (VR) Pro Combo Irons Review”
Martin Kaymer, your 2010 PGA Champion, is on the fast track to the number one ranking. With five wins in the last 12 months, Kaymer has ascended to the top of the golfing world. While other high ranked players such as Steve Stricker and Lee Westwood have yet to win any top tournaments, Kaymer has won a major and is as capable as anyone at catching fire. Kaymer had more wins on the PGA and European Tours than anyone in the world last year.
Golf is a game that anyone can play, which makes is extremely popular in the 18-35 year-old group that advertisers covet. Because of this golf commercials flood our TVs, airing on all channels and coming from a multitude of companies. It sometimes seems that you are just as likely to see a FedEx golf commercial on HGTV as you are to see a This is SportsCenter commercial with Tiger Woods on ESPN.