Nike is Releasing Vapor Speed Driver with Tiger's Specs

[Mr. Desmond]

Just curious, what do you think Nike ( or any other brand ) would need to do to convince you? Or at this stage, do you think it's a lost cause?

Again, I have never seen the negative onus on Nike's clubs until this thread ( probably my ignorance ). I believe they were the steadiest whilst others have declined in the past couple of years. This could be due to clothing and not clubs at all.

Nike has taken a beating on their woods since inception, for the most part.

I actually liked the original  Nike SQ (square driver) with the fake Diamana Blue shaft. The next iteration sounded like a garbage can, and I ignored Nike until the Covert 2. Very solid club that did not go that far. This year's Vapor Drivers are more of a Nike in-house design. The original Covert was from an outsourced design firm.

Good reviews help.

Callaway has been a big comeback winner the past couple of years with their entire driver and woods lineup, not to mention the new hybrids, Apex irons, and PM wedges.

Titleist holds steady.

Ping holds steady, and the G30 kicked it up.

TM is big, and for a couple of years was BIG, but the last 2 years have seen declines and turnover at the top.

[jamo]

Relative price to the regular Vapor Speed reflected in that positivity?

Well the Flex is $200 more than the Speed so ... no.

[dkolo]

Well the Flex is $200 more than the Speed so ... no.

Haha, yeah, I figured as much.

[billchao]

Just curious, what do you think Nike ( or any other brand ) would need to do to convince you? Or at this stage, do you think it's a lost cause?

It's hardly a lost cause. They've never given me reason to dislike them, I just don't think their woods are as good as some of the others out there. Good reviews are important and I'm sure @jamo 's will help, but their past offerings haven't been all that spectacular and I think that holds them back. Like I said, when I'm thinking drivers, Nike isn't on top of that list. I don't have the time to read reviews on everything out there, so Nike reviews don't make the cut.

Again, I have never seen the negative onus on Nike's clubs until this thread ( probably my ignorance ). I believe they were the steadiest whilst others have declined in the past couple of years. This could be due to clothing and not clubs at all.

That's interesting. I haven't considered any equipment manufacturers on the decline in recent years. Even Taylormade made some great clubs, they just released too many for a while.

Anyway, this is all pretty far off-topic. If it will make you feel better, I'll start reading some Nike reviews in the future.

[Mugs050]

I put the Nike Vapour Pro in the bag two rounds ago it was a replacement because my Covert 2.0 broke (I didn't like it anyway) and before that I played the old Nike 420 Tour that Tiger use to hit before the Coverts (Awesome Driver). In Between I switched to Titleist briefly which had great results and will be a fall back option.

With all that being said I think the Nike Vapour Pro is a great driver! Very dead sound but incredibly consistent and no where near as wild as other distance drivers I have hit. I think NIke Drivers get a bad rep because their simply some of the hardest drivers to hit for the average player but if your a better player with a good swing speed then I think there worth a look. They won't help a player correct a slice or add distance but IMO will help you find more fairways.

[Mr. Desmond]

I put the Nike Vapour Pro in the bag two rounds ago it was a replacement because my Covert 2.0 broke (I didn't like it anyway) and before that I played the old Nike 420 Tour that Tiger use to hit before the Coverts (Awesome Driver). In Between I switched to Titleist briefly which had great results and will be a fall back option.

With all that being said I think the Nike Vapour Pro is a great driver! Very dead sound but incredibly consistent and no where near as wild as other distance drivers I have hit. I think NIke Drivers get a bad rep because their simply some of the hardest drivers to hit for the average player but if your a better player with a good swing speed then I think there worth a look. They won't help a player correct a slice or add distance but IMO will help you find more fairways.

The Vapor Speed is the more forgiving driver in the line for the rest of us...

[anthony]

Based on what I've been told, Nike sales numbers for the Vapor line is below expectations@RayG

That's not surprising, because they are soooo freakin ugly. I mean, what the hell were they thinking with the irons? They had some pretty classy looking sets for a while, but these are an eye sore.

Overall, I quite like the nike that I've hit. I'm currently playing an old sumo driver (which may go away soon) and two sumo hybrids. They hybrids are great imo. Hit a playing partners covert 3 wood a couple times, and really liked it. Especially off the tee.

[Jeremie Boop]

Based on what? Hopefully not by multiple reviews of the clubs, because the last 3 models Nike has delivered have been pretty damn good.

I'm no snob about club manufacturers, I've tried clubs from just about every one of them. I had a Nike driver that I liked well enough and I almost bought a Nike covert 4 wood at one point. I care less about reviews and marketing than I do about performance of a club in my hands. The issue is, Nike still isn't typically thought of as a "golf company" and that's why they are generally skipped over by most people who are buying clubs.

[dkolo]

That's not surprising, because they are soooo freakin ugly. I mean, what the hell were they thinking with the irons? They had some pretty classy looking sets for a while, but these are an eye sore. Overall, I quite like the nike that I've hit. I'm currently playing an old sumo driver (which may go away soon) and two sumo hybrids. They hybrids are great imo. Hit a playing partners covert 3 wood a couple times, and really liked it. Especially off the tee.

That's really interesting. I've thought the Covert irons were really ghastly, but that the Vapor irons were very appealing from a visual standpoint. I've felt the opposite with the woods: the Covert red was spectacular. Volt green, not so much.

[Mac62]

The average golfer playing a driver built to Woods' specs (if in fact it truly is) makes about as much sense as the average soccer mom driving Danica Patrick's Indy car.

Genius marketing move on Nike's part, though.  Remove the adjustability of the stock Vapor Speed driver, slap Woods' name on it and charge an extra hundred bucks for it!  They know that his followers will line up in droves to buy it, because it's "Just like Tiger's!!!11!!!".

[inthehole]

yes, but will it help me become more explosive off the tee ?

[Zeph]

How much force does the glutes have to fire with to properly utilize this club?

[jamo]

How much force does the glutes have to fire with to properly utilize this club?

You have to duct tape them together,

[Ernest Jones]

You have to duct tape them together,

Check! What's next?

[k-troop]

The average golfer playing a driver built to Woods' specs (if in fact it truly is) makes about as much sense as the average soccer mom driving Danica Patrick's Indy car. Genius marketing move on Nike's part, though.  Remove the adjustability of the stock Vapor Speed driver, slap Woods' name on it and charge an extra hundred bucks for it!  They know that his followers will line up in droves to buy it, because it's "Just like Tiger's!!!11!!!".

This is exactly what I was thinking. Doesn't TW use a graphite design shaft in his driver? And I'd be surprised to learn he's swinging 10.5* loft. Basically you're paying extra for a less functional club that may be fraudulently marketed (or misleading at the least).

[Mr. Desmond]

This is exactly what I was thinking. Doesn't TW use a graphite design shaft in his driver? And I'd be surprised to learn he's swinging 10.5* loft.

Basically you're paying extra for a less functional club that may be fraudulently marketed (or misleading at the least).

The Vapor Speed TW is the latest product borne out of insights from the world’s best athletes, and the relentless pursuit of the world’s most innovative club craftsmen. It features a smaller head than the other Drivers in the vapor family (420cc) with 10.75 degrees of loft and a bonded hosel. Combining FlyBeam structure and a Covert Cavity Back design to deliver a 1-2 punch of extreme ball speed and workable forgiveness that passes the Tiger Test. And for the first time ever, the same driver head that Tiger uses on tour will be available to every golfer trying to take their drives to the next level.

______

I guess they get around the misleading by saying "the same driver head that Tiger uses..."

Still, all the OEM's push the gray area regarding claims.

[dkolo]

This is exactly what I was thinking. Doesn't TW use a graphite design shaft in his driver? And I'd be surprised to learn he's swinging 10.5* loft. Basically you're paying extra for a less functional club that may be fraudulently marketed (or misleading at the least).

He's used a 10° in the past. I'm sure it changes with his swing and the specific CG of his driver model. Nike has probably poured a bunch of money into making Tiger's bespoke driver and figures it can make some back selling it to the public. I don't know what motivation they'd have for lying about the specs. They're pretty clearly marketing this as "It's fitted for Tiger. Your mileage may vary"

[Mr. Desmond]

He's used a 10° in the past. I'm sure it changes with his swing and the specific CG of his driver model. Nike has probably poured a bunch of money into making Tiger's bespoke driver and figures it can make some back selling it to the public. I don't know what motivation they'd have for lying about the specs. They're pretty clearly marketing this as "It's fitted for Tiger. Your mileage may vary"

Well, at least it is a head fitted for Tiger ... a head that is no doubt low launch and low spin ... will fit all of Tiger's devotees ... no doubt.