- Moderator
- #926
I've spent quite a bit of time compiling my thoughts in a more structured review of these irons and really wanted to share them with everyone. I hope you guys and gals find it insightful!!
First Impression -- Right out of the box these just screamed functional. When I heard Nike was bringing out a combo set, I was pretty excited, especially considering how many THPers were mixing sets over the last year. I personally never considered doing a split set, but the logic surrounding the idea was intriguing and I certainly wanted to at least swing them if not consider them. One of the major points of concern for me was found on both ends of these clubs. While I had very little concern about playing a bladed wedge, I was under the impression that my days of gaming blade irons were over. On the other end of the spectrum, I believed that full cavity irons simply were not something I could take onto a course and play. Bulky, muted, and high launching were the focus of my disinterest for them.
Technology -- I think most are well aware of the three different types of clubs included in the combo set, but if you are not, the 8-PW are blades, the 7-5 are split cavities, and finally the 4-3 are full cavity irons. Nike has also utilized the new X3X high frequency groove pattern to combat the new conforming grooves, and the look is simply awesome. It does make for a bit of a strange comparison when standing over this set vs another set with fewer grooves, but obviously that is not something that would translate onto the course.
Looks -- It's been said by both myself and a handful of others already, but I'll say it again. These are by far some of the most attractive irons on the market. When sitting in the club, the sleek lines and the distinct swoosh really draw your eye, unlike some clubs that just have way too much going on. On the course, small toplines give the feel of a players iron all the way through the set, and the minute differences between the different club styles really brings the set together well. Even the bottom of the club and the font selection for the numbering is attractive. I feel like these clubs are a bit more square on the bottom, but I really like it.
Feel -- The feedback provided by these clubs are more than likely what is to be expected based on the club style. The blades are exceptional in feedback to the extent of a great hit versus a mediocre hit. When striking the ball clean, it provides that remarkable feeling of not really hitting anything, or as some like to argue, hitting through a stick of butter! Moving on in the set to the split cavities, the feedback does not diminish much at all. In fact, only the split cavities have a clear feedback variable between the rest of the set. Somewhat dull and clunky on poor shots, yet 'pured' shots are remarkably clean off the club face.
Performance -- The performance has been exceptional with these irons. While they utilize conforming grooves, there is no lack of spin in the scoring irons, all the way through the set. In fact, I do not find it uncommon to experience upwards of 5-10 feet of backspin when using the blades in ideal conditions. The ball flight through the set is fairly comparable. The split cavities offer the best ball flight, most likely because of the medium level of forgiveness coupled with a reasonable amount of feel, but that is not to speak negatively about the rest of the set. When struck at 100% swing speed, I can create a very high launch angle that causes the ball to reach its' peak and then 'float' towards my intended target, landing softly if not coming back a bit. The term "I nuked that ball" has been said on a handful of occasions where the ball just rockets off the club and goes to 105-110% of my expected length.
Shot Shaping -- The one thing these clubs can do is draw a golf ball. Whether it is a low, curling draw, or a high, hanging draw, bringing the ball around for tough approach shots can be done with relative ease between the PW through to the 5 iron. This can extend into the 4 and 3 iron, but quite a bit more effort is needed to accomplish the draw. In the scoring irons, striking through the ball to create a lower loft is certainly possible, as is taking full swings and really firing the ball into the air to land soft.
Turf Interaction -- I think the boxy bottom of these clubs really keep the turf interaction reasonable. I switched to these irons from a set of game enhancement clubs with a bit of a limited bottom edge that really cut through the turf more than I would prefer. Since making the switch, I have found that my 'fat' shots have been heavily limited in number and when I do take ground, the inertia doesn't sem to to be removed from the speed generated. Overall, I think these may be again one of the top performing irons on the market when it comes to this aspect.
Mis-hits -- I feel like a lot of discussion for golf clubs is designed to how well they perform in ideal situations, but I'd like to touch a bit on their performance during less than ideal shots. With the PW-5 iron, the two mis-hits I have experiences is hitting the ball thin, or hitting the ball out on the toe. In both scenarios, a slightly raw, slightly muted feel is experienced, and shot distance is dropped by about 10-15%. Extending into the 3/4, the miss can be thin with a small fade, and oddly enough I feel like these clubs have the biggest feedback issues on poorly struck shots. Not only the way the club feels when it strikes the ball, but the sound created just really alienates the two longest irons.
Conclusion -- I am very comfortable saying that these are some of the best irons on the market this year. I have experimented with a number of OEMs this year and I have yet to come across a set of irons that performs quite as well throughout the set as the Nike VR Pro Combo irons. For those claiming that Nike has yet to find their place in the golf equipment world, I think they are either sorely mistaken, or blatantly misinformed. I took on this testing with excitement of the Nike line and am happy to say they have not let me down in the slightest. If I could make one small adjustment to my personal set, I would like switch the 7 iron to a blade, and then extend the split cavities throughout the rest of the set. While I do believe the 3/4 iron perform well when struck right, I have found them to be the most difficult to hit consistently.
I want to take another moment to thank THP and Nike Golf for giving me such an enjoyable opportunity. The Nike golf line will be on the top of my list for many years to come due to their generosity and quality they have shown to myself and my fellow THPers.
First Impression -- Right out of the box these just screamed functional. When I heard Nike was bringing out a combo set, I was pretty excited, especially considering how many THPers were mixing sets over the last year. I personally never considered doing a split set, but the logic surrounding the idea was intriguing and I certainly wanted to at least swing them if not consider them. One of the major points of concern for me was found on both ends of these clubs. While I had very little concern about playing a bladed wedge, I was under the impression that my days of gaming blade irons were over. On the other end of the spectrum, I believed that full cavity irons simply were not something I could take onto a course and play. Bulky, muted, and high launching were the focus of my disinterest for them.
Technology -- I think most are well aware of the three different types of clubs included in the combo set, but if you are not, the 8-PW are blades, the 7-5 are split cavities, and finally the 4-3 are full cavity irons. Nike has also utilized the new X3X high frequency groove pattern to combat the new conforming grooves, and the look is simply awesome. It does make for a bit of a strange comparison when standing over this set vs another set with fewer grooves, but obviously that is not something that would translate onto the course.
Looks -- It's been said by both myself and a handful of others already, but I'll say it again. These are by far some of the most attractive irons on the market. When sitting in the club, the sleek lines and the distinct swoosh really draw your eye, unlike some clubs that just have way too much going on. On the course, small toplines give the feel of a players iron all the way through the set, and the minute differences between the different club styles really brings the set together well. Even the bottom of the club and the font selection for the numbering is attractive. I feel like these clubs are a bit more square on the bottom, but I really like it.
Feel -- The feedback provided by these clubs are more than likely what is to be expected based on the club style. The blades are exceptional in feedback to the extent of a great hit versus a mediocre hit. When striking the ball clean, it provides that remarkable feeling of not really hitting anything, or as some like to argue, hitting through a stick of butter! Moving on in the set to the split cavities, the feedback does not diminish much at all. In fact, only the split cavities have a clear feedback variable between the rest of the set. Somewhat dull and clunky on poor shots, yet 'pured' shots are remarkably clean off the club face.
Performance -- The performance has been exceptional with these irons. While they utilize conforming grooves, there is no lack of spin in the scoring irons, all the way through the set. In fact, I do not find it uncommon to experience upwards of 5-10 feet of backspin when using the blades in ideal conditions. The ball flight through the set is fairly comparable. The split cavities offer the best ball flight, most likely because of the medium level of forgiveness coupled with a reasonable amount of feel, but that is not to speak negatively about the rest of the set. When struck at 100% swing speed, I can create a very high launch angle that causes the ball to reach its' peak and then 'float' towards my intended target, landing softly if not coming back a bit. The term "I nuked that ball" has been said on a handful of occasions where the ball just rockets off the club and goes to 105-110% of my expected length.
Shot Shaping -- The one thing these clubs can do is draw a golf ball. Whether it is a low, curling draw, or a high, hanging draw, bringing the ball around for tough approach shots can be done with relative ease between the PW through to the 5 iron. This can extend into the 4 and 3 iron, but quite a bit more effort is needed to accomplish the draw. In the scoring irons, striking through the ball to create a lower loft is certainly possible, as is taking full swings and really firing the ball into the air to land soft.
Turf Interaction -- I think the boxy bottom of these clubs really keep the turf interaction reasonable. I switched to these irons from a set of game enhancement clubs with a bit of a limited bottom edge that really cut through the turf more than I would prefer. Since making the switch, I have found that my 'fat' shots have been heavily limited in number and when I do take ground, the inertia doesn't sem to to be removed from the speed generated. Overall, I think these may be again one of the top performing irons on the market when it comes to this aspect.
Mis-hits -- I feel like a lot of discussion for golf clubs is designed to how well they perform in ideal situations, but I'd like to touch a bit on their performance during less than ideal shots. With the PW-5 iron, the two mis-hits I have experiences is hitting the ball thin, or hitting the ball out on the toe. In both scenarios, a slightly raw, slightly muted feel is experienced, and shot distance is dropped by about 10-15%. Extending into the 3/4, the miss can be thin with a small fade, and oddly enough I feel like these clubs have the biggest feedback issues on poorly struck shots. Not only the way the club feels when it strikes the ball, but the sound created just really alienates the two longest irons.
Conclusion -- I am very comfortable saying that these are some of the best irons on the market this year. I have experimented with a number of OEMs this year and I have yet to come across a set of irons that performs quite as well throughout the set as the Nike VR Pro Combo irons. For those claiming that Nike has yet to find their place in the golf equipment world, I think they are either sorely mistaken, or blatantly misinformed. I took on this testing with excitement of the Nike line and am happy to say they have not let me down in the slightest. If I could make one small adjustment to my personal set, I would like switch the 7 iron to a blade, and then extend the split cavities throughout the rest of the set. While I do believe the 3/4 iron perform well when struck right, I have found them to be the most difficult to hit consistently.
I want to take another moment to thank THP and Nike Golf for giving me such an enjoyable opportunity. The Nike golf line will be on the top of my list for many years to come due to their generosity and quality they have shown to myself and my fellow THPers.
