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Adams A12 hybrid vs Tour Edge Exotics XCG-4 hybrid vs Nike VR_S hybrid testing review

SuperStroke
All4's

All4's

Need. More. Eagles.
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Bought the Nike from MattyKrack and he asked me to let him know which one I ended up liking best and I figured I'd just share with everyone my thoughts so far in case anyone else may be considering these hybrids.

Of course this comes with all the standard caveats, IMO, for my swing/game, etc.

Adams A12 4 hybrid
PROS: my favorite looking hybrid because I'm of the camp that does love the insert with matte black trim, still the best feeling, most solid feeling hybrid I've hit, the most iron-like of any I've tried, most consistent distance control, more solid face than hot face, assassin on par 3's due to precise distance control
CONS: not as forgiving as I've found other hybrids to be, tougher to hit out of the rough, sand, and other tough lies, lower ball flight than I prefer, draws only for me, very tough to fade, cannot dial up more distance when needed without some serious additional effort, it is just meant to go exactly a certain distance or less when you choke down

TEE XCG-4 4 hybrid
PROS: outstanding factory shaft (Motore Speeder that plays true to flex) and grip (NDMC), reeks of quality, hot, hot, hot face that gets the ball out of the rough like a cannon and cuts through wind very well, easy club to dial up extra distance with, can hit draw or fade pretty easily with the neutral set up, I know this is minor and basically unimportant but the headcover is nicer than half my wardrobe
CONS: no way to hit it low, toe and heel are directionally forgiving but not quite as distance helpful

Nike VR_S 3 hybrid
PROS: very, very forgiving club, absolute war hammer that the ball explodes off the face of, phenomenal ball flight, great mix of solid and hot feel in the face that is very rewarding and borderline orgasmic on crushed shots, the 3 hybrid goes a touch higher than either of the above 4 hybrids but still maintains a piercing ball flight, I love the factory Fubuki K shaft, has become my go to club off the tee box when I drop down from a driver because it goes darn near as long as my TEE XCG-4 4 wood which is one of if not the longest fairway wood on the market, so that is saying something
CONS: despite being very forgiving, when you exceed the limits of it's forgiveness or over-swing the shaft things go to hell in a handbasket in a hurry with the hot face sending the ball long ways off line, the headcover is pretty blah compared to what the TEE and Adams have

FEEL
1) Adams A12
2) Nike VR_S
3) TEE XCG-4

ACCURACY
1) Adams A12
2) Nike VR_S
3) TEE XCG-4

FORGIVENESS
1) Nike VR_S
2) TEE XCG-4
3) Adams A12

DISTANCE
1) Nike VR_S
2) TEE XCG-4
3) Adams A12

DISTANCE CONTROL
1) Adams A12
2) TEE XCG-4
3) Nike VR_S

WORKABILITY
1) TEE XCG-4
2) Nike VR_S
3) Adams A12

TEE BOX-PAR 3
1) Adams A12
2) Nike VR_S
3) TEE XCG-4

TEE BOX-PAR 4/5
1) Nike VR_S
2) TEE XCG-4
3) Adams A12

FAIRWAY
1) Adams A12
2) TEE XCG-4
3) Nike VR_S

ROUGH
1) TEE XCG-4
2) Nike VR_S
3) Adams A12


SUMMARY: I have no clue which one or combination of the above I'll end up choosing. It is like choosing between children. I do not dislike any of these hybrids and could recommend any of them. I actually love different aspects of each of them.

If I was playing courses heavy on 200+ yard par 3's; I'd choose the Adams.
If I was playing courses heavy on reachable par 5's and with lots of tight driving holes; I'd choose the Nike.
If I was playing courses heavy on both; I'd be stuck where I am today with the TEE being good at everything but not better than the two above at what they excel at, therefore handcuffing me from choosing any one of them yet.

Hope this is helpful and thanks again to MattyKrack for the VR_S, which as you can tell I am loving.
 
Great review All4. Just add the Ping i20 and you have pretty much my next week of pondering. Really like hearing the positive review of the a12 and the VRS, those are both high on my list. Keep this thread updated, I'd really like to hear what you go with.
 
Thanks for sharing. Interesting mix of hybrids there.
 
That's a pretty good rundown, thanks for posting.
 
I would love to see how these hit
 
I find the a12 pro better then the Nike in all aspects
 
I played today and was swinging very well. The course I played has no 200+ long par 3's so the Adams never got pulled but I did hit the Nike and TEE a few times each into some par 5's as well as off of a few tee boxes. The Nike just continues to impress me. The high, piercing ball flight is what I am loving.

It is starting to look like I may go with a 3 & 4 Nike VR_S combo and drop my 4 wood. I really have anxiety about doing that because that caps my ability to reach par 5's in two to being within ~230 or so yards, where I can hit the XCG-4 4 wood up to 240 and sometimes more, but I love having the consistent yardage gaps all the way up to 230 that I get by going the 3 & 4 hybrid route.

Still tinkering and will update again as I go. Plan to go to a very flat range just outside of town that has lots of flags at different yardages and do some serious, extended head to head comparisons to really nail down the yardages for them all.
 
Matty, out of curiosity are you a sweeper or digger with your irons?
 
Sweeper. Which I hate. To easy to thin shots.
 
Gotcha. Glad you're loving the new A12's. They are sweeeeeet. The impact sensation is just top shelf.
 
Well after a 2 hour range session yesterday I've eliminated the Adams A12 and put it on Ebay. It was a painful conclusion but it just wasn't versatile enough to stay in the race for me. Kills me because I loved hitting that club.

Down to the TEE(s) and VR_S.

Next will be side by side on course testing. I'm sneaking out in the next day or two and leaving the driver in the trunk and using two balls off of as many tees as I can in order to try these out head to head. It is back to being a 3 way race though as I'm still not positive I won't be replacing the XCG-4 4 wood. It looks less likely though as I was hitting the XCG-4 4 wood closer to 20 yards farther than the VR-S at the range last night versus the 10 yards farther I thought I was.
 
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For anyone still following this thread, I have been to the range 2 more times and played a round of golf to compare them. I've chosen the Nike VR_S after all was said and done.

The deciding factor was the forgiveness of the VR_S and the higher, but penetrating ballflight.

I've ordered up a 4 hybrid to go with the 3 hybrid I bought from MattyKrack. Still debating if the VR_S 3 hybrid will cause the TEE XCG-4 4 wood to get pulled from the bag. Looking like it will since the VR_S is so much easier to hit. It became more and more tempting to reach it for it over the 4 wood every time I had anything over 220.
 
Nice write up. I just settled on the VRS 3 Hybrid myself after a demo day this weekend and had pretty much the same thoughts. Higher ball flight than most, but penetrating, even into a fairly strong wind that day at the demo day, never ballooned like many others, but still carried the distance I wanted, on target, can draw or fade, did not seem draw biased, nice look, feel, and sound, etc. I didn't expect to like the stock shaft either but I'd be afraid to mess with the combination after how well it performed at the demo. Others I hit that were maybe a little longer, or a little softer landing (hard to tell from 190 yards away, truly), or a bit easier to fade or draw, but for all around performance and aesthetic appeal, the VRS hybrid was my clear winner.
 
Interesting thoughts on the VR S hybrid. While I was in golf galaxy Saturday I hit the Nike, Adams, RBZ and 910 all on the launch monitor. I would have picked the Nike dead last. Just did not care for it one bit. It was harder to hit then all the others and no where near as consistent. As a note this was off the mat inside too. So take it for what its worth.
 
Kmac- Yeah, it will always be different strokes for different folks.

I'll be interested in what you think after hitting them outside, off a fairway and tee box. Turf interaction was another big reason I chose the VR_S over the XCG-4. I don't even use a tee when I hit it off the tee box.

Penglyn- the one thing I want to do again before my tourney this Sun is to play a practice round and hit the VR_S into a bunch of greens to see how it holds. That was a huge reason I always loved the Adams A12 on par 3's, everything stuck like an iron with little to no roll out; which is what I prefer. So far it has, but I have not hit as many balls into par 3's and 5's as I'd like so far.
 
I have really enjoyed this thread. A lot of great testing and input appreciate it all. Whenever you decide on your final decision I'm glad you shared all this to us.
 
Nice thoughts in this thread. I'm hybrid pondering myself, and even though none of the above came into my reckoning, it's great to read some subjective thoughts on them all.
 
Guess this about wraps up my review. I played in a Golfweek Am Tour event yesterday and the 3 best clubs in my bag were the two VR_S hybrids and my mFGP putter.

I've opted to change my set make up based on where I play. 90% of the time I will bag the 3 & 4 Nike VR_S hybrids and about 10% of the time, when I play somewhere with several reachable par 5's, I will swap the 3 VR_S for my TEE XCG-4 4 wood.

The deciding factors were:

1) Ball flight-just the perfect hybrid shot shape for my game that holds a great line in the wind
2) Feel-love the feel of the ball coming off the face of these. I can tell within +/-5 yards how far the ball was hit and where on the face on most shots. Very predictable.
3) Forgiveness/Versatility-because the hybrids are pretty forgiving I can try and get away with more types of shots. Yesterday I lived off of a choked down 3 hybrid from the tee box.

Hope this was helpful.
 
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Thanks for the update. Y'know, I'm now hanksering for a swing of the Nike hybrids. I figure they might work, cos I'm pondering but I'm having the offset sweats again. I just know it's a matter of time before I pull out a big hook with the ones carrying a load of offset. From my brief encounter with the Nike, it didn't look like it had too much, am I correct?
 
There is minimal offset and the face is actually set at 1' open. I don't fear a hook with them at all. Drastically different from the Adams A12 which could unleash a mighty hook when you didn't put a good swing on it.
 
All4's said:
There is minimal offset and the face is actually set at 1' open. I don't fear a hook with them at all. Drastically different from the Adams A12 which could unleash a mighty hook when you didn't put a good swing on it.
Click to expand...

Excellent. I already have a draw which can turn into a smother hook, so this is good news. I'm going internet stalking to accompany my ponder.
 
Well it was almost the last post. After 4 more rounds the VR_S hybrids are now my money clubs. I hit the 3 hybrid 235 onto a Par 5 today that sealed the love affair.
 
I have a natural draw also and could never hit a hybo due to the offet from most brands. As mentioned, if I went after it it would just go left. The VRS is the first hybo that I go after and it will either go straight or have a 5-10yd draw.

With the exception of the adjustable hybo, I think this is the first hybo I know of that has a 1 degree open face.

Never thought I would buy Nike. They were also junk to me until I tried the VRS. The VRS line is a different compared to Nike past offerings.

Sent from my HTC Vision using Tapatalk
 
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