Nike VR Pro Combo Irons - Forum Testing Review

[MikeF]

Thats what I am thinking, got a few things to try with the position to see if it helps. Almost 100% certain it's because the ball is too far forward.

Even with hitting it fat the divots are still nice and shallow, it's just a pity that at the moment I am not making contact with the ball first

 

[Chunkylover77]

Mike if I haven't said it yet, I really appreciate you taking the time to post your thoughts down in here. Sometimes I forget that you are not actually a tester. You are doing a great job man and I really have enjoyed hearing your thoughts on these! Both you and ST have been great contributors in here

 

[MikeF]

Mike if I haven't said it yet, I really appreciate you taking the time to post your thoughts down in here. Sometimes I forget that you are not actually a tester. You are doing a great job man and I really have enjoyed hearing your thoughts on these! Both you and ST have been great contributors in here

Glad to help out, as I have said it was down to the tester's that I got these in the first place. You are all doing a great job

 

[the_paulo]

Mike if I haven't said it yet, I really appreciate you taking the time to post your thoughts down in here. Sometimes I forget that you are not actually a tester. You are doing a great job man and I really have enjoyed hearing your thoughts on these! Both you and ST have been great contributors in here

+1 from me. Really helping us out guys!

 

[#Cookie]

So, after my chipping session yesterday I headed over to the actual range and worked on my PW, 7i, and 4i. Below is some raw footage from that session with a little bit of commentary. Had about 15 minutes of video but cut it down to 3 minutes to actually make it watchable without falling asleep.

I did have a few fat or thin shots mixed in there but they were all "good misses" except for a chunked PW. Overall I was very pleased with the entire session especially at the end with the 4 iron. In the past, I have been hitting the pocket cavities off of the toe and it just does not feel real solid at all. Last night, I was catching the 4i great and still seeing about a 160-165 carry which I was happy with considering it was into the wind and some worn out range balls. I seem to have made a nice transition on these from the toe to the middle of the club and they feel so good when hit flush. At the end of the video, I hold the 4i to the camera and you can see the impact zone after about 15-20 balls and not a single shot was off the toe. :thumb:

 

[Hanks]

great review Jeff

 

[MikeF]

Thanks Chunky - it is right by DFW airport (like less than a mile away) hence all the air traffic.

Mike: ball position was a must change for me with these irons. I was hitting almost everything fat initially but moving ball position between center and rear foot has worked wonders for me on the scoring irons. 5-7 is played at middle and 3-4 just a tad forward of center. Let us know if moving it back helps!


Tappin' from my iPad!

Just back from a range session where I experimented with the ball position. Think I may have it sorted now, playing it a little further back in the stance and also narrowing my stance seems to have helped loads. Won't be certain until I get to the course as it is hard to tell when you are hitting from mats. Looked and felt like most shots were from the centre of the clubface too.

I have noticed that a well stuck PW does chew up the range balls and leaves some ball behind in the grooves.

 

[#Cookie]

Just back from a range session where I experimented with the ball position. Think I may have it sorted now, playing it a little further back in the stance and also narrowing my stance seems to have helped loads. Won't be certain until I get to the course as it is hard to tell when you are hitting from mats. Looked and felt like most shots were from the centre of the clubface too.

I have noticed that a well stuck PW does chew up the range balls and leaves some ball behind in the grooves.

Glad to hear! I think you will see that it translates to the course quite nicely. A narrower stance is also something that I implemented over the last few months and that is keeping me a tad taller throughout the swing and not digging as much as I used to.

 

[biggsy]

Good video mcook. Impact area looked really good and away from the toe.

Enjoying reading and getting caught up in this thread. All of the testers and those not apart of the test are doing a great job.

A couple of questions that may have been covered and I just missed.

1. Are you seeing more forgiveness in the longer irons (3-4)? If so, do you think it's because of the pocket?

2. I took the 3 and 4 out of my bag a long time ago because of the forgiveness issue and went with hybrids. Would any of you go to hybrids or do you like the 3 and 4 iron option offered with this set?

3. Is the different shape and size of the irons throughout the set off-putting to any of you or is it just a non-factor with no issue?

Thanks again for all of the time you've put into the testing.

 

[#Cookie]

Good video mcook. Impact area looked really good and away from the toe.

Enjoying reading and getting caught up in this thread. All of the testers and those not apart of the test are doing a great job.

A couple of questions that may have been covered and I just missed.

1. Are you seeing more forgiveness in the longer irons (3-4)? If so, do you think it's because of the pocket?

2. I took the 3 and 4 out of my bag a long time ago because of the forgiveness issue and went with hybrids. Would any of you go to hybrids or do you like the 3 and 4 iron option offered with this set?

3. Is the different shape and size of the irons throughout the set off-putting to any of you or is it just a non-factor with no issue?

Thanks again for all of the time you've put into the testing.

1. Are you seeing more forgiveness in the longer irons (3-4)? If so, do you think it's because of the pocket?

Quite the contrary, this is where we all expected to see more forgiveness and are not. The rest of the set is much more forgiving outside of the sweet spot than the pocket cavities are. I think the guys that were pure ball strikers did not have too much trouble with these but Chunky and I have had some struggles adapting to this point.

2. I took the 3 and 4 out of my bag a long time ago because of the forgiveness issue and went with hybrids. Would any of you go to hybrids or do you like the 3 and 4 iron option offered with this set?

If I had to decide right now, I would drop the 3 iron and put a hybrid in. I am feeling pretty good about the 4 iron at this point and plan to keep it in the bag after testing concludes.

3. Is the different shape and size of the irons throughout the set off-putting to any of you or is it just a non-factor with no issue?

Non-factor, it transitions really well and not something that has bothered me in the least. Some have talked about being able to barely see the cavity on the pockets at address but it does not bother me personally.

Thanks for the props on the video!

 

[MikeF]

Good video mcook. Impact area looked really good and away from the toe.

Enjoying reading and getting caught up in this thread. All of the testers and those not apart of the test are doing a great job.

A couple of questions that may have been covered and I just missed.

1. Are you seeing more forgiveness in the longer irons (3-4)? If so, do you think it's because of the pocket?

2. I took the 3 and 4 out of my bag a long time ago because of the forgiveness issue and went with hybrids. Would any of you go to hybrids or do you like the 3 and 4 iron option offered with this set?

3. Is the different shape and size of the irons throughout the set off-putting to any of you or is it just a non-factor with no issue?

Thanks again for all of the time you've put into the testing.

1 - Agree with MC here, in that you really need to hit the centre of the clubface with the long irons or else you loose a lot of distance. I am finding shots hit lower on the clubface are fine, but anything high, heel or toe result in at least 20 yards loss of distance. I think that an nice easy smooth swing helps with hitting the sweetspot though. If I try to go after them then that is when I am seeing the majority of the misshits.

Also if I am being honest my old Titleist 735cm 4i was easier to hit than the Nike is and that was a cavity back. It is probably down to still getting to grips with the irons though, I am sure in time that the consistency with the longer irons will improve.

2 - I have the 4-PW set so don't have to worry about the 3i. To be honest I doubt I would have gone with a 3-PW set anyway as I like my 20* hybrids to even consider replacing them with an iron. I wouldn't take the 4i out of my bag either as when I hit it out of the centre I absolutely love the results.

3 - Not off putting at all, I really like the way the set transitions from Pocket Cavity to Split Cavity to Blade. I think you can see a bit more of the back of the club with the longer irons but it isn't distracting at all to me.

 

[the_paulo]

Good video mcook. Impact area looked really good and away from the toe.

Enjoying reading and getting caught up in this thread. All of the testers and those not apart of the test are doing a great job.

A couple of questions that may have been covered and I just missed.

1. Are you seeing more forgiveness in the longer irons (3-4)? If so, do you think it's because of the pocket?

2. I took the 3 and 4 out of my bag a long time ago because of the forgiveness issue and went with hybrids. Would any of you go to hybrids or do you like the 3 and 4 iron option offered with this set?

3. Is the different shape and size of the irons throughout the set off-putting to any of you or is it just a non-factor with no issue?

Thanks again for all of the time you've put into the testing.

Thanks for the comments and questions Biggsy.

1 - I don't seem to be struggling as much as some with the longer irons. I don't know if it's because I just took out a blade 3i to put the pocket in, but I've been seeing some decent results, even though I'll need more testing time with them. I will say that the shot shape I'm seeing with the pockets is slightly different. Either dead straight, or a slight fade, whereas I'm hitting a draw down the rest of the set.
Mishits are unexpectedly harsh with the pocket cavities in my opinion, they can actually give you a bit of a jolt! Definitely an adjustment period going on with all the testers here I think.

2 - I'm undecided. I like to carry a 3 iron sometimes, as I can hit it lower than I would my hybrid. It gets pretty windy here, so that can be useful. I wouldn't drop the 4 iron, as I'm getting to really like it. More rounds needed with the 3 to make that decision I think.

3 - This is one question I had prior to receiving these irons. Thought I might be seeing a mismatched-looking set and vastly different sole/topline shapes sticking out of my bag. I needn't have worried, as Nike have managed to pull off a minor miracle with the looks of these clubs throughout the set. They blend so well, you'd have to really investigate to notice they were a combo set.
The biggest compliment I gave the pocket cavities were at my recent range session. I put down a Wilson fg59 4 iron, picked up the Nike VR Pro Combo 4 iron, and it didn't hurt my eye looking down on it one bit. I didn't consciously notice that I'd gone to a cavity back iron.

 

[biggsy]

Good stuff guys, thanks for your feedback.

 

[Super Tuna]

1: I can't do anything but ecco cookie and Mike here, I expected more forgiveness out of the CB's but I have a hard time quantifying more. Mike mentioned distance lost at that's also what I'm seeing but much severly then him. If I mishit the 4 iron the direction is more or less the same but I'll drop 50 yards off the shot. 210 becomes 150 or 160 at best when I miss fat. It's not a bad miss if I'm in the open fairway but if I've got a forced carry it certainly makes me think about my club selection and course strategy more.

2: For sure in the 3 and potentially in the 4. If it was a hybrid of my choosing? Yes, then I'd go for both the 3/4 replacement but I tend to be picky about my hybrids and the ones I want usually aren't uncluded in sets.

3: Again I have to pick on the 3 iron here. When I'm looking at the blades I know which club I've got in my hands. If it's 7 through 4 they all look the same to me but the pocket on the 3 sticks out just enough that I can see it. If I were playing a set of all CB's it wouldn't matter in the slightest to me because I would expect it. However when it's the only iron of the 8 that looks out of the norm it throws me off.

I have to say in terms of looks I really like having the blades on the end. To me, that reinforces that ones 8 iron all the way through the wedges look the same and should be treated the same, namely, as scoring clubs. Then the 4-7 all look the same and are all area placement clubs, pick the area that you can get a scoring shot from and get there. Intentional or not, I think it's really smart to mentally split the jobs up for your different clubs through looks.

 

[JConn]

Jeff great stuff dude. Your comments on spin match what I am seeing as well. I've had a 4I actually pull back a little on one shot. Mainly what I am seeing though is a hop and stop with most of my irons and an occasional bring er back. Maybe I didn't understand something. Did you think that the X3X grooves were going to spin too much or not enough?

Thanks man (and everyone else). Sorry for not being clear. I figured it would be less spin (not enough) because the grooves were so much smaller, so the ball wouldn't be able to get into the grooves so to speak.

 

[JConn]

Mike if I haven't said it yet, I really appreciate you taking the time to post your thoughts down in here. Sometimes I forget that you are not actually a tester. You are doing a great job man and I really have enjoyed hearing your thoughts on these! Both you and ST have been great contributors in here

+2. I too had forgotten you weren't an actual tester. Great work man and thank you again.

 

[JConn]

Thanks for the questions biggsy. Mcook practically took the words from my mouth but I will put it in my own words anyways. (great comments Mcook)

1. Are you seeing more forgiveness in the longer irons (3-4)? If so, do you think it's because of the pocket?

Not at all. I'm not sure why. My previous set had a slight cavity and the 4i was easier to hit than this 4i. As others have said, mishits usually travel the desired path but end up WAY short. Also, mishits with the 3&4 hurt (literally). Mishits are not as drastic with the 5-PW and do not hurt the hands at all.

2. I took the 3 and 4 out of my bag a long time ago because of the forgiveness issue and went with hybrids. Would any of you go to hybrids or do you like the 3 and 4 iron option offered with this set?

I have recently taken out the 3i in favor of a hybrid and may do the same for the 4i depending on the next few rounds and range sessions. I have a love/hate relationship with these two irons. I go through starches of hitting them well and love the results: nice mid-high ball flight, pretty straight, and long. But then I go through stretches where I hit them poorly (like the last two weeks!) and absolutely hate the results. I think I am more consistent with hybrids but time will tell. I will definitely continue to take the 3&4 to the range (and practice rounds) even if they aren't in my bag for regular rounds.

3. Is the different shape and size of the irons throughout the set off-putting to any of you or is it just a non-factor with no issue?

Non-factor with no issue. Like others, I love the way the set progresses and don't notice the transitions at all any more.

 

[Canadan]

Good video mcook. Impact area looked really good and away from the toe.

Enjoying reading and getting caught up in this thread. All of the testers and those not apart of the test are doing a great job.

Thanks for reading Biggsy!!!

A couple of questions that may have been covered and I just missed.

1. Are you seeing more forgiveness in the longer irons (3-4)? If so, do you think it's because of the pocket?

Not really at all. The 3/4 play differently and give different feedback compared to the rest of the set. Missed shots lose a great deal of distance and toed shots draw hook just as hard as any other iron. Shot height can get pretty high when well struck, which may be directly caused by the cavity, but I don't think it's anything substantially higher than my previous sets.

2. I took the 3 and 4 out of my bag a long time ago because of the forgiveness issue and went with hybrids. Would any of you go to hybrids or do you like the 3 and 4 iron option offered with this set?

On course I've made the switch back to a hybrid from my 3 iron as the loss of consistency was a major issue for me. On range comparisons between the 3 hybrid and 3 iron were blatantly different and the hybrid simply works better for me. More consistent shots, higher launching, and distance control were all substantially better. I have never considered a 4 hybrid but this may open the door to that, as I am still pretty unsure about the 4 iron in this set. That said, I do feel like I've had a bit more success with it than the 3.

3. Is the different shape and size of the irons throughout the set off-putting to any of you or is it just a non-factor with no issue?

This is a non-factor on the size and look.. Honestly there is very little visible difference in my mind when standing over the ball. The biggest difference between the 3/4 and the 5-PW is the feedback on contact. Pured shots feel fairly similar, but missed shots sound and feel a lot different. Earlier in the testing I argued that the difference in the way the club swings could be directly related to my struggles, as I have had a hard time getting into the mindset that they are a part of the same set.

 

[Chunkylover77]

Good video mcook. Impact area looked really good and away from the toe.

Enjoying reading and getting caught up in this thread. All of the testers and those not apart of the test are doing a great job.

A couple of questions that may have been covered and I just missed.

1. Are you seeing more forgiveness in the longer irons (3-4)? If so, do you think it's because of the pocket?

2. I took the 3 and 4 out of my bag a long time ago because of the forgiveness issue and went with hybrids. Would any of you go to hybrids or do you like the 3 and 4 iron option offered with this set?

3. Is the different shape and size of the irons throughout the set off-putting to any of you or is it just a non-factor with no issue?

Thanks again for all of the time you've put into the testing.

Biggsy I am having a heck of a time with the PC's. I am just not finding the forgiveness nor am I finding the nice feel that I get from the rest of the set. Miss the sweet spot and you will be punished with some decent yardage loss.

I would definitely go with a 3H and would consider a 4H. The 4I so far has not been as bad. I mainly hit decent shots with it and have an occasional stinker. The 3I is just awful for me so far. The only place I have had success with it is off the tee and I still hit the 3H better from the tee.

The set flows pretty nicely to my eye. I see zero issues while looking at the set. I don't really notice any iron sticking out to me when looking at my bag and it is not a distraction while playing either. The set is beautiful

 

[Super Tuna]

I would definitely go with a 3H and would consider a 4H. The 4I so far has not been as bad. I mainly hit decent shots with it and have an occasional stinker. The 3I is just awful for me so far. The only place I have had success with it is off the tee and I still hit the 3H better from the tee.

FWIW that's what I did today CL. I'm heading out for a quick 9 after work and see how it goes with the 3/4 as hybrids. Mostly I'm going to try and set up shots between the 4 hybrid and 5 iron to see if that causes a gap problem. I'm not entirely sure I'm going to get away with it but they're giving away the VR hybrids around here so thought I would try it out (seriously, I got a mint set of 1 through 4 VR hybrids for $110 including tax).

 

[JConn]

I'm not entirely sure I'm going to get away with it but they're giving away the VR hybrids around here so thought I would try it out (seriously, I got a mint set of 1 through 4 VR hybrids for $110 including tax).

Where/how did you get this deal? I may be interested.

 

[Canadan]

To the course with these again tonight, and once again I'm doing everything I can to clear my hips to avoid any sort of a draw.

First hole was a great success, with a 9 iron flying the pin by about 10 feet and sucking back a foot or two.
Second hole was a punched PW that landed soft but checked more right to left that it did anything else, not a bad result.
Third hole was a blocked 7 into the wind that was more or less straight and to the right.
4th hole was a 4 iron from a bad lie that again stayed too straight and ended up green high on the right side, with great flight.
5th/6th/7th/8th either wedges or hybrid..
9th hole had a PW in from about 130 and I blew it long and to the left.. I tried to soft play it but caught it hot and tugged it a bit.

All in all I think I got what I deserved out of the round.. It was an up and down kind of day for me (3 birdies, 3 pars, 2 bogeys, 1 double) and the irons acted accordingly. Obviously my best shot was the approach on #1 which was a relatively routine putt for birdie. I find it interesting that my mishits in terms of fat/thin/toe/heel have been reduced substantially over the last couple weeks.. Obviously I need to work on my expectations and my aim (the less I draw the more I need to aim over the pin) but that will come in time when the confidence of a no draw shot is there.

Love these irons still.

 

[MattyKrack17]

To the course with these again tonight, and once again I'm doing everything I can to clear my hips to avoid any sort of a draw.

First hole was a great success, with a 9 iron flying the pin by about 10 feet and sucking back a foot or two.
Second hole was a punched PW that landed soft but checked more right to left that it did anything else, not a bad result.
Third hole was a blocked 7 into the wind that was more or less straight and to the right.
4th hole was a 4 iron from a bad lie that again stayed too straight and ended up green high on the right side, with great flight.
5th/6th/7th/8th either wedges or hybrid..
9th hole had a PW in from about 130 and I blew it long and to the left.. I tried to soft play it but caught it hot and tugged it a bit.

All in all I think I got what I deserved out of the round.. It was an up and down kind of day for me (3 birdies, 3 pars, 2 bogeys, 1 double) and the irons acted accordingly. Obviously my best shot was the approach on #1 which was a relatively routine putt for birdie. I find it interesting that my mishits in terms of fat/thin/toe/heel have been reduced substantially over the last couple weeks.. Obviously I need to work on my expectations and my aim (the less I draw the more I need to aim over the pin) but that will come in time when the confidence of a no draw shot is there.

Love these irons still.

Hope you get it figured out man, good luck

MattyCaulk Aka Hawk hunter

 

[Canadan]

Hope you get it figured out man, good luck

MattyCaulk Aka Hawk hunter

I think it's on the way.. I once in a while fire my hips too hard or totally forget to do it and it gives me quite a bit of trouble, but as long as I focus on what I am trying to do it works out pretty well. Certainly not a fault of the clubs by any means.

 

[MattyKrack17]

I think it's on the way.. I once in a while fire my hips too hard or totally forget to do it and it gives me quite a bit of trouble, but as long as I focus on what I am trying to do it works out pretty well. Certainly not a fault of the clubs by any means.

Well that's good to hear, hears to hitting em long

MattyCaulk Aka Hawk hunter