Nike VR Pro Combo Irons - Forum Testing Review

[the_paulo]

Thanks guys. Great writeup Chunky, got to love that feeling when your round adds up a couple of shots less than you expect! Nice to hear the versatility of these irons are coming into play for you.

This may be a day late and a dollar short but I just read the review and comments on chipping with PW. Question for the testers? How often is a PW, 9iron chipped used in a given round? What is the situation? How often do use a SW or 60*? again what is the situation? How affective are you with either?

I use the PW a lot of the time around the green, unless I'm particularly short sided, or in a bunker. I actually chipped in with the PW at the 1st yesterday. The 9i also sees a bit of action round about the green, if I have a lot of green to play with. I'm not quite as good at this shot, due to lack of practice. I'm used to the 9i shot just rolling out all the way, but you actually can get a little bit of grab with the VR Pro Combos. Great with the PW, but it'll take some getting used to with the 9i.
I can sum it up by saying if it's a straightforward chip, and a choice of PW or 54/58, I'll almost always grab the PW automatically now.

It's pretty versatile - you can even hit a flop from the rough...if you aim correctly!

Spoiler

 

[Hawk]

Paulo, I hated those videos hehe. Wind blows. Interesting feedback and I thought it was cool how clear you could hear the impact even the wind.

 

[the_paulo]

I thought the Hawk would soar in the wind too! :wink:

Yeah, the conditions definitely make it interesting, but I quite like the fact that I can play the same course 2 days in a row and it plays completely differently! The 2nd, where I hit 3i yesterday, can be a 7 iron if the wind changes!

I did notice one thing about the pocket cavities. Water can gather in the cavity! Not a problem since the clubs will be upside down most of the time, but just a thought. Maybe if you're washing them and leaving them upright it might be worth remembering. I cleaned my irons last night and I'll admit, this was the first time I'd really cleaned out the pocket cavity. I remember initial thoughts wondering if it could maybe gather mud or bits of turf, but there was nothing to speak of in there. Anyone find the cavity gets dirty?

 

[#Cookie]

This may be a day late and a dollar short but I just read the review and comments on chipping with PW. Question for the testers? How often is a PW, 9iron chipped used in a given round? What is the situation? How often do use a SW or 60*? again what is the situation? How affective are you with either? Kongfrontation

Thanks for the question Freddie!

It is hard for me to put a number on how often I use those because it really just depends on the scenario which will obviously vary by round. When I do use them, I will use either 8i, 9i, or PW.

I played 9 yesterday and only use one of those clubs once and it was on hole number 9. I hit the green and trickled off with my approach and had about 3 yards of fringe between the rough and the green with my ball against the rough collar. I had about 20 feet to the flag after I cleared the fringe. I elected to use the 8i for this shot but really had to chop down on the ball to avoid getting the club head caught up in the rough. I slightly bladed/thinned it and it went about 7 feet past the hole.

Typically, if I am on the fringe I will use the putter if at all possible (drained a 45 footer yesterday for birdie from about 3 yards into the fringe on hole number 7).

Now, if I am in the rough around the green I just about exclusively use either my 52 or 52 SCOR wedge depending on the situation. I used to try the PW in those cases but what I found was that the ball flight on chips was so low for me that I needed more loft to carry it to the fringe or onto the green depending on what the shot called for. Granted, I can get the PW up if I had to but it is not a natural shot so to speak like it is with a higher lofted wedge - with the PW it would take some ball adjustment or wrist action to make it happen.

Hope that answered your question. Open to more - fire away!

 

[JConn]

I did notice one thing about the pocket cavities. Water can gather in the cavity! Not a problem since the clubs will be upside down most of the time, but just a thought. Maybe if you're washing them and leaving them upright it might be worth remembering. I cleaned my irons last night and I'll admit, this was the first time I'd really cleaned out the pocket cavity. I remember initial thoughts wondering if it could maybe gather mud or bits of turf, but there was nothing to speak of in there. Anyone find the cavity gets dirty?

Thank you for bringing this up. I have had a little bit of grass and dirt in there, but not much and they are actually very easy to clean out. I used the corner of a thin towel and it worked perfectly. I think a quick shot of air would work too, from a compressor or those little cans of wind (keyboard cleaner). I haven't thought about them collecting water, but it is definitely something to take note of. I usually dry my clubs after cleaning and put them right back in the bag so there wouldn't be an issue for me but thanks for the heads up.

 

[#Cookie]

Test Date: 10/3/2011
Testing Club: Nike VR Pro Combo irons with PX steel shaft 5.0 flex
Testing Purpose: 9 holes played
My Club: I am using the testing clubs but my prior set was the Cobra S9's
Ball Used: Bridgestone E6
Environment: Texas - 86 degrees & sunny w/south winds at 10 MPH

Hey THP! Got out yesterday and walked 9 with the wife. Hard to believe but I only used the VR Pro Combo's 4 times yesterday. Most of this was due to a long par 3, 2 short par 4's, and 2 par 5's where I was around the green in 2.

If you saw my update from Sunday morning I have been struggling with coming up short quite a bit (like 5 yards in front of the green type of thing). So, yesterday my focus was to make sure I at least got the ball to the hole. Best way for me to do this is to play an extra club with just a nice smooth swing. Shot recaps on how this worked out:

Hole 1 - par 4 and drive leaves me 162 to the flag. Previously I would have pulled the 7 iron but choose to hit 6 iron. Pull it left and it ends up about 4 yards off of the green but dead pin high. Much better distance but just a slight alignment issue.

Hole 4 - par 4 that only plays 352 but push drive right into the water. Get up there and drop leaving me 134 to the middle of the green on just nothing but dirt. Typically would be a 9 iron, but pull an 8 out. Not real sure what happened on this swing but the ball came off of the toe and I hit a draw that ends up 2 yards short of the green dead in the middle. Not a good strike but leaves me in a position to get up and down and I do that successfully for a bogey.

Hole 5 - par 3 playing 162 dead into a 10 MPH wind. Change from the typical 6i selection to a 5i here. Hit a beauty that is tracking at the pin the entire way (gotta admit that 1st ever hole in one thoughts were dancing in my head while the ball is in the air). Lands about 15 feet behind the pin and releases another 10 feet or so.

Photo of the hole (ignore my wife teeing off):

Result of shot. Ball mark is at right end of my putter so you can see how far the ball released after landing.

Hole 9: par 4 and I hit my 2nd shot onto the green and it just trickles off leaving me against the edge of the fringe and rough collar. Have about 4 yards of fringe to get through and then 20 feet or so to the flag. Choose an 8 iron for this little bump n run and have to come down steep due to the rough and I bladed/thinned it a bit and it runs about 7 feet past the hole. Not terrible but would have liked to have gotten it within tap in range.

Overall, I was happy with how the irons performed and I do believe that if I can make better decisions regarding club selection relative to distance I can start hitting more GIR's and getting birdie opportunities or easy pars.

Final stats on the day:

Score: 43
FW's: 3/7
GIR's: 2/9
13 putts
Triples: 1
Doubles: 2
Bogeys: 2
Pars: 3
Birdies: 1

Heading back out today for some more!!

 

[Wicked Cool Bearded Man]

Nice write up and pics cookie - have a great round today!

 

[the_paulo]

Thanks for the responses guys! Nice write-up too Cookie, shame you didn't get more chance to hit the irons today. Sounds like they still worked for you though, even coming out of the bag cold!

Managed 18 today with the father-in-law. Got a real beat-down as he was playing well, and I had a bit of a mixed bag. 5&4! Still windy out and testing, but I managed quite a bit of testing. Write up to come a bit later.

One quick teaser on it though. My father-in-law hit quite a few shots with the VR Pro Combos today, and was raving about them. I had to prise them out of his hands. He kept saying 'they're nice, I could use those'.

 

[Chunkylover77]

Great updates everyone. Paulo that was an insane amount of wind.

Fact: I've scored 2 of my top 5 rounds of my life with these irons. Hard to ignore that

 

[Wicked Cool Bearded Man]

Great updates everyone. Paulo that was an insane amount of wind.

Fact: I've scored 2 of my top 5 rounds of my life with these irons. Hard to ignore that

Seriously. That is unreal. AND just think, you've only had them for part of the season!

 

[Canadan]

Great updates everyone. Paulo that was an insane amount of wind.

Fact: I've scored 2 of my top 5 rounds of my life with these irons. Hard to ignore that

I have read quite a few comments about over-hyping, being over positive about club testing, but I think these irons are flat out performing for most of the guys using them..

I haven't set any records with mine, but they certainly out performed my previous set. Wasn't even a contest really.

 

[the_paulo]

Great updates everyone. Paulo that was an insane amount of wind.

Fact: I've scored 2 of my top 5 rounds of my life with these irons. Hard to ignore that

I have read quite a few comments about over-hyping, being over positive about club testing, but I think these irons are flat out performing for most of the guys using them..

I haven't set any records with mine, but they certainly out performed my previous set. Wasn't even a contest really.

I think we've got a lot of hard evidence in this thread that backs up all we're saying - like that stat Chunky just laid down! That's pretty big so early in the partnership with the irons. I haven't scored any better with the Nikes yet, but I have the numbers that tell me they're performing better, and I just know I'm hitting the ball a lot better with them. I feel like I'm very close to scoring better with them, and I guess my write-up of yesterday's round is going to follow that thought.

 

[the_paulo]

Test Date: 10/4/2011
Testing Club: Nike VR Pro Combo irons, Dynamic Gold SL S300 shafts
Testing Purpose: Full round
My Club: Testing clubs as above, previous set was Wilson FG59 with DG S300 shafts
Ball Used: Titleist Pro V1 (2011)
Environment: Scotland - 50 degrees, gusting wind and rain showers

I got out for a full round yesterday with my father-in-law. Decided to have a friendly game against him, and keep score just to see how our games were holding up.

The conditions were testing again, lots of wind similar to the day before, with the occasional rain shower, which was blowing sideways! I was pretty poor off the tee most of the day, so had plenty of opportunity to put the VR Pro Combos to the test. Here's a run down of a few holes -

1st - Par 4 375 yds. Hit a fat drive! Left myself with 170 uphill to the green, with a left to right wind. Pulled 5 iron, wondering if it would be enough club. Struck it sweet, but started it out too straight and pulled it left into the greenside bunker. Walked off with bogey.

2nd - Par 3 185 yds. Decided on 3 iron. Was pretty confident as I've been hitting the pocket cavities well. Got right in front of the ball on the downswing and resulted in a big pull into the rubbish. Found the ball, but could only manage double bogey! What a start!

3rd. Par 3 435 yds. Hit driver, pushed right. Left 190 to the front, from the rough. Selected 4 iron, and again pulled it way left of the green and short this time. As I approached it, a thought occured about these irons - I don't miss short very often with them. The distance from any lie on a decent strike seems to be very consistent. Got up and down here, phew!

4th - Par 4 445yds. No shots with VR Pro Combos. Bogey

5th - Par 4 380 yds. A bad 3w from the tee left me still on the fairway, but with 180 yds downhill to the green. Decided on 5i, yet again struck it well but started it too straight. Missed the green left by about 5 yards. There's a pattern emerging on the front 9. Thankfully got up and down again.

6th - Par 3 167 yds. This is where I surprised my father-in-law with club selection. He took 5i (doesn't hit the ball far, but gets there!). There was a strong right-to-left wind which tends to knock the ball down. I pulled out 8 iron and he looked at me as if I was mad! Still, a normal swing, a little bit of draw and the ball was pin high, on the left fringe. Really pleased with how consistent the distances are even into a crosswind. Made par.

7th - Par 4 280yds. Chose 3i from the tee, for position. Hit a nice high shot, straight down the middle. Left about 50 yards over a bunker. Lob wedge to 3 feet and birdie.

8th - Par 4 410 yds. Into the wind, so hit a low cut from the tee. Left about 155yds uphill, into the wind. Chose to play a knockdown shot with 5i. Aimed for the front right of the green to play for the draw, but the uphill lie removed the draw, and I ended up front right as I aimed. Par.

9th. Par 4 320 yds. Stright into the wind again. Chose 3i from the tee, to leave a full PW. Hit a high, ballooned fade! First one of those I've saw with the pocket cavities. Left 135. Chose 9 iron from the second cut of rough. Again, the blade just cut through the rough easily and I left myself on the fringe of the green, nice high straight shot landing and stopping right away. Impressive performance. Par again.

3 over at the turn....and I was 3 down in my game against my father-in-law!

10th. Par 4 380yds. Wind behind. Drive didn't get up enough for the wind to help. Left myself 120 from the fairway. Hit a PW, slightly pulled but still on the green. 2 putt par.

11th. Par 3 160 yds. This hole is a nightmare in the wind. 160yd carry, on to a plateau green, exposed to a gusting wind straight left to right. I pulled out 6 iron. Hit a great strike, which actually managed to draw into the wind. Probably 10 yards long and left! Chipped up but 2 putts for bogey.

12th. Par 4 435 yds. Straight back into the wind again. Drive left me 170 uphill. Took 5 iron and allowed for a draw. Hit a great shot which cut through the wind, pitched on the fringe and rolled back about 4 feet off the green! Got my par.

13th. Par 3 172yds. Wind into and off the left. Downhill par 3, I pulled out 6 iron. Managed to both hit it thin and fade it a little, not a good strike. Came up 10 yards short of the green. Disappointing. Chipped with the PW. It grabbed and stopped 10 feet short! Missed the par putt. Bogey.

14th. Par 4 365 yds. Pulled my drive short and left. Had 140 left off a downhill lie on the fairway. Took 9 iron, delofted slightly, and hit a knockdown. The ball pitched about 8 feet on the front of the green, immediately grabbed, and sucked back on to the fringe! 2 putts for par.

This is where my game ended...5&4! I was scoring ok too. The father-in-law really was playing well. That hurt big time!

15th. Par 3 215 yds. Difficult uphill par 3 with OB on each side. A 190 carry is required, quite straight. I selected 4i and hit it as well as I've hit the pocket cavities. It flew all the way to the front and rolled out about 5 feet. 2 putt par.

16th. Par 3 140 yds. Downhill par 3, over a burn (river!). Wind was strong right-to-left. I took 9 iron and played it perfectly straight towards the right half of the green. The wind took it to the middle, it pitched about 6 feet short of the flag....and proceeded to spin back about 20 feet! argh! So, I'm getting quite a bit of spin on these. 2 putts, par.

17th. Par 4 390yds. Drive left me with 125, downhill to the green. Skulled a PW! still ended up on the middle of the green and walked off with par.

18th. Par 4 360 yds. This hole forces a layup to about 110yds, due to water. Hit a nice 3w off the tee, left 120. Hit a controlled PW to the side of the hole, stopped and rolled back about 3 feet. Left about 6 feet. As before, fluffed the putt, didn't hole anything all day. Still, nice par.


Summary -

Started out a bit rough in this round, throughout the bag. A bit of progress made though, between the ears particularly.

Pockets -

Mixed bag today. The big pull I hit on 2 with the 3i would have really hurt in a scoring round, but that's definitely a technique thing. I need to stop trying to flight these lower, as I don't think these clubs have that ability. That's no bad thing for 99% of the time, as I'm looking for my long irons to fly high and land soft. I just need to trust their ability to fly the distance no matter the conditions, and that's one thing that has impressed me throughout this set. No matter the lie, if you strike it well, you get a good consistent distance. Being about to predict your distances from any lie could come in very handy.

Splits -

Was getting a bit concerned with the big lefts I saw on the front 9 with the splits in particular, and this is something I've mentioned that I'd need to pay attention to. I think I got the hang of it a bit on the back 9. I hit a draw, plain and simple. If I control my swing, turn instead of slide and stay balanced (my big thing for practice this winter!), I hit a nice controlled draw. Nothing wrong with that.

Blades -

Yet again the blades shone in the tough conditions. I played a few knockdowns which reacted very well. The main thing I noticed today was the amount of spin I was getting on my approach shots. I was spinning a few back over 10 feet, which I'm not really used to doing. From all lies, the ball reacts pretty well.

Conditions -

As I keep mentioning, the conditions weren't great. This was a great test for the VR Pro Combos. A good example was the 6th hole. I took 8 iron, which would be my club selection on a calm sunny day. I still got there easily.

They just don't seem to lose any distance in a cross wind. The ball never gets knocked out of the sky by the wind, which I love. I wonder if this is due to the higher spin rates I'm seeing throughout the set?


Another opinion?

I let my father-in-law hit quite a few with the VR Pro Combos today. He is a bit of an equipment fiddler, goes between about 4 or 5 sets of irons depending on his mood.

His verdict - I really like this set. I could play these. They really get up in the air and fly! The shafts are a little stiff for him, but they still performed well. He was hitting them about a club longer than the Mizuno Pros (R300 shafts) he was gaming yesterday.

He did say that he thought the Wilson fg59 edged the Nikes 'slightly' on the looks throughout the set, but that the Nike irons look great in the bag and you'd never consider them a combo set until looking very close.

 

[#Cookie]

Another great write-up Paulo! The spin you were seeing from the blades is pretty significant but I guess it works out well as long as you are carrying the ball far enough.

I really need to play a premium all and see what results I get on the shots into & around the greens.


Tappin' from my iPad!

 

[MattyKrack17]

Good stuff paulo. Wish my ball striking was good enough to game these

tapatalk addict....

 

[sharkwrestler]

Gave me a nice read Paulo with your latest write up . Nice round with your Father in Law. Not the best of conditions to play in, however you did good. Sounds as though the spin will have to be taken into account with shot position in approach to the Green. Have you been able to control the spin on the range? If so what technique do you use to control the rate of spin?

 

[#Cookie]

Test Date: 10/4/2011
Testing Club: Nike VR Pro Combo irons with PX steel shaft 5.0 flex
Testing Purpose: 9 holes played
My Club: I am using the testing clubs but my prior set was the Cobra S9's
Ball Used: Srixon AD-333
Environment: Texas - 83 degrees & sunny w/south winds at 10-15 MPH

Got back out for another 9 yesterday after work. It was a quick little 9 holes played in about 1 hr 15 min and I played pretty well with the exception of the first hole. I have a bad habit of just showing up and heading to the first tee and it usually shows in my first few shots.

Hole 1 - par 5 at 497 yards dead into the wind: pushed drive right and was about 280 out in the trees. Used my 5 iron to punch out very nicely to 152 yards from the green. Went with what should have been a nice smooth 6 iron. Completely chunked it and ended up in the water that runs down the left side of the hole. Walk off the hole with a triple bogey after a bad pitch post drop.

Hole 2 - par 4 at 401 yards dead into the wind: pushed drive right and again use a 5 iron to advance it about 30 yards to the middle of the FW. Left with 132 yards (I ended up hitting from this distance a TON yesterday) and go with a smooth 9 iron. Hit it great and end up 9 feet left of the hole - perfect distance control. 2 putt for bogey. Photo of the shot into this hole:

Hole 3 - par 3 at 130 yards with wind not really a factor: there is a ravine in front of the green with about 15 yards once you clear the ravine until you are on the green. I hit another fat shot and it clears the ravine but starts rolling back down a hill and barely stops before going in. Luckily, I hit a great chip shot and sink a 7 footer to save par.

(at this point I am not very happy after hitting 2 of 3 shots from the FW completely fat so I start going through a few swing thoughts to try and correct)

Hole 4 - par 4 at 354 yards (this hole can also be seen in the video hole of the day thread): great tee shot leaves me 135 yards out with a wind blowing pretty good right to left. Elect to go with a smooth 9 iron since the pin is on the front. Really thought I hit a great shot here as it was tracking nicely and felt good. End up 10 yards short and upon looking at the club I did hit it a tad off of the toe. Ho-hum chip leaves me 14 feet away and I 2 putt for bogey.

Hole 5 - par 3 at 177 yards with wind at back: this should be a solid 5 iron shot and I don't hit it as well as I would have liked but end up 15 feet short of pin high and 2 yards on the fringe left. Fail to get up and down and walk off with another bogey.

Hole 6 - par 5 at 460 yards: push drive way right into trees and left with 275 yards to the green. Hit a decent 8 iron over the trees and back into play. Left with 128 yards to the middle but still have a tree on the right side of the FW that I have to play out to the left of. Hit an OK shot and end up on the front left of the green about 40 feet away from the pin. 2 putt for par.

Hole 7 - par 3 at 132 yards with wind at right to left: Take a 9 iron and aim to right edge of green as pin is in a front right location. Hit a beautiful shot if the distance is right. It is as I end up 6 feet below the hole and drain it for a birdie! Result from tee shot:

Hole 8 - par 4 at 336 yards but very tight fairway: Hybrid off of tee to 130 yards out but have a limb hanging over the right side of the FW that must be dealt with. I really did not plan to play over/under it but just kinda thought I would go over it. Hit it fat, misses tree and ends up 20 yards short of the green. Good chip to 8 feet but miss the par putt and take bogey.

Hole 9 - par 5 at 499 yards: No irons here. Driver - hybrid - SW with a 2 putt par.

Final stats on the day:

Score: 42
FW's: 3/7
GIR's: 4/9
15 putts
Triples: 1
Doubles: 0
Bogeys: 4
Pars: 3
Birdies: 1

Heading back out today and may try for 18 if I can squeeze it in time wise. Any questions or photo/video requests, please let me know!! Thanks for reading all.

Almost forgot to add - I am seeing a little bit more release than I would like to from the AD-333 and e6 so think I am going to put a Penta TP in play today and see how that responds on approaches into the greens with these irons. More thoughts to come there.

 

[the_paulo]

Another great write-up Paulo! The spin you were seeing from the blades is pretty significant but I guess it works out well as long as you are carrying the ball far enough.

I really need to play a premium all and see what results I get on the shots into & around the greens.

Thanks Cookie! I was quite surprised by the amount of spin I was seeing yesterday, but the greens were also quite soft so that played a part. The Pro V1 does tend to spin a lot for me too.

Also, nice write up of your 9.

Good stuff paulo. Wish my ball striking was good enough to game these

tapatalk addict....

Thanks Matty, you might be surprised at how playable these are. You're right, they do probably suit those who strike the ball cleanly - but they're definitely worth giving a swing and trying out no matter what!

Gave me a nice read Paulo with your latest write up . Nice round with your Father in Law. Not the best of conditions to play in, however you did good. Sounds as though the spin will have to be taken into account with shot position in approach to the Green. Have you been able to control the spin on the range? If so what technique do you use to control the rate of spin?

Thanks SW. As above, I was quite surprised at the amount of spin I generated yesterday off the blades in particular. That's a good question too. I tend to try to swing at about 80% and usually get a kind of hop-and-stop action, but I think that my recent change of ball position (I've moved the ball further back in my stance and it promotes a better strike I find), has really impacted my spin rates.
At the range, I've been seeing the same sort of hop-and-stop, but until you asked, I hadn't really thought that I'm seeing this with hard range balls. If I'm on the course and want to play a short approach with limited spin, I tend to shorten my backswing a little and if possible take a little more club...nothing more complicated than that. With that said, controlling spin rates off the irons is a new thought in my head now - It's never really been something I've needed to consider.
Hope this answers your question. Let me know if there's anything you'd like us to expand on or test further!

 

[mikedean441]

Test Date: 10/4/2011
Testing Club: Nike VR Pro Combo irons with PX steel shaft 5.0 flex
Testing Purpose: 9 holes played
My Club: I am using the testing clubs but my prior set was the Cobra S9's
Ball Used: Srixon AD-333
Environment: Texas - 83 degrees & sunny w/south winds at 10-15 MPH

Got back out for another 9 yesterday after work. It was a quick little 9 holes played in about 1 hr 15 min and I played pretty well with the exception of the first hole. I have a bad habit of just showing up and heading to the first tee and it usually shows in my first few shots.

Hole 1 - par 5 at 497 yards dead into the wind: pushed drive right and was about 280 out in the trees. Used my 5 iron to punch out very nicely to 152 yards from the green. Went with what should have been a nice smooth 6 iron. Completely chunked it and ended up in the water that runs down the left side of the hole. Walk off the hole with a triple bogey after a bad pitch post drop.

Hole 2 - par 4 at 401 yards dead into the wind: pushed drive right and again use a 5 iron to advance it about 30 yards to the middle of the FW. Left with 132 yards (I ended up hitting from this distance a TON yesterday) and go with a smooth 9 iron. Hit it great and end up 9 feet left of the hole - perfect distance control. 2 putt for bogey. Photo of the shot into this hole:

Hole 3 - par 3 at 130 yards with wind not really a factor: there is a ravine in front of the green with about 15 yards once you clear the ravine until you are on the green. I hit another fat shot and it clears the ravine but starts rolling back down a hill and barely stops before going in. Luckily, I hit a great chip shot and sink a 7 footer to save par.

(at this point I am not very happy after hitting 2 of 3 shots from the FW completely fat so I start going through a few swing thoughts to try and correct)

Hole 4 - par 4 at 354 yards (this hole can also be seen in the video hole of the day thread): great tee shot leaves me 135 yards out with a wind blowing pretty good right to left. Elect to go with a smooth 9 iron since the pin is on the front. Really thought I hit a great shot here as it was tracking nicely and felt good. End up 10 yards short and upon looking at the club I did hit it a tad off of the toe. Ho-hum chip leaves me 14 feet away and I 2 putt for bogey.

Hole 5 - par 3 at 177 yards with wind at back: this should be a solid 5 iron shot and I don't hit it as well as I would have liked but end up 15 feet short of pin high and 2 yards on the fringe left. Fail to get up and down and walk off with another bogey.

Hole 6 - par 5 at 460 yards: push drive way right into trees and left with 275 yards to the green. Hit a decent 8 iron over the trees and back into play. Left with 128 yards to the middle but still have a tree on the right side of the FW that I have to play out to the left of. Hit an OK shot and end up on the front left of the green about 40 feet away from the pin. 2 putt for par.

Hole 7 - par 3 at 132 yards with wind at right to left: Take a 9 iron and aim to right edge of green as pin is in a front right location. Hit a beautiful shot if the distance is right. It is as I end up 6 feet below the hole and drain it for a birdie! Result from tee shot:

Hole 8 - par 4 at 336 yards but very tight fairway: Hybrid off of tee to 130 yards out but have a limb hanging over the right side of the FW that must be dealt with. I really did not plan to play over/under it but just kinda thought I would go over it. Hit it fat, misses tree and ends up 20 yards short of the green. Good chip to 8 feet but miss the par putt and take bogey.

Hole 9 - par 5 at 499 yards: No irons here. Driver - hybrid - SW with a 2 putt par.

Final stats on the day:

Score: 42
FW's: 3/7
GIR's: 4/9
15 putts
Triples: 1
Doubles: 0
Bogeys: 4
Pars: 3
Birdies: 1

Heading back out today and may try for 18 if I can squeeze it in time wise. Any questions or photo/video requests, please let me know!! Thanks for reading all.

Almost forgot to add - I am seeing a little bit more release than I would like to from the AD-333 and e6 so think I am going to put a Penta TP in play today and see how that responds on approaches into the greens with these irons. More thoughts to come there.

will be interested to see how the penta's release for you. I go back and forth between the 2 balls, I love E6 off of the tee since Ive been known to have some side spin issues, but I LOVE the Penta's around the greens

 

[#Cookie]

will be interested to see how the penta's release for you. I go back and forth between the 2 balls, I love E6 off of the tee since Ive been known to have some side spin issues, but I LOVE the Penta's around the greens

Hey Mike - I will do my standard write-up tomorrow but I did put the Penta TP in play today. What I saw on well struck shots was a landing followed by a short hop to the left (within 18 inches) and stop. Previously with the AD-333 I would have seen a release of 4 feet forward by my estimation. Did not hit that many quality shots into the green today to get a definitive answer but I could definitely tell a difference with the lack of release forward.

 

[sharkwrestler]

Thanks Cookie! I was quite surprised by the amount of spin I was seeing yesterday, but the greens were also quite soft so that played a part. The Pro V1 does tend to spin a lot for me too.

Also, nice write up of your 9.



Thanks Matty, you might be surprised at how playable these are. You're right, they do probably suit those who strike the ball cleanly - but they're definitely worth giving a swing and trying out no matter what!



Thanks SW. As above, I was quite surprised at the amount of spin I generated yesterday off the blades in particular. That's a good question too. I tend to try to swing at about 80% and usually get a kind of hop-and-stop action, but I think that my recent change of ball position (I've moved the ball further back in my stance and it promotes a better strike I find), has really impacted my spin rates.
At the range, I've been seeing the same sort of hop-and-stop, but until you asked, I hadn't really thought that I'm seeing this with hard range balls. If I'm on the course and want to play a short approach with limited spin, I tend to shorten my backswing a little and if possible take a little more club...nothing more complicated than that. With that said, controlling spin rates off the irons is a new thought in my head now - It's never really been something I've needed to consider.
Hope this answers your question. Let me know if there's anything you'd like us to expand on or test further!

Thanks for the quick response. I believe both you and cook mentioned that you found that placing the ball further back in your stance produced a better ball strike. Makes sense now with the ball ball creating more spin. Thanks

 

[JConn]

Sorry for the absence recently guys. My internet was not allowing me to access THP. But it is back working now thank goodness. Enough about that.

Test Date: 10/4/2011 (and 10/1/11 and 10/2/11)
Testing Club: Nike VR Pro Combo irons with KBS Tour Stiff shafts
Testing Purpose: 18 holes played
Course: Prospector and Rope Rider; Golf Courses at Suncadia Resort
My Club: I am using the testing clubs but my prior set was TM Tour Preferred
Ball Used: TM Penta
Environment: Central Washington - Cool, sunny at times, windy at times, sprinkling rain at times. Been this way for the past week.

Again, I headed to the course at the least busy time of day (according to the pro shop) to shoot some videos. Well, I played by myself and got one video shot before a twosome caught me. Hopefully more videos tomorrow. I am also including a couple videos from this weekend that I wasn't able to post due to the interned. I will give a run down of each video and then I will talk about the clubs.

The first two videos are not exactly related to the clubs but I found them amusing so I figured I'd share. Feel free to skip these two if you'd like.

Spoiler

Well, I bent down to put the tripod on the ground for the first video of the day and what do you know? LOL. Great. Just great. Luckily I had rain pants in my bag.


My GF thought it would be funny to show how addicted I am to THP. Figured I would share this, because she said I wouldn't.

On to the real videos. This first video is from this past weekend.
Here is a video of a PW from 131 yards. The first swing was a little flat (I sometimes overcompensate for my old "over the head" swing) and I hit it a little fat. Only came up 5 yards short, and it was dead straight, but that put me in a DEEP greenside bunker. Second swing is better and I hit it right at the pin. You can barely hear me say "should've had you record that one", glad she did! Can't see the end result but it ended up at 2 feet!

Spoiler

Next video is a par 3, 175 yards, and I hit 5i. Again, a hair flat. Pulled this one about 5 yards, but ended up on the back left side of the green, not a bad miss.

Spoiler

[video=youtube;_DrZZEV-0Hk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DrZZEV-0Hk[/video]

Lastly, because it was getting windy, and we have been talking about it quite a bit in this thread, I decided to compare a full shot to a knock down. 150 yards, wind in the face. Full shot - 7i. Knock down - 6i. The balls actually ended up 3 feet apart. In the video I said the middle of the green but I was wrong. The full shot ended up on the back edge of the green and the knock down in the first cut. Just had a little too much on the knock down and the wind didn't affect it at all (that I could tell).

Spoiler

Playing in the wind:
The past three rounds (two 9's and an 18) have been played in moderate wind at times. Usually about a one club wind (guessing) if it is directly in my face. These clubs have done a great job of not being greatly affected by the wind. The last video is a great example of this. I typically hit my 7i approx. 160 yards and the shot was right at 150 (to the middle) with the wind directly in my face. As mentioned above, it ended up on the back edge of the green, probably 155-160 give or take. The knock down was effected even less. I before I joined up with a twosome I was practicing my knockdown shots and it seems like a very effective shot, and it was easily pulled off with these clubs. On full shots, I wasn't seeing ballooning at all, and the side wind didn't seem to have a great effect either. I was surprised at this and it led me to only playing for the wind if there was a hazard or OB that came into play (just to be safe). I liked this and hope to see similar results in the future.

Spin:
I am still getting a great amount of spin with these clubs, and they don't chew up balls. It is wonderful! Consistently getting one hop and stop with most clubs, and sometimes spinning it back with the blades. I think that a premium ball definitely has a lot to do with this, especially one that is known to spin a lot (TM Penta). The nicest part about the spin, is that it is very predictable. I have played with other balls, such as ProV1, ProV1x, Z-star, and a couple others and they have all been similar to the results I have seen with the Penta. I have played a few holes with an e6 and could not get that ball to stop like I am used to, just figured I would mention it.

Grips:
Once again, it sprinkled rain off and on, and the grips were great. I had no issues with slippage (is that a word?) and they performed just like they were dry. They aren't showing much wear either, which is nice. Sometimes grips can get slick after a few months, especially stock grips, but these have not. I'm impressed.

Ball striking:
I have been striking the ball pretty well recently, and these irons have been rewarding me for it. On good strikes, these clubs feel like nothing I have hit, and actually feel like you haven't hit anything at all. I'm going to steal TCs description and say that it feels like you hit a marshmallow. This is an excellent description. It is an addicting feeling and really creates confidence.

Mishits/forgiveness:
Like everyone, not all shots are in the middle of the face. While I have been striking it well lately, I have also hit a few fat shots. These clubs have been pretty forgiving on fat shots, and I'm only losing about 5-10%, and they still go in the desired direction. On shots not hit directly in the middle, I am seeing very similar distance as a well struck ball, with a little variance in direction. I am sure that it is my swing, because on well struck shots these clubs are great. I'm still not sure (and probably won't ever be) how much forgiveness I am losing with this set. I know they have some forgiveness packed into them, but how much? Would my mishits be better shots? These questions have been in my head the entire testing. I'm just not sure how to figure out the answers. Right now, I am happy with the amount of forgiveness in this set.

Turf interaction:
Because it is getting a little wetter, the divots are getting bigger and slightly deeper at times. I'm talking beaver pelts sometimes. Nice part about it, these things get through it with no problem. Even on fat shots these clubs get through the ground without issue. The entire set is great, not just the blades. This is another part of this set that I am very impressed with.

It is getting late. I am playing again tomorrow and I will try to focus on some other things to cover these clubs completely. Hope you enjoyed the videos and write up. Please, if you have ANY requests for videos or pics, just ask. I am always looking for ideas. Also, as always if you have questions ask away. We love questions!

 

[the_paulo]

Thanks for the quick response. I believe both you and cook mentioned that you found that placing the ball further back in your stance produced a better ball strike. Makes sense now with the ball ball creating more spin. Thanks

My pleasure. Thanks for taking the time to post! These irons definitely respond better for me with a little further back ball placement.

I know they have some forgiveness packed into them, but how much? Would my mishits be better shots? These questions have been in my head the entire testing. I'm just not sure how to figure out the answers. Right now, I am happy with the amount of forgiveness in this set.

Excellent write-up Jeff, thanks. Great vids, loved the couple at the start too!

That's a big question that I think we all struggle to answer. Think part of the problem is that it could be subjective. I feel like these are quite a bit more forgiving than my Wilson blades, but am I just striking them better? Difficult to say. It's impossible to take them head to head and mishit 2 shots in a row exactly the same to see how they react! I think the nearest we can get is to judge just how they perform in our hands, compared to our previous experience. If they were a lot less forgiving, I guess you'd know it, because our swings wouldn't be so much better just for picking up a new set of irons.

Fancy trying to hit the pocket cavities lower when you're out there next? That's one shot I struggle with and I'd be curious to see if my fellow testers can manage a 'stinger' with them. They just seem to want to get the ball in the air, which overall isn't a bad thing!

 

[Chunkylover77]

I've had a couple of range sessions this week and tonight I will grab some video. Something weird going on though.

Jeff that was a great writeup dude. I think I'm beginning to see the answer on the course for the question on forgiveness. I just have to look at my scores. They are better. Do I think that the 3/4I could be more forgiving? Absolutely. Did I have a ton more success with my previous sets long irons? No to be honest and that set was as GI as it gets. I think there is just enough forgiveness in this set that I'm not going to be 10 shots worse on bad days because I'm playing these. There might be 2 shots in the round that would have been better if I were playing a GI set. But there also might be 2 shots that are helped because I'm playing these.

 

[Chunkylover77]

My pleasure. Thanks for taking the time to post! These irons definitely respond better for me with a little further back ball placement.



Excellent write-up Jeff, thanks. Great vids, loved the couple at the start too!

That's a big question that I think we all struggle to answer. Think part of the problem is that it could be subjective. I feel like these are quite a bit more forgiving than my Wilson blades, but am I just striking them better? Difficult to say. It's impossible to take them head to head and mishit 2 shots in a row exactly the same to see how they react! I think the nearest we can get is to judge just how they perform in our hands, compared to our previous experience. If they were a lot less forgiving, I guess you'd know it, because our swings wouldn't be so much better just for picking up a new set of irons.

Fancy trying to hit the pocket cavities lower when you're out there next? That's one shot I struggle with and I'd be curious to see if my fellow testers can manage a 'stinger' with them. They just seem to want to get the ball in the air, which overall isn't a bad thing!

Paulo I've had pretty good success with the stinger type shots. I can recall quite a few that I had to keep the ball under a tree limb or into the wind and I was able to keep the ball low. Slightly back in the stance and a little steeper swing and I've found success. Not every time though. You are right that the long irons do like to soar and I like that about them. Higher shots equal softer landings