Wicked Cool Bearded Man
4thegolf+4thefriends
Nice to hear I'm not alone in my futility :act-up:. You will man!
Nike VR Pro Combo Irons - Forum Testing Review
Nice to hear I'm not alone in my futility :act-up:. You will man!
Thanks for the videos Chunky. I saw all the things you mentioned, flying elbow and crossing over at the top. But you still posted the videos even having an off day and that makes me feel better haha. It was just one of those days man. Thanks for the write up though.
At this point in your testing, if I gave you two sets of irons, one steel and one graphite which set are you putting in your bag?
At this point in your testing, if I gave you two sets of irons, one steel and one graphite which set are you putting in your bag?
the_paulo
Euro target practice
Thanks Tadashi. Yeah, I play in windy conditions more often than not. Those videos were on a particularly windy day, but there always seems to be at least a breeze that you have to consider on my home course. Club selection is rarely the same 2 days in a row on the par 3s. Makes for some interesting attempts at different kinds of shots!
Totally understand. The comedown after a bad round can be harsh! But. That to me is an important part of the testing process, asking the tough questions. If anything, trying to think from the negative side of things should give us all a clearer perspective at the end of the testing. I know that I'll definitely have more bad rounds than good, so if these irons keep answering the question, they're doing well.
Chunkylover77
Proud JakeNation Member
I think I need to go graphite at this point Kev. My body just is deteriorating. I have to go to the doctor soon because I'm having joint pain all over my body. Graphite will at least get rid of the swollen fingers and wrists. Plus it is not just about that. I find graphite to play better for me. I don't swing hard with it. I've really liked the ball flight I'm seeing with the graphite. Its been as consistent in terms of dispersion as any steel shaft I've played. Plus I like a muted feel and graphite gives me that as well. KBS gave me perfect numbers but I think the PX gives me very good numbers plus all the benefits I listed. It's a no brainer for me
You pretty much said all the things I've been finding too. So far I've found zero cons and lots of pros in my experience with graphite shafts. You did leave one thing out though. They look so much better then steel shafts. Good stuff man.
LOL - you know I would never turn down that opportunity!
I did film some knock down/stinger shots at the range a little while back and uploaded them. Let me repost that video Freddie just in case CL is not able to get that. I can also play a few stinger shots on the course this week and get them on video.
Tappin' from my iPad!
2Shoes
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Funny you chose that (graphite) CL, the very first thing that went through my mind when I saw your video was that you have a great swing speed and tempo for the clubs I'm playing.
Also, I gotta' give you huge props for uploading that last video, knowing you'll be back over in the MC2.0 thread and defending yourself!
Test Date: 09/07/2011
Testing Club: Nike VR Pro Combo 6 & 9 irons with PX steel shaft 5.0 flex
Testing Purpose: Trying to gauge the difference in height and penetration of a standard shot versus a knock down (preparing for into wind shots)
My Club: I am using the testing clubs but my prior set was the Cobra S9's
Ball Used: Range balls in average condition
Environment: Texas - 89 degrees, sunny, north wind at back 10-15 MPH
Hey THP - just got back from another range session. I had 2 goals in mind for tonight:
1) Test my ability to hit knock down shots since the winds are finally starting to pick up around here
2) Fix my issue of hitting my irons off the toe so much
WIND TEST - knock down shots
Goal 1 was to test my ability to hit knock down shots in preparation for the crazy TX winds that we typically have over the winter. Everything from ball position and stance stayed the same. Only thing I changed was using an abbreviated follow through.
The results were very positive. Being a high ball hitter, this can be critical to my success when the winds pick up. I tested this by hitting a standard shot followed by a knock down shot and attempting to gauge the difference.
I saw about the same result in the 9 iron and 6 iron which was about a 30% decrease in ball height at maximum height with a nice penetrating flight that did not balloon on me.
With the 4 iron, I saw closer to a 50% decrease in ball height at maximum height with a very penetrating flight that only got about 15 feet off of the ground and just seemed to carry for awhile.
It was hard to gauge on the range but I would estimate that using the knock down shot versus a full shot is losing approximately 10% on total carry. Naturally when hitting into the wind we go to a stronger club anyways to negate the loss in carry and the wind affect.
Here is a little video showing the different swings I was trying to properly test this:
TOE TEST - avoiding the toe and getting the sweet spot
I made one simple change and that was standing slightly closer to the ball. I still hit a few fat from getting to aggressive and not staying in a good tempo but the results were pretty positive. I will not know a ton more until I see if I can implement it on the course and get rid of the toe shots that get pulled left. Here are the club faces after each session. As you can tell, most of the contact is off of the toe so this is a good sign for me. Luckily, I have a 4 day weekend coming up and have plans to play all 4 days so on course review of this change will be in abundance!! :clapp:
9 iron
6 iron
4 iron
Got questions? Fire away!!
Bumping this update for Tadashi as he was asking about stinger/knock down shots.
the_paulo
Euro target practice
That was definitely worth bumping up Michael, was a great update.
I've just been reading through some of the older reviews and updates in this thread actually, and I'd encourage anyone just browsing with an interest to take the time to look at some. There have been some great reviews and solid info in this thread.
I've just been reading through some of the older reviews and updates in this thread actually, and I'd encourage anyone just browsing with an interest to take the time to look at some. There have been some great reviews and solid info in this thread.
Chunkylover77
Proud JakeNation Member
I've enjoyed the testing so far Paulo. I look forward to seeing how the Nikes do in the fall season.
- Staff
- #1,913
I'll be watching that with interest as well. I think that it could be a mixture of good/not so good. I say that because the ability to keep the ball low should be a big help in winds, but in colder climates, it seems that distances start to drop pretty dramatically.
the_paulo
Euro target practice
Me too. Should get interesting as the conditions change.
The temps over here are just starting to drop a little quicker too. Getting to about 40 degrees in the morning. Time to dig out the base layers. Will be interesting to see how all our comparisons hold up as the weather changes.
Test Date: 10/10/2011
Testing Club: Nike VR Pro Combo irons with PX steel shaft 5.0 flex
Testing Purpose: 4 man charity scramble
My Club: I am using the testing clubs but my prior set was the Cobra S9's
Ball Used: Srixon AD-333
Environment: Texas - 79 degrees & partly sunny w/south winds at 5-10 MPH
Hey THP! I was lucky enough to get invited to play in a charity scramble yesterday for the Child Abuse Prevention Center here in Dallas. Obviously, playing in a scramble you hit some different shots than you normally might but I want to highlight a few shots what were used by my team today. We started on hole number 6.
7th hole - par 4 and we have 150 into the wind. Go with a smooth 6 iron and I end up 26 feet past the hole. Decent shot given the conditions and I am the only one to hit the green. 2 putt par (I lipped as the 4th putter).
9th hole - par 4 and we have 140 with no wind playing a factor. Smooth 8 iron and I hit my shot of the day - lands 4 feet short right of the hole and stops on a dime. They let me putt first and I bang in the birdie. Photo from that shot:
17th hole - par 3 playing 171. Elect to hit a smooth 5 iron here and I thinned it. Hits front middle of green and ends up about 15 feet past the ball mark leaving us 20 feet left of the pin. I am again the only one to hit the green and we 2 putt for par.
3rd hole - par 3 playing at 181 downhill and downwind. I choked down on a 5 iron and it is tracking the whole way and lands 1 yard short of the green and stops. I did not hit it completely solid and combined with the choke down it's just not quite enough. We chip up and make par from here.
I did hit a few other decent irons on the day but someone else was inside of me so we did not take those but they of the 20-25 feet away variety. With all of that said, I hit several complete chunkers where the ball only went 60-70% of the intended distance. We got a ton of rain on Sunday so the course was a little damp which did not help me when coming in behind the ball.
Interestingly enough, there was another guy in my group that flew in from Charlotte and was playing the VR Pro Combo's with the KBS shafts. I could tell he was a good player but had not been playing much lately. His instructor actually recommended the VR Pro Combo's after he had been playing some GI irons pretty well. We discussed them quite a bit and he said that if he is not playing enough and his ball striking is not there then he needs to be playing the GI's. He was actually getting ready to go out and get another set today because of his frustration with these. We both agreed that when you are swinging well, they are a thing of beauty. But a hair off (especially if coming in behind the ball) can be quite punishing.
I am still planning on going out after work tomorrow and doing some on course head to head between these and some Burner 2.0's to try and compare the turf interaction and forgiveness factor. I am still torn what to do long term.....
Testing Club: Nike VR Pro Combo irons with PX steel shaft 5.0 flex
Testing Purpose: 4 man charity scramble
My Club: I am using the testing clubs but my prior set was the Cobra S9's
Ball Used: Srixon AD-333
Environment: Texas - 79 degrees & partly sunny w/south winds at 5-10 MPH
Hey THP! I was lucky enough to get invited to play in a charity scramble yesterday for the Child Abuse Prevention Center here in Dallas. Obviously, playing in a scramble you hit some different shots than you normally might but I want to highlight a few shots what were used by my team today. We started on hole number 6.
7th hole - par 4 and we have 150 into the wind. Go with a smooth 6 iron and I end up 26 feet past the hole. Decent shot given the conditions and I am the only one to hit the green. 2 putt par (I lipped as the 4th putter).
9th hole - par 4 and we have 140 with no wind playing a factor. Smooth 8 iron and I hit my shot of the day - lands 4 feet short right of the hole and stops on a dime. They let me putt first and I bang in the birdie. Photo from that shot:
17th hole - par 3 playing 171. Elect to hit a smooth 5 iron here and I thinned it. Hits front middle of green and ends up about 15 feet past the ball mark leaving us 20 feet left of the pin. I am again the only one to hit the green and we 2 putt for par.
3rd hole - par 3 playing at 181 downhill and downwind. I choked down on a 5 iron and it is tracking the whole way and lands 1 yard short of the green and stops. I did not hit it completely solid and combined with the choke down it's just not quite enough. We chip up and make par from here.
I did hit a few other decent irons on the day but someone else was inside of me so we did not take those but they of the 20-25 feet away variety. With all of that said, I hit several complete chunkers where the ball only went 60-70% of the intended distance. We got a ton of rain on Sunday so the course was a little damp which did not help me when coming in behind the ball.
Interestingly enough, there was another guy in my group that flew in from Charlotte and was playing the VR Pro Combo's with the KBS shafts. I could tell he was a good player but had not been playing much lately. His instructor actually recommended the VR Pro Combo's after he had been playing some GI irons pretty well. We discussed them quite a bit and he said that if he is not playing enough and his ball striking is not there then he needs to be playing the GI's. He was actually getting ready to go out and get another set today because of his frustration with these. We both agreed that when you are swinging well, they are a thing of beauty. But a hair off (especially if coming in behind the ball) can be quite punishing.
I am still planning on going out after work tomorrow and doing some on course head to head between these and some Burner 2.0's to try and compare the turf interaction and forgiveness factor. I am still torn what to do long term.....
the_paulo
Euro target practice
Nice write up Cookie. Interesting to hear about your playing partner, who has been struggling with these. Did that make you think about your own experiences more? I know when I've given these to my father-in-law, or Brian G, to hit, that their opinions have made me consider again and double check my first thoughts. It's always refreshing to get another opinion and compare experiences.
Looking forward to the comparison too. I think a lot of people will be interested to hear how these stack up against a more forgiving iron in a head-to-head.
We're entering a pretty good phase of the testing which I think could throw up some gritty reviews! How do they perform as it gets colder/wetter? How does the turf interaction change with conditions? Do we start seeing distance losses as the winter kicks in? I'm looking forward to trying to answer these questions.
Thanks Paulo - it definitely does. Just hearing someone else say that if their game is not clicking they struggle with these kinda resonates with me.
Unfortunately, my game is not always on so that leads to the question of how many shots on average am I losing in comparison to GI's. A question that needs to get answered quickly for me.
It is raining here right now so just hoping the grass range is open tonight so I can proceed further on some GE vs GI testing!
Tappin' from my iPad!
Unfortunately, my game is not always on so that leads to the question of how many shots on average am I losing in comparison to GI's. A question that needs to get answered quickly for me.
It is raining here right now so just hoping the grass range is open tonight so I can proceed further on some GE vs GI testing!
Tappin' from my iPad!
the_paulo
Euro target practice
Test Date: 10/11/2011
Testing Club: Nike VR Pro Combo irons - Dynamic Gold SL S300 shafts (+1 degree upright)
Testing Purpose: Range Session
My Club: As above, but previously Wilson fg59.
Ball Used: Range balls in decent condition
Environment: Scotland - about 48 degrees, rain and a stiff breeze.
Managed a range session tonight to practice a few things I've been working on. I've been trying to stay balanced throughout my swing, and not get ahead of the ball, as well as moving my weight slightly more towards my heels.
Started out hitting some PWs to a flag that was 97 yards away. I must comment at this point on the feel of the PW. Pulling it out of my bag and taking a few practice swings, it just felt comfortable. Even my first ball was exactly the right distance, and the distance control throughout the 15 balls I hit was very consistent. The cross-wind did play around with the flight a little, but overall I was hitting it well.
One thing I noticed - As I progressed, my impact zone with the PW started creeping more and more towards the heel. At address, with my 'lower hands' drill, the toe of the club almost looks like it's leaving the ground. I'm really pondering having these bent back to a standard lie.
Moved on to the split cavities after 15 balls with the PW. Hit a 6 iron to a flag 152 out (apparently). Almost straight into the wind, I was just reaching the front of the green. Every one I hit well was a draw, of about 5 yards or so. This is where my new technique produced a couple of hosel-rockets. Disconcerting, but I struggle on! Again, everything coming out towards the heel. The toe end of these irons is still brand new folks!
Another 'hmmm' moment and fuel to the fire of pondering getting them bent again.
I hit a few off the deck with the pocket cavities too. For some reason, I was inconsistent with these during this session. Not the ball flight, as well struck ones flew nicely and seemed to have a lovely, penetrating flight. My swing must have been slightly out tonight, as I struggled with hitting a few fats with the 3 iron. That's not really like me and I put it down to the new practice technique. Hoping that doesn't translate to the course. I couldn't give a true representation of a chunked shot, as I was hitting off mats, so still got a result!
Summary-
The session was good. I feel like a smooth swing, and a balanced swing, really gets results from these irons. The lighter overall weight of them lends themselves towards this technique for me, and encourages me to play this way. It's not often I come away from a 'so-so' practice session optimistic, but I really get the feeling that I'm close to something with these irons.
My only confusion is whether or not to get them bent back to standard. I'm hitting out of the heel quite often, probably about 50% of the time. But, I am getting used to the ball flight as it is, and I haven't seen one hosel rocket on the course (fingers crossed for that to continue). I'm leaning towards bending them.
Testing Club: Nike VR Pro Combo irons - Dynamic Gold SL S300 shafts (+1 degree upright)
Testing Purpose: Range Session
My Club: As above, but previously Wilson fg59.
Ball Used: Range balls in decent condition
Environment: Scotland - about 48 degrees, rain and a stiff breeze.
Managed a range session tonight to practice a few things I've been working on. I've been trying to stay balanced throughout my swing, and not get ahead of the ball, as well as moving my weight slightly more towards my heels.
Started out hitting some PWs to a flag that was 97 yards away. I must comment at this point on the feel of the PW. Pulling it out of my bag and taking a few practice swings, it just felt comfortable. Even my first ball was exactly the right distance, and the distance control throughout the 15 balls I hit was very consistent. The cross-wind did play around with the flight a little, but overall I was hitting it well.
One thing I noticed - As I progressed, my impact zone with the PW started creeping more and more towards the heel. At address, with my 'lower hands' drill, the toe of the club almost looks like it's leaving the ground. I'm really pondering having these bent back to a standard lie.
Moved on to the split cavities after 15 balls with the PW. Hit a 6 iron to a flag 152 out (apparently). Almost straight into the wind, I was just reaching the front of the green. Every one I hit well was a draw, of about 5 yards or so. This is where my new technique produced a couple of hosel-rockets. Disconcerting, but I struggle on! Again, everything coming out towards the heel. The toe end of these irons is still brand new folks!
Another 'hmmm' moment and fuel to the fire of pondering getting them bent again.
I hit a few off the deck with the pocket cavities too. For some reason, I was inconsistent with these during this session. Not the ball flight, as well struck ones flew nicely and seemed to have a lovely, penetrating flight. My swing must have been slightly out tonight, as I struggled with hitting a few fats with the 3 iron. That's not really like me and I put it down to the new practice technique. Hoping that doesn't translate to the course. I couldn't give a true representation of a chunked shot, as I was hitting off mats, so still got a result!
Summary-
The session was good. I feel like a smooth swing, and a balanced swing, really gets results from these irons. The lighter overall weight of them lends themselves towards this technique for me, and encourages me to play this way. It's not often I come away from a 'so-so' practice session optimistic, but I really get the feeling that I'm close to something with these irons.
My only confusion is whether or not to get them bent back to standard. I'm hitting out of the heel quite often, probably about 50% of the time. But, I am getting used to the ball flight as it is, and I haven't seen one hosel rocket on the course (fingers crossed for that to continue). I'm leaning towards bending them.
Wicked Cool Bearded Man
4thegolf+4thefriends
Nice update Paulo. Question, were your old irons 1 degree upright? Have you been working on trying to flatten out your swing and that is where the heel issue has come in?
the_paulo
Euro target practice
Thanks.
My previous irons were standard lie. I struggled at the start of the year as I was hitting them out of the toe and getting horrible results. I've had a couple of fittings which pinned me at +1 upright, but I have been working on my swing all year really. Flattening my swing wasn't a conscious goal, but I have dropped my hands slightly, so that may add to it.
I've really only started noticing heel hits from the blades very recently, since I've been working on my balance. But I've been seeing heel shots from the split cavities from the outset of testing.
Chunkylover77
Proud JakeNation Member
I've been seeing some heel shots too Paulo and very consistently. I'm going to the range tonight and if the guy is there I will have him bend the 7I to see if that is better. Ground is soaked from days of rain so I will get some nice muddy turf interaction. So far these have been great in muddy situations
Good feedback Paulo and it appears that I am opposite of you and chunky as I hit quite a few shots out on the toe. May be time to do what Chunky mentioned and get a single iron bent to see if it helps with that issue.
My range session got cancelled last night as it rained all morning and the grass range was closed so my head to head comparison with the burner 2.0's will have to wait until tomorrow night and then I will be playing at least once over the weekend.
My range session got cancelled last night as it rained all morning and the grass range was closed so my head to head comparison with the burner 2.0's will have to wait until tomorrow night and then I will be playing at least once over the weekend.
- Staff
- #1,923
I think I remember you guys saying that the heel shots weren't too penalizing? I've found that to be the case with the irons I'm testing, but there is a little distance loss it seems. Not nearly as bad as some other misses though.
Chunkylover77
Proud JakeNation Member
I am seeing zero punishment for the heel shots that I'm hitting Hawk. I would not be surprised if the sweet spot on these irons is a little inside