We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Nicklaus ML4 Driver - Forum Testing Review

SuperStroke
I was at the local golf store yesterday talking to the owner who is a really good golfer who hits the ball a ton. He's a friend so we were talking about various products on the market and how to stay competitive in the age of the internet. At some point, I just asked him what drivers he thought were the best out there and he hands me his driver to hit. Mind you, he owns the store and can play whatever he wants with whatever shaft. He's who steered me to the Exotics fairway wood a few years ago. Anyways, his driver was the Nicklaus ML4 in 9.0 with some kind of stiff shaft. Too little loft and too much shaft for a hack like me. So he then gets me a 10.5 with regular shaft and I hit it a few times. He then taped it up and told me to take it with me for a week and play some rounds and hit the range to see what I think. I played it yesterday in howling winds and it is sneaky long. The ball does seem to rocket off the face and stays in the air forever. I was playing a course I'm quite familiar with and even hitting into 15-20 mph winds my tee shots weren't far behind where I normally am with my R11. Down wind the ball just flew, but like I said it was really windy so that didn't tell me much. Accuracy was a plus too. I took it and my R11 to the range over lunch today and alternated hitting 5-6 with the ML4 and then 5-6 with the R11. It's still windy as all get out but I will say the ML4 has gotten my attention. It was every bit as long as the R11 and the dispersion was tighter. I'm gonna play a few more rounds with it to see if it's just that different club thing going on or if this driver is what I need to find fairways.
 
Sean said:
ML4 Review Update

Another good day with the ML4. Sure I hit a few wayward drives, but this driver continues to impress. I've now had numerous rounds and a number of ranges sessions with the ML4. This driver is the real deal.
Click to expand...

Indeed Sean.

Another bucket of balls for me to keep my swing in shape and I love this thing to death, I've been just pounding it in play lately. Should be getting out this week for another round.
 
Well, I was able to get my ML4 out for the first time... Also put the Bridgestone B330 into play for the first time as well (first time playing any Bridgestone ball, matter of fact).

I'd ordered a 10.5* with an X-flex Fujikura SG Pro 3.01 TS shaft. What I received though, was an S-flex. Because I already have a couple of shafts that I'd intended to try in the Nicklaus head, I just decided to keep it. But before swapping shafts, I always give the stock offering a go. To my eye, the clubhead appears square and although I didn't measure (quickly compared it to my S3), I'd probably put the length at 45.5".

I typically swing between 110 to 115 mph. This season, I've been a bit faster, even getting it up to the 118-120 range on various LM's. But on the course, I think it's safe to say that I've usually been right around 115, high-end, once warmed up.

I have to say, I didn't think the stock shaft would hold up for me but I'm very impressed. It feels sturdy enough and very, very smooth. A welcomed surprise.

My initial experience with this stick was an abbreviated one as I had to cut my round short at the 12th hole. So I only hit driver 7 times. No range time with this stick, either. I just unwrapped it, threw it in the bag and headed to the course.

The course I played is 6800+ yards but the holes and lengths are varied. You simply cannot (shouldn't, anyway) just reach for driver every time. So on the first tee, I tee'd off with 7-wood and pushed it a bit.

I pulled the ML4 for the first time on the 2nd tee, a 520 yard par 5 w/ a slight dog-leg right. Being that I pushed my tee shot on 1 and then also faded my 5-iron approach, I lined myself up with the ML4 on #2 anticipating fade.

Nope.

Launched a bomb, dead straight. Now, the ball went over a trap and landed 6" short of OB and forcing me to punch-out, but I didn't care. The ML4 felt awesome. The shaft unloaded beautifully for me and the feel at impact was crisp, solid and powerful. Completely different feel from my S3. The S3 is satisfying in its own right but it's much more muted in both sound and feel.

Didn't have the opportunity to hit the ML4 again until #6, a 538 yard par-5. The back tees were cut way to the left (new box for me as I haven't played this course in a few years) creating an angle with the tree-line that demanded a draw off the tee.

At impact, I know I crushed another but it felt like I came a bit too far from the inside. Looking up, that was exactly the case. I hit it very solid and it was drawing a bit but I'd started it too far right. Missed the fairway right by about 30'. Still, I didn't care. In my mind, I was dialing the club in and walking off the tee, I had a very real sense that I was about to turn the corner with it. I committed to pull driver whenever feasible.

Next hole, #7. 426 yard par 4 into a very mild breeze (maybe 5-7 mph). Tee it up, decide to shorten the backswing just a touch, and unload. Bomb #3 but this one's dead-straight, splits the fairway leaving me 125 yards in (according to my gps).

Funny thing, I played with an amazingly nice older couple and one of their good friends, another nice elderly gentleman. As we drove up to my ball, they kept making a big deal about my drive and I was of course thankful and very flattered. When we get to my ball, the husband says, "geez, Bill... you hit that 275 yards into a breeze." Within seconds, his wife says, "no, you silly oaf... you're counting from the white tees!" He quickly recalculates and say, "holy-smokes, you hit that 300 yards!" Then jokes, "I gotta go, my heart can't take this stuff!" He then zooms off to his ball. :laugh:

#9: Bombed another about 280 middle of an uphill fairway.

#10: Pulled off the intentional fade on a dog-leg right 374 yard hole, 85 yards to the middle of the green.

#11: Lay of the hole demands draw with driver or straight shot with shorter stick. Downhill. Went with driver and drew it but with fairway sloping away, I ran it through and missed the fairway by about 10'. Not my best strike of the day but because it was downhill, I still got nearly 300 yards out of it.

#12: Last hole for me of the day. It's only a 360 yard straight-away hole and I'd never hit driver there but I wanted to hit the ML4 again. This time, I wanted to put a charge into the ball to see if the shaft could hold up. I completely overswung but managed to get lucky with solid contact. Ball go far. With a slight breeze at my back, I put the ball to 42 yards short of the center of the green. Shaft and clubhead felt particularly good with that swing. Awesome, actually.

I'm known to test clubs for a bit before declaring their starting status. But one thing that I know for sure, the buzz about this club is for real. Hands-down, it's a quality driver and every bit as good as the larger OEM's.

I'd classify launch for me as high (just a notch above medium-high) but with absolutely no ballooning at all. For a high ball-flight, it was strong and penetrating. The ML4 seems to be a club with no particular shot shape other than straight. Some of my contact was a bit out toward the toe (my usual miss) but the ball still tracked straight and long. My S3 and now the ML4 are the two drivers which have best forgiven this mis-hit for me.

I won't know spin numbers until I get it on the Trackman but I'd have to say it's a low-spinning head. The strong flight with terrific carry were strong indicators.

With just this small sample size, I'd have to say that my S3 is longer by just a bit (no doubt more about the S3's Blueboard shaft than anything else) but I get the feeling that the ML4 is more forgiving. Although I felt strong through the ball today, my swing wasn't all there. Although I've hit longer drives with my S3, I was absolutely stunned at times by the results with the ML4. Meaning, the swing I put on the ball simply wouldn't have led me to believe that I'd enjoy such great results. That said, with regard to my swing, I was shocked by some of my distances today. I'll usually hit some long drives here and there per round. But with this club today, I was consistently very long.

Color me more than just a bit intrigued. If I keep hitting this club well with the stock shaft, I think I'll just buy ANOTHER ML4 in order to experiment with shafts. Don't want to mess up a good thing, lol...

Glad I read this thread and took the bait. Anyway, if anyone's interested, I'll keep y'all posted on further tests.

Oh yeah, the Bridgestone B330. I like it. A bit harder feeling than I'm used to but I had no problem with that. Ball jumped off driver, stopped well with long and mid-irons, sucked back a few feet with wedges. Off putter, no doubt due to the Backstryke's insert, it actually felt pretty soft. Soft enough, anway.
 
Last edited:
Great write up wmac! Wow dude, good stuff.

I've yet to hit this driver but I know it blew some folks away at the outing.

tapatalk: even available for lefties!
 
@Haggis: the owner of you local golf shop knows something. As you discovered, after only a brief period the ML4 is not about hype. It just delivers.

@WMac: great write-up indeed. I first thought it launched a bit high, but I was mistaken. There is no ballooning, just a penetrating ball flight with a lot of carry. It is a low spinning head, at least IMHO. We've had a lot of mushy conditions until recently and every driver I've ever hit under those conditions always spun back after landing, not so with the ML4. Looking at your HI you're a better golfer than me, but I find the ML4 to be more forgiving than others I have played. The distances are surprising enough as it is, but when you hit the ML4 on the screws the distances are surprising indeed. I just wish my swing were more consistent so I could take advantage of it all the time.

One guy told me in our Sunday morning league: "You're too old to be hitting it that far."
 
Love the feedback on the ML4 from those outside the testing, it just affirms what I'm seeing and posting personally. I love this driver for sure. Good stuff all.
 
TC said:
Great write up wmac! Wow dude, good stuff.

I've yet to hit this driver but I know it blew some folks away at the outing.
Click to expand...

Thanks, TC! If you get the chance to hit it, please do. Even though I try to write as if to not come over the top and make the club sound too sensational, instead trying to stay more level... I guess I can't. One heck of an impressive driver.

Sean said:
@WMac: great write-up indeed. I first thought it launched a bit high, but I was mistaken. There is no ballooning, just a penetrating ball flight with a lot of carry. It is a low spinning head, at least IMHO. We've had a lot of mushy conditions until recently and every driver I've ever hit under those conditions always spun back after landing, not so with the ML4. Looking at your HI you're a better golfer than me, but I find the ML4 to be more forgiving than others I have played. The distances are surprising enough as it is, but when you hit the ML4 on the screws the distances are surprising indeed. I just wish my swing were more consistent so I could take advantage of it all the time.

One guy told me in our Sunday morning league: "You're too old to be hitting it that far."
Click to expand...

Thanks, Sean. My HC may be a bit lower but I suffer, horribly at times, with lack of consistency off the tee. I've suffered way too many penalties and threw away some good rounds due to sloppy driving. I hadn't even known that the ML4 is a cup-faced driver until after buying it. I've had great success with cup-faced drivers in the past (until blowing the face out, that is!), so here's to hoping...

As to age and distance...

I'm "only" 43 but as we can all attest to in our own way, I feel nothing like I did 10 years ago. In 2002, I happened upon a round of golf in Myrtle Beach (Oyster Bay GC) with an incredible golfer. His name was/is Gary Cowan. I believe only Moe Norman is more accomplished in the annals of Canadian amateur golf. Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame... you get the picture, a stud player. He's played in Tournaments vs Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, impressive history.

Now, I learned none of this from Mr. Cowan himself. Man of few words, dignified, gracious. He'd never rattle off his accomplishments. He was giving a playing lesson to his partner for the day, a nice guy named Mark. When Mr. Cowan was out of earshot I simply said to Mark, "ok, who is this guy?" Mark only smiled broadly and said when I get home, Google Gary Cowan. So that's how I learned about the golfer. The man? All I needed to know was learned within the four or so hours of golf. Impressive individual.

Anyway, I believe he was 63 at the time. He was fit and appears sturdy but he's not a large man by any means. But what he had was one heckuva powerful golf swing. Short backswing but his speed and power through the ball were absolutely amazing. Every shot crisp, every shot with that "crushed-it" tone. He had to average 300+ yds per drive. I know I was having a hard time sticking with him and my buddy, who used to regularly swing 125 mph, was entirely impressed by Mr. Cowan's distance.

What I took from it was that sure, fitness and health are very important. But given that, it's the efficiency of the swing which can maintain distance as we age. Ever since, I've endeavored to remove as many loose parts from my swing as I can. To this day, if I feel my swing getting too long and loose, while over the ball I'll simply say to myself "Gary Cowan" as I picture his abbreviated backswing and powerful pass at the ball.

It was as pleasurable as it was eye-opening playing with Mr. Cowan. Hopefully someday, in say... 20 years or so, I'll possess a swing just like his. :wink:

...Maybe the ML4 can provide a bit of a shortcut. :laugh:
 
That was a great story WMac. I really like your "efficiency of the swing" comment. I don't know if you read my thread about the 13 year old girl at my club (she's a +2 HI and all of 5' tall if that), but she averages 240-250 off the tee and on 18 she hit one 270.

I have trouble with consistency...don't we all? lol But, as far as drivers go the ML4 can make up for some of those sins. Is it perfect in that regard? No. No club is. But, I've found it to be better than any I've hit in that category. As you said, and I agree, I think the ML4 can provide a bit of a shortcut!

By the way, I wish I could have met your Mr. Cowan. :)

ps: I'm going to work on that: efficiency of the swing (thanks!)
 
Looking forward to some more in depth reviews in this thread guys. Thanks.
 
i have my league tomorrow so i will be reporting back in tomorrow!
 
Had this out today and starting to get it dialed in, I was killing it today , one thing I noticed today with the sound is there is definitive sound difference from when you git it on the sweet spot and when you don't , this driver when hit on the as sounds like nothing, such a magical sound , and the ball is starting to fly off the face nice, I was so excited I'm going to go out again tomorrow

I now tap while I talk
 
I'd love to hear some in depth reviews of your rounds if possible. When are you using the driver, what sort of hole is it, where are you aiming, where is it going, how far, ball flight, etc if you don't mind.
 
I honestly cannot believe the info on this thread. Before this I didn't even know Jack made golf clubs. This is why I love THP. It brings me to check out equipment I never would have even thought about or heard of. Thanks for the info.
 
Hawk said:
I'd love to hear some in depth reviews of your rounds if possible. When are you using the driver, what sort of hole is it, where are you aiming, where is it going, how far, ball flight, etc if you don't mind.
Click to expand...
I use it for anything over 250 unless there is trouble, I in no way work the ball but can induce a slice for hard dogleg rights
I'm averaging about 240 carry and 260 total, mid to high ball flight thAt gets up and stays up, but doesn't balloon, on mishits I will slice and go about 210, also with this driver I tee it up lower then any previous driver I've gamed. On narrow holes with trouble or woods on both sides I just go 3 wood or mashie, but Im slowly gaining confidence and hope soon to use the driver on those holes

I now tap while I talk
 
Why do you tee it lower? Is it because of the face depth or because it helps you change the ball flight in some way?
 
Hawk said:
Why do you tee it lower? Is it because of the face depth or because it helps you change the ball flight in some way?
Click to expand...

I found if I tee if up like other drivers I hit a high pop up and to be honest I'm not sure why , but I like what I'm seeing with teeing it up lower

I now tap while I talk
 
MattyKrack17 said:
I found if I tee if up like other drivers I hit a high pop up and to be honest I'm not sure why , but I like what I'm seeing with teeing it up lower

I now tap while I talk
Click to expand...

Good to know. I've been teeing the ball a bit lower this year compared to the past with pretty good results.
 
Good stuff in this thread. Glad to see the Nicklaus working out well for everyone!
 
Played 18 with the ML4 on Thursday.

My swing with the woods was off all day. I was pounding irons, straight and long, but just couldn't dial in the woods. Still, I hit a few long drives. One was the longest I'd ever hit on a particular hole. I didn't laser it and to guess would be just that as it's a dog leg. But I didn't cut the dog leg, instead hit it straight through into the rough on the far side. So, fwiw, 372 yards uphill (#9 at Spook Rock Golf Course in Suffern, NY for the locals), I had 76 yards left in to the middle of the green. But I'm not trying to say the numbers compute, hole plays shorter due to the turn.

I had a couple of other great drives but for the most part for the rest of the day, I was pushing it right off the tee. Every one long, though. No slices, just some dead pushes or pushes with a slight fade. I think I was sliding through impact instead of turning (I tend to do that at times).

I am convinced, however, that I'll have to swap out the stock shaft (Fuji SG Pro 3.01 TS, S-flex). It's a bit too whippy and I find myself trying to adjust my swing to the shaft, not a good thing. Might be why I'm sliding as I'm just not letting it go.

Also, although there's still no ballooning at all, the ballflight is a bit too high for my tastes. Has me wishing I'd gotten the 9* clubhead. But a reshaft should help to lower flight. I have a Graphite Design PM702 around here that I recall to be a sturdy, high kick shaft. I also have a Pershing 65 but I think that's a mid kick. But the Pershing tipped 1.5" could be golden, hmm... Loved the feel of that shaft.

I'm completely impressed with the ML4 clubhead. Ball jumps off the face and the sweet-spot is HUGE... no problem at all here in trying a shaft or two in this head.
 
ML4 Review Update

Played 18 today. The ML4 continues to impress. I still get very high ball flight. I'm not sure if this is too high or not. Most of that is carry since I'm not getting a lot of roll. I tried teeing it up lower but that didn't help. When I'm driving the ball into the wind this kind of trajectory is not so good. I don't have access to a launch monitor so I don't know if I'm hitting the ball too high or not. I'm not ballooning the ball, just hitting it very high. I get good distance, but a little lower ball flight would probably get me more yards as I would get more roll, especially on days when the fairways are wet.

If I hit the club off the toe I still get a fairly straight ball flight and respectable distance, the same goes for shots struck a bit thin. The ML4 is a very forgiving club.
 
Sean said:
ML4 Review Update

Played 18 today. The ML4 continues to impress. I still get very high ball flight. I'm not sure if this is too high or not. Most of that is carry since I'm not getting a lot of roll. I tried teeing it up lower but that didn't help. When I'm driving the ball into the wind this kind of trajectory is not so good. I don't have access to a launch monitor so I don't know if I'm hitting the ball too high or not. I'm not ballooning the ball, just hitting it very high. I get good distance, but a little lower ball flight would probably get me more yards as I would get more roll, especially on days when the fairways are wet.

If I hit the club off the toe I still get a fairly straight ball flight and respectable distance, the same goes for shots struck a bit thin. The ML4 is a very forgiving club.
Click to expand...

I cant' remember off the top of my head, but how is the distance compared to your previous driver?
 
Sounds to me like the height might not be a bad thing then?
 
Had it out yesterday again with same results, I think this is the first driver I've had that when I mishit I can tell right away with sound and feel . Now this isn't the endall driver, I am still slicing it some, but its not as major as o have before,

I would also like aittle bit of.a lower flight, but nothing that would turn me away

I now tap while I talk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top