USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
I was given a load of vouchers for my recent birthday, and although I didn’t need anything even remotely golf related, and was quite happy with my bag set up, I ended up with a new driver. Partly because this was what my friends who gave me the money wanted me to buy. They must be trying to tell me something. Here was me thinking they enjoyed walking through the woods in the shade looking for balls.
Anyway, I liked the look of the Nike Vapor Pro driver. The head shape suits my eye, a good quality stock shaft (Mitsubishi Diamana blue board), and at address, not too many off putting graphics (apart from the swoosh, in lime green!), or too much visible loft. I looked at the Vapor Flex, and also the speed models. The Flex just looked wrong, and the speed was ugly, and sat closed. Ok, someone else might think they are great lookers, but not me. Apparently Tiger uses the flex, as he likes a bigger looking head. I don’t, and currently he’s not much of an advert for it anyway. McIlroy uses the Pro, as it was designed for him. I’ll have a bit of that then!
The only thing was the grip. It was skinny, it was awful, and it was grey. I bought it anyway.
I set it to 9.5 degrees neutral lie angle (I think it adjusts from 8.5 to 12.5 in 1 degree steps, and can sit 1.5 degrees open, square, or 1.5 degrees closed), and took it to the driving range. It was long (as much as you can tell at a range you don’t normally use), had a nice flight, was dead easy to hit, and I loved it. I loved it so much I didn’t even hit all the balls, as I couldn’t see the point, it was going so well.
I was playing on the Saturday morning, and then bogey on Sunday. There was just enough time on Saturday to change the grip before playing. I found a nice grip, a blue one, and had it stuck on with 3 layers of grip tape. I hadn’t realised my choice of grip was a reduced taper model, and with three layers of tape under it, it looked like Bubbas driver. I stood on the first tee, and sliced it miles right. Hmm. Not only was the grip too big, but it had messed up the swing weight too. Double whammy then.
I fought a very nasty slice all weekend, went up point one in the bogey, and cut the grip off on Monday morning.
I had the same grip re-installed on Monday night, with only one layer of tape, and its back. Booming it. Slight draw, perfect. Such an easy club to hit, I wonder why I had to mess it up with the comedy grip.
I then decided to buy the matching fairway and hybrid. My current Titleist 913F 4 wood is not massively forgiving, and I’m not convinced a low spin, low launch shaft is that easy to hit off a tight lie on the fairway (yes I do hit the odd fairway, mainly after a chip out sideways). I no longer carry a hybrid, as I’ve fallen out of love with them, but I do need something to gap between my strong 3 wood (tee only) and my 4 iron. My 3 iron was ok off a tee peg only, and recently it has been a shank magnet.
So choices then. I like the blueboard shaft in my new driver, so why not go all Nike?
They only do the speed and flex models in the fairways and hybrids, no pro version. The speed is too big and clunky looking, and looks like it sits closed, so it’s down to the flex, which comes stock with the blueboard shaft. Speed models have fixed loft, flex ones are adjustable.
Fairway first. They make two models, a 3W and a 5W. Now I’m looking for a 4W, which is about 17 degrees. The 3W is a 15 degree, which adjusts in 1 degree steps from 13 to 17 degrees. The 5W is a 19 degree, with similar adjustment from 17 to 21 degree. Hmm. What I’d like is a 17 degree, spanning 15 to 19. That would give me adjustment to fiddle with around my chosen loft of 17. I have gone with the 5W, because of the shorter shaft. I can add loft, but if the 17 balloons, I’m jiggered.
Similarly the hybrid. They also do 2 models, a 3H, that spans 17 to 21, and a shorter shafted 4H which spans 21 to 25 degrees. I would have thought the most popular loft for a hybrid would be 21, which would replace a 3 iron. Why not do a hybrid that has adjustment from 19 to 23? I like the head shape, and again, it hides the loft well, and sits pleasingly square. I think all the busy cavity bits, and channels underneath it will fill up with gunk though. Especially in the winter.
Anyway, I have gone for the 3H, and I have set it at 21. If it balloons, I can dial it down, but if it can’t get it up (so to speak), then there’s nowhere to go, apart from ebay.
I know it’s probably all about minimising stock holding, and clearly some marketing gonk thinks that they have covered all the lofts. They have, but not in a sensible way. Surely there is room for a club in between those that they make? Yes, there would be duplication in lofts, but there would then be more lee way to tweak the settings to get exactly what the user wants.
Yes, custom fitting may result in a good fit, to fill the yardage gaps, but things are still a bit different out on the course, and being able to set the club up exactly as you want is part of the fun with adjustables.
I’ve not hit them yet.
I have also bought the same grip as I have on my driver, but will need to swap them this weekend some time. One layer of tape this time!
I am playing tonight, weather permitting, so I shall see how I get on!
Will they be in the bag on Saturday in the Stableford?
Will I get that point one that I need to get up to 11?
Are these the clubs to do it?
I think they might just be.
Anyway, I liked the look of the Nike Vapor Pro driver. The head shape suits my eye, a good quality stock shaft (Mitsubishi Diamana blue board), and at address, not too many off putting graphics (apart from the swoosh, in lime green!), or too much visible loft. I looked at the Vapor Flex, and also the speed models. The Flex just looked wrong, and the speed was ugly, and sat closed. Ok, someone else might think they are great lookers, but not me. Apparently Tiger uses the flex, as he likes a bigger looking head. I don’t, and currently he’s not much of an advert for it anyway. McIlroy uses the Pro, as it was designed for him. I’ll have a bit of that then!
The only thing was the grip. It was skinny, it was awful, and it was grey. I bought it anyway.
I set it to 9.5 degrees neutral lie angle (I think it adjusts from 8.5 to 12.5 in 1 degree steps, and can sit 1.5 degrees open, square, or 1.5 degrees closed), and took it to the driving range. It was long (as much as you can tell at a range you don’t normally use), had a nice flight, was dead easy to hit, and I loved it. I loved it so much I didn’t even hit all the balls, as I couldn’t see the point, it was going so well.
I was playing on the Saturday morning, and then bogey on Sunday. There was just enough time on Saturday to change the grip before playing. I found a nice grip, a blue one, and had it stuck on with 3 layers of grip tape. I hadn’t realised my choice of grip was a reduced taper model, and with three layers of tape under it, it looked like Bubbas driver. I stood on the first tee, and sliced it miles right. Hmm. Not only was the grip too big, but it had messed up the swing weight too. Double whammy then.
I fought a very nasty slice all weekend, went up point one in the bogey, and cut the grip off on Monday morning.
I had the same grip re-installed on Monday night, with only one layer of tape, and its back. Booming it. Slight draw, perfect. Such an easy club to hit, I wonder why I had to mess it up with the comedy grip.
I then decided to buy the matching fairway and hybrid. My current Titleist 913F 4 wood is not massively forgiving, and I’m not convinced a low spin, low launch shaft is that easy to hit off a tight lie on the fairway (yes I do hit the odd fairway, mainly after a chip out sideways). I no longer carry a hybrid, as I’ve fallen out of love with them, but I do need something to gap between my strong 3 wood (tee only) and my 4 iron. My 3 iron was ok off a tee peg only, and recently it has been a shank magnet.
So choices then. I like the blueboard shaft in my new driver, so why not go all Nike?
They only do the speed and flex models in the fairways and hybrids, no pro version. The speed is too big and clunky looking, and looks like it sits closed, so it’s down to the flex, which comes stock with the blueboard shaft. Speed models have fixed loft, flex ones are adjustable.
Fairway first. They make two models, a 3W and a 5W. Now I’m looking for a 4W, which is about 17 degrees. The 3W is a 15 degree, which adjusts in 1 degree steps from 13 to 17 degrees. The 5W is a 19 degree, with similar adjustment from 17 to 21 degree. Hmm. What I’d like is a 17 degree, spanning 15 to 19. That would give me adjustment to fiddle with around my chosen loft of 17. I have gone with the 5W, because of the shorter shaft. I can add loft, but if the 17 balloons, I’m jiggered.
Similarly the hybrid. They also do 2 models, a 3H, that spans 17 to 21, and a shorter shafted 4H which spans 21 to 25 degrees. I would have thought the most popular loft for a hybrid would be 21, which would replace a 3 iron. Why not do a hybrid that has adjustment from 19 to 23? I like the head shape, and again, it hides the loft well, and sits pleasingly square. I think all the busy cavity bits, and channels underneath it will fill up with gunk though. Especially in the winter.
Anyway, I have gone for the 3H, and I have set it at 21. If it balloons, I can dial it down, but if it can’t get it up (so to speak), then there’s nowhere to go, apart from ebay.
I know it’s probably all about minimising stock holding, and clearly some marketing gonk thinks that they have covered all the lofts. They have, but not in a sensible way. Surely there is room for a club in between those that they make? Yes, there would be duplication in lofts, but there would then be more lee way to tweak the settings to get exactly what the user wants.
Yes, custom fitting may result in a good fit, to fill the yardage gaps, but things are still a bit different out on the course, and being able to set the club up exactly as you want is part of the fun with adjustables.
I’ve not hit them yet.
I have also bought the same grip as I have on my driver, but will need to swap them this weekend some time. One layer of tape this time!
I am playing tonight, weather permitting, so I shall see how I get on!
Will they be in the bag on Saturday in the Stableford?
Will I get that point one that I need to get up to 11?
Are these the clubs to do it?
I think they might just be.
