Nike rolls out cool looks and cool tech for its Vapor driver line.
How do you hit it better than that?
That’s a damn good question. It’s also
the subject of a brand new, wickedly funny
commercial that stars a cavalcade of Nike
athletes messing around with Vapor drivers.
You have to give Nike a tip of the cap
for taking on a huge elephant that all
equipment companies tussle with - convincing
a customer to upgrade, even if the club
they’re playing is really good.
That’s certainly the case for Nike and their
Covert 2.0 driver line which earned high
marks for length, forgiveness and especially
innovation. I currently enjoy playing a Covert
so I represent a real conundrum for Nike. I
should be pretty receptive towards upgrading
my gear. But I love my driver. It’s long
enough and forgiving
enough. Can the new Vapor
drivers really top that?
Nike doesn’t think a single driver can do
it all for everyone so this year they released
not two, but three models: the Speed, Flex
and Pro. Visually, they all look similar looking
down at their crowns. But under the hood they
are all uniquely different, offering a vast
range of launch and spin conditions that can
help just about anyone dial in a ball flight that
offers the right amount of distance and
workability while maintaing an acceptable
level of forgiveness.
Building off the success of the Covert
model, Nike’s Vapor drivers take advantage of
the following previously successful
technologies: a cavity-back sole design and a
deep undercut layer called a compression
channel that the company first introduced in
the form of their VR Pro driver in 2011. Yes,
I suppose Nike is guilty of recycling, but that
doesn’t mean
a company can't take something old and make
it better.
|
A
closeup view of the reinforced cavity back
design. |
The new sole cavity is wider but
shallower. It’s reinforced with Nike’s Flybeams
which stiffen the back of the club and allows it
to flex towards the front of the crown to
improve ball speeds. The idea behind the
cavity back, now in its third generation, is to
reposition mass from the back of the head to
the front which improves MOI across the
whole club while reducing gear effect. As for
the compression channel, it’s a completely
new design. Nike engineers went through 37
iterations during development before settling
on the final design that varies in depth
(shallower in the center and deeper towards
the heal and toe) which influences how the
face flexes on both center and off-center
strikes.
A less publicized feature, but certainly
not insignificant, is Nike’s FlexLoft 2 adjustable
hosel adapter which is approximately 5 grams
lighter than the original component used on
Covert drivers. The savings in weight (about
30 percent) allows the Vapor drivers to play
lighter than their predecessors. The Speed and
Pro drivers register a D3 swing weight when
paired with their stock shafts, while the Flex
weighs D4. As much as I tend to rave about
the Covert drivers, I found it nearly
impossible to consistently square up the ultra-
heavy Tour model which clocked in as high as
D6 depending on shaft.
So now that we have a general sense of
the new lineup, let’s examine each individual
club’s performance and benefits.
Vapor Speed Driver
Out of the three divers, the Vapor Speed
is the lightest when paired with the stock
Mitsubishi Fubuki Z 50 shaft (56 to 59 grams)
and it also produces the highest trajectory and
spin. A low and deep center of gravity location
in combination with a mid-torque, high-
trajectory shaft means the ball will launch
high and land soft.
The Vapor Speed like all drivers in this
series features the cavity back sole, the
compression channel and is outfitted with a
460cc head. At address the Vapor Speed looks
bigger than advertised when compared to its
siblings. Nike elongated the head from front to
back. They also made the crown a little more
rounded and deeper in shape when compared
with either the Flex or Pro. It sets up in a
slightly closed position which can help players
square up the face if they routinely lose shots
to the right.
|
The
significantly sloped crown of the Nike Vapor
Speed driver. |
By all accounts the Vapor Speed is built
for golfers who need a little help getting the
ball up in the air or need a touch more
forgiveness than what is offered in the other
two driver models. I would, however, caution
anyone from categorizing this driver as a
high-handicappers golf club. Even a world-
class player like PGA Tour pro Paul Casey
found himself getting fitted for a Vapor Speed.
For Casey, a self-described low-spin guy, the
Vapor Speed performed better than the lower-
launching Pro driver he initially coveted.
I tested all Vapor driver models recently
at GolfSmith’s Lake Grove location. All data
was measured using a Foresight GC2 launch
monitor. My Nike Covert 2.0 performance
driver is regularly set to 12 degrees neutral
and all three Vapor drivers were set to 11.5
degrees neutral and were fitted with stock
shafts (stiff flex).
My Covert driver numbers bounced
around a little bit while I warmed up but
ultimately settled at a 13 degree launch angle
and approximately 3600 rpm of total spin. The
Vapor Speed, while a solid golf club, was a
little too light for my taste and I never quite
got in sync with it. My mishits generally went
to the right, averaging 26 yards offline
compared to 15 yards with my gamer.
In terms of spin, the Vapor Speed
produced nearly the same rate while launching
the ball a half degree higher than my Covert.
Although the lightweight shaft and head
combination on the Speed are supposed to
encourage higher ball speeds which in turn
leads to more distance, I actually ended up
swinging the club a fraction slower and came
up 10 yards short compared to my Covert
driver.
Vapor Flex Driver
The Vapor Flex
driver is outfitted with some serious Harry
Potter wizardry. FlexFlight, a Nike innovation
similar in concept to Callaway’s Gravity Core
found on Big Bertha Alpha 815 drivers, allows
the center of gravity to be incrementally
adjusted from low and forward to low and
back.
FlexFlight features a tube made from the
company’s lightweight RZN material. The
FlightPod (also RZN) is a flippable 15-gram
weight that can be removed and reinserted
using the same wrench that adjusts the
FlexLoft hosel. Flipping the module to the
heavy end increases both launch angle and
spin, while also improving the club’s MOI.
Doing the opposite cuts the spin rate by
approximately 300 rpm and the launch angle
by a degree.
When combined with the FlexLoft hosel
which has five lofts and three face angle
settings, the Vapor Flex is Nike’s most-
adjustable club. Truthfully, this isn’t a club
that everyone needs to play. Given it’s
premium price tag, it probably won’t outsell
the Vapor Speed or Pro. But I love that Nike
brought it into the marketplace both to flex
(no pun intended) their engineering muscles
and to help some customers maximize their
performance from a very granular, multi-
faceted adjustment.
|
The
Vapor Flex driver lets you adjust the center of
gravity. |
“With a simple quarter turn, we can
adjust the mass of the FlexFlight module
forward and backward within the club to
change the trajectory and shot shape for the
athlete,” said Nate Radcliffe, Director of
Engineering at Nike Golf. “As the last step in
the fitting process, that can be the difference
between the athlete being comfortable with
the fitting and really being able to compete
with it on the golf course.”
Make no mistake, by offering CG
adjustability, Nike is targeting more
accomplished golfers with the Vapor Flex.
Visually, the crown is classically-shaped from
front to back and the slightly open position at
address caters to players with higher swing
speeds.
Measuring it against my Covert driver,
the Vapor Flex performed admirably -
especially considering the FlightPod was left in
its factory preset position. The Vapor Flex was
tested with a stock Mitsubishi Diamana S+
Blue Board (61-gram) shaft. The Flex driver
launched considerably lower than my Covert
(11.8 degrees compared to 13) and spun less
by 300 rpm. Although carry distances were
nearly the same, the Vapor Flex had a little
more run out as a result of a more
penetrating ball flight.
Vapor Pro Driver
The last club I tested was the Vapor Pro.
Without a doubt, it was my favorite driver out
of the three even though it’s the least
forgiving, which has to be expected from a
typical low-and-forward CG driver.
The Vapor Pro is a classic better player’s
club. A little bit heavier than the Speed even
though the swing weights are identical, with a
compact pear-shaped crown that feels dead
solid when you make center-faced contact
with the ball.
|
The
Nike Vapor Pro driver is a classically-shaped
player's club. |
When testing the Vapor Pro driver with
the same shaft as the Flex, I experienced a
pretty wide shot dispersion including one
spectacular miss to the right that was offline
by 55 yards. While I wasn’t thrilled with
spraying the ball, I was plenty impressed with
the carry distances that consistently matched
or surpassed the totals I registered with my
gamer.
From an off-the-rack testing standpoint,
the Vapor Pro launched a little too low (only
11.3 degrees) and sustained a peak height of
only 21.5 yards. The average spin rate was
3200 rpm; a number of quality shots were in
the 2600 to 2800 range. While my moderate
swing speed and smooth tempo might not
make this an ideal club for me (especially
without a proper fitting), golfers with high
speeds or fast transitions should flat out kill it
with this stick.
Look and Feel (All Models)
All three Vapor drivers feel pretty solid,
but fractionally lighter when compared to the
clubs they are replacing. In terms of how they
sound, I think they all could be a little quieter
but thankfully none of them are high-pitched.
When it comes to paint jobs, Nike has
chosen a glossy, black finish on the crown
with some very subtle graphic detailing. Some
people in the golf community would call it a
return to form. Some might even suggest it’s
a return to sanity. Although I may be in the
minority, I really love the bright red look of
the Covert lineup. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I
enjoy giving my driver a solid rip especially if
someone in my group happens to give me the
stink-eye.
For those who do prefer a more in-your-
face approach to design, Nike came up a
custom crown for staffer
Michelle Wie to
promote at the beginning of the year.
Apparently, Casey likes it too. Although
there’s no way at this time for the public to
get a hold of any, it wouldn’t be a shock to
see these drivers released later on in the year
in limited quantities.
Who’s It For?
If you’re already playing Nike golf
equipment or have in the past, chances are at
some point you’ll be tempted to give these
sticks a look. By releasing three unique
models, Nike is showing an astute awareness
that a one-size-fits-all driver solution doesn’t
makes sense for everyone.
Some players do fit the low-launch, low-
spin profile that’s so in vogue these days.
Other golfers need spin (sometimes a lot of
spin). Fortunately, there’s three very different
drivers to choose from.
I think anyone who has an open-mind
about Nike’s branding direction and takes the
time to undergo a thorough fitting consultation
will find a Vapor driver that does in fact let’s
you hit it better than your gamer.