ngnation.com | NG NATION — Nike Golf Fan Blog

A few weeks ago Nike Golf sent me a set of their new VR_S irons to test and review — this set is the cast version, the VR_S irons also come in a forged version which I hope to also test and review. I’ve had the VR_S irons at the range a couple of times and will be playing with them on the course this coming week. My initial impression: Wow, these irons are long, 10-15 yards longer than the irons I tested them against (my Pro Combo OS irons), a club to a club and a half longer through the bag. They have a nice sound at impact, a distinct snap with no “plink” sound that sometimes can be heard from super-game-improvement irons. I’m normally not an SGI iron guy — I prefer more traditional iron designs and I lean toward the look and feel of forged irons — but these irons really impressed me, both in visual design and performance. The look really appeals to me, and from the playing position these don’t overwhelmingly look like SGI irons. They have a great feel at impact, and they make ball go a long way.

I’ll have my full review coming soon here on the blog, but for now check out these first-look in-hand pics:

Filed Under: Equipment, Irons, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, VR_S Irons

Product Review: 2012 Nike Golf VR Pro Limited Edition Fairway Wood

February 14, 2012 By Bob Diercksmeier 2 Comments

Read Nike Golf’s press release about the VR Pro LE fairway woods >>

I recently had the chance to review the Nike Golf VR Pro Limited Edition Driver, and I was impressed with its solidity, the distance I got and the control I had with that club. Nike Golf also sent me one of the new VR Pro Limited Edition Fairway Woods (the 19-degree 5-wood) to test and review, so I headed over to my local course Stonecreek Golf Club for a few testing sessions on the range and a couple of live rounds on the course to put the VR Pro LE Fairway Wood through its paces. Here are the results of my testing:

FIRST IMPRESSION: DESIGN/APPEARANCE
Out of the box you can tell the VR Pro LE fairway wood is designed for the serious player. From the playing position it has a traditional pear shape, similar to last year’s VR Pro STR8-FIT fairway wood. The crown has the same metallic black finish, the sole again features Nike’s Compression Channel technology, and the sole plate has the same configuration, although on this year’s model the paint color is metallic red across the entire sole, just like the VR Pro LE Driver.

Like the VR Pro LE driver, the biggest difference between this year’s VR Pro LE fairway wood and last year’s VR Pro is the absence of the STR8-FIT adjustability system — this year’s model is a glued version. The VR Pro LE also has a small white Swoosh on the toe that further distinguishes it from the VR Pro. The face has a similar profile to last year’s model, but it does not have the STR8-FIT icon in the middle of the face, the grooves go all the way across the face.

The club comes with a stock Diamana ‘ahina shaft and a Nike VR Tour Velvet grip from Golf Pride. The VR Pro LE comes with the same old school knit headcover that the driver comes with, and as I said in that review I’m a big fan of the sock headcover.

My first look at the VR Pro LE fairway wood gave me the impression of a player’s club that’s designed for distance, shot making and controlling the golf ball.

FIRST IMPRESSION: PERFORMANCE
My first swings with the VR Pro LE confirmed my initial impressions — like the VR Pro LE driver, the fairway wood is rock solid, it rips the ball off both tee and fairway, and it makes shaping shots a breeze. First, the weighting of the club head and the solid feel when striking the ball really impressed me. The pleasing “thwack” sound at impact has no trace of a “plink” that you hear with other fairway woods — this club is solid all the way. It’s long too, the ball just shoots off the face, and I picked up 5-10 yards over my VR STR8-FIT 5-wood. I love being able to smooth a shot with this club off the tee or fairway with an easy swing, and watch it just fly down the fairway. The VR Pro LE is also very forgiving thanks to the compression channel technology in the sole, which helps to give shots hit low on the face about as much distance as those struck in the middle of the face.

From the playing position, the look of the VR Pro LE fairway wood invites shot shaping, and it does not disappoint — I was able to easily hit draws and fades with this club. The playability of this club makes working the ball an absolute joy, it really lends itself to moving the ball right and left, and makes pulling off shots from tough lies and tricky positions easy and fun.

My first impressions of the VR Pro LE’s performance were that of a player’s fairway wood built for bombing the ball and shaping shots when and where I needed to.

DISTANCE
The VR Pro LE fairway wood really made the ball go for me, both off the tee and off the fairway. I picked up 5-10 yards over my VR STR8-FIT 5-wood. I love being able to swing easy with this club — I’m able to make a controlled swing and still get great distance while maintaining control over the golf ball.

FEEL
The VR Pro LE has terrific feel, it gives a really solid strike to the ball and has a great feeling at impact. Mis-hits have good feel also thanks to the compression channel technology in the sole. The Diamana ‘ahina shaft also contributes to the smooth, solid feel of this club.

PLAYABILITY
The traditional pear shape of the VR Pro LE 5-wood invites shot making, and this club has great playability. Moving the ball right and left is a breeze, and it makes shots from trouble spots and difficult lies easier to pull off.

ACCURACY
I really enjoy placing shots where I want to with the VR Pro LE. I use this club off the tee on long par 3’s, or on par 4’s or 5’s when driver or 3-wood is too much and I absolutely must hit the fairway. Off the fairway this club is a pleasure to hit — nothing beats the feeling of watching the ball fly high, long and straight at my target, and seeing it land softly on the landing area or putting green.

FORGIVENESS
The VR Pro LE 5-wood is very forgiving, thanks to the compression channel technology in the sole that gives thin shots and shots hit close to the heel almost as much distance as shots struck in the middle of the face. Mis-hits went just about as far as solidly struck shots, and they held their line almost as well also.

ACOUSTICS
This VR Pro LE produces a solid “thwack” at impact, not the tinny “plink” you sometimes hear from other fairway woods. This club has just about the best acoustics I can remember hearing from any metal fairway wood I’ve ever hit.

SUMMARY
The VR Pro Limited Edition fairway wood follows the VR Pro LE driver’s lead as a players club built for distance and shot-shaping control. The traditional pear-shaped head design looks great from the playing position, and invites the player to work the ball. This club is long, it has a great solid feel that makes drawing and fading the ball easy, and the forgiveness of the compression channel adds to the club’s playability. The confidence the VR Pro LE inspires takes the intimidation out of difficult shots, and its outstanding acoustics makes the great shots this club produces even more memorable. I’ve had this club in my bag for three months now, so I feel qualified to say that if you’re looking for a new fairway wood to add to your bag this season — one that will make the ball go a long way, where you want it to — the VR Pro LE fairway wood may just be the one for you.

Check out this Oven Tech video about the VR Pro Compression Channel >>

Visit the VR Pro microsite on nikegolf.com >>

Editor’s note: The product reviewed above was supplied by the manufacturer to the reviewer/author free of charge for testing and reviewing purposes only. The reviewer/author was not paid for this review, and the opinions expressed in the review are strictly those of the reviewer/author.

Filed Under: 2012 VR Pro LE Fairway Woods, Equipment, Equipment Product Reviews, Fairway Woods, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, Product Reviews

FIRST LOOK PICS: Nike Lunar Ascend Golf Shoes

February 11, 2012 By Bob Diercksmeier 2 Comments

For Christmas I received a $100 gift card to tgw.com, so a week ago I pulled the trigger and bought a pair of the new Nike Lunar Ascend golf shoes. I’ve had my eye on these ever since we first got a sneak peek back in August of last year, and I knew the blue/gray/white colorway was the one I would go with. They arrived a few days ago, and my first impression (from trying on indoors) is — WOW, what a shoe. Super-light and extremely comfortable, this looks to be one of Nike Golf’s best designs for a summer golf shoe yet. I am already a big fan of the Air Rate and Air Range, but I can tell already that the Lunar Ascend will give those a run for their money.

The Lunar Ascend is the first Nike Golf shoe to use Nike’s Hyperfuse technology, and it definitely keeps the shoe weight to a minimum. The Lunarlon in the sole (first seen in the Lunar Control) gives the Lunar Ascend a super-smooth ride. The mesh upper also looks to be very breathable to keep cool in the summer heat. And the new integrated traction sole pattern looks to have plenty of stability, although I’ll know more when I game these in a live round.

One initial note on sizing: the pair I have seems to run true to size, if not a little big. Like the Air Rate, it has plenty of length, and the medium width seems to be true also (the Air Rate seemed to run a little narrow). I like my golf shoes to not be too tight — the Lunar Ascend has plenty of room for comfort without being too big.

I can’t wait to take these to the course to see how they perform during live play, and when I do I’ll give a full review. Until then take a look at these first in-hand pics of the Lunar Ascend:

Filed Under: Footwear, Footwear & Apparel, Lunar Ascend, ngnation.com, Nike Golf

Nike Golf at Golf Fest Phoenix

February 11, 2012 By Bob Diercksmeier 3 Comments

I headed out to Golf Fest Phoenix yesterday, which was held at Longbow Golf Club out in Mesa, Arizona. It was a beautiful day, and Nike Golf was there in full force with many people stopping by the booth and trying out the new VR_S equipment line while I was there. I was also able to reconnect with Phoenix area Nike Golf reps Gordie and Frank, who I had met 3 years ago at a demo day at Desert Mountain Golf Club, but hadn’t seen since.

The full VR Pro and VR_S equipment lines were on display, and many people were checking out the new VR Pro LE driver, fairway woods and VR Pro irons, as well as the full VR_S equipment line. I overheard some comments from people who were impressed by the distance they were getting with the new VR_S driver, and Gordie gave me some more info about the NexCOR face technology that is making these distance gains possible. The sweet spot has been expanded from the middle of the face into more of a figure-8 shape (like the NexCOR icon design in the middle of the face), so mis-hits toward the toe and heel are getting just about as much distance as a shot hit in the center of the face. And I think this is what people are noticing, the distance they are getting from most of their shots — mis-hits as well as shots hit in the center of the face. I’ll be testing the VR_S driver next week, with my review to follow soon after, and I’ll let you know if I experience the same thing.

Golf Fest continues today out at Longbow, and if you’re in the area head on out and stop by the Nike booth and check out the new VR_S line for yourself. And if you do, tell Gordie and Frank I sent you.

Filed Under: Drivers, Equipment, Fairway Woods, Hybrids, Irons, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, VR_S Driver, VR_S Fairway Wood, VR_S Forged Irons, VR_S Hybrids, VR_S Irons

FIRST LOOK PICS: Nike Golf Method Concept Putter

February 8, 2012 By Bob Diercksmeier 2 Comments

Some people love it, and some are having trouble getting comfortable with the shape — I have not heard a lot of opinions in-between about the new Method Concept putter. Whichever side of the debate you are on, once you roll a few putts with it you may not want to put it down. I’ll have a full product review coming soon on this somewhat controversial new putter, but my initial impression (from putting on my on my living room putting mat) is that this putter is money on short putts 6 feet and under (I can’t wait to see how it performs for lag putting). Great roll as you’d expect from a Method Core, and the weighting of the heavy black bar keeps the face super-steady and square through the impact zone. The head shape may be progressive, but look closely and you’ll see a beautiful red anodized aluminum face piece (the same red aluminum previously used for the insert plate is now used for the entire face piece) with a white polymer insert backed by a black aluminum plate, and the heavy black bar that gives the putter head its rock-steady performance.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or putter holder), but I can’t think of a prettier sight (or sound) than that of the ball rolling in the hole on a crucial putt. I am already a fan of both the looks and performance of the Method Concept putter — like I said my full review will be coming soon, but for now take a look at these initial pics of the new Method Concept:

Filed Under: Equipment, Method Concept, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, Putters

FIRST LOOK PICS: Nike Golf VR_S Hybrid

February 8, 2012 By Bob Diercksmeier Leave a Comment

There’s been a lot of buzz about the distance gains players have been getting with the new VR_S line, and it sounds like some of the biggest gains have been with the VR_S hybrid. I have not tested this club yet, but am looking forward to seeing how it compares to my previous SQ2 4-hybrid. The VR_S line as a whole has a beautiful visual design, especially for super-game-improvement clubs, and the hybrid is no exception. Check it out in these first-look pics:

Filed Under: Equipment, Hybrids, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, VR_S Hybrids

FIRST LOOK PICS: Nike Golf VR_S Fairway Wood

February 6, 2012 By Bob Diercksmeier Leave a Comment

More first-look pics here, this time of the new VR_S Fairway Wood. Last week Nike Golf sent me one of these beauties to test, the 15-degree 3-wood. It’s a beautiful club — with its low-profile face and confidence-inspiring footprint, it looks great from the playing position. I can’t wait to test this club and see how it performs. Until then, take a look at these pics:

Filed Under: Equipment, Fairway Woods, ngnation.com, Nike Golf, VR_S Fairway Wood

FIRST LOOK PICS: Nike Golf VR_S Driver

February 6, 2012 By Bob Diercksmeier Leave a Comment