First impressions: There was a bit of a stir when Rory McIlroy put the new Nike Vapor Pro driver into play at the Ryder Cup. The world number one wouldn’t make such a change if he didn’t think the new gear was the real deal.
If you are not a fan of the looks of the new Nike Vapor range then I think you might be a bit boring. I think they look superb although I’m not a huge fan of the stock grip.
Some higher-handicapers might be a bit intimidated by the compact head shape and others may prefer an alignment aid. I still think it looks awesome from any angle.
What they say: There’s a driver in the range to suit all abilities with the Speed, Flex and Pro models.
The Vapor Speed driver promotes a higher launch angle with lower spin.
The Vapor Speed driver blends three key technologies: Nike’s new FlyBeam-reinforced Covert Cavity Back design, a re-engineered Compression Channel and FlexLoft 2.
FlexLoft 2 offers the functionality of five lofts and three face angles within 15 different settings. The new, improved system is five grams (30 percent) lighter.
NCG verdict: Once you get going with this driver the performance really speaks for itself. It’s not quite as forgiving on mis-hits as some others but the good swings are rewarded with excellent ball speed and distance numbers.
It was definitely the meatiest sounding driver on test for me. It’s the sort of sound which will turn heads on the driving range or on the tee.
Again, don’t be fooled into thinking there is style over substance in play here. This is a serious piece of kit from a company who are serious about trying to make the best-performing gear on the market.
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