NEW GEAR 2016: Nike Golf

Looking for some new equipment to lift your game in the New Year? Here is some of the gear Nike Golf has available heading in 2016.

Nike Vapor Speed TW driver

Nike’s new Vapor Speed driver designed and built to Tiger Woods’ specifications will be available for purchase for the first time in limited quantities.

“Stability has always been the most important thing to me when choosing a driver,” Woods said. “I like the pear shape. It is appealing to my eye and it also has a slightly lower moment of inertia that allows me to shape shots easier.”

The Vapor Speed TW driver combines Nike’s FlyBeam-reinforced Covert Cavity Back design and a new Compression Channel all packaged in a smaller head shape. The Covert Cavity Back design spreads weight towards the heel and toe to stabilise the head at impact, maximising forgiveness. The redistribution of mass creates more stability, better launch conditions and faster ball speeds.

Woods’ own insights led Nike’s design team to re-design the Compression Channel, which increases the spring-like effect off the mid-to-low portion of the face to increase overall distance.

In addition to a smaller head, the 10.75° driver features the Diamana Blue Board 73 shaft with a bonded hosel. Available in right-hand only and stiff-flex shafts only.

SRP: $650.

New Nike Method Converge putters

Nike Method Converge and Matter Putters feature Method technology with an RZN material, the same RZN used in the Nike RZN golf balls. Nike club designers utilised some of the findings from the golf ball team and applied it to the face of the putter to give it a softer feel and deliver faster forward roll.

An RZN layer between 304 Stainless Steel actively manages forgiveness, resulting in ten percent tighter dispersion. A T-shaped alignment aid helps find the proper address position.

The RZN groove insert provides ideal launch and skid conditions, also offering true roll and soft feel. The mass-dampening RZN polymer layer negates gear effect on off-centre hits, resisting rotation and getting the ball closer to the hole.

SRP: $320.

Nike Engage wedges

With three sole grinds made from the hands of master craftsman Mike Taylor, Nike Golf Engage wedges are the newest solution to help athletes such as Rory McIlroy both score and escape adverse conditions on the course.

The name Engage comes from three important interactions between the club and the turf, the clubface and the ball and the connection between the athlete and his or her equipment. McIlroy was one of the Nike athletes who tested the new wedge design and provided valuable feedback to Taylor and the Nike club team during the product development process.

Nike Engage wedges are available in three distinct sole grinds: Dual Sole, Square Sole and Toe Sweep.

Square Sole was designed to be played with a squared-up clubface while the Dual Sole offers two distinctive surfaces for a wide range of shots. The Dual Sole is inspired by grinds used by Tiger Woods and McIlroy.

The second-generation Toe Sweep grind maintains its superior performance as the best wedge from the worst lie on the course while improving versatility on tight lies. The wide toe and narrow heel width allow the club to be laid open at address and stay open through impact in even the deepest grass.

Nike Engage wedges are precision milled with X3X grooves to deliver maximum spin on full shots. The grooves have more volume and sharper edges to deliver a more consistent shot in any condition as well as a more consistent ball flight. The precision milling process that makes the X3X grooves is offered for the first time with the Engage Wedges.

Based on athlete feedback and testing, Engage wedges utilise an athlete-authentic raw finish instead of chrome plating. The finish will reduce glare as well as increase surface roughness to improve spin and control. SRP: $230 each.

Nike FI Impact 2 footwear

Frustrated by the absence of golf shoes that combine stability and flexibility, Nike Golf athlete Suzann Pettersen set forth a design dare.

“I challenged the footwear team to provide a lighter shoe with even better traction and midfoot support,” Pettersen recounts.

Or, as Nike Golf global footwear product director Lee Walker explains, “We see a lot of shoes out there are flexible but provide very little stability during the swing. On the flip side, there’s no shortage of golf shoes that offer good lateral support but are also heavy and offer no flexibility.”

These insights directed the development of the FI Impact and FI Impact 2. The latter builds upon the success of the former by introducing improved traction and enhanced flexibility. Meanwhile, Dynamic Fit eliminates the space between the foot and the shoe for unparalleled comfort and great midfoot lockdown.

“When I saw the finished product, I couldn’t wait to play in it,” exclaimed Pettersen.

The FI Impact 2 also takes cues from the Nike TW ’15; it features a golf-specific Nike Free-inspired sole and superior traction elements in the toe and heel. Furthermore, the FI Impact 2 base is larger than that of its predecessor, bettering stability. And living up to their initial challenge, the designers managed to shave an ounce off the original FI Impact.

Available in one colourway for women (pure platinum) and three colourways for men (wolf grey, black and dark grey), the Nike FI Impact 2 comes with a one-year waterproof warranty.

SRP: $270.