Overview
The Nike VR S Forged iron will be a new game improvement forged iron from Nike, but shouldn’t be forgotten by the better player. This is a growing market in golf and many of the companies will be introducing clubs in this category. The profile of the iron is slightly larger than a traditional players cavity back iron. The top line of the club is slightly larger but still pleasing to the eye. Nike will continue to use the X3X grooves on the face to ensure maximum flight control and shot-to-shot consistency. Nike will also be using a new face material, SAE 8655. This material is a triple alloy nickel, chromium and molybdenum blend that allows for a very consistent face thickness, 2.5 mm. This material is considered a “spring like steel”.
Specifications
The specifications on the Nike VR S Forged 6 iron that we tested were 37.5 inches, 61* lie, 29* loft and a Nippon HT Stiff. These standards are very similar to most irons in the market.
Testing
During the test we used two players with handicaps of four and seven. These players had similar swings speeds ranging from 90-94 mph. Each player hit 10 shots. The shots were measured using the TrackMan Pro swing and ball flight monitor. During this test we compared the Nike VR S Forged to our top selling forged iron in this category. This iron was set up with the same lie angle, 1* stronger loft and a ¼ longer (standard for that club).
Swing Speed | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin Rate | Launch Direction | Spin Axis | Off Line Yards | Carry Yards | Max Height | Smash Factor | |
Nike | 89.3 | 124.1 | 13.0 | 5621 | 1.4 | -2.7 | 1.0 L | 172.8 | 84 | 1.39 |
Other | 90.1 | 122.5 | 13.3 | 6051 | 1.5 | -.7 | 1.4 R | 168.7 | 83 | 1.36 |
Based on the fact that we tested this against one of our best selling clubs in this category, I would say that Nike has come out with a great iron for 2012. This club is forgiving, pleasing to look at and produces good launch conditions. For a player looking for forged feel AND forgiveness, keep this in mind.