Overview
Nike Golf has been fighting an uphill battle with the consumer for years with new product introductions. Most customers that come into Miles of Golf feel that Nike is a marketing company and technology does not play a major role in the evolution of their equipment. Through our own, independent product testing, Miles of Golf could not disagree more. Nike has been making major improvements to the equipment line for the past three seasons and this year’s introductions continue the trend.
This February, Nike will be launching the VR S and the VR S Forged Irons. We had the opportunity to test both of these models this fall. Though fundamentally different, the Nike VR S will be replacing the MachSpeed Iron and the VR S Forged will be an additional iron to the line.
The Nike VR S iron will be in the game/super game improvement category and will once again feature the Nike “Power Bow” which allows the design team to reposition each club’s center of gravity to achieve playable launch conditions. Enhancements made to the head design have allowed the Power Bow’s gram weight to increase throughout the set make up by almost 25 grams. Nike Golf will also continue with the AM 355 stainless alloy face, as opposed to a lower quality 15-5 or 17-4 stainless steel. This material allows Nike to continue to push the envelope with spring effect (CT) measurements in iron technology. Nike Golf has also created thinner faces throughout the set to achieve distance control on off-center hits.
Specifications
The specifications on the Nike VR S 6 iron that we tested were 38 inches, 64* lie angle, 27* loft and True Temper Dynalite 90 Stiff, all standard for this iron. These “standards” are slightly longer and more upright than most golf clubs on the market today.
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 that were measured using the TrackMan Pro swing and ball flight monitor.
Swing Speed | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin Rate | Launch Direction | Spin Axis | Off Line Yards | Carry Yards | Max Height Feet | Smash Factor |
91.6 | 125.1 | 13.2 | 6090 | 1.4 | -0.6 | 1.1 R | 171.6 | 90 | 1.36 |
This is a ridiculously easy golf club to hit long and straight! Anyone looking for forgiveness and distance in set of clubs for the spring should consider testing these irons.