Nike Golf Vapor Speed Irons Review

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Nike Golf has revealed its new Vapor Speed irons, part of the Vapor iron family, at an event in New York City. Created at The Oven with Nike Golf athlete insights driving the development of the long irons, Nike Golf club engineers crafted the Vapor Speed irons to deliver exactly what the name entails: pure power.

Like the Vapor Pro and Vapor Pro Combo irons, Nike Golf’s Vapor Speed irons feature innovative Modern Muscle design. Modern Muscle is defined by balanced weighting for perfected precision and power. The Vapor Speed irons design moves the centre of gravity lower, deeper, and more towards the centre of the face for faster ball speed and long, consistent distance. Ultra-thin NexCOR club faces and lighter, ½” longer shafts, further amplify ball speed for incredible distance.

The Vapor Speed long irons (2i-7i) are built with a hollow, metalwood-inspired construction that features Nike’s new FlyBeam technology.

For the first time, Nike Golf club engineers incorporated proprietary lightweight RZN material – a modified version of the material found in the high energy core of Nike Golf’s line of RZN golf balls – in the cavity of the Vapor Speed short irons, 8 through sand wedge. This delivers Tour-inspired feel and sound with added stability.

Moderate sole widths with a beveled leading edge make it easier to hit through the turf, while precision-machined X3X grooves deliver spin control and shot-to-shot consistency.

Technology
The largest, most forgiving iron in the Vapor series offers the highest launch and most ball speed. The hollow construction in the 2-7 irons is built for distance. Modern Muscle, comprising a heavier toe section, places the CG more centrally for a higher MOI and more effective energy transfer.

Looks
Larger design will be confidence inspiring for mid and high handicappers that seek help in getting the ball airborne. Quite a thick topline but minimal offset similar to the smaller Vapor models broadens the appeal.

Feel/sound
Quite firm but with a subtle sound dampened by the RZN cavity in the short irons. There’s no doubt the longer irons have a feel similar to a hybrid, the ball springing off the face on a high trajectory.

Forgiveness
Very high – they’re easy to hit due to the size but also the perimeter and sole weighting. Plenty of launch assistance but without applying too much spin to weaken the flight. Much like the driver, FlyBeams in the back of the head increase the feeling of head stability at impact.

Performance The Speed irons launch noticeably higher and travel further than the other models in the Vapor series. For players with slower swing speeds that frequently mishit shots, this should make hitting the ball better easier. The CG positioned low and deep has allowed Nike to make the shaft longer and the lofts stronger – a recipe for distance.

The Vapor Speed irons will be available from January 31, 2015. Confirmed prices and specs will follow in due course.

See how the irons got on in our 2015 Game Improvement Irons Test!

Nike has quietly and successfully been going about its business in the iron market for a number of years now, but without really gaining the recognition its quality products have deserved. The new Vapor line, which includes the Pro, Pro Combo and Speed for golfers of varying abilities, could help buck that trend in 2015. The new line features a reinvented muscle back that takes its design inspiration from Tiger Woods, who has a Tungsten weight drilled into the toe of his blades to move the CG away from the hosel and more towards the centre of the clubhead. In the Vapor line, Nike has taken this principle and adapted it to meet the needs of the somewhat less accomplished golfer.

The new ‘modern muscle’ concept adds weight to the toe area of the club to move the CG even nearer to the centre of the face. The Vapor Speed irons also feature face-centered weighting set low and forward throughout the set for a higher launch. The long irons (3-7) have hollow cavity backs reinforced with a ‘FlyBeam’ behind the face for extra forgiveness, while the shorter irons from 8-iron downwards have RZN cavity backs.