@@tsyeo1828 But not in the same capacity. They only offer the ultra forgiving irons, drivers, and of course wedges. They have discontinued the CG, 588, and TA lines. Srixon have taken on those markets. I also agree with the other commentator. It should really fall on us to push for a more diverse market. One thing that happened after Nike stopped producing clubs that some players played with whatever we want and maybe the Jo public should follow suit. Try to cobra driver, the mizuno irons, muira wedges, and a ping wood. Why not the Ben Hogan?
Nike's R&D facility, "The Oven", was literally 15 minutes down the road from me in Fort Worth, TX. It was such a cool space to tour and see how their clubs were designed, built, and tested. In the lobby they had Tiger's irons from his historic Grand Slam run behind glass. I'll never forget the face of Tiger's irons because they had a perfect little circle depression, directly in the sweet spot. The rest of the face was practically flawless. I remember thinking, "My god, the GOAT never missed the sweet spot once in all those years." I miss The Oven and it caught us all by surprise when Nike decided to shut it all down.
I actually talked(caddied for) to the former CEO of Nike golf and he said that they could keep up with the demand of new clubs and costs associated with such. Companies such as Taylormade came out with multiple clubs per year filling the market of new club buyers a lot faster than Nike. With this carrying over the span of Nike Golf's club manufacturing existence, Nike decided to strategically focus on apparel as that market they were more competitive in. Also the input costs associated with manufacturing and marketing for clubs could put towards other subsectors of the business. Hope this information came as insightful!
Very much so... I heard something similar as their actual reasoning at the time... They couldn't keep up with demand when it came to multiple models of clubs a year and that they wanted to focus on the apparel side since they were an apparel brand to begin with. They don't make footballs, basketballs or hockey sticks so why clubs? Makes sense, but it sucks because they'd been pretty good at it...
@@FloridaManRacer they do absolutely make footballs and basketballs but those have a MUCH lower entry point than golf clubs, for manufacturing and selling.
Lee High just retired my ping eye 2s best choice I’ve made in a while. They were good while they lasted but now after playing relatively new clubs i feel like an idiot for not switching sooner
Alex W agreeed 100%. I was a very novice golfer 4-5 years ago. Shootin under 100 was a good day. Hitting a 3 wood was not even an option for me at the time. Someone talked me into going in and getting fitted making the claim that a proper club fitting can do exponentially more for a novice golfer than for a pro. So i listened and tried out a few different brands and for me personally ping by far just fit to my swing style like a nice pair of worn in boots. Now mind you i only got fitted for my irons but literally saw an instantaneous improvement in my score. So thinking that the ping irons seemed to work so well for me in decided to grab a demo g25 3 wood and just see what would happen, again mind you i have tried many many 3 woods in the past and could literally maybe hit one decent ball out of 10. My very first swing with the g25 3 wood was literally at that time the single best ball is ever hit with a 3 wood, im talking literally the VERY FIRST TIME I HIT A BALL WITH IT. I was mind blown. So i shot a few more and every single ball was launching in a way i had never ever been able to hit a 3 wood even remotely close to as good as those first 10-20 balls. I knew in that moment i found exactly what ive always needed. Had the same problem with rescue/hybrid clubs and again from the very first ball i hit i knew i had found my clubs. To this day now that 3 wood is one of my best and most consistent clubs. I have noo idea what it is but i will golf with people and see them having the same problem as i always used to have to the point they wont even attempt a 3 wood and it just stays in the bag the entire round to which i tell them about my having the exact same problem, i tell em forget everything you know about try8;g to hit your old 3 wood, forget about how unconfident they are when trying to hit whatever 3 wood is in their bag. Not sure if it’s correct but i say put the ball in the middle of your stance and pretend your hitting an iron as opposed to pretending it is more like a driver. And i would say for about every 4 out of 5 people i get to try it are absolutely blown away at how easy it is to hit and hit extremely well. They are slightly striking down on the ball instead of their old mindset of thinking you need to sweep the grass and hit the ball just as your club is in the beginning part of the upwards motion thinking that (that) is what they need to do in order for the ball to fly up into the air. Again i am no pro not even remotely close to a decent amateur, so my advice could be absolutely ass backwards to what people should be doing. That being said is all i know is that it has seemed to work time and time again for more than just a couple of people and continues to work GREATLY for myself and for all of those people i have helped. Not to mention i have sold ping upwards of 20-30 g25 and newer 3 woods and hybrid/rescues. Which in turn has also eventually lead into a couple sets of irons and a few drivers soooo PING. Ugh huhhhmmm. If your looking for an amateur brand ambassador who is a smooth talking son of a gun im your guy!! Im cheap too. Just maybe a new driver so i can finally get rid of my taylormade r9 which is the only club in my bag not a ping is all im really asking for. If your really feeling generous maybe throw in a new set of irons to upgrade my g20’s that i originally got fitted for like 4-5 years ago. I mean i dont feel like that asking for too much!!! Lmfao. Considering the number of people ive converted and go to buy new ping clubs some just a 3 wood some 3 wood and rescue some from driver all the way through to putter i think ive more than covered a new set of clubs lol. But in all seriousness im just thankful that ya’ll have put out a club (or set of clubs) i can really get behind and that have made the game sooo much more enjoyable for not only myself but for everyone that i have had the opportunity to put one of your clubs in their hands and let them see for themselves at what the possibilities are and seeing them get that much more enjoyment out of the game is more than worth it to me in all honesty. Sp really i just wanted to say thank you for all you have done to help progress my game as well as many other people around me’s game as well. Watching my friends get more enjoyment out of the sport snd being able to share that with them all because of a product you produce is really a treat and beyond any monetary value one could put on it. Sorry for the ling post and sorry nike for hijacking rick’s video on ya’lls clubs.
Rick i feel like youve found a really nice niche here, a bit of golfing history mixed in with on the course stuff, could be a great series going forward going over van de velde’s open for example!
I agree, maybe just a wee bit more of some on course impressions, maybe highlight a line of products (Driver, wood, irons, what have you) that was particularly good/bad with some swing testing or on course spotlights. But overall, really Enjoyed this video and the style with which it was shot.
Growing up in golf through the tiger woods Nike era was hugely impactful for me . The clothes the clubs even the balls looked cool.looking cool and playing great were two different things . When it all finally caught up with the cool/performance meeting it was too little too late . Tiger didn’t use Nike irons the were (coughs) a Japanese company product with swooshes on them . But really I think the could come back full force and succeed the old guys are dying off . This generation has no problem with bright colors and a little swag . And as long as it preforms close to the competition people will buy it.
I still game the 2014 VRs Pro Combos, Nike's last great line of clubs. I also game a set of VRs Covert forged 2. Nike was starting to get it and then they went funky and that was it.
Still playing a covert 2.0 driver and loving it! Real shame the 2017 driver was never released. It looked like a stunner. I'd love to see Nike back in the game!
Forget winning, he was struggling just to stay on the course. Tiger was seriously struggling for awhile. I almost wonder if they signed too many people. Especially seemingly high level endorsements. Not that signing a bunch of people is all bad but I feel like Nike was really killing it when Tiger was the face of things. Certain athletes are just so synonymous with the brand they endorse that it doesn't seem to matter who else the brand has. I think of someone like MJ with Nike/air Jordan. They hardly needed other high level endorsers because you were the brand of the best.
Tiger was Nike Golf. When he had marital issues, that also stung the Nike Golf brand bc most golfers are conservative...especially older ones who are buying products. Couple that with his inability to win or even play in major events, and it was a recipe for failure... ...had Tiger returned after the marital issues to his winning ways, I bet Nike would have remained relevant...just a hunch
Rick, Loving the content lately. Relatively young golfer here. I think Nike's big issue was partly something you mentioned -- they marketed to a younger crowd, but realistically people in the 16-24 age range probably can't afford to buy clubs as often as let's say 30-40 year olds. Speaking from experience, I was 20 when Nike stopped selling equipment and I picked up the Vapor Fly Driver for less than half of retail and have been thrilled with it ever since. I'm just now getting to the point where I can spend more money on clubs, and I really wish Nike were still around, especially with those rumored 2017 models.
I played with the vr pro combos for 7 years and loved them to death. Still own them and would never get rid of them. Actually looking into getting them restored a bit as the grooves on a couple clubs are worn down
I had tried almost every driver on the market and couldnt hit any of them consistently straight. That is until i picked up a Nike SQ driver with aldila shaft. I still carry it in the bag til this day. I went last weekend and was out driving my friend with his brand new taylor made. My drives have never been longer or straighter. I absolutely love this club.
Those unreleased drivers looked amazing. Definitely would’ve tried those out. Still rocking Nike VRS X irons and SQ Dymo 3 wood. 3 wood comes out like a missile.
I work for a certain high street golf retailer, (yes that one), and the problem with aiming at a younger audience was: Younger people don't really have a lot of money to lay out for a full bag of the latest clubs. The people who can stand the cost of a full bag are older, and they are VERY brand loyal to tried and tested manufacturers....Ping, Taylormade, Titleist, Mizuno etc...because these were the aspirational brands from their youth....which they can now afford. Just my two penneth worth....
just started golfing and found out (from watching you) that Nike stopped making clubs, balls and bags. I was sad, i'm a Nike guy. i prefer Nike to any other brand. So i went out to my local golf second hand golf store and to my surprise there was a set of Nike covert 2.0 irons for $39.00. Best thing besides the price, was that they were red! from that day I have made it my job to rescue Nike golf clubs. I have amassed a collection that is way too big for a below average golfer. The clubs are great and i love the colors............. stay safe peace
I remember that Tiger's Driving went south when he went to the Nike driver. Also, I was one who said " If Nike can screw up Tiger, there's no hope for me! "
To be fair though, Tiger’s driving accuracy was directly linked to switching over to Haney. He gained a better ball striking and lost driving accuracy when he left Butch. For what it’s worth! Don’t think it was the clubs.
When you were talking about the stigma of nike entering a sport and not having any knowledge compared to the older more prestigious companies it reminded me of skateboarding. When they started making skateboarding products many people (including me) were questioning what they were doing in a sport they knew nothing about. But after 5-10 years of them being in skateboarding i tried their shoes and man were they one of the best pairs of skateboarding shoes that i've ever had. But I still have that feeling of wanting to support the companies of a sport that have been there through thick and thin and making sure they are getting business. As long as they are making quality gear that is.
The problem with Nike in skating is that, like golf, they could up and leave the sport at any given moment which would be a problem for a lot of people who work with them. You would never get that from say Lakai, Emerica, Baker even Thrasher, roots companies. The reason that they have good product is because they just buy the best people behind the scenes from the roots companies.
Oh it’s awesome. You know that scene in Robocop where the cops are all shooting at the range, then suddenly all stop to look at where the noise is coming from? Yeah, that’s the effect… LOL I love mine.
Rick, you know why and I can’t believe you wouldn’t say it. When Tiger had his personal scandal and back injury, he stopped playing, People stopped buying Nike golf. They lost millions and Nike had to stop the bleeding.
Bingo bro this is #1 reason. The brand was either succeeding with Tiger or failing. They tried to cover their bets with Rory but he was bad. It was the perfect storm.
@Bud Fox As a huge Tiger fan of 25 yrs I must say you striped that one right down the sprinkler line. Tiger WAS Nike golf and when he had his problems it didn't matter who else they had. Rory, Brooks and all the others were just along for the ride. They could have won everything but Tiger's life, back and game going in the crapper all at once sunk N.G. The tour in general had taken a hit during Tiger's "troubled times" but had an uptick last April ..... what was it again. can't seem to remember. The fact remains that to a large segment of the golfing world for right or wrong Tiger was/is golf.
I'd give anything for them to return to the market! I still use my VIctory Red Blades, and Covert Driver/woods. I even still buy their most recent RZN golf ball because I LOVE IT!
Thanks for the review. I’m a HUGE Nike fan and played all the clubs you showed along with the ball. I just traded it all in and went to PXG through my whole bag. I have to say I still miss that they didn’t continue because I also agree they were right there with the equipment!! The 2017 product showed at the end proves it. So... maybe someday?!?!
Rick, thanks so much for pulling this together. It’s the first time that I’ve heard such an accurate and complete summary of the reasons for Nike’s exit. It may be no surprise to hear that I and many other former Nike Golf colleagues discussed these very topics on a regular basis. And, from my perspective, while the Nike brand was our biggest advantage, it was likely also our biggest obstacle to success, and one that we could never counteract. Oh, and yes, we were excited for 2017 - the products struck the right balance between performance, innovation and tradition. But it wasn’t to be. Thanks again. Keep up the great work.
Fight the good fight with management to get back in the game 👊. You can see you have a following, maybe just do limited releases like you guys do with the drops for each major... order strictly through from the Nike app with no mass release to dealers. Or you could send sets to fitters who would give players specs to order from you directly... There are ways to cut cost, I'd buy again.
Love the shoutout for the Slinghot irons! I have had those in my bag for years. I only get out to the course a handful of times a year and the forgiveness is great!
I loved the Crush Extreme balls. Perfect for the older high handicap. I still have a couple of boxes squirreled away for when I know some money is going to be on the game.
Still remember two of my favorite Nike products in golf were the Pro Combo irons and the original Tour Accuracy golf ball. The rest were ok or bad, but I wish I had kept the irons and a sleeve or dozen of those golf balls.
I still have a sleeve of the platinum ones in my bag. I absolutely refuse to hit them. I still use the second Gen sumo driver and woods and I just switched to the vapor pro blade irons!
My dad bought the slingshot irons when they came out and he's still loving them, I use the nike TW wedges that are 5 years old and they still spin and preform great. Nike should think everything over and come back stronger, I'm sure people would be thrilled and they'd do well this time.
Many good points made, but in the end, they saw golf declining without Tiger, and the market wasn't that big compared to their other products. It was too small of the sports market for them to bother.
Bingo! They were beginning to see diminishing returns on Tiger and they knew that the up and coming stars like Jordan, DJ, JT and even Rory were never going to reach the heights of popularity that Tiger did. But they did have Lebron, KD, Kyrie, and I think they envisioned Kobe having the same type of post playing career impact on the shoe industry as MJ and they decided to place all their eggs in those baskets.
Yeah, they literally never made any money with the golf clubs and other equipment. Every single year, they lost money on it. So if wasn't merely not profitable, it was actually losing them millions, and after nearly 20 years of that, they realised that they'd either _█▓▒░░NEVER░░▒▓█_ be profitable, _OR_ it would have taken decades of losing money on it every year before they finally had built up a good reputation, and lead to tons of people buying their clubs. But yeah can't blame them really. They have it a good try for over 15 years, lost money every year, so why keep making them? Clearly nobody wanted them.
I suffered through as much of this as I could take but I never found out what went wrong with Nike. But I watch your videos constantly. I'm starting to learn your language pretty well being from the south in the USA it is not easy. But I love you man
Man those Proto type 2017 Nike Drivers looked insane! I really miss all the Nike Golf Gear. I thought their 2015-2017 line of clubs were all amazing. It just shows you how much not only Nike Golf but Golf in general was carried by one player.
Yeah stunning club to look at, sounds and feels amazing. Paired with my Diamana Whiteboard shaft, it is an absolute BEAST. The harder I hit, the straighter it flies!
@@gregoryho9307 Yeah me too! The Vapor driver is one of the few drivers that have no grooves on and around the sweet spot so it generates no spin whatsoever making the ball go crazy straight.
I was one of the kids back in '07 that HAD to own the Sasquatch Sumo Driver. Was the first Driver I had ever bought outside of a set. Looking back on it, although the sound was horrific, it was also a brilliant driver for me. Used it for 7 years before I outgrew it. Love that driver still.
I have the Nike Ignite 450 cc driver. Could not be happier with it. First driver I upgraded to and it added 75 yards onto my drive length. Can’t ask for more than that from a golf brand. I think everyone associated Tiger with the brand so much that when he stopped being as dominant a golfer and other issues in his life came to public knowledge, people stopped being interested in the product as much. Would love to get a set of irons and woods, maybe some golf balls as well, to complete my Nike set cause I have been happy with them.
I’ll tell ya, I bought my VRS covert 2.0 irons and wedges on Closeout a few years ago, and I love them. Granted I’m a novice but I think Nike really should’ve focused on more entry level stuff designed for the weekend warrior, they could’ve really carved out a nice niche
Have a buddy, scratch golfer who went through a phase and bought the latest irons from Callaway, Mizuno and TM for the past 2 years. They were good but he found that he still played best with his Vapor Fly Pros and returned them all.
I still play the Nike Vapor Pro irons seen in this video too and Nike VR wedges. . .they are in great shape with headcovers on them and iI love them!!!
@notformebeaky you are right. He would sell them to members and take a small hit. The ones that get returned are used ones as long as they are within the window.
When I was stationed in Saudi Arabia, I didn't have my clubs with me, so I had to sign out a set of loaner clubs, that I got to keep and use for the duration of my tour. I really liked them, and played pretty well with them.
I read somewhere that the reason Nike got out of the golf game was because they weren't happy with their market share %. Apparently the company's philosophy is that if they don't have a dominant share of the market it's not worth it.
When they came out with the Nike One Black Golf Ball was EXTREMELY IMPRESSED. I had a golf ball fitting done at Golf Galaxy. It was the only time I let a computer pick any of my Equipment. At the time I was using the Pro V1x and made the Switch and it took a couple of strokes off my game.
I was Nike head to toe when I first started playing because of Tiger. I had slingshot irons and the ignite driver in the bag (still have my slingshot 4 iron in the bag). Like RS said, they were good, not great and I eventually move back to the cobra driver. Glad they’re sticking to what they’re good at with just the apparel.
I played blades forever. I hit my friends slingshot irons and it convinced me to change from blades. Now I’m hitting TM RBZ and golf is fun again! I’m carrying 5 iron 190! Never did that before.
I used the Nike Covert 2.0 with Speeder 660 stiff staff until summer 2019, the Nike driver went dead couldn't hit it over 220 so I changed to Ping G-400
Wendell Wagnon that’s exactly what I did, almost. I played the Nike Covert 2.0 for years. I would try others, but would go back to the Nike. This past year I went to the Ping G-400 Max.
I'm still using my Covert 2.0 with an Oban Kiyoshi shaft. Longest serving and best overall club in my bag........but starting to feel like it might be losing some performance. But she survives for now.
How does an inert piece of metal and combisite 'lose performance' pray tell? Did it run out of magic or 'ju-ju' ? I've a 20 year old persimmon driver that I bring out in good weather and it still hits as well as it ever did when I used all the time 20 years ago!
Rick, I still have my vapor driver, I love this club that has performance as good as any of the other top performers out there now at my skill level of a mid handicapper. With Nike out of the golf market, it makes one wonder what they would be producing now....
Use a full set of Vapor Speed Irons, Woods and wedges, Vapor trolly & stand bag, Method putter, Vapor green golf balls, towel, coins, glove, tees, shoes, t-shirts, polos, jumpers, windbreakers, I even have a Nike branded sharpie in the Vapor colour! I absolutely loved my Vapors since I bought them and I have just built on the set ever since. Massive fan of the clubs and wouldn't change them for anything.
First off I’d like to say that I have great respect for the Nike brand as a whole, however I feel that their venture into making hard goods had limited success for two main reasons : Most real Golfers don’t really care what clubs that a tour pro is playing. If the greatest player of our generation could not help sell clubs, that will never work. Secondly, most Golfers are brand loyalists. If a player has been playing reliable brands such as Titleist, Callaway, Taylormade etc. it’s hard to get them to switch when that type of money is being spent. Anyway, great content as always Rick!
Still use my TW Victory Red irons to this day and have yet to give them up for another set. People and course pros constantly come up and say how these were the best irons ever made
I still use the orginal covert irons and 3 wood that I bought back in 2012 or 2013. Have the Vapor Pro driver(2016). All in a nike bag I bought years ago. Wish Nike were still around. Prolly would buy another set of them.
I had the red Vrs driver when it first came out, loved how it looked and also liked the feel of it, was reasonably priced as well at around £250 I think
The Ignite Driver I liked, their forged blades were sensational on par with late 70's Wilson Staff very buttery ! Their combo set were ok too, but that was it for me.
I enjoyed the history lesson on Nike golf. Getting Tiger was probably one of the best investments in sports history aside from maybe Michael Jordan. Really interesting video! My brother works for a sporting goods store and has for a few years. At this point they don't sell much golf equipment at all aside from a few wedges, putters, and drivers. They have one full set of clubs. They of course sell tees, balls, divot fixers, etc. My opinion as to why is the die hard golfers that regularly golf don't want to get their stuff from a small selection. We want to be able to see all of the options and make an informed decision with comparisons. We don't swing at the first pitch. We go to golf shops and websites and spend hours researching as golf equipment is expensive and could be an investment that last many years.. I think Nike couldn't complete well enough and get enough market share to make it worth their investment. I am sure they made money but other markets are more lucrative for them such as shoes, clothing, and other equipment.
I recently bought a used (obviously) Nike Method Core Drone putter and love it. Well, I love the putter head. It had been reshafted poorly, and It's in the shop being properly shafted and face balanced now. Can't wait to get it back.
Joe Galloway still playing my Slingshots today love them. Was thinking about modernizing but after watching this and reading comments I will stay with them
I had a set of the TW Pro Combo irons, a 9.0 vapor fly driver. 18 and 26 degree CPR flat old style (red), 52, 56, and 60 mizuno T7 and S5 wedges and an odyssey WH xg9 putter and loved them. Played with them up til Christmas this past year. Til someone broke in to my home and took those along with valuables and my kids gifts. Bought a set of mizuno mp33 after cuz I could not find any nike pro combos like the set I had. My golf game has suffered since. Still haven't found any and have all but given up the game. My grandpa helped me get them and it was a sentimental thing I guess. Haven't played since April. Oh well. Great video rick. Thanks for all u do.
I'd love to see Nike come back out with clubs. I never was a fan of their drivers, but their irons I really did like. Maybe they'll come back at some point. I still rock a Nike bag lol
Nike pulling out of the equipment business was because of a combination of various factors, some of them golf related and others not, but by and large the biggest problem with Nike Golf was a prioritization if innovation over performance. As a brand Nike is at the forefront of of sport’s performance technology and therefore by extension they attempted to bring that concept of constant evolution to the sport of golf and it really didn’t work. From the square SQ driver to the “modern muscle” concept of the Vapor Pro irons, to bringing out a cavity back driver with the VRS Covert and the Vapor series, they never really seemed to stick with a single concept and improve it over the years, which is what most other companies did. This was pretty evident if you looked in the bag of Tiger Woods towards the end of his prime. Even thought then VR Pro drivers and metal woods had been released and he was the star of Nike’s marketing campaign, he still reverted back to the old SQ metal woods. When your star athletes indirectly confirms that your new equipment doesn’t meet the cut it’s not really a good sign. All in all, they tried to do too much in a market where more often less is more, and in doing so spent millions of dollars to produce products which for the most part, most golfers weren’t interested in seeing. That being said, it’s a real shame that they’re not around anymore.
They should have focussed on irons. I saw more Nike irons out there than any other Nike Equipment. Wedges: Titleist/Cleveland/Callaway. Irons:Taylomade/Callaway/ Titleist/Mizuno/ Ping. Woods: Taylormade/ Callaway/Ping/Titleist/Cobra. Not a whole lot of Nike. They just weren't imortant in golf.
Andy A maybe just like balls or something like that, but they tried to make golf into something that it isn’t. They tried to make golf Nike. Which means lots of innovation and different way-out-there concepts. It works with trainers and clothes, but it didn’t work with golf. For example, I have 2 pairs of Vapormax shoes. Now mind you, they’re a pretty exotic design and some people might say they look strange and are ugly, but there’s enough people like me around who will buy it because they think that the shoes are cool and so Nike will make money from them. However, the golf market is considerably smaller than that for running shoes, and it’s also much less diverse in terms of consumer preference, so when you make a volt or blue cavity back driver, there just aren’t enough people who will buy it, in an already tiny market to make it profitable in any sense.
I know I am late to the party. They should come back and sponsor LIV. I have a feeling they would do really good getting their feet wet again with just cloths and work back into clubs.
I still have my sling shot wedges, 3rd generation I think, the blue backing. I like those clubs but I'm due for an upgrade. I also have their SV wedges, those are hit or miss for me.
I’ve always loved the look and feel of the driver. I think, too, I was watching Rory, religiously, and really loved that dark red head. Might have to look into purchasing one
A few years ago, I played with a set of pre-owned Knight Irons because I couldn't afford anything better at the time. I had never played a "brand name" set. I was on a work trip, and went to play golf, and had to rent clubs. The course had a nice set of Nike clubs, and the vapor irons were so much better than what I played with, I couldn't believe it. I planned to start saving up to try to buy a set, and a month or 2 later Nike discontinued selling clubs.
I purchased a lightly used set of Nike irons that I was never able to adapt to my swing. I thing the clubs were awesome, however, they were not custom fitted for my swing and thus the struggles. I sold them after about three years of play to a friend who could play scratch golf with the irons (much lower handicap than I). Went to a PGA professional fitter who custom fitted a set of Taylor Made R-11 irons for me. I'm still playing the irons after about 8 years.
My 12y/o son took up golf this summer. In order for him to play our local course I had to become a member and play. Never owned a club in my life. Being a Nike sneaker fan, I hit EBay and local Play It Again stores. I pieced together a full set of Nike SQ2’s. Driver, 3w, 5w | 4h, 5h, 6h | 7i, 8i, 9i | AW, GW, SW | Unitized Putter. I even pieced together head covers for the driver, woods and hybrids - all matching. Bought a new Nike black stand bag. My whole (all OG graphite shaft & Grips) set cost way less than my son’s new 5-PW Callaway irons! I love how forgiving the set is. And of course, the hilarity of the driver’s distinctive sound. Am I leaving a few yards per shot on the table, sure. Am I upgrading any time soon? Nope - not until the occasional sim-visit tells me they are seriously holding back my game. I would buy a new set if Nike starts back in the business though!
I spoke to a guy who was the main promoter for Nike golf in South Africa about 2 years ago. He told me that Nike did extensive research and found that there is not much growth of golf under youth all around the world. Nike was aiming for the younger players and because there are not much younger players they won't be making money out of the golfing scene and they will only come back if gold becomes more popular for youngsters.
Jéan Nel recently me and a couple of my friends (all freshman in high school) have started golfing, so I think that some others might be doing the same
Biggest hurdle was simply Nike panders to underage black teenagers playing basketball, football, soccer... people who play golf don't care about some stupid teenager brand that makes overpriced shoes
I remember buying the Forged Pro Combo iron back in the late 90s early 00s. They were in a reduced sale from new like 399 down to 199. They were incredible! That was when Woods and Duval were at their best!
⬇️ this is how many times I said ‘Nike’ 😂
Way too often. Lol.
62…?
Too many lol
Nike Nike Nike Nike Nike Nike Nike Nike the list goes on
400
I want Nike back, along with Cleveland, and Adams. I think Callaway, Titleist, and Taylormade are getting out of control with their pricing
Yep just got the Hogan 14 degree wood.....deadly accurate
Cleveland Golf is still around though...
@@tsyeo1828 But not in the same capacity. They only offer the ultra forgiving irons, drivers, and of course wedges. They have discontinued the CG, 588, and TA lines. Srixon have taken on those markets. I also agree with the other commentator. It should really fall on us to push for a more diverse market. One thing that happened after Nike stopped producing clubs that some players played with whatever we want and maybe the Jo public should follow suit. Try to cobra driver, the mizuno irons, muira wedges, and a ping wood. Why not the Ben Hogan?
Evan Williams you’re right on that.
So true!!! Their prices skyrocketed with the lack of competition, its like a mini monopoly!
Nike's R&D facility, "The Oven", was literally 15 minutes down the road from me in Fort Worth, TX. It was such a cool space to tour and see how their clubs were designed, built, and tested. In the lobby they had Tiger's irons from his historic Grand Slam run behind glass. I'll never forget the face of Tiger's irons because they had a perfect little circle depression, directly in the sweet spot. The rest of the face was practically flawless. I remember thinking, "My god, the GOAT never missed the sweet spot once in all those years." I miss The Oven and it caught us all by surprise when Nike decided to shut it all down.
That's awesome
It was right there by the driving range we all went to all those years.
Where at in FW?
It was right next to Leonard’s Driving Range and practice facility off Hwy 30. BTW still one of the best driving ranges in Texas IMO.
@@chrisrodriguez8028 oh wow I had no idea! I'll have to go check it out
I actually talked(caddied for) to the former CEO of Nike golf and he said that they could keep up with the demand of new clubs and costs associated with such. Companies such as Taylormade came out with multiple clubs per year filling the market of new club buyers a lot faster than Nike. With this carrying over the span of Nike Golf's club manufacturing existence, Nike decided to strategically focus on apparel as that market they were more competitive in. Also the input costs associated with manufacturing and marketing for clubs could put towards other subsectors of the business. Hope this information came as insightful!
Used too many big words
Very much so... I heard something similar as their actual reasoning at the time... They couldn't keep up with demand when it came to multiple models of clubs a year and that they wanted to focus on the apparel side since they were an apparel brand to begin with. They don't make footballs, basketballs or hockey sticks so why clubs? Makes sense, but it sucks because they'd been pretty good at it...
@@FloridaManRacer they do absolutely make footballs and basketballs but those have a MUCH lower entry point than golf clubs, for manufacturing and selling.
Couldn't?
Couldn't* I'm assuming?
I still use my SQ 3w and 5w. They are fantastic.
Also, Nike not calling their 3w, 5w, and 7w Tiger's Woods was a missed opportunity.
Im still using my Ping Eye 2 black dots. Nice set of irons from 1985 i believe
Lee High just retired my ping eye 2s best choice I’ve made in a while. They were good while they lasted but now after playing relatively new clubs i feel like an idiot for not switching sooner
I always had a preference towards the 4w personally. Great clubs.
I love my Nike SQ 4w, X-Stiff steel shaft, 17*, probably the most accurate fairwood I've ever hit. Nice sound and solid distance too.
Alex W agreeed 100%. I was a very novice golfer 4-5 years ago. Shootin under 100 was a good day. Hitting a 3 wood was not even an option for me at the time. Someone talked me into going in and getting fitted making the claim that a proper club fitting can do exponentially more for a novice golfer than for a pro. So i listened and tried out a few different brands and for me personally ping by far just fit to my swing style like a nice pair of worn in boots. Now mind you i only got fitted for my irons but literally saw an instantaneous improvement in my score. So thinking that the ping irons seemed to work so well for me in decided to grab a demo g25 3 wood and just see what would happen, again mind you i have tried many many 3 woods in the past and could literally maybe hit one decent ball out of 10. My very first swing with the g25 3 wood was literally at that time the single best ball is ever hit with a 3 wood, im talking literally the VERY FIRST TIME I HIT A BALL WITH IT. I was mind blown. So i shot a few more and every single ball was launching in a way i had never ever been able to hit a 3 wood even remotely close to as good as those first 10-20 balls. I knew in that moment i found exactly what ive always needed. Had the same problem with rescue/hybrid clubs and again from the very first ball i hit i knew i had found my clubs. To this day now that 3 wood is one of my best and most consistent clubs. I have noo idea what it is but i will golf with people and see them having the same problem as i always used to have to the point they wont even attempt a 3 wood and it just stays in the bag the entire round to which i tell them about my having the exact same problem, i tell em forget everything you know about try8;g to hit your old 3 wood, forget about how unconfident they are when trying to hit whatever 3 wood is in their bag. Not sure if it’s correct but i say put the ball in the middle of your stance and pretend your hitting an iron as opposed to pretending it is more like a driver. And i would say for about every 4 out of 5 people i get to try it are absolutely blown away at how easy it is to hit and hit extremely well. They are slightly striking down on the ball instead of their old mindset of thinking you need to sweep the grass and hit the ball just as your club is in the beginning part of the upwards motion thinking that (that) is what they need to do in order for the ball to fly up into the air. Again i am no pro not even remotely close to a decent amateur, so my advice could be absolutely ass backwards to what people should be doing. That being said is all i know is that it has seemed to work time and time again for more than just a couple of people and continues to work GREATLY for myself and for all of those people i have helped. Not to mention i have sold ping upwards of 20-30 g25 and newer 3 woods and hybrid/rescues. Which in turn has also eventually lead into a couple sets of irons and a few drivers soooo PING. Ugh huhhhmmm. If your looking for an amateur brand ambassador who is a smooth talking son of a gun im your guy!! Im cheap too. Just maybe a new driver so i can finally get rid of my taylormade r9 which is the only club in my bag not a ping is all im really asking for. If your really feeling generous maybe throw in a new set of irons to upgrade my g20’s that i originally got fitted for like 4-5 years ago. I mean i dont feel like that asking for too much!!! Lmfao. Considering the number of people ive converted and go to buy new ping clubs some just a 3 wood some 3 wood and rescue some from driver all the way through to putter i think ive more than covered a new set of clubs lol. But in all seriousness im just thankful that ya’ll have put out a club (or set of clubs) i can really get behind and that have made the game sooo much more enjoyable for not only myself but for everyone that i have had the opportunity to put one of your clubs in their hands and let them see for themselves at what the possibilities are and seeing them get that much more enjoyment out of the game is more than worth it to me in all honesty. Sp really i just wanted to say thank you for all you have done to help progress my game as well as many other people around me’s game as well. Watching my friends get more enjoyment out of the sport snd being able to share that with them all because of a product you produce is really a treat and beyond any monetary value one could put on it. Sorry for the ling post and sorry nike for hijacking rick’s video on ya’lls clubs.
Rick i feel like youve found a really nice niche here, a bit of golfing history mixed in with on the course stuff, could be a great series going forward going over van de velde’s open for example!
Agree
Of course Phil has cleaned up since this comment.
A nice focus on some recently tanked manufacturers, like Adams, would be an interesting feature.
I agree, maybe just a wee bit more of some on course impressions, maybe highlight a line of products (Driver, wood, irons, what have you) that was particularly good/bad with some swing testing or on course spotlights. But overall, really Enjoyed this video and the style with which it was shot.
I really liked his video with the 100 year old golf ball
Growing up in golf through the tiger woods Nike era was hugely impactful for me . The clothes the clubs even the balls looked cool.looking cool and playing great were two different things . When it all finally caught up with the cool/performance meeting it was too little too late . Tiger didn’t use Nike irons the were (coughs) a Japanese company product with swooshes on them . But really I think the could come back full force and succeed the old guys are dying off . This generation has no problem with bright colors and a little swag . And as long as it preforms close to the competition people will buy it.
I felt like they were getting their stride right when they decided to stop. Vapor Flys were a nice set
vapor fly's are my go to running shoe.
They were nice just they weren't that great personally they're to clanky and seems like hitting a tin can not for me...
I still game the 2014 VRs Pro Combos, Nike's last great line of clubs. I also game a set of VRs Covert forged 2. Nike was starting to get it and then they went funky and that was it.
I still have mine
Good to know
Know one else has them
Still playing a covert 2.0 driver and loving it! Real shame the 2017 driver was never released. It looked like a stunner. I'd love to see Nike back in the game!
I think it’s because Tiger wasn’t winning anymore. Tiger was why Nike was selling clubs and balls.
100%, lets face it Tiger was the one carrying nike golf.
Forget winning, he was struggling just to stay on the course. Tiger was seriously struggling for awhile. I almost wonder if they signed too many people. Especially seemingly high level endorsements. Not that signing a bunch of people is all bad but I feel like Nike was really killing it when Tiger was the face of things. Certain athletes are just so synonymous with the brand they endorse that it doesn't seem to matter who else the brand has. I think of someone like MJ with Nike/air Jordan. They hardly needed other high level endorsers because you were the brand of the best.
Tiger was Nike Golf. When he had marital issues, that also stung the Nike Golf brand bc most golfers are conservative...especially older ones who are buying products. Couple that with his inability to win or even play in major events, and it was a recipe for failure...
...had Tiger returned after the marital issues to his winning ways, I bet Nike would have remained relevant...just a hunch
big time
That's what Rick said without actually saying it. Yes.
Rick,
Loving the content lately. Relatively young golfer here. I think Nike's big issue was partly something you mentioned -- they marketed to a younger crowd, but realistically people in the 16-24 age range probably can't afford to buy clubs as often as let's say 30-40 year olds. Speaking from experience, I was 20 when Nike stopped selling equipment and I picked up the Vapor Fly Driver for less than half of retail and have been thrilled with it ever since. I'm just now getting to the point where I can spend more money on clubs, and I really wish Nike were still around, especially with those rumored 2017 models.
I still use my Nike irons and wedges. Had them re-gripped a few times. Still love them.
👌
i still play with Nike Victory Red's, and i love them, them not making any more clubs, kinda makes mine feel more special in a way
I played with the vr pro combos for 7 years and loved them to death. Still own them and would never get rid of them. Actually looking into getting them restored a bit as the grooves on a couple clubs are worn down
@@russellsemail4179 can you not buy a groove sharpener and do it yourself, tool not that expensive
I play with 30 year old pin seeker clubs lol
I use the Victory Red irons!
I have the covert 2.0 irons, and the vapor hybrid, all in a Nike bag lol can’t wait to show them off in 20 years 💯💯💯
I had tried almost every driver on the market and couldnt hit any of them consistently straight. That is until i picked up a Nike SQ driver with aldila shaft. I still carry it in the bag til this day. I went last weekend and was out driving my friend with his brand new taylor made. My drives have never been longer or straighter. I absolutely love this club.
Those unreleased drivers looked amazing. Definitely would’ve tried those out. Still rocking Nike VRS X irons and SQ Dymo 3 wood. 3 wood comes out like a missile.
I got the same irons. Love them. Perfect clubs for a mid handicapper
I work for a certain high street golf retailer, (yes that one), and the problem with aiming at a younger audience was: Younger people don't really have a lot of money to lay out for a full bag of the latest clubs.
The people who can stand the cost of a full bag are older, and they are VERY brand loyal to tried and tested manufacturers....Ping, Taylormade, Titleist, Mizuno etc...because these were the aspirational brands from their youth....which they can now afford.
Just my two penneth worth....
just started golfing and found out (from watching you) that Nike stopped making clubs, balls and bags. I was sad, i'm a Nike guy. i prefer Nike to any other brand. So i went out to my local golf second hand golf store and to my surprise there was a set of Nike covert 2.0 irons for $39.00. Best thing besides the price, was that they were red! from that day I have made it my job to rescue Nike golf clubs. I have amassed a collection that is way too big for a below average golfer. The clubs are great and i love the colors.............
stay safe peace
I remember that Tiger's Driving went south when he went to the Nike driver. Also, I was one who said " If Nike can screw up Tiger, there's no hope for me! "
Had the round back sasquatch driver. Crushed it, straight too
Remember him having the Nike Ignite and his driving was so bad
That was sean foley not a driver
To be fair though, Tiger’s driving accuracy was directly linked to switching over to Haney. He gained a better ball striking and lost driving accuracy when he left Butch. For what it’s worth! Don’t think it was the clubs.
My bag currently:
SQ 460 driver
Machspeed 3 wood
SQ 5 wood
18 degree nike cpr hybrid
23 degree nike cpr hydrid
Nike ignite 5-P wedge irons
SV 56 degree wedge
SV 60 degree wedge
When you were talking about the stigma of nike entering a sport and not having any knowledge compared to the older more prestigious companies it reminded me of skateboarding. When they started making skateboarding products many people (including me) were questioning what they were doing in a sport they knew nothing about. But after 5-10 years of them being in skateboarding i tried their shoes and man were they one of the best pairs of skateboarding shoes that i've ever had. But I still have that feeling of wanting to support the companies of a sport that have been there through thick and thin and making sure they are getting business. As long as they are making quality gear that is.
The problem with Nike in skating is that, like golf, they could up and leave the sport at any given moment which would be a problem for a lot of people who work with them. You would never get that from say Lakai, Emerica, Baker even Thrasher, roots companies. The reason that they have good product is because they just buy the best people behind the scenes from the roots companies.
Janoskis hit different
Still playing Vapor Fly irons and Nike wedges. Love them. Nike come back!
Same here. I love those irons. It will be really hard ever to move on.
I'm dying to get a set of those
Me too, absolutely love them. For me the feel great, perform well (if I am) and look great.
I bought a set of vapor fly irons brand new(!) earlier this year and I absolutely love them! I'm also still rockin' my red Covert 2.0 driver!
Try hitting some mizuno mp32s.
Just ordered a Nike SQ Sumo 2 5900 on ebay. Golf is about fun. Looking forward to the hearing it's sound in the flesh.
Oh it’s awesome. You know that scene in Robocop where the cops are all shooting at the range, then suddenly all stop to look at where the noise is coming from? Yeah, that’s the effect… LOL I love mine.
Rick, you know why and I can’t believe you wouldn’t say it. When Tiger had his personal scandal and back injury, he stopped playing, People stopped buying Nike golf. They lost millions and Nike had to stop the bleeding.
Yeah bros but that 5 sec video of him just saying that wont cut it lol.
Are you saying Nike picks the wrong people?: Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Alberto Salazaar......
Bingo bro this is #1 reason. The brand was either succeeding with Tiger or failing. They tried to cover their bets with Rory but he was bad. It was the perfect storm.
For all intents and purposes Tiger was Nike golf, as tiger went, so did Nike golf
@Bud Fox As a huge Tiger fan of 25 yrs I must say you striped that one right down the sprinkler line. Tiger WAS Nike golf and when he had his problems it didn't matter who else they had. Rory, Brooks and all the others were just along for the ride. They could have won everything but Tiger's life, back and game going in the crapper all at once sunk N.G. The tour in general had taken a hit during Tiger's "troubled times" but had an uptick last April ..... what was it again. can't seem to remember. The fact remains that to a large segment of the golfing world for right or wrong Tiger was/is golf.
I would love it if Nike came back into Golf. I actually love the colors on their clubs.
I'd give anything for them to return to the market! I still use my VIctory Red Blades, and Covert Driver/woods. I even still buy their most recent RZN golf ball because I LOVE IT!
Thanks for the review. I’m a HUGE Nike fan and played all the clubs you showed along with the ball. I just traded it all in and went to PXG through my whole bag. I have to say I still miss that they didn’t continue because I also agree they were right there with the equipment!! The 2017 product showed at the end proves it. So... maybe someday?!?!
Rick, thanks so much for pulling this together. It’s the first time that I’ve heard such an accurate and complete summary of the reasons for Nike’s exit. It may be no surprise to hear that I and many other former Nike Golf colleagues discussed these very topics on a regular basis. And, from my perspective, while the Nike brand was our biggest advantage, it was likely also our biggest obstacle to success, and one that we could never counteract. Oh, and yes, we were excited for 2017 - the products struck the right balance between performance, innovation and tradition. But it wasn’t to be. Thanks again. Keep up the great work.
Fight the good fight with management to get back in the game 👊. You can see you have a following, maybe just do limited releases like you guys do with the drops for each major... order strictly through from the Nike app with no mass release to dealers. Or you could send sets to fitters who would give players specs to order from you directly... There are ways to cut cost, I'd buy again.
5 years ago, I got fitted for a whole set of Nike Engages.
Fantastic feel and performance. Still using those today. Love em.
I’m carrying all my gear around still in a Nike stand bag. I’ve had it for years and no need to change.
The Nike VR Pro Blades were some of the nicest blades made in recent memory!
Still game mine years later, been through a bunch of different irons and nothing feels the same.
Just got a Callaway Big Bertha Fusion 3Wood for $60 on Golf Avenue thanks to your golf bidder videos. Thank you. Cheers.
Love the shoutout for the Slinghot irons! I have had those in my bag for years. I only get out to the course a handful of times a year and the forgiveness is great!
I still play with nike balls occasionally, mainly when I've lost my ball and I find one ha
Still got my Sumo square driver what a clattering sound when hit out of the sweet spot
Most annoying guy at the driving range lol
@@brettfrimmer6567 tee-ball batting practice. I could only hit 2 or 3 drives before I felt like a jerk
Real reason they failed. That square driver that sounded like crap.
I loved the Crush Extreme balls. Perfect for the older high handicap. I still have a couple of boxes squirreled away for when I know some money is going to be on the game.
I'm still gaming a set of VRS Covert Forged. Absolutely love those clubs.
Still remember two of my favorite Nike products in golf were the Pro Combo irons and the original Tour Accuracy golf ball. The rest were ok or bad, but I wish I had kept the irons and a sleeve or dozen of those golf balls.
Yes!!! I had both in the bag for a while. Loved em
I still play the combo irons
I still use the VRS 3 wood and method putter I can't let go love them.
Same haha
I have method converge s2 amazing putter
Second generation sumo driver I loved, their second gen sasquatch 3 wood was fantastic and the platinum one ball was great too.
I still have a sleeve of the platinum ones in my bag. I absolutely refuse to hit them. I still use the second Gen sumo driver and woods and I just switched to the vapor pro blade irons!
@@JRBowen95 that's balls are a rare as hens teeth
My dad bought the slingshot irons when they came out and he's still loving them, I use the nike TW wedges that are 5 years old and they still spin and preform great. Nike should think everything over and come back stronger, I'm sure people would be thrilled and they'd do well this time.
Started playing again this year and just re-gripped my pro combo irons. Still love them.
Many good points made, but in the end, they saw golf declining without Tiger, and the market wasn't that big compared to their other products. It was too small of the sports market for them to bother.
Bingo! They were beginning to see diminishing returns on Tiger and they knew that the up and coming stars like Jordan, DJ, JT and even Rory were never going to reach the heights of popularity that Tiger did. But they did have Lebron, KD, Kyrie, and I think they envisioned Kobe having the same type of post playing career impact on the shoe industry as MJ and they decided to place all their eggs in those baskets.
Yeah, they literally never made any money with the golf clubs and other equipment. Every single year, they lost money on it. So if wasn't merely not profitable, it was actually losing them millions, and after nearly 20 years of that, they realised that they'd either _█▓▒░░NEVER░░▒▓█_ be profitable, _OR_ it would have taken decades of losing money on it every year before they finally had built up a good reputation, and lead to tons of people buying their clubs.
But yeah can't blame them really. They have it a good try for over 15 years, lost money every year, so why keep making them? Clearly nobody wanted them.
I suffered through as much of this as I could take but I never found out what went wrong with Nike. But I watch your videos constantly. I'm starting to learn your language pretty well being from the south in the USA it is not easy. But I love you man
Man those Proto type 2017 Nike Drivers looked insane! I really miss all the Nike Golf Gear. I thought their 2015-2017 line of clubs were all amazing.
It just shows you how much not only Nike Golf but Golf in general was carried by one player.
I’m still playing my Nike vapor driver, I love that thing
Yeah stunning club to look at, sounds and feels amazing. Paired with my Diamana Whiteboard shaft, it is an absolute BEAST. The harder I hit, the straighter it flies!
@@gregoryho9307 Yeah me too! The Vapor driver is one of the few drivers that have no grooves on and around the sweet spot so it generates no spin whatsoever making the ball go crazy straight.
I was one of the kids back in '07 that HAD to own the Sasquatch Sumo Driver. Was the first Driver I had ever bought outside of a set. Looking back on it, although the sound was horrific, it was also a brilliant driver for me. Used it for 7 years before I outgrew it. Love that driver still.
Swing looks great at the minute rick
I'm still gaming Nike Engage wedges. I love the toe sweep sand wedge.
Always wanted that...
I LOVE the toe sweep wedges... I'll be devastated I've they eventually wear out... I'm also still holding strong to Sasquatch irons too
I still game them and have backup 56 and 60 in the plastic wrap.
I have the Nike Ignite 450 cc driver. Could not be happier with it. First driver I upgraded to and it added 75 yards onto my drive length. Can’t ask for more than that from a golf brand. I think everyone associated Tiger with the brand so much that when he stopped being as dominant a golfer and other issues in his life came to public knowledge, people stopped being interested in the product as much. Would love to get a set of irons and woods, maybe some golf balls as well, to complete my Nike set cause I have been happy with them.
I’ll tell ya, I bought my VRS covert 2.0 irons and wedges on Closeout a few years ago, and I love them. Granted I’m a novice but I think Nike really should’ve focused on more entry level stuff designed for the weekend warrior, they could’ve really carved out a nice niche
I'm still gaming my vapor fly pros irons, great feel and performance.
Same
Have a buddy, scratch golfer who went through a phase and bought the latest irons from Callaway, Mizuno and TM for the past 2 years. They were good but he found that he still played best with his Vapor Fly Pros and returned them all.
I still play the Nike Vapor Pro irons seen in this video too and Nike VR wedges. . .they are in great shape with headcovers on them and iI love them!!!
I like the look on like every nike club
@notformebeaky you are right. He would sell them to members and take a small hit. The ones that get returned are used ones as long as they are within the window.
I am still playing my Nike Vapor Pro irons (in black) with a Nike Vapor driver, the VR 56 and 60 degrees wedges and the Method putter. And I love it!
Judging from you clothes you forgot to mention Rick Shiels as one of the guys Nike signed up
I've been playing the Vr Pro Cavity irons for almost 9yrs and I LOVE them! along with the Covert VS for 5yrs
When I was stationed in Saudi Arabia, I didn't have my clubs with me, so I had to sign out a set of loaner clubs, that I got to keep and use for the duration of my tour. I really liked them, and played pretty well with them.
I read somewhere that the reason Nike got out of the golf game was because they weren't happy with their market share %. Apparently the company's philosophy is that if they don't have a dominant share of the market it's not worth it.
Wow that’s interesting
When they came out with the Nike One Black Golf Ball was EXTREMELY IMPRESSED. I had a golf ball fitting done at Golf Galaxy. It was the only time I let a computer pick any of my Equipment.
At the time I was using the Pro V1x and made the Switch and it took a couple of strokes off my game.
Nike need to come back at a reasonable price point, then they’d dominate the market!
Still playing the vapor pro irons . Love it’s feel, look
I still play the Nike vapor irons and I love them! Just got them regripped.
Covert 2.0 Irons still in my bag, absolutely beautiful Irons, love them!
I was Nike head to toe when I first started playing because of Tiger. I had slingshot irons and the ignite driver in the bag (still have my slingshot 4 iron in the bag). Like RS said, they were good, not great and I eventually move back to the cobra driver. Glad they’re sticking to what they’re good at with just the apparel.
I played blades forever. I hit my friends slingshot irons and it convinced me to change from blades. Now I’m hitting TM RBZ and golf is fun again! I’m carrying 5 iron 190! Never did that before.
I used the Nike Covert 2.0 with Speeder 660 stiff staff until summer 2019, the Nike driver went dead couldn't hit it over 220 so I changed to Ping G-400
Wendell Wagnon that’s exactly what I did, almost. I played the Nike Covert 2.0 for years. I would try others, but would go back to the Nike. This past year I went to the Ping G-400 Max.
I'm still using my Covert 2.0 with an Oban Kiyoshi shaft. Longest serving and best overall club in my bag........but starting to feel like it might be losing some performance. But she survives for now.
How does an inert piece of metal and combisite 'lose performance' pray tell? Did it run out of magic or 'ju-ju' ? I've a 20 year old persimmon driver that I bring out in good weather and it still hits as well as it ever did when I used all the time 20 years ago!
@@brother1ray the faces flex and over time fatigue causing reduced performance
It must be close to breaking/falling apart by then, surely? Irons should long, long outlast metal woods with that in mind.
Rick, I still have my vapor driver, I love this club that has performance as good as any of the other top performers out there now at my skill level of a mid handicapper. With Nike out of the golf market, it makes one wonder what they would be producing now....
I love my vapor itons, but I took em out this year for a set of miura's.
Just traded in my Sumo irons that i loved, for Stealth Irons. Loads of distance gained.
Use a full set of Vapor Speed Irons, Woods and wedges, Vapor trolly & stand bag, Method putter, Vapor green golf balls, towel, coins, glove, tees, shoes, t-shirts, polos, jumpers, windbreakers, I even have a Nike branded sharpie in the Vapor colour! I absolutely loved my Vapors since I bought them and I have just built on the set ever since. Massive fan of the clubs and wouldn't change them for anything.
I remember back in the day, as teens we dreamed of having a Sasquatch driver
Still using my VRS Covert 2.0 to this day. Absolutely love that driver.
Me too. Solid, straight and superb if hit off center. Great looking driver too.
First off I’d like to say that I have great respect for the Nike brand as a whole, however I feel that their venture into making hard goods had limited success for two main reasons : Most real Golfers don’t really care what clubs that a tour pro is playing. If the greatest player of our generation could not help sell clubs, that will never work. Secondly, most Golfers are brand loyalists. If a player has been playing reliable brands such as Titleist, Callaway, Taylormade etc. it’s hard to get them to switch when that type of money is being spent.
Anyway, great content as always Rick!
rick's doctor be like: mr.shiels it looks like you have had an overdose of nike.
Tiger started their golf game and he ended their golf game
200mil contract to Rory????
Ikr
Still use my TW Victory Red irons to this day and have yet to give them up for another set. People and course pros constantly come up and say how these were the best irons ever made
I still golf my Nike Covert driver, 3 wood, covert 2.0 irons, AND my method core putter!!!! Love em
I still use the orginal covert irons and 3 wood that I bought back in 2012 or 2013. Have the Vapor Pro driver(2016). All in a nike bag I bought years ago. Wish Nike were still around. Prolly would buy another set of them.
I still play my Nike Vapor irons and never want to replace them. Absolute perfection
I had the red Vrs driver when it first came out, loved how it looked and also liked the feel of it, was reasonably priced as well at around £250 I think
Had my Nike Sasquatch srt8 since 2010 and just retired it this year. Best driver I have ever owned.
Reason I started playing was because of that blue vapor driver! I love it
I got it this year along with 3wood and 3 hybrid.
I love how u made this video while being sponsored by Nike and saying what they did wrong
The Ignite Driver I liked, their forged blades were sensational on par with late 70's Wilson Staff very buttery ! Their combo set were ok too, but that was it for me.
I enjoyed the history lesson on Nike golf. Getting Tiger was probably one of the best investments in sports history aside from maybe Michael Jordan. Really interesting video!
My brother works for a sporting goods store and has for a few years. At this point they don't sell much golf equipment at all aside from a few wedges, putters, and drivers. They have one full set of clubs. They of course sell tees, balls, divot fixers, etc. My opinion as to why is the die hard golfers that regularly golf don't want to get their stuff from a small selection. We want to be able to see all of the options and make an informed decision with comparisons. We don't swing at the first pitch. We go to golf shops and websites and spend hours researching as golf equipment is expensive and could be an investment that last many years.. I think Nike couldn't complete well enough and get enough market share to make it worth their investment. I am sure they made money but other markets are more lucrative for them such as shoes, clothing, and other equipment.
I still have slingshot irons and love them, they have last me years.
Yup. I’m still rockin the slingshots as well
Same for me, the one with the 3hybrid
tajj7 same. You know that whistling sound they make during your swing!
I recently bought a used (obviously) Nike Method Core Drone putter and love it. Well, I love the putter head. It had been reshafted poorly, and It's in the shop being properly shafted and face balanced now. Can't wait to get it back.
I remember they were super expensive back in 2004 when I started golfing.
The slingshot was one of my favorite sets of irons and I wish Nike golf was still around
Joe Galloway still playing my Slingshots today love them. Was thinking about modernizing but after watching this and reading comments I will stay with them
I had a set of the TW Pro Combo irons, a 9.0 vapor fly driver. 18 and 26 degree CPR flat old style (red), 52, 56, and 60 mizuno T7 and S5 wedges and an odyssey WH xg9 putter and loved them. Played with them up til Christmas this past year. Til someone broke in to my home and took those along with valuables and my kids gifts. Bought a set of mizuno mp33 after cuz I could not find any nike pro combos like the set I had. My golf game has suffered since. Still haven't found any and have all but given up the game. My grandpa helped me get them and it was a sentimental thing I guess. Haven't played since April. Oh well. Great video rick. Thanks for all u do.
I'd love to see Nike come back out with clubs. I never was a fan of their drivers, but their irons I really did like. Maybe they'll come back at some point. I still rock a Nike bag lol
Nike pulling out of the equipment business was because of a combination of various factors, some of them golf related and others not, but by and large the biggest problem with Nike Golf was a prioritization if innovation over performance.
As a brand Nike is at the forefront of of sport’s performance technology and therefore by extension they attempted to bring that concept of constant evolution to the sport of golf and it really didn’t work.
From the square SQ driver to the “modern muscle” concept of the Vapor Pro irons, to bringing out a cavity back driver with the VRS Covert and the Vapor series, they never really seemed to stick with a single concept and improve it over the years, which is what most other companies did.
This was pretty evident if you looked in the bag of Tiger Woods towards the end of his prime. Even thought then VR Pro drivers and metal woods had been released and he was the star of Nike’s marketing campaign, he still reverted back to the old SQ metal woods. When your star athletes indirectly confirms that your new equipment doesn’t meet the cut it’s not really a good sign.
All in all, they tried to do too much in a market where more often less is more, and in doing so spent millions of dollars to produce products which for the most part, most golfers weren’t interested in seeing.
That being said, it’s a real shame that they’re not around anymore.
Great comment
They should have focussed on irons. I saw more Nike irons out there than any other Nike Equipment. Wedges: Titleist/Cleveland/Callaway. Irons:Taylomade/Callaway/ Titleist/Mizuno/ Ping. Woods: Taylormade/ Callaway/Ping/Titleist/Cobra. Not a whole lot of Nike. They just weren't imortant in golf.
Andy A maybe just like balls or something like that, but they tried to make golf into something that it isn’t. They tried to make golf Nike. Which means lots of innovation and different way-out-there concepts. It works with trainers and clothes, but it didn’t work with golf.
For example, I have 2 pairs of Vapormax shoes. Now mind you, they’re a pretty exotic design and some people might say they look strange and are ugly, but there’s enough people like me around who will buy it because they think that the shoes are cool and so Nike will make money from them.
However, the golf market is considerably smaller than that for running shoes, and it’s also much less diverse in terms of consumer preference, so when you make a volt or blue cavity back driver, there just aren’t enough people who will buy it, in an already tiny market to make it profitable in any sense.
I know I am late to the party. They should come back and sponsor LIV. I have a feeling they would do really good getting their feet wet again with just cloths and work back into clubs.
I still have my sling shot wedges, 3rd generation I think, the blue backing. I like those clubs but I'm due for an upgrade. I also have their SV wedges, those are hit or miss for me.
I’ve had my Vrs clubs driver and woods for 6 years and love them, I can’t part with them lol
I hear ya, I still have the complete Vrs 2.0 clubs in my bag. Driver, woods, hybrids, and iron set.
I have the last vapor driver, 3wood and irons and love them.
I still game my VRPro Forged Irons, they're just so buttery and pure I can't give them up.
Rick is mad because he couldn't hit the Vapor Pro Blades
I’ve always loved the look and feel of the driver. I think, too, I was watching Rory, religiously, and really loved that dark red head. Might have to look into purchasing one
A few years ago, I played with a set of pre-owned Knight Irons because I couldn't afford anything better at the time. I had never played a "brand name" set. I was on a work trip, and went to play golf, and had to rent clubs. The course had a nice set of Nike clubs, and the vapor irons were so much better than what I played with, I couldn't believe it. I planned to start saving up to try to buy a set, and a month or 2 later Nike discontinued selling clubs.
“I am Tiger Woods” the original Nike advert got me playing golf. Still have my first hand Pro Combo irons in the bag. Nice review Rick, shame indeed.
Loved the Nike Combo great idea and still look amazing today
Just bought a used set of VRS Covert irons, and I absolutely love them.
Been playing them since they came out and they’re everything I could ask for
I purchased a lightly used set of Nike irons that I was never able to adapt to my swing. I thing the clubs were awesome, however, they were not custom fitted for my swing and thus the struggles. I sold them after about three years of play to a friend who could play scratch golf with the irons (much lower handicap than I). Went to a PGA professional fitter who custom fitted a set of Taylor Made R-11 irons for me. I'm still playing the irons after about 8 years.
Amazing how similar the JPX 919's look to those Nike blades!
I still have a Nike Sasquatch in my old bag, I hit it at the range for fun sometimes just to see people’s reactions that thing is so loud 😂
If u hit the ball hard it’s RIDICULOUSLY loud
I have a Sasquatch and a machspeed black driver
My 12y/o son took up golf this summer. In order for him to play our local course I had to become a member and play. Never owned a club in my life. Being a Nike sneaker fan, I hit EBay and local Play It Again stores. I pieced together a full set of Nike SQ2’s. Driver, 3w, 5w | 4h, 5h, 6h | 7i, 8i, 9i | AW, GW, SW | Unitized Putter. I even pieced together head covers for the driver, woods and hybrids - all matching. Bought a new Nike black stand bag. My whole (all OG graphite shaft & Grips) set cost way less than my son’s new 5-PW Callaway irons! I love how forgiving the set is. And of course, the hilarity of the driver’s distinctive sound. Am I leaving a few yards per shot on the table, sure. Am I upgrading any time soon? Nope - not until the occasional sim-visit tells me they are seriously holding back my game. I would buy a new set if Nike starts back in the business though!
Still have 18 new pd soft golf balls. Love em. I guess when I eventually lose them all it will be a srixon soft feel?
1000% comin back ! Saying they’ve spent the whole time perfecting the golf club. And probably are actually doing that.
We can hope! My nephew had a Nike driver and to this day he regrets getting rid of it!!!
I spoke to a guy who was the main promoter for Nike golf in South Africa about 2 years ago. He told me that Nike did extensive research and found that there is not much growth of golf under youth all around the world. Nike was aiming for the younger players and because there are not much younger players they won't be making money out of the golfing scene and they will only come back if gold becomes more popular for youngsters.
Jéan Nel recently me and a couple of my friends (all freshman in high school) have started golfing, so I think that some others might be doing the same
Biggest hurdle was simply Nike panders to underage black teenagers playing basketball, football, soccer... people who play golf don't care about some stupid teenager brand that makes overpriced shoes
I remember buying the Forged Pro Combo iron back in the late 90s early 00s.
They were in a reduced sale from new like 399 down to 199.
They were incredible! That was when Woods and Duval were at their best!
I was in golf retail at the time when Nike came out with clubs, they missed the junior player market. Shame
JAMES MARTIN In the early 2000’s Nike had a youth line. I remember using them, loved those irons.