NIKE SQ MachSpeed Black Round Driver

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: Simply the best driver I’ve played.

A measure of just how much I like the Nike MachSpeed Black lies in the fact that it has replaced the trusty TaylorMade R7 in my bag. For me, the MachSpeed Black is yards longer and much straighter.

I haven’t come to this decision lightly. I actually received the Black from Nike in February (they had to know that it’s snowing in Michigan until late March, but there it was), and carried both drivers in my bag for several rounds, hitting two off each tee.

There’s a wealth of technology in the MachSpeed Black, of which the most prominent is the STr8-Fit adjustment system. It consists of a special shaft tip that screws into an adjustable hosel. Alignment of the shaft into different positions allows you to make eight different adjustments to the lie and face angles.

Mechanically, the change is very easy to accomplish: just insert the shaft and screw it down with the special wrench. However, I had some difficulty figuring out from the diagram which way the shaft actually was supposed to align. It’s based on the symbols on the top of the grip, but even with the guide, it was dicey. I’m a bit thick, I guess. But this difficulty is the only reason why I didn’t grade the club an A+.

I’m also a little concerned about what happens when the time comes for a grip change.

A nice touch with the wrench. It has audible and visual indicators to tell you when you’ve tightened it properly. Or at least, I assume that it has a beep. I can’t hear it.

The adjustability is great, but I think that, like my R7, I’m going to find a position that works and just leave it there. Right now I have it one degree closed, and upright. That works pretty well.

A less obvious technology is the aerodynamic design of the clubhead. I have the MachSpeed Round, and it has a very traditional look at setup. But on the sole, you can see a swept-back molding – Nike calls it the Power Bow and Sole Diffuser – that’s supposed to reduce drag, and thus increase clubhead speed. Faster clubhead speed equals more distance. It’s an equation that works for me. I am absolutely getting more distance out of this driver than with any I’ve played or owned.

Ball flight for me is lower than I am used to, but that’s a good thing, because I’m getting quite a bit of roll.

The shaft on my model is a stock Fubuki, which comes in all the usual stiffness flavors. But if that shaft doesn’t thrill you, don’t despair. Nike has dozens of shafts available, and even more available through special order. There’s got to be one you like in the selection.

Visually, the club is quite nice. I like the black finish – I’ve always liked black clubheads; to me they mean business. The round version that I have also has a more traditional look. It’s large, but doesn’t look obnoxiously so. I think traditionalists will like the looks; I do.

As usual, I can’t tell you anything about the sound of the club, but it has a nice solid feel at impact. I can tell with relative certainty the point of impact on the clubface, which interestingly, I can nearly always verify. There’s something about the texture and composition of the clubface that always seems to leave a ball mark.

I predict it’ll be a long time before the Nike MachSpeed Black is supplanted in my bag.

Following his near miss at The Masters, it seems that Tiger is off to China and Korea for a series of events designed to promote the game of golf—especially to youth—and to strengthen the Nike brand in Asia. It’s called the “Make It Matter” Tour. The trip also was originally supposed to stop in Japan, but given the circumstances there, that’s been postponed.

I’m all in favor of practically anything that seeks to grow the game of golf. And Asia, with its rapidly improving economies, is certainly a growth area. But that’s not to get too excited about China. While parts are booming, the country for the most part is incredibly poor. Its per capita GDP ranks in the mid to high 90s (depending upon who’s calculating it), at about $4,300. Total GDP shows China generating about $5 - $6 trillion, behind the US value of $14 trillion and slightly ahead of Japan’s $4 - $5 trillion. But you’d expect that with a population of a couple billion. A more useful look at the wealth of China may be using GDP with purchasing power parity, which would put it at about $10 trillion to the US $14. But, again, given the population, that’s not much.

But it doesn’t hurt anyone or any interest to get a foothold in such an emerging market.

If you’re interested, you can go to their facebook page. The full press release follows.

Nike has apparently improved the Ignite for 2007.

The Ignite is a 3-piece low-end performance ball that Nike says offers low spin, long distance and penetrating flight off the tee. Its got all the usual for a three piece ball: a core with high energy return; a mantle designed to reduce driver spin; and a surlyn cover for a softer feel. The 408 dimples are supposed to offer more roll than other designs.

More roll. Hmmm. I may look into this one.

Nike’s flagship ball has been updated for 2007. It’s got a 408 dimple pattern for consistent ball flight and an outer mantle that’s designed to offer moderate spin off aggressive mid irons and more spin off short irons. Nike says that its Progressive Density Core is softer in the center and firmer toward the edge to reduce excess spin off the tee.

But all your really need to know is that Tiger plays a Nike ball.

In what has to be a major embarrassment for the company, Nike Golf is recalling its new SUMO 2 square drivers. The recall apparently was announced when it was discovered that a manufacturing variance caused the “Characteristic Time” measurement of some of the drivers to fall outside USGA specifications. A Seattle area paper (Nike is in Washington state) sniffed that the defect would “only” result in two or three extra yards.

Nike claims the equipment used by its tour players is not affected.

It’s a voluntary recall, but I’ve read that the testing was done at the behest of an unnamed competitor.

To tell whether your driver is conforming or not, check the bottom of the driver as shown in the photo. Conforming drivers have a little circular mark. If yours isn’t conforming, Nike will replace it. You can get more information on the recall on the Nike site.

I wonder if the old, non-conforming drivers could become a collector’s item like some of those mis-struck coins that occasionally make their way out into the open. If everyone else turns theirs in ...

NIKE Ignite 3H, 4-PW Set with Steel Shafts

Nike’s latest offering is the Ignite Hybrid/Iron set. Designed for mid- to high- handicappers, the set features deep undercut cavities and wide soles. The traditional 3 iron in the set has been replaced with a hybrid, which should be easier for the average amateur to play.

The iron is quite handsome, but I’m not sure that I like the looks of the hybrid. I really hate clubs with those little pseudo rivets holes on them—like the Nike and some of the Adams models. Rivets aren’t used in the manufacturing, so they should look smooth and sleek.

NIKE Juice 312

Nike’s new Juice 312 ball is a two piece distance ball aimed at people with mid to low swing speeds. The name, obviously, comes from the fact that the ball has 312 dimples. (that’s on the low side—balls most commonly have 336.)

And the rest of the name?

It has “juice”, get it?

Nike’s sense of humor has never been subtle.

Nike says that the low dimple count, combined with the soft core offer good distance with “adequate” spin.

The “adequate” worries me.