Andrew Noyce
By Andrew Noyce

When Rory brought the Nike Vapor Pro driver to the world's attention during the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles he also added a new colour to the golfing lexicon. Volt.

The distinctive bright green flash seen as McIlroy watched another driver soar into the Perthshire air is back and this time on drivers more suitable to the every day golfer. The Nike Vapor Speed and Nike Vapor Flex drivers.

Nike Vapor Speed Driver

To make the Vapor Speed suitable for a wider range of golfers Nike have re-engineered the chassis of the club by sloping the crown and creating a deeper face producing a more stable chassis and boosting forgiveness.

Nike Vapor Speed Driver

As a result the centre of gravity has moved towards the face of the club which Nike say has reduced spin rate from the previous generation Covert 2.0 driver. Higher launch and less spin mean more distance.

In line with the rest of the Vapor family of metals, like the recently announced Vapor Speed and Vapor Flex fairway woods, the Vapor Speed driver benefits from Nike’s new FlyBeam-reinforced Covert Cavity Back design, a re-engineered Compression Channel and FlexLoft 2.

According to Nike the FlyBeam's accentuate the work of the Compression Channel to increse the trampoline effect from the NextCOR face thereby maintaining ball speed across as wide an impact area as possible.

The FlexLoft 2 hosel gives golfers fifteen different combinations through five loft and three lie settings and with a reduction in weight of 30 grams has allowed the weight to be redistributed to boost performance.

Nike Vapor Speed Driver

Nike Vapor Flex Driver

Nike are branding the Flex Driver as the pinnacle of the Vapor family.

Where the Vapor Pro and Vapor Speed drivers offer optimal launch and performance for players within the categories they have been designed for, the Vapor Flex allows the player to actually dial the driver in to match their games.

Boasting the same technologies that bring distance and performance to the Pro and Speed, Nike have added FlexFlight adjustability to the Vapor Flex allowing golfers to manipulate the centre of gravity for optimisation of their personal launch.

Based around an RZN tube with a high-density weight on one end, called the FlightPod, that is located in the cavity of the driver, golfers can flip the FlightPod and thereby move the centre of gravity.

Nike Vapor FlexDriver

FlexFlight allows players to manipulate CG from low back to low forward impacting launch angle, spin rate and forgiveness. Forgiveness is maximised in the "mid" setting whereas players looking to maximise workability will find most control in the "low" setting.

Nike Golf's Director of Engineering, Nate Radcliffe takes up the story:

Often times in the fitting process, there’s an opportunity for a final adjustment to develop the shot shape and ball flight the athlete is looking for. That’s how FlexFlight can help. With a simple quarter turn, we can adjust the mass of the FlexFlight module forward and backward within the club to change the trajectory and shot shape for the athlete. In doing so, we are seeing that a two-plus millimetre shift will change launch angle up to a degree - and it gives us that fine-tuning change in spin of about 300 rpm. As the last step in the fitting process, that can be the difference between the athlete being comfortable with the fitting and really being able to compete with it on the golf course.

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Nike Vapor Flex Driver - Product Details

UK Launch31 January 2015
UK Launch RRP£349.99
Handicap Range
Low
High
Hand AvailabilityLeft, Right
Left Handed Lofts8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°, 11.5°, 12.5°
Right Handed Lofts8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°, 11.5°, 12.5°
MaterialTitanium
Head Volume410 cc
AdjustabilityLoft, Face Angle, Weight
Shaft NameDiamana S+ 60G
Shaft TypesGraphite
Shaft FlexRegular, Stiff
Shaft Weight60 grams
Manufacturer's WebsiteNike Website

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