Equipment

Photos of Nike “VPR Strike” drivers that apparently would have come out in 2017 (updated with info and more photos)

Published

6 years ago

Oct 8, 2018

GolfWRX Staff

Updated 10/10/18 at 10:32 a.m.

Photos of two other Nike VPR drivers added to Instagram

Updated 10/9/18 at 10:10 a.m.

Instagram user @oli_willson shared some of his knowledge about the Nike VPR driver that he photographed; he says the info is based on his time at Nike, and is not confimred technology stories that were gonig to be released.

“There was going to be 2 drivers, the Vapor Strike and the Vapor Strike Elite. The theme was angle of attack as most higher handicappers are steep so the VPR Strike was aimed to launch high off a steep angle of attack. The Vapor Strike Elite was a RZN head and the ball speeds were incredible. It was aimed more at the guys who sweep the ball and better players. Rory loved it and wanted to put it in play following final testing at The Oven, but Nike wouldn’t let him. I heard an extra 8 mph of ball speed vs. the blue Vapor FLY Pro. One interesting technology I heard this driver had, was that it was illegal in certain parts of the driver face, but legal in the parts where COR was measured. Was going to be marketed potentially as ‘The legal, illegal driver.'”

— original story —

An Instagram post by user @oli_willson, an “ex-Nike Golf employee” according to his Insta bio, shows a Nike “VPR Srike” driver that apparently would have come out in 2017 had Nike not decided to exit the hard goods section of the golf industry.

That is one thick “speed channel,” isn’t it?

In the Insta post, Wilson included 4 photos of the driver. Here’s a look at the crown, which seems to show some kind of carbon fiber-type technology.

Check out our TG2 video review of the product photos here.

It’s interesting to see Nike was going back to a black-and-red colorway instead of the electric blue or volt colors the company was becoming known for. What other takeaways do you have from these photos of the Nike driver that never was?

Check out our TG2 video review of the product photos here.

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19 Comments

H?ng Phát Blue Star

Oct 23, 2018 at 1:40 pm

The content is great

Reply Report comment
Emboom

Oct 12, 2018 at 8:02 pm

I always find it funny how people will slam something they know nothing about. I also find it interesting that several golf companies were interested in purchasing Nike technology after the Oven was shut down. If memory serves me correctly, Taylor Made was the eventual winner in acquiring the tech. Must have been something cooking in the oven that smelled pretty good.

Reply Report comment
Curt

Oct 12, 2018 at 12:55 pm

They quit making clubs I quit golfing.

Reply Report comment
~j~

Oct 9, 2018 at 11:19 am

This driver wouldn’t even make the cut for the driver vs driver show. At least they gave up on the square head and yellow shafts though. (smh)

Reply Report comment
Greg

Oct 9, 2018 at 9:30 am

Would have been in my bag . I still love my covert driver

Reply Report comment
- Simms
  
  Oct 22, 2018 at 11:45 pm
  
  As if the DVD driver is going to be any good, try one of the DVD Triton from the first show…if Wilson had any faith in the second DVD they would offer to trade them for the first DVD, which is worth about $25 dollars in trade at the most…..
  
  Reply Report comment
Pablo

Oct 9, 2018 at 9:21 am

So over Nike.

Reply Report comment
Brian McGranahan

Oct 8, 2018 at 7:49 pm

KABOOM!!!!

Reply Report comment
Tom

Oct 8, 2018 at 6:31 pm

Nike golf equipment? Nobody cares!

Reply Report comment
- Kris
  
  Oct 9, 2018 at 9:44 pm
  
  Yet you just read about it and felt it important enough to you to lie in a comment.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Jarrod Calloway
    
    Nov 9, 2019 at 12:34 pm
    
    Exactly! So many idiots show up with their opinion like someone cares about their negative viewpoint. If you read something and don’t like it what makes your mind go to the comment section and drop ignorance. Only a miserable person acts that way…
    
    Reply Report comment
DJ

Oct 8, 2018 at 6:27 pm

best driver Nike came out with was the Ignite

Reply Report comment
Brad

Oct 8, 2018 at 6:02 pm

Funny how the average driving distance on Tour jumped significantly after Nike bowed out of making golf clubs and most Tour Players stopped using Nike drivers. Coincidence or not? I’d say not.

Probably best that this one never made it to market.

Reply Report comment
- Scott
  
  Oct 9, 2018 at 10:16 am
  
  I think that you are on to something. The last Nike one I hit 5 years ago was pretty accurate but substantially further behind my driver. Maybe 20 to 30 yards behind. I am not sure how any of the Nike stable of players could be near the top in driving distance, unless they were playing another brand painted to look like a Nike.
  
  Reply Report comment
2putttom

Oct 8, 2018 at 5:49 pm

so that’s the piece of equipment with R&D that put em in the red financially

Reply Report comment
Stump

Oct 8, 2018 at 4:29 pm

I think Nike was pretty good at irons but their woods were cheesy. They remind me of the less expensive brand Rick Shiels has on his channel sometimes…Ben Ross I think.

Reply Report comment
Ardbeggar

Oct 8, 2018 at 3:29 pm

Who knows? It might be the best driver nobody ever hit.

Reply Report comment
Scheiss

Oct 8, 2018 at 1:49 pm

Looks like a great driver for Target, Walmart and Costco. It was the right decision to quit

Reply Report comment
Tim

Oct 8, 2018 at 11:50 am

Might have been a better choice in 2016 vs the butt ugly blue. Nike Golf Equipment may have lasted 1 more year?

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

5 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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