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Preface
I have not played golf all of my life -- picked up the game at 40 in 2000. I realized most of the men in my life who I wanted to spend time with played golf, so I took up the game to socialize. It quickly became an obsession.
I soon purchased my first woods: a Wilson Deep Red 3-wood, then driver based on internet reviews. (Wilson had been a good brand in tennis.) I liked my fatshaft woods. But I began to notice they did not draw much driving range envy. I started looking around to see which brands did.
As I met local PGA pros, it became clear that Titleist was a brand that many better players bagged in Southeast Texas. My discovery of internet golf forums led me to an appreciation for Taylor Made equipment -- technologically innovative and played by some top names on tour. I was developing a brand consciousness -- a hierarchy of most envied/desired brands -- a type of pre-judging based on what name was pressed into the metal. Boys and our toys ... we're always looking to see how we measure up. Pride of ownership became important.
I won't bore you with details, but suffice it to say I spent years testing/trying/buying/tweaking/trading/selling all of the clubs that generated "buzz" on and off the forums. I learned a lot, but the improvement in my scores slowed. These last five years I've moved from perennial equipment tester to focusing my time on learning about the golf swing -- a daunting task. I prefer not having to think about variables like equipment anymore. Heck, I don't even like changing balls. But just when I think I'm past all of "that", I'm now called on to post my equipment impressions for GolfWRX -- read: they suck me back in!!!
The Nike SQ MachSpeed Black Round Driver
Which brings me to Nike. Nike, for reasons I do not know, was one of those brands that did not stir up that driving range envy mentioned above. Not, at least, in men around my age around here. But a GolfWRX member whose opinion I trust urged me to try a SUMO2 - I shafted it up with my fave Matrix Altus. Nice driver, kicked the venerable R7 425/TP-7x out of my bag. It's a fairway finder that has a pretty loud, tin-can like report. But I saw, for the first time, that Nike had caught up performance wise.
The MachSpeed Black is a good looking stick -- I've liked all-black drivers ever since I built up an Alpha V.2/Speeder 757 years ago. The stock shaft is a blacked out version of Mitsubishi's lauded Fubuki line weighing in at 52 grams in Stiff flex. The crown is smooth and does not have that tiered effect you've seen on prior Nikes. The Round version's 460cc head is flat enough to leave no doubt about its size but proportionately correctly shaped around the sweet spot to align you to the face & target. There's a stealth bomber looking impression in the sole plate that channels air around the head for reduced drag and higher swing speeds. I was pleasantly surprised when Bill at Strictly Golf measured it at a D4 swingweight.
The upshot is a club that feels "right there" when you waggle it. The good swingweight offsets any feel of a too light shaft and there's no soft/noodle feel to this Fubuki. I like that. Out of the box, the face angle looked okay -- perhaps a bit closed. No worries, though, as the MachSpeed Black comes with Nike's Str8-Fit adjustability. (My first adjustable driver.)
On to Blackhorse Golf Club's South Course
First day out, results were below par with my swing. Granted, 20+ mph winds and wet conditions aren't conducive to good driving -- but something wasn't right. I was either hitting high short draws or low hooks. It took until I noticed I was screwing my hands clockwise at setup before I realized the face was closed for me. By then we were heading in and I wasn't comfortable with trying to rotate the Str8-Fit open without instructions. Best report was from my buddy Phil who really liked the long draws he was hitting with the MachSpeed compared to his Superfast. Makes sense as he tends to leave the face open and miss right.
(Note that I also had new irons in the bag, as well: the Nike VR Pro Combo forged. I have to admit my focus was much more on the irons than this driver during that round.)
Memorial Park
So I read the instructions and set the Str8-Fit 2 degrees open before heading out to Memorial Park for a round. But now it's worse. I'm really pushing my hands forward at address. Instead of 2 degrees open it's 2 degrees closed. I'm a knucklehead. I finally get the head 2 degrees open, eyeball it, and it looks good. Thwack. Nice high fall-away fade. A few more of those and things are getting back to normal, although a bit too much fade. I readjust to 1 degree open and ... wow!
Sound and Feel -- something old
Sound and feel in a driver may be more important now than ever before, and the MachSpeed Black has it in spades. Every single golfer who has tried this driver loves its sound/feel. And I know why. Remember the fantastic R510TP "Titanium-on-the-toe" tour heads? Many still consider those the best feeling drivers ever made. Solid, muted, not-tinny. Take that sound and feel, up the volume by about 30%, and you've got the Machspeed Black. A thwack! that rivals my favorite/sounding feeling drivers of all time. [Side note: after the round, I visit my buddy Jim at his golf retail store. Jim's a Nike dealer, but was not stocking the MachSpeed Black ..... I urged him to try it. Jim, who competes in local/state amateur tourneys, was still hitting the MSB & checking the launch monitor results 20 minutes later! He, too, was very impressed with the sound & feel and reported the numbers equaled or bettered everything else he'd tried.]
The feel also extends to where on the face you're striking the ball. I can tell exactly where on the face my misses are -- not in a harsh way, just in a positively informative way. My buddy Tom remarked about how easy it was for him tell where his misses were. This is important feedback, imo. As the round progresses Mel, Tom, and Bill are sharing their thoughts on why Nike wasn't a go to brand for guys our age range. The reasons were varied and unimportant as far as I'm concerned because performance is the final arbiter.
Performance
The Nike MachSpeed Black is as long as anything I've hit on the course. I emphasize "on the course" because I've readily found differences between drivers in real world play that were indistinguishable using only launch monitor results. Why is the MSB longer? Superior rollout, imo. The very same superior rollout that put my 9015D in the bag. I first noticed it on the range when I had it cranked 2* open. Those high swinging cuts were shooting forward after impact. I got the same results on the course. Don't ask me why -- I'm not that smart. All I know is my ball marks are similarly placed but final distance is longer. Background on me: I play off a 5 hdcp. My driver swing speed is right at 100 mph and I carry the ball around 240 yards. Spin is usually ~2900 rpm with the correct shaft. Driver to driver to driver results for me are almost always about the same, not much variability. So when I find something that advances performance on the golf course it's pretty obvious. The MSB was pretty obvious.
My buddy Tom is a burly fellow with an aggressive 105 mph swingspeed. When his driver is "on", he's out there around 300 yards. His misses kill him. His misses are well off the sweetspot and usually off the course. Tom's first few tries with the MachSpeed Black were hissing straight rockets. Sounded great, looked great -- we ooh'd & ah'd. But it was his misses that impressed us the most. Tom cracked an extreme heel pull shot that's always left of left in the woods/water ..... but this time it held its course and only lost minimal distance, finishing by the cart path. An extreme toe shot gave similar improved results. The across the face forgiveness of the driver is pretty amazing. Tom's comment after 8 drives to me was to the point: "How much do you want for it?"
Niggles
Why not Nike?
At the end of the day, and the end of our round, prior objections to the Nike brand give way to critical evaluation of its clubs on the course. Everything else doesn't matter. The SQ MachSpeed Black Round pushes the performance envelop and recalls the best sound & feel I've experienced in a driver. To be honest with you, I was a little surprised -- pleasantly surprised. Packing up to leave the course, Mel reminds me he wants to buy the VR Pro Combo forged irons from me when I'm ready. And Tom reaffirms he'll buy the MachSpeed Black whenever I'll sell.
Sorry, guys ......................................................................... I'm not ready to sell.
Full disclosure
current driver: Adams 9015D 9.5* Matrix Ozik Altus
Nike Golf submitted the driver for review
I have not played golf all of my life -- picked up the game at 40 in 2000. I realized most of the men in my life who I wanted to spend time with played golf, so I took up the game to socialize. It quickly became an obsession.
I soon purchased my first woods: a Wilson Deep Red 3-wood, then driver based on internet reviews. (Wilson had been a good brand in tennis.) I liked my fatshaft woods. But I began to notice they did not draw much driving range envy. I started looking around to see which brands did.
As I met local PGA pros, it became clear that Titleist was a brand that many better players bagged in Southeast Texas. My discovery of internet golf forums led me to an appreciation for Taylor Made equipment -- technologically innovative and played by some top names on tour. I was developing a brand consciousness -- a hierarchy of most envied/desired brands -- a type of pre-judging based on what name was pressed into the metal. Boys and our toys ... we're always looking to see how we measure up. Pride of ownership became important.
I won't bore you with details, but suffice it to say I spent years testing/trying/buying/tweaking/trading/selling all of the clubs that generated "buzz" on and off the forums. I learned a lot, but the improvement in my scores slowed. These last five years I've moved from perennial equipment tester to focusing my time on learning about the golf swing -- a daunting task. I prefer not having to think about variables like equipment anymore. Heck, I don't even like changing balls. But just when I think I'm past all of "that", I'm now called on to post my equipment impressions for GolfWRX -- read: they suck me back in!!!
The Nike SQ MachSpeed Black Round Driver
Which brings me to Nike. Nike, for reasons I do not know, was one of those brands that did not stir up that driving range envy mentioned above. Not, at least, in men around my age around here. But a GolfWRX member whose opinion I trust urged me to try a SUMO2 - I shafted it up with my fave Matrix Altus. Nice driver, kicked the venerable R7 425/TP-7x out of my bag. It's a fairway finder that has a pretty loud, tin-can like report. But I saw, for the first time, that Nike had caught up performance wise.
The MachSpeed Black is a good looking stick -- I've liked all-black drivers ever since I built up an Alpha V.2/Speeder 757 years ago. The stock shaft is a blacked out version of Mitsubishi's lauded Fubuki line weighing in at 52 grams in Stiff flex. The crown is smooth and does not have that tiered effect you've seen on prior Nikes. The Round version's 460cc head is flat enough to leave no doubt about its size but proportionately correctly shaped around the sweet spot to align you to the face & target. There's a stealth bomber looking impression in the sole plate that channels air around the head for reduced drag and higher swing speeds. I was pleasantly surprised when Bill at Strictly Golf measured it at a D4 swingweight.
The upshot is a club that feels "right there" when you waggle it. The good swingweight offsets any feel of a too light shaft and there's no soft/noodle feel to this Fubuki. I like that. Out of the box, the face angle looked okay -- perhaps a bit closed. No worries, though, as the MachSpeed Black comes with Nike's Str8-Fit adjustability. (My first adjustable driver.)
On to Blackhorse Golf Club's South Course
First day out, results were below par with my swing. Granted, 20+ mph winds and wet conditions aren't conducive to good driving -- but something wasn't right. I was either hitting high short draws or low hooks. It took until I noticed I was screwing my hands clockwise at setup before I realized the face was closed for me. By then we were heading in and I wasn't comfortable with trying to rotate the Str8-Fit open without instructions. Best report was from my buddy Phil who really liked the long draws he was hitting with the MachSpeed compared to his Superfast. Makes sense as he tends to leave the face open and miss right.
(Note that I also had new irons in the bag, as well: the Nike VR Pro Combo forged. I have to admit my focus was much more on the irons than this driver during that round.)
Memorial Park
So I read the instructions and set the Str8-Fit 2 degrees open before heading out to Memorial Park for a round. But now it's worse. I'm really pushing my hands forward at address. Instead of 2 degrees open it's 2 degrees closed. I'm a knucklehead. I finally get the head 2 degrees open, eyeball it, and it looks good. Thwack. Nice high fall-away fade. A few more of those and things are getting back to normal, although a bit too much fade. I readjust to 1 degree open and ... wow!
Sound and Feel -- something old
Sound and feel in a driver may be more important now than ever before, and the MachSpeed Black has it in spades. Every single golfer who has tried this driver loves its sound/feel. And I know why. Remember the fantastic R510TP "Titanium-on-the-toe" tour heads? Many still consider those the best feeling drivers ever made. Solid, muted, not-tinny. Take that sound and feel, up the volume by about 30%, and you've got the Machspeed Black. A thwack! that rivals my favorite/sounding feeling drivers of all time. [Side note: after the round, I visit my buddy Jim at his golf retail store. Jim's a Nike dealer, but was not stocking the MachSpeed Black ..... I urged him to try it. Jim, who competes in local/state amateur tourneys, was still hitting the MSB & checking the launch monitor results 20 minutes later! He, too, was very impressed with the sound & feel and reported the numbers equaled or bettered everything else he'd tried.]
The feel also extends to where on the face you're striking the ball. I can tell exactly where on the face my misses are -- not in a harsh way, just in a positively informative way. My buddy Tom remarked about how easy it was for him tell where his misses were. This is important feedback, imo. As the round progresses Mel, Tom, and Bill are sharing their thoughts on why Nike wasn't a go to brand for guys our age range. The reasons were varied and unimportant as far as I'm concerned because performance is the final arbiter.
Performance
The Nike MachSpeed Black is as long as anything I've hit on the course. I emphasize "on the course" because I've readily found differences between drivers in real world play that were indistinguishable using only launch monitor results. Why is the MSB longer? Superior rollout, imo. The very same superior rollout that put my 9015D in the bag. I first noticed it on the range when I had it cranked 2* open. Those high swinging cuts were shooting forward after impact. I got the same results on the course. Don't ask me why -- I'm not that smart. All I know is my ball marks are similarly placed but final distance is longer. Background on me: I play off a 5 hdcp. My driver swing speed is right at 100 mph and I carry the ball around 240 yards. Spin is usually ~2900 rpm with the correct shaft. Driver to driver to driver results for me are almost always about the same, not much variability. So when I find something that advances performance on the golf course it's pretty obvious. The MSB was pretty obvious.
My buddy Tom is a burly fellow with an aggressive 105 mph swingspeed. When his driver is "on", he's out there around 300 yards. His misses kill him. His misses are well off the sweetspot and usually off the course. Tom's first few tries with the MachSpeed Black were hissing straight rockets. Sounded great, looked great -- we ooh'd & ah'd. But it was his misses that impressed us the most. Tom cracked an extreme heel pull shot that's always left of left in the woods/water ..... but this time it held its course and only lost minimal distance, finishing by the cart path. An extreme toe shot gave similar improved results. The across the face forgiveness of the driver is pretty amazing. Tom's comment after 8 drives to me was to the point: "How much do you want for it?"
Niggles
- The headcover is difficult to get on the head. The stretchy fabric/elastic at the opening is about an inch too low/long to easily slip the head into the cover. A step back from the Sumo2.
- The Str8-Fit instructions weren't clear enough for this simple-minded golfer to get it right until the 3rd try. Hint: use the markings on the butt of the grip & common sense. The electronic light & sound torque wrench is pretty cool, though.
- Sorry, but the name is too dang long -- Nike SQ MachSpeed Black Round Str8-Fit.
Why not Nike?
At the end of the day, and the end of our round, prior objections to the Nike brand give way to critical evaluation of its clubs on the course. Everything else doesn't matter. The SQ MachSpeed Black Round pushes the performance envelop and recalls the best sound & feel I've experienced in a driver. To be honest with you, I was a little surprised -- pleasantly surprised. Packing up to leave the course, Mel reminds me he wants to buy the VR Pro Combo forged irons from me when I'm ready. And Tom reaffirms he'll buy the MachSpeed Black whenever I'll sell.
Sorry, guys ......................................................................... I'm not ready to sell.
Full disclosure
current driver: Adams 9015D 9.5* Matrix Ozik Altus
Nike Golf submitted the driver for review
