Equipment

Nike VR Forged Pro Combo Irons

Published

11 years ago

Sep 12, 2013

It’s the little things that make Nike’s new VR Forged Pro Combo irons better than the previous model.

For one, the set expands Nike’s use of “Pocket Cavity” irons, which have a hollow area to move the center of gravity lower and deeper away from the face. That change helps with the long irons’ ball speed, forgiveness and most importantly it provides a higher launch.

“Our Tour athletes wanted higher ball flight and better gapping in the long irons,” said Tony Dabbs, Nike Golf global product director.”

The previous Pro Combo irons released by Nike in 2012 had the hollow design in the 3, 4 and 5 irons, but the new set expands the construction to the 6 iron, which will help both Nike’s tour players and consumers hit that club a little higher, farther and with more consistency.

Adding a hollow area to irons doesn’t come without its downfalls, however. While many golfers enjoyed the higher, faster ball flight they got from the Pocket Cavity irons, Nike received feedback from tour players and consumers that the feel was not as solid as they would like. That’s why Nike added a special polymer to the hollow area, solidifying the irons’ feel without having to make changes to the irons’ compact profile.

Above: Nike’s new VR Forged Pro Combo 6 iron at address

The set’s short irons (7 iron through pitching wedge) scrap the hollow area for a one-piece cavity-back design, Nike’s “Split Cavity,” which tour players trust for control with their short irons.

Nike pro combo irons

Like Nike’s recently released VR Forged wedges, the VR Forged Pro Combo irons have the latest version of Nike’s high-frequency X3X grooves.

The irons will be available at retail on Nov. 1 for $999 and come stock with True Temper’s DG Pro shafts in R300, S300 and X100 flexes.

Click here to see the full specs of the irons, and what GolfWRX members are saying about them in the forums.

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21 Comments

Canes4life

Jan 14, 2014 at 8:54 pm

Personally I love these clubs they feel great, don’t judge a club by its cover…

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- Canes4life
  
  Jan 14, 2014 at 8:56 pm
  
  They are a smooth club, all brands are the same all on the feel you want nike is under rated I don’t care if you disagree or agree hats off to nike and the covert tour is one of the best out there.
  
  Reply Report comment
Pingback: GolfWRX Tech Talk: Nike VR Forged Pro Combo Irons | NG NATION — Nike Golf Fan Blog
John Rambo

Oct 14, 2013 at 11:39 pm

They took out the blade short irons! I don’t neeed forgiviness in my short irons! They are ugly to boot. Who did they ask when getting feedback for these new irons? 30+ handicaps?

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Luke

Oct 6, 2013 at 6:27 am

Was seriously considering these until they dropped the blades from the short irons… Hopefully Nike will be doing custom set makeups so I can put them back in, otherwise its a MP4, 54 & H-4 combo set for me!

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- Slaz
  
  Oct 10, 2013 at 11:13 pm
  
  Just the Bridgestone J36 Pocket Cavity redone. Nothing new here form Nike!
  
  Reply Report comment
Ryan

Sep 18, 2013 at 9:36 pm

Why did they ever remove the straight blades from the pro combos? If you’re looking to play these irons, you should be able to hit a blade at least up to an 8 iron. Those are scoring clubs. You should be looking for accuracy not forgiveness in the short irons.

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Joe

Sep 16, 2013 at 6:18 pm

These remind me of the Bridgestone irons from a few years back

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Eric

Sep 14, 2013 at 12:45 pm

Nice, im just happy because the release will drop the price on the previous model. The older ones look better to my eye.

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- Jordan
  
  Sep 16, 2013 at 10:24 am
  
  Good luck finding a set.
  
  Reply Report comment
mr_divots

Sep 13, 2013 at 3:13 pm

I don’t see any blade short irons pictured? Still blades in the 8-PW?
The sound and feel of the pocket is nice to see addressed, but it makes you wonder why they didn’t catch that during the design phase since it was a common complaint. I thought the 7 iron was most out of place in the last set. Just didn’t flow from 8 to 7 to 6 irons. 5 iron should have been pocket in the previous set as well. That said, the VR Pro Combos were one of my favorite sets of the last few years. If they pulled off these improvements, sounds like one solid set.

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- Jon443
  
  Sep 13, 2013 at 11:29 pm
  
  No blades in this set, hense the term ” pro combo” really doesn’t fit these and why wrxers aren’t very impressed with this set. It’s pocket cavity and split cavity, that’s all folks.
  
  Reply Report comment
Milton

Sep 13, 2013 at 12:17 pm

I have been a BIG Nike Fan my entire life. I lov-ED Nike, even though they didn’t make a Good Driver (That includes the Covert, The only thing the same w/Tigers Driver and the Driver the public buys is the paint scheme. I bought the VR ProCombos when they first came out. Loved them, Brought me down to a HCP 1.3, however the more I look at Nike it upsets me that there are no real changes to these clubs. I’m not bitter but adding some rubber to the long irons is what you call innovation Nike. I have the CMBs from Adams sitting in my office right not that I’m about to purchase. Nike you use to be my favorite by far. You have Tiger, You got Rory, but now you seem to be using the athletes to sell your product and not the innovation you so claim to bring to the table. It’s hard for me to say this considering I have 3 sets of Nike Irons on my wall because Nike is the only set I’ve ever played. You sat on you name and failed one of your biggest fans!

Reply Report comment
- LMB
  
  Sep 16, 2013 at 8:27 pm
  
  So if you think Nike failed at their minimal changes, do you say the same thing for Titleist? Their irons haven’t changed in the past 6 years, except for the placement of the “Titleist” and “MB” or “CB” logos. They basically got good feedback just like Titleist did and the players said don’t mess with a good thing. Only complaints were the long irons feel and a little bit with the launch. I feel with the “special” polymer and new shafts, these are the final missing pieces of the puzzle. I don’t think Nike cares if you jump ship Benedict Arnold.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - t120
    
    Sep 17, 2013 at 12:37 am
    
    LMB, I don’t think I could have said it better myself. This is a serious iron, as was the previous iteration. Buy it or don’t. All brands are in the business of pushing “new” to move units, and be thankful NIKE and TItleist, or PING for that matter aren’t pushing 15% or 50 yards, or 100% faster…They all get feedback, improve where they can and release a product that people want to play from the tour on down.
    
    Take those clubs off your wall and play them.
    
    Reply Report comment
Brian

Sep 13, 2013 at 11:31 am

Why the text out on the toe? Not something I’d want to look at.
Sort of ruins an otherwise great looking product.

Reply Report comment
- Billy
  
  Sep 14, 2013 at 1:41 am
  
  You can’t see it!
  
  Reply Report comment
Jordan

Sep 13, 2013 at 9:28 am

That’s a thick top line, no bueno

Reply Report comment
Lloyd

Sep 13, 2013 at 9:01 am

Nice irons but wots different from the other pro combo irons the design on the front that’s it

Reply Report comment
Billy

Sep 12, 2013 at 11:13 pm

Hell yeah, getting these.

Reply Report comment
Jack

Sep 12, 2013 at 10:47 pm

Finally happening (well, instead of random clubs inserted at the 3,4 iron range) that better players are getting more forgiving clubs built into their set. Meaning majority of the better golfers are demanding this (and probably for a couple of years) for Nike to make this decision.

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Equipment

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

Published

6 mins 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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