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Rory switches to Nike Vapor irons at Dunhill Links Championship

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A week after putting Nike’s new Vapor Pro driver in play at the Ryder Cup, Rory McIlroy looks to be going all in with the new Nike line he helped launch in New York City during the FedEx Cup playoffs.

That’s right, the world No. 1 was spotted with a bag full of Nike Vapor Pro irons during the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

See our full breakdown of the Nike 2015 equipment line here.

It’s no surprise Rory decided to go with the Vapor Pro driver in competition, given statements like these:

“The first thing I noticed when I hit this driver was how hot it was. Then, I found that I could really control the flight and work it both ways on the golf course. I saw added ball speed on the monitor and am getting 10-15 yards more distance on the golf course this week.”

And perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that McIlroy has gone so quickly to the Vapor Pro irons. After all, he won’t really have an off-season to speak of given his international schedule over the next few months, as he’s reported to have been practicing with clubs for months.

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34 Comments

34 Comments

  1. Teaj

    Oct 13, 2014 at 9:48 am

    the black on the back is that an insert or black paint?

  2. christian

    Oct 4, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    So I fully expect that Rory’s driving statistics for this season will show a 15 yards increase then..Or?

    • JOEL GOODMAN

      Oct 8, 2014 at 8:10 pm

      does anyone really care? he could play with my wilson Staff irons from 1960 and still be world # 1/ Nike makes crap and always will, that’s why they have to pay these guys millions to play their junk.

  3. moses

    Oct 4, 2014 at 10:30 am

    Looks like it too 1 round to get used to them. 😀
    He is lighting it up. Sat round -8 after 13 holes.

  4. Mike

    Oct 4, 2014 at 9:48 am

    This isn’t rocket science folks. Rory switched because he and Tiger came out and publicly endorsed the new sticks…he’s kind of obligated to play it…my question to this board is how soon will TW switch? Never mind, it just hit me that his new bag matches the color scheme of the new Vapors. When he tees it up at his World Challenge in Dec the new sticks will be in the bag.

  5. max

    Oct 2, 2014 at 8:55 pm

    No better marketing machine than paying the #1 player big dough to toot the horns of your product.

    • bradford

      Oct 3, 2014 at 7:31 am

      Money is in fact the bottom line, but do you think the #1 would take the deal if the equipment weren’t worth it? Is the #1 SOOO much better than the rest that he could beat them with a piece of junk?

      Taylormade floods the market, Titleist sells to the Holier than thou crowd, Nike pays athletes.

      • JH

        Oct 3, 2014 at 2:10 pm

        Titleist does what? You sound really dumb saying that.

        TaylorMade pays more guys to play their stuff than any other company.

        • Baka

          Oct 4, 2014 at 12:35 pm

          No, JH, he’s exactly right. All of the Titleist people are like apple customers. Entitleist typically a year late on tech and often borrow ideas from companies that are will to put themselves out there. (TMag, Nike, and Callaway)

        • mgm

          Oct 6, 2014 at 3:16 pm

          Titleist pays the most players to use their stuff: don’t forget they are primarily a ball manufacturer, the clubs are an afterthought. Easiest contract to sign is the titleist/footjoy deal. Why do you think its the “number one ball one tour.”

      • MHendon

        Oct 3, 2014 at 3:11 pm

        20 million, yeah I think he would have taken the deal even if the equipment was crap. That is if know one else was offering him anything close. However of course the equipment is good, every manufactures equipment is.

  6. littledreamer

    Oct 2, 2014 at 7:30 pm

    Am I the only one that finds these UGLY?
    Used to play 690.MB’s.
    Tried all year to like Pro Combos.
    Back to 690.mb’s.

    Nike has lost me. UGLY!

  7. Ethan

    Oct 2, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    I also noticed that rory switched shafts in his driver. He is playing the new Diamana.

  8. JR

    Oct 2, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    • MHendon

      Oct 3, 2014 at 3:02 pm

      Wow been playing for 20 years never heard of or seen those but there is definitely some similarity. What’s old is new again!

      • Finchley

        Oct 4, 2014 at 11:12 am

        Not some, but definite rip off.

      • Wedgie

        Oct 4, 2014 at 8:58 pm

        MHendon,
        Wait till you see the new Nike wedges. They look identical to the Rileys.

  9. Chace

    Oct 2, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    Does anyone feel the same way, all the Victory Red clubs represent Tiger, and his old dominant era in Nike. Now Rory seems took over that THRONE last year, and Vapor came in just in time. No wonder why he switch so fast to this line, and we may see a lot of fluorescence yellow in his apparels next year too.

    • Nick

      Oct 2, 2014 at 10:30 pm

      The “Volt” will be used as a universal colour story across all Nike’s brands. First time ever. You will be seeing that yellow a lot.

      • Martin de Porres

        Oct 5, 2014 at 2:35 am

        My old Sasquatch Tour was yellow, as was most Nike’s line.

    • Zak

      Oct 3, 2014 at 12:05 am

      Tiger designed the new Vapor Pro irons (they were designed for him from his input and tweeks). They are keeping the cavity back technology in the drivers, but added the compression channel, for Tiger (he loved his old VR Tour driver).

      The changes are all for Tiger, not Rory. Tiger is Nike golf. Rory is great right now, but Tiger is still “IT”. Either way, Nike a Golf is in a great situation. I’m loving the Vapor Pro driver. It will be tested ASAP. Same with the Pro irons.

  10. Scooter McGavin

    Oct 2, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    I don’t see why this would be surprising or unexpected. I hit the Vapor Pro Combo irons and they feel great, so I can only imagine these are great too. That, and if I was getting paid $20 million a year, I’d play with whatever I was told.

  11. moses

    Oct 2, 2014 at 10:46 am

    2015 another year of adjustments due to new equipment.
    2016 another breakout year after getting used to new equipment.

    One thing about Tiger is that he rarely switched equipment.

    • Joel

      Oct 2, 2014 at 12:22 pm

      So by this logic you don’t think Rory will change what’s in his bag for the 2016 season?

    • MHendon

      Oct 2, 2014 at 4:47 pm

      I suspect getting use to the ball was the bigger adjustment for Rory not the equipment and I think he’s sticking with the same ball.

    • cody

      Oct 3, 2014 at 10:12 am

      I dont know where this idea that tiger “RARELY” changes equipment comes from. He has switch equipment as much as anyone else out there. I would go through and list all the changes but a simple google interweb search will show you everything you need.

      • Chris

        Oct 3, 2014 at 12:29 pm

        I’m going to respectfully disagree. While yes, he may change the actual equipment, the style/shape/design seems to remain the same so the change isn’t that drastic. Hell he was still hitting a 975D with a TT x100 shaft even in 2006

  12. Josh

    Oct 2, 2014 at 10:35 am

    I have a feeling 2015 is going to be a huge year for Nike Golf.

    • TW

      Oct 2, 2014 at 10:55 am

      agreed, ive been a callaway guy for a while but im done with them. On deck…….Titleist/Nike

      • adolfo

        Oct 2, 2014 at 1:03 pm

        I agree too. It wouldn’t surprise me in Nike picks up a few more players going into the new year. It wont shock me if TW plays the new irons next yr.

        Personally, Im looking forward to trying out that Vapor Driver. Im definitely curious to see what it can do

        • MHendon

          Oct 3, 2014 at 3:07 pm

          They’ll pick up a few more players if they pay a few more players. Same as every other manufacturer.

      • adolfo

        Oct 2, 2014 at 1:21 pm

        Josh – may want to try out some Mizunos too.

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Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.

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Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5

  • The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X

Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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