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

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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

19 Comments

  1. H?ng Phát Blue Star

    Oct 23, 2018 at 1:40 pm

    The content is great

  2. 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.

  3. Curt

    Oct 12, 2018 at 12:55 pm

    They quit making clubs I quit golfing.

  4. ~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)

  5. Greg

    Oct 9, 2018 at 9:30 am

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

    • 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…..

  6. Pablo

    Oct 9, 2018 at 9:21 am

    So over Nike.

  7. Brian McGranahan

    Oct 8, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    KABOOM!!!!

  8. Tom

    Oct 8, 2018 at 6:31 pm

    Nike golf equipment? Nobody cares!

    • 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.

      • 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…

  9. DJ

    Oct 8, 2018 at 6:27 pm

    best driver Nike came out with was the Ignite

  10. 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.

    • 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.

  11. 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

  12. 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.

  13. Ardbeggar

    Oct 8, 2018 at 3:29 pm

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

  14. 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

  15. 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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Whats in the Bag

Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)

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A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)

Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)

Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype

Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.

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Equipment

Putter Roundup: 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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We always get some great photos of some phenomenal putters at tour events and love to share them. Here are a few from the 2024 Zurich Classic that caught our eye and seemed interesting. (And as a reminder, you can check out all our photos from New Orleans here)

MJ Daffue’s Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype

MJ is going with the new Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype this week. The putter is a multi-piece mallet that puts an emphasis on stability with the wings on the back. Daffue’s putter does have a design that differs from retail with a monotone finish, which eliminates the black paint on the aluminum parts that we see at retail. He also has a half siteline milled into the top and an L-neck welded on for some additional toe hang. The face features a deeper milling that should offer a softer feel and slightly quieter sound.

Scotty Cameron T-7.5 Prototype

We spotted a few different Scotty Cameron Phantom models with modified rear flanges. It looks like the straight black flange was cut into a half circle for a little softer look at address. On this T-7.5, you can still see the raw aluminum from the back view, so this might have been a last-minute job to get them out on tour. The semi-circle also has a white line on it, maybe to frame the ball differently.

Alex Fitzpatrick’s Bettinardi SS16 DASS

Alex’s SS16 is made from Bettinardi’s famous D.A.S.S., or double-aged stainless steel, for a softer and more responsive feel. The face has a unique diamond pattern milling and features a logo that I feel like I have seen before, but can’t put a name to. The putter is a classic mid-mallet style with a simple, single white siteline on the top. The sole is clean with just the SS16, DASS, and a green triangle logo on it.

Steve Stricker’s Odyssey White Hot No. 2

This putter has made some amazing putts in its long career! Stricker’s White Hot No. 2 might be in the top 10 of most famous putters in golf. When you see all the dents and lead tape, you know the heel will be up and it will be sinking putts! The soft White Hot insert looks to be in good shape and has less wear on it than the rest of the putter. We don’t know how much lead tape is on the sole, but it has to be multiple layers compacted down over the years.

Doug Ghim’s Scotty Cameron T-7 Prototype

This T-7 should win the award for “best color finish” in this list with its deep chromatic bronze. It looks like Scotty added a cherry bomb dot to the heel of the deep-milled face and filled it with a very dark blue paint. The rest of the putter looks pretty stock with its single site line on the topline and twin site lines down the “fangs” of the putter. Twin 5-gram weights are installed in the sole and the putter is finished off with a gloss black double bend shaft with a fill shaft offset.

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Equipment

Spotted: Project X Denali hybrid shaft

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Project X’s Denali wood shafts have been seen in more and more golf bags this year as we start off the season. As a refresher, Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin model while Denali Black is for players seeking lower launch and spin.

Denali combines great feel with stability and increased ball speed. Currently, Project X only offers Denali Blue and Black in wood shafts, but we spotted a hybrid shaft in Daniel Berger’s bag at the 2024 Zurich Classic.

The shaft looks to be a Denali Blue 105G – HY in TX flex. No word on details from Project X yet but we can assume that this is a mid-launching shaft that weighs around 105 grams in Tour X-Stiff flex.

Berger has this shaft in his TaylorMade P770 3-iron, likely for some added launch and spin to hold the green from longer distances.

Hopefully, this means we will see some more shafts coming under the Denali name in the future, as I think many of us would like to try one in a hybrid or utility iron!

 

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