First Look – 2015 Nike Vapor Flex Driver

It would appear that the proverbial cat has escaped its sack. Nike Golf is finding it increasing difficult to keep secrets, and that’s probably a positive indicator where brand interest is concerned.

3 Vapor Models

Nike won’t be the only ones shifting to a bit of an as much tech as you’re willing to pay for model this season, and so it’s not the least bit surprising that all signs point to 3 distinct versions of the Vapor Driver. The early images showed both a fixed hosel driver (possibly a smaller Tour/Pro model), and an adjustable model that looks like the natural evolution (as natural as anything Volt-colored can be) of Nike’s cavityback driver technology.

I suppose that is reasonably compelling, but the most interesting of the 3 models is the upcoming Vapor Flex Driver, which features its own version of cavityback technology along with Nike’s new Flex Flight Module.

The Tech Video

About that Flex Flight

Conceptually, one could think of the Flex Flight Module as a horizontal (Callaway) Gravity Core. Now before we ramp up the predictable who stole what from whom crap, be advised that Nike patent applications for this particular design go back several years. It may be new(ish) to us, but team Swoosh has been iterating this idea for a while.

The Nike patent drawing below isn’t 100% what we’re looking at today, but it’s undeniably similar.

From a technical standpoint, the Flex Flight Module is a flippable 15-gram weight, which can shifts the center of gravity 2mm front to back. That equates to 1° of loft and roughly 300 RPM of spin. While it’s not discussed in the video, moving the heavy end of the module towards the rear should, along with increasing launch and spin, increase MOI as well.

In the tech video, Nike’s Nate Radcliffe (that’s not Nate in the image above) explains that moving weight horizontally can alter both shot shape and trajectory, and 200 RPM can be the difference between simply being comfortable, and being dialed it (competition ready). The point is that while Flex Flight isn’t a comprehensive fitting solution in and of itself, as the final step in the equation, it can help get your driver totally optimized.

Unlike Callaway’s Gravity Core, the Flex Flight Module locks in place without an additional cap. It’s a small detail, but it saves a bit of weight, and that’s always helpful.

Carbon Reinforced RZN Crown

I’ll discuss it in more detail in the coming weeks, but one of the things I love about what Nike is doing for 2015 is the cohesiveness of the entire lineup. Volt is ever-present, as is the inclusion of Nike’s RZN material (although it’s formulated differently depending on the application).

Nike is Volt. Nike is RZN. Those two points will be made abundantly clear in the coming months.

The selling point for RZN as a crown technology is that it’s lighter than titanium, and although strength is similar, RZN is less rigid, which means Nike has some freedom to move weight around, and shape the material in ways that aren’t possible with cast titanium.

Relevant to the discussion of crown technology is the inclusion of an internal rib. Functionally it acts as a support brace that stiffens the head in all directions, which Nike claims pushes the energy transfer forward. For comparison’s sake, this isn’t much different than what TaylorMade extols as one of the benefits of a forward CG placement. The theoretical upside to the Nike implementation is that, if it works at advertised, it would accomplish the same thing without reducing dynamic loft or sacrificing MOI.

Allow me to reiterate that IF part.

As long as we’re talking about the crown…yes, the giant swoosh carries on, and will now be joined by Nike’s meteor print pattern (see below) on at least a portion of the crown.

Compression Channel is Back

Nike’s version (and some would argue the original version) of slot technology disappeared when the company moved to the cavityback design made famous by the Covert series. Compression Channel makes its return in the new Vapor series.

Now before anyone starts ranting about the USGA and CT/COR, understand that the new version is variable width. Basically, it’s designed to boost (or at least maintain) ball speeds as impact moves towards the perimeter of the face. We’ve talked about this before, but just for the hell of it…

The USGA’s CT test is limited to the center of the face. If you can maintain ball speed away from the center, you increase average ball speed (since none of us hit the center of the clubface every time). Simply put, the idea here is to maximize energy transfer.

Flex Loft 2.0

Finally, Nike has tweaked their Flex Loft adjustability system for 2015. The new 2.0 version offers the same performance (4° of loft, left, center, right), but the total weight has been reduced by roughly 5.5 grams. There are plenty of places in a clubhead where additional mass is beneficial, the hosel isn’t one of them.

No doubt some would suggest that Nike’s hosel is still too bulky, but this is clearly a step in the right direction. Bonus points/kudos to Nike for making the updated system fully compatible with the original incarnation (your other Covert shafts will work in the new head).

Additional Details

We don’t have pricing, and we don’t have your stock shaft details yet either. Actually, we don’t have much more than this right now. Nike has given me a polite and official no comment on all things driver related, but at the rate leaks are springing up, it probably won’t be long before more information becomes available.

While I’m sure Nike would have preferred everything stayed under-wraps, anecdotally there’s more interest in the new lineup than any Nike release I’ve ever seen. Whether that translates to sales…I won’t speculate just yet.

You can say what you want about Volt, but it’s definitely grabbing some attention.