Review: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition Driver

Limited audience but unlimited results
There are drivers that are designed for the masses and there are drivers designed for the serious players.  Nike has been offering two such drivers for a couple of golf seasons now.  The latest serious players design is the Nike VR Pro Limited Edition.  By design and by name, this driver isn’t for everyone, but if you have the game, this driver offers amazing, dare I say unlimited results.

Over the past season one of my favorite drivers, when I was swinging well, was the Nike VR Tour.  Unfortunately when I was not swinging so well, this driver was not ideal.  It is set up for the serious golfer that is looking to work the ball, keep the spin rates down and eliminate the left side.  From my testing it was one of the longest drivers around.  But also one of the most demanding.  The Nike VR Pro LE tweaks a few designs of the VR Tour and creates a much easier to hit driver, yet still offering the same amazing results as the VR Tour.
The main changes are a new forged face, only 1* open, revamped sole plate and a new ahina made for shaft.  The starting point has to be the new face technology.  It is a forged Titanium face that really feels hot and sounds so much better.  Each new generation Nike is moving away from the aluminum bat sound to a more pleasant metallic thwack.  The face is nice and tall with ample forgiveness.  The sound and feel are just so much more solid than the previous version.

Since the head is now only 1* open instead of 2* it is a little easier to square up at address and at impact.  I found fewer balls headed right with the VR Pro LE than with the VR tour.  For me this was a very good thing, since I fight the rights more than the lefts.  I also found it to launch a little higher because of the face angle.  It was closer to a true 9.5 launching head whereas the VR tour was a low launching head.

I don’t know if the revamped sole plate made much difference in distance, this driver is long just like the VR tour.  But maybe it helped offer a more pleasant sound,  maybe helped offering a little more forgiveness too.

The one thing that was most disappointing, while at the same time not an issue, is the fact that the Mitsubishi Ahina shaft is a made for version.  It looks like the real deal, but clearly it is not, based on specs and name.  While I haven’t reviewed the real deal, it is kind of a letdown that a Limited Edition driver doesn’t have a real deal shaft in it. But with that being said, I had great numbers and results with this shaft.  So even though it is a made for version, I don’t have any complaints about the on course results.

One final note that just can’t be overlooked, the driver comes with the best OEM headcover available right now.  It is an old-school pom-pom cover with a long sock and a Nike VR Pro LE patch on it.  The red, white and black combo looks amazing in my Nike Vapor X bag.  The club is also finished with a stock Nike VR velvet type grip.

This driver isn’t for everyone, but if it fits your swing you will be generously rewarded on the course.  The results are unlimited distance, sound and accuracy.

For more information: www.nikegolf.com

Quick Hits
+Excellent sound and feel
+Long
+Perfect looks

–Still Demanding
–Made for shaft vs. real deal