Nike SQ out at Dick's Sporting Goods

[hungrymarine]

The local Dick's had the SQ Max out on the floor. As expected, it has a huge profile front to back but the face was very shallow. According to the label, the whole club is made in China including the Diamana shaft so that was a disappointment. The salesperson taped the club up for me and allowed me to demo it on their video range. The regular shaft was very sloppy and I was getting very inconsistent results with it. The stiff was a lot better but I was not very impressed with it and it didn't have a good feel for me. I guess I was expecting a top quality shaft with the Diamana name but the Aldila NVS that I am using now in my 454 is more responsive.

 

According to the video monitor I was hitting all the drives either straight or with a slight draw but only getting 190-210 yards out of the thing. I am by no means a big hitter but I hit my 19 degree 980F that far. I know that the video range doesn't measure spin rates but seeing this was kinda disappointing. I left feeling this is a very accurate but very short driver. Not a great review since I wasn't able to test on the range or launch monitor but an initial first impression. I am still interested in trying it out further in real world conditions so at least I was intrigued by it a little.

[Mapleleaf14]

We got three drivers and two #3 woods and two #5 woods in at my Dad's shop on wednesday of last week - the fairway woods seem nice, good feel, good sound, etc. but the driver felt lousy and sounded AWFUL!!

 

(Plus, it is the ugliest thing at address that we all have ever seen!)

[hungrymarine]

We got three drivers and two #3 woods and two #5 woods in at my Dad's shop on wednesday of last week - the fairway woods seem nice, good feel, good sound, etc. but the driver felt lousy and sounded AWFUL!!

 

(Plus, it is the ugliest thing at address that we all have ever seen!)

58063[/snapback]

Yeah the fairway woods looked pretty good and were conventional in design. As for the SQ....you could literally turn it around and use it as an entrenching tool if you had to dig a foxhole on the course.

[chicubs]

15% of anything over 75 dollars here in Indiana. Not sure if its valid for one of these babies.

[SwingMan]

We got three drivers and two #3 woods and two #5 woods in at my Dad's shop on wednesday of last week - the fairway woods seem nice, good feel, good sound, etc. but the driver felt lousy and sounded AWFUL!!

 

(Plus, it is the ugliest thing at address that we all have ever seen!)

58063[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

Nice feel on the hot spot and decent sound. Got over the look after a few minutes.

 

Carl Pettersson averaged 71% fairways and 283 yrds over 4 days. On Sunday, it was 300 yards and 77% FW. KJ Choi didn't do too badly with it either. Hmm..

[sandy]

KJ hit 14/14 fairways on the Sunday to win the tournament a few weeks back.  KJ's a very good driver of the ball (accuracy wise), but every swing seemed to hug the center of the fairway, none of them really flirted with the edge.

58138[/snapback]

 

Maybe Tiger could take a lesson from KJ as all he was able to achieve was 50%.

[pingman1]

Swingman,

 

If you like the looks and sound, great.  The 5 of us that were checking them out this weekend didn't...that's all I was saying.

 

I'm sure it will be a big success and you won't be the only one who likes it... don't worry.

 

I'm also sure I won't be the only one who doesn't like it.

58204[/snapback]

 

i am not a good golfer like most of the guys on this and other sites, but i love the game. i have ben a "HO" for years trying to find the "perfect clubs. i don'tbelieve they exist! anyway i have been searching for a driver for months and was really considering the sq because of all the hype. after seeing this thing in person i was so turned off by the looks that i wouldn't buy it. i ended up with a bridgestone j33, 460 and couldn't be happier. no driver i have hit has been as solid as this club.

 

everything else in my bag, except the putter is ping, i tried the g2 and the g5, but they just didn't fit me.

[SwingMan]

Swingman,

 

If you like the looks and sound, great.  The 5 of us that were checking them out this weekend didn't...that's all I was saying.

 

I'm sure it will be a big success and you won't be the only one who likes it... don't worry.

 

I'm also sure I won't be the only one who doesn't like it.

58204[/snapback]

 

And I gave you my first impression of the club - first impressions, whether like or dislikes, are often deceiving, which is why I've hit the club about 3 times on a LM. I will head out to the course with it soon. Have you taken it to the range or course? That is the real test - over 18 holes several times.

[AUDuffer]

I know this would be a premature assessment considering the SQ is so new, but if you right now had to choose between the Ignite 460 and SQ where would you guys go? It sounds like plenty of people are high on the Ignite. I didn't like the look at address, but obviously I should get over that--personal problem I guess. I don't hear too many good things about the stock Ignite shaft. Funny thing, I was at EW and saw an Ignite 460 with an NV shaft still going for $429--WTF?!?!

[DeoreDX]

I know this would be a premature assessment considering the SQ is so new, but if you right now had to choose between the Ignite 460 and SQ where would you guys go?  It sounds like plenty of people are high on the Ignite.  I didn't like the look at address, but obviously I should get over that--personal problem I guess.  I don't hear too many good things about the stock Ignite shaft.  Funny thing, I was at EW and saw an Ignite 460 with an NV shaft still going for $429--WTF?!?!

58300[/snapback]

 

 

I'm as big a Nike club hater as they come but when I demod the 410 and 460 Ignites for a week I was thoroughly impressed. The negatives: The stock shaft was a bit softer in the tip then I like and the 460cc did not hide it's size well at all. The face also sat a bit closed on the 460 (but neutral on the 410 I hit) which did nothing to inspire my confidence that my dreaded snap hook would come out of no-where. The 410 hit the ball a tad higher then the 460. The positives: The club is just absurdly forgiving. More forgiving then the G2 and R5 in my experience. Distance wise I put it on par the the G2 and well beyond the R5 which I found "dead" feeling. Despite the closed face I never had problems with the Ignite going left on me. I'd love to try one out with a different shaft then the stock shafts.

[r7tp4me]

I'd have to admit that I am one who immediately bagged the crap out of this club, it looks ridiculous with it's yellow sole, the profile is all wrong, it just looks monstrous......

 

I'm ordering one tomorrow I hope I don't end up sleeping with it in a month !!!!! :D it's just really starting to grow on me !!!!

[jmconnel]

The Tour version looks really good. We got one of those in and sold it immediately. I think we have sold 3 drivers and 4 fw woods since saturday. That is more than we sold all last year in Nike equipment. My manager had to sit through a meeting with the tech guys and they were explaining that you are getting the benefit of a 530 cc driver because of the technology and that they have been working on this club for 7 yrs or something like that. I think it will be a hit, people need to get over the looks and just try it.

 

The launch monitor is good for ball speed, launch angle, and back spin but total distance sucks with it. To hit the perfect drive you would have to hit a driver with a 30* launch angle and with 2500 back spin. We have the accusport launch monitor. There is a really cool screen you can go to to show your angle of attack and most of the time that guys are getting a lot of back spin is because they are hitting down on it. So for guys that aren't hitting it anywhere and they start giving me the whole "I hit my 3 iron that far" act. I tell them that they are estimating distance based off of launch angle, Back spin and ball speed. So the higher you hit it with less back spin normally goes further. And when that guy has the over the top chopping motion i can show him the problem because that back spin is like a parachute behind the ball.

[Mapleleaf14]

I agree - the tour version looks better... I wonder what it sounds like? Anyone hit one of these yet?

[r7tp4me]

I agree - the tour version looks better... I wonder what it sounds like?  Anyone hit one of these yet?

58397[/snapback]

someone told me they sound like an Adams RPM, ie as loud as hell. I hope that isn't the case !!!

 

Pete

[SwingMan]

I agree - the tour version looks better... I wonder what it sounds like?  Anyone hit one of these yet?

58397[/snapback]

someone told me they sound like an Adams RPM, ie as loud as hell. I hope that isn't the case !!!

 

Pete

58402[/snapback]

 

Gosh, there are so many rumours about this club - a few posts I've seen say they sound great. The Tour looks good -- but it seems some pros are going for the stability of the Max. If pros are going Max, maybe we ought to take a second look at the Max. All I know is when it hits the ball, it's going too fast for me to see how fugly it is.

 

On Thursday, I'll get a Max, take it out and compare it with the current luv in the bag.

[dlefty]

The Tour version looks really good.  We got one of those in and sold it immediately.  I think we have sold 3 drivers and 4 fw woods since saturday.  That is more than we sold all last year in Nike equipment.  My manager had to sit through a meeting with the tech guys and they were explaining that you are getting the benefit of a 530 cc driver because of the technology and that they have been working on this club for 7 yrs or something like that.  I think it will be a hit, people need to get over the looks and just try it. 

 

The launch monitor is good for ball speed, launch angle, and back spin but total distance sucks with it.  To hit the perfect drive you would have to hit a driver with a 30* launch angle and with 2500 back spin.  We have the accusport launch monitor.  There is a really cool screen you can go to to show your angle of attack and most of the time that guys are getting a lot of back spin is because they are hitting down on it.  So for guys that aren't hitting it anywhere and they start giving me the whole "I hit my 3 iron that far" act.  I tell them that they are estimating distance based off of launch angle, Back spin and ball speed.  So the higher you hit it with less back spin normally goes further.  And when that guy has the over the top chopping motion i can show him the problem because that back spin is like a parachute behind the ball.

58369[/snapback]

 

I LOVE to hear this from someone else about angle of attack. I always am criticized when I mention this, because everyone must believe it just can't be the swing. I've been preaching this issue for a while, and that issue IS why people lack driver distance with the MAX.

[AUDuffer]

I agree - the tour version looks better... I wonder what it sounds like?  Anyone hit one of these yet?

58397[/snapback]

 

The tour version looks 100x better than the max. The back of the max's head looks like you might cut yourself on it! Definitely could be a trench digging tool, but I'll give it a whirl to see what it can do.

[hungrymarine]

The Tour version looks really good.  We got one of those in and sold it immediately.  I think we have sold 3 drivers and 4 fw woods since saturday.  That is more than we sold all last year in Nike equipment.  My manager had to sit through a meeting with the tech guys and they were explaining that you are getting the benefit of a 530 cc driver because of the technology and that they have been working on this club for 7 yrs or something like that.  I think it will be a hit, people need to get over the looks and just try it. 

 

The launch monitor is good for ball speed, launch angle, and back spin but total distance sucks with it.  To hit the perfect drive you would have to hit a driver with a 30* launch angle and with 2500 back spin.  We have the accusport launch monitor.  There is a really cool screen you can go to to show your angle of attack and most of the time that guys are getting a lot of back spin is because they are hitting down on it.  So for guys that aren't hitting it anywhere and they start giving me the whole "I hit my 3 iron that far" act.  I tell them that they are estimating distance based off of launch angle, Back spin and ball speed.  So the higher you hit it with less back spin normally goes further.  And when that guy has the over the top chopping motion i can show him the problem because that back spin is like a parachute behind the ball.

58369[/snapback]

 

I LOVE to hear this from someone else about angle of attack. I always am criticized when I mention this, because everyone must believe it just can't be the swing. I've been preaching this issue for a while, and that issue IS why people lack driver distance with the MAX.

58625[/snapback]

From reading about analysis of fittings at Callaway's professional test center at Richard C. Helmstetter in California, it sounds like the ideal launch angle is above 12 and below 16. The 2500 rpm backspin sounds right though. I have never heard about trying to fit someone for a launch angle of 30 so I'm curious where this information comes from.

 

The following web site has this info:

http://www.publinksgolfer.com/play/archive.../2003/index.cfm

 

Ball Speed/ Optimum Launch Angle/ Optimum Back Spin

MPH/ DEGREES/ RPMs

170/ 11 - 12/ 2500 - 2700

160/ 12 - 13.5/ 2750 - 3200

150/ 12.5 - 14/ 3000 - 3300

140/ 13 - 15/ 3300 - 3550

130/ 14 - 16/ 3500 - 3800

120/ 15 - 17/ 3750 - 3900

110/ 15.5 - 17.5/ 3800 - 4050

100/ 16 - 18.5/ 3900 - 4200

 

Other good sites about launch angle seem to indicate 12 degrees:

http://www.golfdigest.com/equipment/index....chmonitors.html

http://www.golfdigest.com/gfw/gfwequip/ind...nchmonitor.html

http://thesandtrap.com/archives/clubs/a_fi...science_van.php

http://thesandtrap.com/archives/balls/the_..._everything.php

 

For those who want to be just like Tiger, the last link states...

 

Frank Thomas says:

 

This new test method will result in an increase in distance for every ball. Some balls will go as much as 10 or more yards longer under the optimum conditions, compared to the old test method. (The optimum launch angle, by the way, is about 13 degrees, and the optimum spin rate is about is about 1,500 revolutions per minute. And guess what? These are not far off Tiger Woods' actual, real-life launch conditions.)

[easyyy]

I cleaned this thread up a little. Lets ALLWAYS take the high road at golfwrx guys. Please help out. Thanks