My Little Ultimate Driver Shootout

[niscur24]

Could Nike take the gamer down???

Well gents,

I have finally been able to get out and have my little driver shootout....A little about my game.....SS right at 110-115 generally a high ball hitter with a swing that naturally produces spin....hitter not a swinger. I can go into LOW 80's or bust out a cool 100 depending on the day and my temper. But for the most part solid game and ball stiker. I play a 44" driver for more control since I lose no distance from launch monitor results. I look for generally low spin drivers...hence the R7 TP thats my gamer.

The Test:

1. My Gamer: Taylormade R7 TP 9.5 Speeder 757 S flex at 44". Config'd totally neutral all 6's heel to toe. What else can I say but I never have driven the ball better in the last 1.5 years since I have had this club. Constant perfect draw and can carry it about 260 on most days...launch monitors show this is set up perfectly for my swing. This driver has been beat to death review wise so I wont talk about feel etc. Lets just say this thing sets a bar for other to overtake.

2. Challenger 1: Nike SQ tour 9.5 Diamana 83S g4t (standard real diamana for SQ tours) at 44". My first little skirmish with this beauty was at this years PGA show stepped into a nike launch monitor and was in love. Compared totally with my TP but averaged higher ball speeds and slightly longer carry. Feel was a little strange at the show as was the sound but I had to have one....

Three weeks ago I pulled the trigger and finally got one...went to the range and HATED it. Sounded weird crappy flight you name it I was ready to let it go. But there was one slight problem....I had my first adventure in kidney stones the day before and I wasnt feeling 100%. So I chalked it up to health problems and let it sit in time out for a week. Today.... HOLY MOTHER OF GOD....can this be the same driver???!!!!! first swing after going through my bag was a totall rocket! Dead straight with a little tailing draw at the end. Right to the back of the range...looked like it just kept climbing and felt like BUTTER. Sound was better as well. After several more of the same I was damn near making out with the thing. I have so longed for a nike driver (hated the original blue POS's) and this finally answered. The shaft felt a liitle whippy and light during the swings in the house so I added about 1.5 inches of lead tape right under the grip and it was perfect.

3. Challenger 2: Nike Ignite 410 8.5 Penley ETA 75 S @44.5 inches. Well what can I say about this thing. Well at the PGA show two years ago this was my best nike performer. For some reason I needed 1 degree lower of loft which worked fine for me. Picked this up days before I got the SQ bug. I wanted to put something spec wise like my Speeder in there and the ETA was the cheapest closest thing I could get spur of the moment. Wanted to try something a little longer so I shafted it up at 44.5"

Same results happened at first time out after Mr stone payed a visit. But as with the SQ I chalked it up to health and sat it in the corner for a week. Once again though it felt too light....penley lists it at 78 grams at 47" raw...so I added some lead tape to this as wekll to get it inline with the other two. Todays range session was no better then the first. Compared to the TP and the SQ this club just lacks something for my golf game. The others let me swing easy and get awesome result and go after it and get awesome results. This was tempermental for me... Yes I could drop a bomb with it, but the next swing could kill someone dead left on the tee box. Feel was very solid and sound was a little to tinny for my ears. It also set up different from the other two. Face looked dead nuts square but just looked weird to my eye.

Results

Well after about 20-30 balls with each one the SQ hands down out performs my TP. While I will never get rid of my R7 the SQ for the time has taken it over. They provide very much the same flight and workablililty but the SQ just feels thunderous when it flys off the face and just seems to keep going in the air. From what I could see the SQ would just hit the ground and RUN while the TP looked to drop and roll a little. The TP does feel so much more solid though. More of a great thunderous CRACK then the larger volume sound of the SQ. The SQ is higher pitched then the R7 but I still love the sound of a nutted TP. The SQ for my eye looks great and hides it size pretty well. I do have to tee the SQ lower a little but I can pretty much get shot after shoot dead middle of the face every time.

The iggy just cant compare with these other two beasts. I may be the lower end ETA versus the high end exotics, although the ETA is supposed to be a great shaft. But it just cant compare with the others. It would never overtake the R7 and I wouldnt keep it as a backup with the SQ. Its a great driver but overall its just not for me..

In short, NIKE YOU HAVE DONE IT I now posses all NIKE WOODS and my all nike bag is almost complete (well except putters). The SQ is leaps and bounds ahead of the other nike drivers for me and will stay in my bag. The R7 will stay because I have an attachment to it from the last 1.5 years and it will be a great club to switch in and out. The iggy.....yea its in the classifieds right now....WHO WANTS IT.....

Sorry for the length! :fool: :crazy: :crazy:

[golfernut78]

awesome review. i recently had a driver shootout between my nike ignite 410 9.5* with aldila nv-75 (gamer up to this test), nike sq tour 9.5* with aldila nv-75 and nike sq max 9.5* with aldila nv-75. it was a great test especially with launch monitors.

 

i am suprised but the big difference between the ignite 410 and sq tour. for me the two performed very close to each in launch angle in spin, and the only difference being ball speed, with the sq tour higher. for me the sq tour was exactly what i was looking for, everything i have with the ignite 410, but additional forgiveness and added distance on mishits.

 

the sq max was a whole other story all together with the spin just way way to low. currently getting it reshafted with a accuflex acculaunch 70. this should give me a little higher launch angle and the additional spin i need to keep the ball up.

 

again, great review.