UPDATED VIDEO & PICS: Nike Covert Drivers, Woods & Irons

[H.A. Kerr]

[quote name='pga43' timestamp='1355600410' post='6073497']
Nike was also going to work out all the legal details for making the tips available to their authorized repair centers so that reshafting could be available locally.
[/quote]

Is "legal" really the reason it's so hard to find tips from most manufacturers? As in "some garage club builder is going to build their club, go to the course, injure someone when the head flies off, and sue us".

Because that's a super sad commentary on the state of the world. It's be much less depressing if the real reason was "so we can make more money".

[golfbum9]

This I have to say is a fantastic breakthrough in technology. A single club (D or FW) with adjustable loft and face angle angle [u]seperately[/u] is Huge in my opinion- and if that driver feels as good as it sounds (which it likely will), we may have the best of sound/feel combo since the 510TP. Can't wait to try them!

Those irons however, look quite a bit (too much) like the Callaway X-18/20's in my opinion...

[TheU]

[quote name='H.A. Kerr' timestamp='1355600957' post='6073531']
[quote name='pga43' timestamp='1355600410' post='6073497']
Nike was also going to work out all the legal details for making the tips available to their authorized repair centers so that reshafting could be available locally.
[/quote]

Is "legal" really the reason it's so hard to find tips from most manufacturers? As in "some garage club builder is going to build their club, go to the course, injure someone when the head flies off, and sue us".

Because that's a super sad commentary on the state of the world. It's be much less depressing if the real reason was "so we can make more money".
[/quote]

It's absolutely a legal issue. Your hypothetical is probably dead on. No pun intended.

[novakjrp1]

[quote name='TheU' timestamp='1355519133' post='6069559']
Got to hit the Covert today as my rep stopped by. The GI driver will be the club of the year, IMO. The is the best sounding and feeling driver Nike has ever brought to market by a long shot. The adjustability is off the charts...it can sit wide open if you want it to. I was shocked how nice the shape is. Sure, there will be people turned off by the red color...but it's quite frankly not nearly as bright as you'd think. It sort of fades to black on the edges at address. He actually let me put the tour shaft in the performance head and BAM--money. I was also really impressed with the fairways/hybrids, but he said he needed to keep them looking brand new as they were his samples and not demos (obviously a driver off the tee would not mess them up too bad). The other thing that struck me was how stable the club was through impact...assuming because of the cavity? Speaking of which...I never would have thought a metal wood with a cavity could sound that damn good. When I first picked it up, my initial thought was that the cavity was so deep that it would make a horrible noise, but I was completely wrong. C'mon February!!!
[/quote]

What specifically did you like in the Performance model over the Tour model? The sound? The feel? The forgiveness? I know you said the Performance was the best sounding and feeling Nike driver ever, but by how much over the Tour and in what category's? I usually like smaller drivers so the Tour model would likely be my preference, but like others I have been shocked by the number of tour players playing the Performance version. There must be something to it, so I'm wondering what?

[Boogs2]

I really can't wait for the Covert fairways to come out. Having the ability to change lofts separately from face angle will be huge for me. I'm to the point that I'm so confident that I'll be getting the Covert tour fw, that I'm about to put up the good ol' VR PRO Ltd. Ed. fairway up for sale. 2/1/13 needs to come sooner!

[tnord]

i got to take a couple swings with the regular covert yesterday as the nike rep that's a member of my club was there with it. i didn't mind the red at address, actually like it better than the TM white with the graphics. i currently use a VR Tour, and set it down next to the covert. the shape is pretty similar on initial glance. taking a look at it the one thing that struck me was how much mass was outside of the face on the toe side, which could be what caused the "stable" feeling at impact mentioned above.

first swing was a push fade that actually got out there pretty good. second swing was laser draw that flew pretty flat for just a stock stiff kuro kage shaft and range balls. the sound wasn't the loud harsh sound of the RBZ, but it was a higher pitch than the solid thud i get from the VR Tour. tough to really pass judgement on two swings, but it's at least a solid and interesting offering.

[ksavy17]

[quote name='pga43' timestamp='1355600410' post='6073497']
[quote name='stage1350' timestamp='1355599691' post='6073451']
Does the tip look like it will handle a pull and reassemble on another shaft?

This driver has me looking. But Kuro Kage just ain't gonna do it. If I can pull the tip and throw it on my 8A4 or even a ProtoPYPE, we might be talking. Access to extra tips would be a bonus. TM was smart about that. The other OEMs, not so much. Here's hoping Nike will be smart as well.
[/quote]

I was talking with Tom Stites at a Nike "Media" event, he said that Nike would be offering a very wide selection of "Tour" shafts, not "Made For" shafts. Some with and some without up charges.

Nike was also going to work out all the legal details for making the tips available to their authorized repair centers so that reshafting could be available locally.

Not so sure if they will make tips available directly to the consumer but that's not to say you won't be able to get the via a 2nd or 3rd party connection.


Greg
[/quote]

this is awesome news and has me almost 100% convinced that these will be what I am rockin next year

[TheDarkOne]

With all the intangibles, Rors, Woods, Taylormade having their worst driver launch in a decade, Nike is poised to make a strong play in the driver market if they handle this release right. A lot of us are looking at this driver, let's hope the release goes well.

[shakey]

I've had quite a few guys come into my store asking about the "new red Nike clubs." This time last year, no one was asking about Nike. What a change in a year. I've pretty much got three of the tour drivers sold already. Just waiting til Feb.

[TheDarkOne]

My good friend owns a golf shop and it’s the exact same thing. He was saying that every year it’s all about the new TM driver and that this has been the first year since he has been open that ALL the buzz is about Nike. If the performance on the Covert matches the hype, it will easily be Driver of the year and perhaps Nike’s biggest selling driver ever.

[hmx3]

I´m a long time TM-driver guy.

But the Nike Covert Performance is unbeatable.

My next driver: Nike Covert Performance

Omnia dicta sunt!

[Pingman222]

i've only ever really purchased older-model drivers or second hand drivers, but this is the year i'm going to take the plunge and buy something brand new. Currently gaming the VR Tour and am definitely looking to have something a little more forgiving for those days when my swing isn't perfect.

i think i'm pretty much decided on the covert or the razr fit extreme....but even if i do go with covert, i'm lovin the looks of the tour model, but it seems like everyone is gaming the performance....tough decisions

[wldchld22]

Got to hit all the woods and hybrids as the Rep had stopped at a PGA Superstore to build buzz I guess.

At address the Tour head is just awesome. Reminded me a little of the Orange Cobra I had the pleasure of winning. Really great looking head.

I think the hitting bay was busted because I was getting some very weird spin numbers. Like triple digit and even negative spin numbers, but the drives were still going out there.

The performance head is great too. For some reason the Kuro Kage doesn't fit my swing. It is a great shaft, but not for my swing type. I have always preferred a mid launch shaft. I can see this driver being ridiculous with the right shaft in it.

The fairways and hybrids were absolutely solid. Weird note, I liked the glued hybrid and the adjustable fairway. Couldn't get comfortable with the glued fairway and adjustable hybrid.

The driver does not have a particular feel that makes you notice the split cavity tech. It does feel different than other Nike drivers, but not that different from other drivers, however I have to admit my dispersion was fantastic so something must be working.

Had a guy come up after me swinging a Titleist with the made for A'hina in stiff. The guy was swinging between 90-95 swingspeed. The Nike rep asked him if it was the made for titleist shaft and he insisted he was hitting the aftermarket a'hina as it was pretty expensive. The guy had some nice drives with the NIke and then the rep gave him a second driver to try. It was the performance head with a regular shaft and the guy was straight killing it over his old driver and the tour head with stiff. Guess it really is an aftermarket shaft and it looks like it runs stiff. This might hurt Nike sales, you know how guys always want to say they are playing a stiff or x-flex. haha

The Nike rep couldn't comment on who exactly they have signed, but said they have heard rumors just like us. A few titleist guys, but nothing official. It could be as many as 6 new players.

The rep mentioned that 60% of the players that have switched on tour are using the performance head. I think this makes a lot of sense as I think Cink mentioned he needed more spin because the heads are so low spin.

IMO you really can't tell that much difference between the tour head and performance. The difference is minimal, but man does it look good in person.

[GC70]

Thanks for all the info!

In the fairways and hybrids are the glued ones performance or tour? What's the size difference ?

Why is everyone going with the performance driver? Does it look big in red and at 460? The tour looks great!

[practicetee]

[quote name='MNNikeGuy' timestamp='1355768875' post='6081357']
Thanks for all the info!

In the fairways and hybrids are the glued ones performance or tour? What's the size difference ?

Why is everyone going with the performance driver? Does it look big in red and at 460? The tour looks great!
[/quote]

Performance line is glued in the fairways and hybrids to hit a certain price point.

Performance driver looks good in the red and the ball just feels hot coming off the face according to the people I've talked to.

[Yepyukon]

[quote name='MNNikeGuy' timestamp='1355768875' post='6081357']
Thanks for all the info!

In the fairways and hybrids are the glued ones performance or tour? What's the size difference ?

Why is everyone going with the performance driver? Does it look big in red and at 460? The tour looks great!
[/quote]

I would guess PGA pros choosing the Performance over the Tour would be the same reason that you see more tour players in the "G" series head over the "I".

[w8liftr]

Definitely on the "list" for 2013. Is it February yet?

[shakey]

My rep is coming to my store on Thurs with the new stuff. Should get to hit it all. If so, I'll report back.

[TheDarkOne]

The Nike rep locally is supposed to eb around tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to hearing about this driver also. if it preforms and preforms well, Nike could conquer the driver market. Locally, this driver is all anyone is talking about.

[amir169]

It's really good, trust me. Tried out both, and like I've mentioned in the" 2013 Nike" thread, The Kuro Kage is really good. Quite stout, but certainly launches rockets, and really flat ones that seems to go forever. If you're a low ball hitter, the Bassara is a good one too, it's a soft shaft, but nothing like the made for Fubuki K in the VR_S. The swoosh is nothing to be afraid of, you won't notice it at address , and actually I think it's a good marketing scheme since cameras from DTL in PGa tour coverage will certainly show the swoosh.

Edit: Speaking of the Performance vs Tour, the performance is the easier(real easy) between those two. The Tour needs a little bit more heave to it , since it's a smaller head. Impact feels solid, but some have said that it feels weird, mainly due to the cavity. The cavity is the real deal.

The 3 wood is nothing else but a point and shoot club. It's easy. I tried out the softer japan spec Covert Performance, it's easy to hit. The red isn't a bright red, somewhat maroon ish. A little bit darker on the Tour driver, brighter on the Performance.

I have no idea how did they do the loft settings, but it really is independent of face angle. Hit it too low? crank the loft up. Too high? Play it at 8.5. A great club certainly, though the headcover doesn't really do it justice. Would really like a headcover that's similar to the 913 / Razr Fit.

[TheMoneyShot]

I have been slacking but I have finally Pre-ordered my Covert Tour. I cannot wait for the 2013 driver wars to begin...

[Super Tuna]

[quote name='amir169' timestamp='1355842050' post='6085377']
It's really good, trust me. Tried out both, and like I've mentioned in the" 2013 Nike" thread, The Kuro Kage is really good. Quite stout, but certainly launches rockets, and really flat ones that seems to go forever. If you're a low ball hitter, the Bassara is a good one too, it's a soft shaft, but nothing like the made for Fubuki K in the VR_S. The swoosh is nothing to be afraid of, you won't notice it at address , and actually I think it's a good marketing scheme since cameras from DTL in PGa tour coverage will certainly show the swoosh.

Edit: Speaking of the Performance vs Tour, the performance is the easier(real easy) between those two. The Tour needs a little bit more heave to it , since it's a smaller head. Impact feels solid, but some have said that it feels weird, mainly due to the cavity. The cavity is the real deal.

The 3 wood is nothing else but a point and shoot club. It's easy. I tried out the softer japan spec Covert Performance, it's easy to hit. The red isn't a bright red, somewhat maroon ish. A little bit darker on the Tour driver, brighter on the Performance.

I have no idea how did they do the loft settings, but it really is independent of face angle. Hit it too low? crank the loft up. Too high? Play it at 8.5. A great club certainly, though the headcover doesn't really do it justice. Would really like a headcover that's similar to the 913 / Razr Fit.
[/quote]

Sounds promising.

Though on the head cover front, Nike hasn't made a good one yet so that's not hugely suprising.

[EmptyWallet]

[quote]Unlike other drivers, the centre of gravity in the Nike’s Covert driver simply cannot be placed low and back, because there is no low and back on this club. This more forward placed CG will mean the Covert flies on a lower, more penetrating trajectory favoured by pros and better players.[/quote]

Read this just a bit ago.

Thoughts? Will this driver always produce a lower ball flight?

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='NGstaff' timestamp='1355950320' post='6092327']
[attachment=1459143:vrs staff bag.JPG]
[/quote]

Very stealthy!

[NGstaff]

The pattern in it is made of a reflective material.

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='NGstaff' timestamp='1355950674' post='6092361']
The pattern in it is made of a reflective material.
[/quote]

It looks black and gray from the pic.

[TheMoneyShot]

Pic already removed, WTF???

[csiachos]

I personally like the silver bag better, but could change in person

[wldchld22]

The heads really do launch low. I was hitting some of my best drives @12.5 open!

[Honman]

Just got my tour driver and fairway to try. Has anyone hit this compared to the 913 d3? I got fit into a 7.5 in that head, I'm hoping this is lower spin so I can use it at 8.5 or even 9.5.

Driver looks awesome. Very sweet shape. You do notice the swoosh but it looks good. This from someone who tends to like the most classic of classic looking drivers- my crews in the bag at the moment is the closest thing to 460cc 975d that's ever been made.

Three wood looks ok. The hosel does look chunky. Not as bad as the old dymos drivers but bigger than you'll choose, it blends in much neater onn the driver.

The next step is working out how to pull the tips without ruining them.
Will give some feedback after I try them on the course on Saturday.