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

[shakey]

Played 9 today with the Covert Tour with KK Silv 60 Stiff. Set at 10.5 N. When I caught it flush, man was the thing long. I did heel a couple. Those spun off the planet. Hard to tell with cold conditions and wet turf, but I think center hits were longer than my VR Tour. Off-center hits didn't seem to be as forgiving.

[ksavy17]

is it just me or did nike pull of the how a driver is suppose to look(shape-wise) so well and then completely forgot how a fairway wood should look like. Man was the performance and tour 3 woods ugly

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='ksavy17' timestamp='1361150549' post='6448335']
is it just me or did nike pull of the how a driver is suppose to look(shape-wise) so well and then completely forgot how a fairway wood should look like. Man was the performance and tour 3 woods ugly
[/quote]

It's not just you. I really do not like the looks or feel of the Covert Tour fwys/hybrids. They are nothing special like the driver is IMO.

[TheMerryTex]

I'm sticking to my VR_S fwy woods because I just threw some nice shafts in there. I won't say the Covert Tour fwy woods are bad looking shape wise nor feel bad, I think they are nice but I don't think I'd upgrade any time soon!

[rva]

Lucky to have picked up my Covert at a product launch wherein they had a launch monitor to help pick out the right model and the right settings for me. I was originally keen on getting the tour model -thinking that the lower spinning head would benefit me, the 60 gram shaft felt good, and plus I really preferred the look of the black face. But alas (or yeah! since it was cheaper) the performance head gave me the better numbers.

My swing speed ranged between 104-109. On the good hits, I got about 242-255 yd carry, and total distance ranged between 265- all the way to 290.

On average, I was getting between 2500-2900rpm on the tour head, and between 2600-3000 on the performance. But I was getting much better smash factors with the performance -between 1.46-1.49.

I generally could hit the performance better and more consistently. It was easy to just swing it and watch the ball go. Whereas the tour head seemed to require more umph and concentration to get it right. So definitely the performance head got my vote.

I compared them vis-a-vis my current driver, a TM super fast, and I was easily outdriving it. It was mainly because the trajectory was far more penetrating. True enough, I saw that the spin rates I was getting of the TM was in the range of 3300-3900rpm.

Took it the course the next day, and true enough the results were confirmed when my ball were in further down spots on the fairway :-)

BTW, my TM Superfast has a 9.5 head which I feel hit pretty well, but based on the trackman, 11.5 was the optimal setting for me on the Covert -the 9.5 didnt get me enough carry.

Really stoked on this purchase.

[todd.ashford]

@rva, what shaft did you end up sticking with in the performance head? The 60G tour shaft is money when paired with the performance head. IMO.

[blblco02]

My covert tour arrives today, will be testing it against the R1 tp this week. Will report back.

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='blblco02' timestamp='1361218584' post='6452971']
My covert tour arrives today, will be testing it against the R1 tp this week. Will report back.
[/quote]

Lolling forward to see what your results rendered.

[rva]

[quote name='todd.ashford' timestamp='1361209127' post='6452085']
@rva, what shaft did you end up sticking with in the performance head? The 60G tour shaft is money when paired with the performance head. IMO.
[/quote]

I ended up with the stock 50G Kuro Kage Stiff. Though I did want to try exactly that combo you mentioned (60G with Performance Head), unfortunately the NIke Distributor here doesnt allow that customization. He explained that it was due to inventory management i.e. they only ordered complete clubs, without additional shafts, which made sense to me. But now having tried both, I do want to see if I can borrow someones 60g Tour shaft and hook it up to mine.

As to the flex though, I observed that the regular 60G Kuro Kage was plenty stiff for me. And the stiff 60G Kuro Kage felt like an X-Flex.

What flex did you end up liking Todd?

[rva]

BTW, We also have the JDM NIke Covert available here. It comes with a Bassara Shaft -which I find way too flexy (even the stiff one).

[todd.ashford]

[quote name='rva' timestamp='1361247643' post='6456097']
[quote name='todd.ashford' timestamp='1361209127' post='6452085']
@rva, what shaft did you end up sticking with in the performance head? The 60G tour shaft is money when paired with the performance head. IMO.
[/quote]

I ended up with the stock 50G Kuro Kage Stiff. Though I did want to try exactly that combo you mentioned (60G with Performance Head), unfortunately the NIke Distributor here doesnt allow that customization. He explained that it was due to inventory management i.e. they only ordered complete clubs, without additional shafts, which made sense to me. But now having tried both, I do want to see if I can borrow someones 60g Tour shaft and hook it up to mine.

As to the flex though, I observed that the regular 60G Kuro Kage was plenty stiff for me. And the stiff 60G Kuro Kage felt like an X-Flex.

What flex did you end up liking Todd?
[/quote]

Ok so my experience went like this. Nike rep originally set me up with KK 50G stiff. Too High of spin numbers and launch angle was high too. Ended going to the KK 60G in Regular. Much better numbers and this is what we decided on. Then I got doing some research on Kuro Kage shafts and found that their fitting chart suggests swing swing speeds in my range to go with the Stiff. I talked with the fitter at my shop and he suggested the same thing. Even though the launch monitor suggested I should stick with the KK Silver 60 in R I went with the Stiff. He said it was worth sacrificing distance (R shaft) for control (S shaft). I also got the same exact shaft in the 3 Wood. I was currently using the Aldila NV 65 Stiff with SS of 96. SS using the KK was 92. I'm sure I'll be back at 96 once I get back into swinging a club once the weather here breaks.

I'm very surprised your shop would not just swap out the 50G Black for the 60G Silver. That's exactly what my place did for the driver and the 3 wood I got is the Tour so it came with it. No upcharge to use the Tour shaft either.

[url="http://www.mitsubishirayongolf.com/product.php?cmd=kurokage_silver_w&lang=en"]http://www.mitsubishirayongolf.com/product.php?cmd=kurokage_silver_w&lang=en[/url]

[CDU]

Demo'd the Covert P with a KK black stiff. Launch and spin rates were high (14.5 & 3100). I was averaging 260Y with a slight fade in the 9.5N position Overall 7/10 as the shaft felt long and soft.

Then compared it to an 8.5 Tour VR 6.5PX which was at least 15 yards further with heaps less dispersion. The launch and spin rates were better also (11 & 2900).

I am still waiting on delivery on the Tour Driver and 3W. Hopefully the shafts in these will be better performers.

The G25 stiff TFC was also demo'd and felt great . Not better than my current G20 Tour Issue gamer, but better feeling than the Covert Performance. Both on centre and off-centre hits

[JC671]

Anyone try hitting the Covert (driver) off the deck yet?

[OPIE98LMB]

Ordered mine from Discount Dans on the 8th and it is being delivered tomorrow!! Got the performance head with the tour shaft (60S). Can't wait to hit it on the course. If you are debating on ordering anything custom, make sure you order from Discount Dans! Great people and awesome pricing, this was my first order from them and won't be my last.

[rva]

[quote name='todd.ashford' timestamp='1361295572' post='6458777']
Ok so my experience went like this. Nike rep originally set me up with KK 50G stiff. Too High of spin numbers and launch angle was high too. Ended going to the KK 60G in Regular. Much better numbers and this is what we decided on. Then I got doing some research on Kuro Kage shafts and found that their fitting chart suggests swing swing speeds in my range to go with the Stiff. I talked with the fitter at my shop and he suggested the same thing. Even though the launch monitor suggested I should stick with the KK Silver 60 in R I went with the Stiff. He said it was worth sacrificing distance (R shaft) for control (S shaft). I also got the same exact shaft in the 3 Wood. I was currently using the Aldila NV 65 Stiff with SS of 96. SS using the KK was 92. I'm sure I'll be back at 96 once I get back into swinging a club once the weather here breaks.
I'm very surprised your shop would not just swap out the 50G Black for the 60G Silver. That's exactly what my place did for the driver and the 3 wood I got is the Tour so it came with it. No upcharge to use the Tour shaft either.

[url="http://www.mitsubishirayongolf.com/product.php?cmd=kurokage_silver_w&lang=en"]http://www.mitsubish...ilver_w&lang=en[/url]
[/quote]

Thanks for the tip Todd. Just played 9 holes this morning. I brought both my old (TM) driver and the Covert. Hit 2 shots on every tee (there was no one on the course). My God, I love the Covert! Consistently straighter and further than the TM. I was easily hitting it about at least 10 yards further. And I was actually feeling good about the way I was hitting both drivers! The added distance is definitely due to the trajectory and spin, which was very evident in the way the ball flew.

I think the 50G for me is right on... so I may not need to look at switching it out anyway. Ill give it a month or so of playing and see if the honeymoon phase with this Covert ends. If it doesnt, then no need for me to look any further, AS they say, if it aint broke...

But I will still definitely try out the 60G if I get the chance, as my golfing buddy will get the tour version. That's the beauty of these adjustable drivers -interchangeable shafts.

I do understand my Nike distributor's position though. If they gave me the 60g shaft, then they would have a tour head matched up with a 50G shaft, which they may not likely be able to sell.

Cheers!

[Muttleydog]

Nike VR Pro Limited Edition VS Nike Covert Tour video. Enjoy http://youtu.be/j66zy4VB4so

[todd.ashford]

So I was able to hit an XL bucket of balls at the heated range yesterday! I brought my Performance Driver with 60G Silver shaft and the Covert Tour 3 wood with 70G Silver shaft.

Let me tell you this: The sound on the Tour head is amazing. Almost makes me wish I got the tour head in Driver but I'm smart enough to know I'm not good enough to hit it! The Performance driver head is extremely forgiving and I honestly can't believe how straight it is. With my R11 you could see the ball in the air fighting to slice but it would hang on and be playable. With the Covert the ball is dead straight the whole time. It was going exactly where I aimed. Now I will say this, yes the Covert Performance is forgiving and will still go straight on mishits off the heel or toe, however, the sweetspot in the middle of the face is very small in my opinion. You will still get a decent result off the mishit, but you will certainly feel it in your hands as opposed to the nice pure/clean feel when you catch it in the middle of the face. It also has a very loud "crack" and sounds even louder when you miss it. My settings on the Covert Perf are 12.5 loft on the "closed" setting. UNREAL how high the ball goes. It's like hitting a 9 iron 300 yards. I normally do everything I can to get the ball on a line drive with lots of roll, because my swing is not very good and the longer the ball is in the air, the worse off it ends up. But this thing is so straight you could watch it fly forever! I'm going to love hitting the long and high ball in the wet Northeast for the next few months.

My Covert Tour 3 wood is set at 17 degrees and Neutral face. It is such a nice feeling to hit this club and the muted sound is great. I absolutely love the shape of the head and I don't think I will have any problem getting the ball high in the air off the fairway. It is much longer than my R11 3 wood, but I chalk that up to the same reason as the performance driver, it sends the ball so much higher and straighter that it has no choice but to be longer than the R11.

With the Driver set at 12.5 and the 3 wood at 17 I will definately be kicking my 19 degree hybrid out of the bag in favor of the 2 and 3 iron. Nike's setup gives you a ton of flexibility to cover all your gaps between clubs.

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='Muttleydog' timestamp='1361667620' post='6488943']
Nike VR Pro Limited Edition VS Nike Covert Tour video. Enjoy http://youtu.be/j66zy4VB4so
[/quote]

I'd like to see Mark do a review on the covert fwys/hybrids.

[ksavy17]

[quote name='todd.ashford' timestamp='1361889728' post='6505547']
So I was able to hit an XL bucket of balls at the heated range yesterday! I brought my Performance Driver with 60G Silver shaft and the Covert Tour 3 wood with 70G Silver shaft.

Let me tell you this: The sound on the Tour head is amazing. Almost makes me wish I got the tour head in Driver but I'm smart enough to know I'm not good enough to hit it! The Performance driver head is extremely forgiving and I honestly can't believe how straight it is. With my R11 you could see the ball in the air fighting to slice but it would hang on and be playable. With the Covert the ball is dead straight the whole time. It was going exactly where I aimed. Now I will say this, yes the Covert Performance is forgiving and will still go straight on mishits off the heel or toe, however, the sweetspot in the middle of the face is very small in my opinion. You will still get a decent result off the mishit, but you will certainly feel it in your hands as opposed to the nice pure/clean feel when you catch it in the middle of the face. It also has a very loud "crack" and sounds even louder when you miss it. My settings on the Covert Perf are 12.5 loft on the "closed" setting. UNREAL how high the ball goes. It's like hitting a 9 iron 300 yards. I normally do everything I can to get the ball on a line drive with lots of roll, because my swing is not very good and the longer the ball is in the air, the worse off it ends up. But this thing is so straight you could watch it fly forever! I'm going to love hitting the long and high ball in the wet Northeast for the next few months.

My Covert Tour 3 wood is set at 17 degrees and Neutral face. It is such a nice feeling to hit this club and the muted sound is great. I absolutely love the shape of the head and I don't think I will have any problem getting the ball high in the air off the fairway. It is much longer than my R11 3 wood, but I chalk that up to the same reason as the performance driver, it sends the ball so much higher and straighter that it has no choice but to be longer than the R11.

With the Driver set at 12.5 and the 3 wood at 17 I will definately be kicking my 19 degree hybrid out of the bag in favor of the 2 and 3 iron. Nike's setup gives you a ton of flexibility to cover all your gaps between clubs.
[/quote]

thats awesome to hear. This exactly what is so exciting about the flexloft technology

[Super Tuna]

So the driver has been getting most of the attention and really I don't blame people. I'm still trying to dial things in to pull out the distance I expect but no matter what I've done with it, the accuracy is off the charts. I was mucking about with it and the Kiyoshi White the other day and had a SIX yard left to right variance at the end of the carry.

There's also been some fairly nice comments about the fairways, but much like the Xhot line, I think the hybrids are being lost in the shuffle. Both the Performance and the Pro model have been rock stars so far in my testing. Both of them showing impressive accuracy along with the distance I would expect given the lofts. They aren't out of this world long, but they're still plenty long. More importantly, they make going for greens and actually stopping the ball at impact dead easy.

I really think the hybrids should be getting more attention then they are.

[xerpro]

Honest question. Has anyone heard of any qc issues with defective faces on the covert?

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='xerpro' timestamp='1361906034' post='6507421']
Honest question. Has anyone heard of any qc issues with defective faces on the covert?
[/quote]

I have not seen or heard anything regarding defective faces on the covert as of yet.

[todd.ashford]

[quote name='xerpro' timestamp='1361906034' post='6507421']
Honest question. Has anyone heard of any qc issues with defective faces on the covert?
[/quote]

I haven't either but you now have me curious, what made you ask? Did you hear something?

[TheU]

[quote name='todd.ashford' timestamp='1361910414' post='6507961']
[quote name='xerpro' timestamp='1361906034' post='6507421']
Honest question. Has anyone heard of any qc issues with defective faces on the covert?
[/quote]

I haven't either but you now have me curious, what made you ask? Did you hear something?
[/quote]

Would assume he's asking b/c of the cavity. I have not heard of anything, personally.

[warfelg]

Just got my Covert Driver and 3wd the other day. Hit both the Performance and Tour drivers forever in the fitting bay and found no concernable difference except a drop in spin by 250 rpm with performance. Since I was getting a little more cut from the Tour than I liked I opted for the Performance. Then after bombing drives I hit the 3 wood once, with huge gains over my 3 from last year.

Problem is with these and what I have already ordered I feel like I'm splitting hairs between the two.

[xerpro]

[quote name='todd.ashford' timestamp='1361910414' post='6507961']
[quote name='xerpro' timestamp='1361906034' post='6507421']
Honest question. Has anyone heard of any qc issues with defective faces on the covert?
[/quote]

I haven't either but you now have me curious, what made you ask? Did you hear something?
[/quote]

I did hear about some issues from a good source who asked me if I had heard anything personally. Which I havent, but thought I would ask the masses.

[Eddie]

New shaft alert :)

 

Going to play this Thursday, will report back. I had the 6.2 previously in a 913 setup and liked it, but felt like I had to swing real hard everytime to get it perform. Hopefully this 6.3 will be the happy medium between the 6.2 and Di-6.

 

 

Still have this shaft and like it, but variety is the spice of life. The accra was my lightweight, slightly longer shaft experiment, and frankly I hit it great. We'll see what the Tour spec speeder does.

 

It's hard to capture in pictures, but I like the "white" on the speeder better. Outside, it is more of a very light silver while the accra white is pure white.

 

[todd.ashford]

[quote name='xerpro' timestamp='1361923345' post='6509443']
[quote name='todd.ashford' timestamp='1361910414' post='6507961']
[quote name='xerpro' timestamp='1361906034' post='6507421']
Honest question. Has anyone heard of any qc issues with defective faces on the covert?
[/quote]

I haven't either but you now have me curious, what made you ask? Did you hear something?
[/quote]

I did hear about some issues from a good source who asked me if I had heard anything personally. Which I havent, but thought I would ask the masses.
[/quote]

There is a thread in the equipment forum about the cavity cracking on the tour head.
I hit 75 frozen balls at my range with my tour 3 wood and I have no issues.
http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/791053-nike-covert-users/
http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/798001-nike-covert-problems/

[ksavy17]

New shaft alert :)

 

Going to play this Thursday, will report back. I had the 6.2 previously in a 913 setup and liked it, but felt like I had to swing real hard everytime to get it perform. Hopefully this 6.3 will be the happy medium between the 6.2 and Di-6.

 

 

Still have this shaft and like it, but variety is the spice of life. The accra was my lightweight, slightly longer shaft experiment, and frankly I hit it great. We'll see what the Tour spec speeder does.

 

It's hard to capture in pictures, but I like the "white" on the speeder better. Outside, it is more of a very light silver while the accra white is pure white.

 

 

really interested in how the 6.3 does. Ive got a 6.2 in my tour covert

[swanry30]

those are some awesome looking setups! the accra and .3ts look great in the head...

had a chance to hit the tour and performance head on trackman with about every shaft NIKE is offering that would fit me. incredible. love the shape, the feel, the feedback of the tour head. the performance head was a little more forgiving but did not flight the ball nearly as well as the tour. my favorite combination was the kiyoshi white RIGHT 8.5 in the tour head. BOMBS... this was a driver i could just turn through - the the ball wasn't even there... this is going up into the final testing pool for 2013 drivers. very very impressed!

one final note. i wasn't experiencing huge gains - it was above average and flighted the ball perfectly. i would put money that eventually this could be in the category of the ft tour for me (GOAT).