I have been absent for a while. A couple of people asked me why. The answer is simple. I couldnt think of good content. I can only write about shooting an 85 so many times before it becomes boring. With that being said I needed something exciting to bring me back. The news of Nike golf shutting down is beyond exciting but sad at the same time. This was the spark I needed to get back to this.
Coming down about 4:30 central time, Nike Golf announced they would be shutting down club operations. They will no longer be selling golf clubs,golf balls, and golf bags. I want you to imagine if Nike would go out of business in any other sport. It would be huge. This leaves so many questions to be answered. Depending on what you care about your questions can go either way.
What happens to the guys who are under contract with Nike? Does Rory go back to Titleist? What happens to his contract? That 3 years and 20 million he is owed, does he still stay on to wear Nike gear and play others equipment? Is he free to go? The same questions apply to the entire staff.
As far as the club side goes a few questions come up too. The clubs they released this year were very good. The Flex driver was spectacular. Every single club they released was great. The drivers all the way down to the wedges. I feel bad for the engineers .They were really starting to do good work. They had a few guys from Taylormade who really progressed the Nike line. I really want to know where those guys head so I can track them and see what they release next.
Where did Nike go wrong? I think the first few clubs they released (Slingshot,CPR, Ignite) were duds. That really turned off some people to all Nike clubs. A ton of people wouldnt give anything else they released a chance. Those people were wrong. The VR Pro Ltd driver was one of the best drivers ever created. It was long,it had a great sound, and it felt great. It took an act of God to take it out of Tigers bag. The Covert was a great club. The Vapor was also a great line. Dont even get me started on their irons. The VR Forged irons are some of my favorite irons. Had a great forged feel and sound. They looked great as well. Nice top line and just enough forgiveness. The Vapor line was a great continuation of that line. Hell, I have 2 Nike wedges in my bag and you will have to pry them out of my cold dead hands. The second biggest problem is how the clubs look. I know it sounds dumb but it does play a big role in what people think of a club. If it looks like a clown club people will assume its a clown club. Nike has always been great at marketing.I think this actually cost them in the long run. They made great golf clubs but had to take some huge chances in the looks of the clubs. This made them recognizable on TV but many traditional golfers didnt like the way they looked. The Covert had a giant cavity in it and a red crown. The first vapor had Nike’s Volt coloring all over it . The biggest one of all was the newest Fly line. It was electric blue . I will admit it wasnt pretty. They even put the swoosh on the crown of the driver! People lost their minds over the look of the clubs.
Its a sad day for the golf equipment world. With Nike shutting down and Taylormade being sold off its a wonder where the golf equipment world will go. Less people competing means less motivation to find the newest technology. I will give Nike credit they were willing to push the envelope and in the end it may have been what killed it. RIP Nike Golf youll be missed.
The Quest for Scratch 