Nike Vapor Fly Fairway Wood Review

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The Nike Vapor Fly fairway wood is an updated and easier to hit version of its predecessor with a bold new look.

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Introduction

Nike Golf joined the “can’t miss them on TV” crowd with the bright blue and yellow Vapor Fly line that was released for the 2016 season.  As bold and possibly polarizing as these colors may be, the fact is that the Vapor Fly line is very strong  The Vapor Fly fairway wood is easy to hit and a true statement out on the course.

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Looks

After last year’s Vapor lineup went with a primarily black finish, I thought Nike was going to stay the course of a more traditional look.  Boy was I was wrong.  The bright blue crown and neon volt yellow are anything but traditional, but in my opinion, it works.  The Vapor Fly fairway wood is full of cool detail and definitely has a presence to it.

As far as shape and size, I would put the Vapor Fly fairway as perfectly acceptable for traditionalists and modern players alike.

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Sound & Feel

The sound of the Nike Vapor Fly fairway wood is very consistent with the recent previous generations of Nike fairway woods.  The sweet spot has a medium “ping” to it and gets a little more dull sounding as you get away from the middle.  The biggest difference in the Vapor Fly fairway wood from previous generations is in the feel.  Nike built the Vapor Fly fairway wood with a lighter crown so it has a lower center of gravity that made the club feel extremely balanced, forgiving, and flat-out easy to swing.  I tested the Vapor Fly fairway with the stock Tensei and it felt uh-mazing.

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Performance

Based on my previous experience with Nike fairway woods, the Vapor Fly fairway was unsurprisingly a solid performer.  Frankly, I think the fairway woods have quietly been the gems of the lineups going back to the Covert 2.0.  What you have with with Vapor Fly fairway wood is a finely tuned version of previous generations that has achieved its full potential in performance.  I don’t know if it’s the lighter weight or the FlyBeam structure in the cavity that makes the body more stable, but the Vapor Fly is very easy to hit, and I can’t argue with the data.

I initially tested the 3+ fairway wood which is 12-14º of loft and was hitting the ball about 260 yards with like 225 yards of carry.  This felt like a strange performance for me so I tested the regular 3 wood at 15º of loft, and it was like I unlocked all of the secrets of the club.  It was easy to hit penetrating, drawing shots with a lot of roll and long distance as well as high flying fades that came in a bit softer.  Furthermore, I was seeing some shots that were starting to enter driver level for me between high speeds and distances.

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Conclusion

Look, it’s really simple: the Nike Vapor Fly fairway wood is a legitimately solid fairway wood.  Admittedly, I think Nike has done a tremendous job with their equipment in the “post-Rory signing” years, but I still don’t put myself in the Nike fanboy category.  If I’m telling you that this club is a great club, it really is a great club.  So get over any concerns you may have with the crazy colors and make sure you’re putting the Vapor Fly fairway wood in your next testing lineup when it comes to picking up a new fairway wood.

Bill Bush
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2 Comments

  1. david mc dowell
    July 15, 2016 at 10:34 am  ·  Reply

    hi is the new vapour fairway and drivers fitted with the REAL DEAL tensi shafts ???

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