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Need advice Nike 97

• slillico 393 Posts

  Thu, Jan 16 2014 12:54 PM

  So my credits are enough to re-buy the r11's, do I?

  I realize that not everyone's experience is the same.

  I'm getting the hang of these these Nike 97's, they do make some really great shots and they make some really bad shots. The meter speed is perfect.

  I have managed to squeak out some decent scores finally, but it comes at a cost of really hard thinking, with either little to no spin used, faster meter with different balls, or never ding, but at the same time do not miss ding by to much. Depending on the day, the course or type of game. Always takes first couple of holes to determine whats working with these things today.

  They do play MPC really well though and the experience with them is pleasurable in that format.

  Ready Go's can be a nightmare and quickly have you wondering what you have learned for the last 5 years and wonder what the purpose of all the charting of distance was for....

  Maybe just play them both? Seems to make sense to re-buy them.

  Out loud thinking done. Thank you.

• skccvb 799 Posts

  Thu, Jan 16 2014 1:40 PM

  It's your money mate- I still cannot fathom why you are having an alternate experience to mine- but clearly you are. I use full backspin at will- mind you (but always miss into the wind if its blowing). Just managed a nice 56 St. Andy's CC tourney- with plenty of wind...and left two birdies  and an eagle on the lip. So- they can work beautifully.

  But- they do suck if u miss by much. Having said that - it is pretty easy to hit em as you want- unlike the R11's which are prone to speeding up thru the hitting area- which makes you either late- or early cause u don't want to hit late...lol

• Chinajohn 1,190 Posts

  Thu, Jan 16 2014 5:19 PM

  I've used them (L97s) for a decent while now and I look at it this way. When they are good they are VERY good, but when they are bad they are ridiculous with shots coming up a good 20yds short of my mapped distance one shot and then bang on the next.

  For me overall they are better than my previous R11s, on average, I'm closer to the pin with them, (by a surprising margin too) the R11s on a good shot I would be 3-5yds from the pin, with these on a good shot I'm within 2yds. Of course this may be my game improving too, and my experience is more difficult to define reasons for any improvement as at the exact same time I purchased the R1 and L96 Odyssey Versa putter so almost an entirely new bag.

  With the R11s I'd have a none self-induced bad shot (deviation, VEM, whatever you want to call it) perhaps once a (9 hole) round, with the Nikes that's perhaps twice, but, for me, the extra accuracy just about carries it. (That and I'm as obstinate as a one-legged mule especially when it comes to my cash).

  Edit: An important aspect are those bad shots, there are two types of bad shots, self-induced (much the more common for me) and non self-induced. For this thread I'll look only at those non self-induced ones as they are more relevant to this thread. With the R11s those bad shots happened perhaps once a round and they would be 5 - 8 yds awry. With the Nikes, they seem to happen perhaps twice a round and are anything from 8 - 20yds awry, (although funnily enough I rarely miss the green, (coincidence?)).

• Jimbog1964 8,378 Posts

  Thu, Jan 16 2014 6:03 PM

  Only contributing in case this is a programming issue causing some kind of intermittent fault??

  These things do now go straight when hit correctly.  Huge step forward.

  The R11 irons seemed better capable of exploiting the L81 ball.  FBS on these or any other halfway spin reliant shot, and these are inconsistent distance wise.  

  I have not given up yet, but if some one said to me you have two months to get your dist to pin down to 10 feet playing only tourneys, must be all the courses and of which say 20% must be RGs (never some BF9 Vfast green low wind CC stuff), and equipment choice must be now, then it would be R11 irons teamed with L81 ball without hesitation.

  Like I say not given up yet, but frustrated a flag ship set of Nike irons don't seem able to exploit a flag ship Nike ball, like the R11s could.

• 9,041 Posts

  Thu, Jan 16 2014 6:10 PM

  I'll hit L97 in 2 weeks but with all these conflicting reports I won't be buying NIKES till after the next free rental weekend.....1st time ever will have something to test !!

  Not the $$ ( paid 40 for 1/2 a dot on putter )..but seems to me on reading many posts, that the extra precision & spin, and what a ding miss does with those attributes, outweighs the meter speed benefit.. ( I dinger, irons and putter )

  We'll see......maybe they should have just put 1/2 a dot on forgiveness and spin ?

  And Sli, I wouldn't be chopping and changing iron sets, decide which you are most comfortable with and stick ?

  Andy

  PS: wouldn't have sold R11's in 1st place :-))

• mkg335 5,491 Posts

  Thu, Jan 16 2014 7:10 PM

  fwiw...a quick check of the current month's money leaders reveals 5 of the top 6 are using the Nike irons.  Of course one should go with what's in one's comfort zone, just thought it was interesting to note.

• slillico 393 Posts

  Thu, Jan 16 2014 7:27 PM

  alcaucin:

  And Sli, I wouldn't be chopping and changing iron sets, decide which you are most comfortable with and stick ?

  I'm just so torn, the meter across the whole set of clubs has not been enjoyed since maybe the pings. The Nike 97 do produce far more awesome shots then the odd rare 1 with the r11 and China is bang on with his analysis.

  The r11's miss were still make able putt wise, but I'm no great putter either, the nike 97 miss can easily hit 60 or 70 feet of putt, but the 4 and 5 ft tap ins are more often as well.

  Thankfully they have settled down a bit and the Nikes are not nearly as wild as they were just a couple days ago and beyond for me. But like i said, you cannot input your calcs, see 204 and slam down the spin on the 4 iron and let it fly like the r11's. That shot could easily go 220 or 186 or end up lipping the edge of the hole. The wild shots seem to happen mostly with fbs, but they do happen across all the spin settings ding or no ding.

  I'm no elite player, not a good putter, but I think I have good mapping and can hit the ding or not when needed much of the time..

  You are right Andy though, I was thinking set for RG's (r11's) and set for MPC (Nike 97) but I can see nothing but trouble there.

  They are a perfect set of sticks for MPC, even the r11's would leave some longer putts that I would often miss, but what's the difference between 15 ft and 60 feet, but the nikes will produce more tap ins for sure.

  It's still a wrestle though for my play. Mainly RG and MPC. The Nike wins MPC hands down. CC and Fun play the Nikes stay mostly fairly consistent across all spins , so they win there. The RG's has produced no clear winner or loser. 2 days or so ago the Nike was the clear loser, but they have settled in a bit, I do not see a perfect possible, but neither did the r11's for me. I think there may be a tie here, but the nikes have the more potential to improve.

  So as long as they don't get silly again, the Nikes win for now and will stay in the bag, but their on probation. LOL.

  MKG: Yes I noticed that as well, but those guys would be there with g20's as well, I'm sure.

   

• Jimbog1964 8,378 Posts

  Thu, Jan 16 2014 7:35 PM

  mkg335:

  fwiw...a quick check of the current month's money leaders reveals 5 of the top 6 are using the Nike irons.  Of course one should go with what's in one's comfort zone, just thought it was interesting to note.

  Yes it is, and a valid one IMO.  

  Away from putting being tops with those guys I doubt they are using them if it is putting pressure on putting too much - why make it harder. Obvious?

  Fanciful as it sounds those that had the issue of these things flying off line were not few, and not daft nuts. That issue is now in the past, no doubt about that.  

  Some of my confusion seems to have been caused by early doors mapping.  I am starting (glass half full) to see more more consistency now.  

  I hope that continues, and in a week or so can turn round and say all mapped and performing as well as the R11s distance wise on good dings (also other good shots without opening up 15 pages on when to ding and when to dong etc). 

• 9,041 Posts

  Thu, Jan 16 2014 7:40 PM

  mkg335:

  fwiw...a quick check of the current month's money leaders reveals 5 of the top 6 are using the Nike irons. 

  Hear ya Mark but I reckon there'd be not much change if they were using Bladz ?

  Andy

  Edit: see Sli already made the point :-)

• Chinajohn 1,190 Posts

  Thu, Jan 16 2014 7:44 PM

  Jimbog1964:

  ...

  Some of my confusion seems to have been caused by early doors mapping.  I am starting (glass half full) to see more more consistency now.  

  I hope that continues, and in a week or so can turn round and say all mapped and performing as well as the R11s distance wise on good dings (also other good shots without opening up 15 pages on when to ding and when to dong etc). 

  Jim, I'd be interested to hear how you go about amending your mapping. When I first get a new club (or in this case a new set) I go to Bethpage Back 9 and bang them up and down to map them. However you infer your mapping continues after that. How do you do it? How do you allow for all the different courses, elevation changes, lies and just plain deviation?

  This is a bit off-topic so perhaps another thread or PM?