Nike Dymo - first impressions

[JArmour]

What shafts for the R9?

[warbirdlover]

Update that sig Lyle!!

[Ty Webb]

Hey guys, I was just reading this discussion the other day while waiting for my Dymo2 to arrive. Unfortunately, I've had a pretty bad experience with the thing and was hoping someone might be able to chime in with some ideas or opinions.

A quick history here:

My previous 2 drivers have been a Callaway X-460 Tour (9.5, Fujikura Tour Platform X-Flex) and a Ping G2 (8.5, Aldila NV 85-gram X-Flex). I hit both very well, although the Ping has a higher ball flight and less of a tendency to draw by default. I am a scratch handicap, and my driver carry distance is varies from about 285-300 yards, depending on whether the ball is flighted with a draw or a fade (the fade obviously carrying a little bit further).

Knowing this, and reading about how long and straight the Dymo drivers are, I decided to purchase a 9.5 degree Dymo2 ST8-Fit model with the 79 gram UST shaft in x-flex. Typically, when I try to go hard at the ball with a driver I can miss to the left because of releasing too aggressively. I was hoping that I could open the face of the Dymo2 and release it hard without fearing losing it to the left. Well, after hitting about 150 balls with the club, I simply could not be more unhappy with a driver.

My first impressions on picking up the club were that it seemed extremely heavy, and that there was little feel for where the clubhead was. It also felt extremely stiff - much stiffer than my NV or the Fujikura. Even though my G2 has a heavier shaft, you can feel very precisely where end of the club is, even when just giving it a waggle. This Nike just feels uniformly heavy. I don't know what the swingweight is, but it feels just awful.

Not deterred by the horrible feel, I went out to the range still expecting the club to deliver a high, low-spinning flight. Well, while the flight is extremely high, the backspin is just ridiculously high. The ball just continues to climb the entire time. With as stiff as the club felt, I was half expecting to hit some low peelers off to the right with most settings. If the face is set fully open the ball will certainly do this, but the amazing thing to me is that the ball has a pretty hard fade in all of the open/neutral settings, with varying degrees of straight/hook when you start moving into the closed face positions. As someone who likes to draw the ball, it was an odd feeling.

Now comes the truly disheartening news for me - this Nike is at least 30 yards shorter than my other 2 drivers. It isn't even close. Walking a local course earlier today, I was actually able to outdrive the Nike using my 16 degree Taylor Made Rescue TP (X100 steel shaft). The ball flight is slighter higher than my Ping, but where my Ping will go high and plane/float, this Nike just climbs and dies. There is just way too much backspin off this club.

My question to you guys is this: do you think that this shaft being too stiff is the issue? In my experience, when the shaft is too stiff the ball flight is low and weak. I can feel the shaft loading, and am not mis-hitting the club as nearly all the ball marks are flush in the top center of the face. It feels like the ball has "pop" but I am firing this thing high into the sky with the backspin of a lob wedge. Ok, perhaps I am exaggerating on that last part but I am really confused by this issue.

Any help or recommendations you guys could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: I edited my signature but it does not appear to be showing up on this post, so I'll paste it here

Ping G2 w/ Aldila NV Green 85-gram x-flex
Taylor Made Rescue TP 16 Degree (X100)
Callaway X-14 Pro Series 2-iron (Rifle Flighted 7.0)
Mizuno MP 60 3-6 (X100)
Mizuno MP 32 7-PW (X100)
Cleveland CG10 54 degree
Cleveland CG12 60 degree
Odyssey 2-Ball SRT 35"

[sidewinder]

I have a Nike Dymo² Str8-Fit 9.5° with UST AXIV Core (Blue) 69 stiff. I have the shaft in the factory standard location. This is the longest driver I have ever hit. It is a high launch and low spin bomber. The balls carries forever and then lands and rolls out even farther.

The driver does feel too heavy in the head. Maybe the stock shaft is too heavy, too stiff, or does not suit your swing. All I can tell you is that the head is hot and long!

I would say that you are much better off hitting the center of this club face. High on the face hits do not carry as far.

I LOVE this driver!!

S-

[Ty Webb]

I have a Nike Dymo² Str8-Fit 9.5° with UST AXIV Core (Blue) 69 stiff. I have the shaft in the factory standard location. This is the longest driver I have ever hit. It is a high launch and low spin bomber. The balls carries forever and then lands and rolls out even farther.

The driver does feel too heavy in the head. Maybe the stock shaft is too heavy, too stiff, or does not suit your swing. All I can tell you is that the head is hot and long!

I would say that you are much better off hitting the center of this club face. High on the face hits do not carry as far.

I LOVE this driver!!

S-

It's reviews like this that really have me scratching my head. Is it possible I got a "dud"? I've never heard of that before, but this thing is so short that there has to be something wrong here. The ST8 Fit system seems to be solid and it is torqued properly.

I'm tempted to try to switch the shaft for the 69 gram s-flex like you have in yours. That just scares me though as my clubhead speed is about 120 mph and this x-flex is spinning like mad.

I played a par 5 today that I typically hit 3-iron into and I was forced to lay up because I was simply too far back - probably 50 yards behind where I usually find myself on that hole. It was depressing playing with this thing.

[VtDivot]

I found this driver really hot as well, but I hit it SUPER high. I needed an 8.5 with PL Red to keep it down.

If you want square try the FT-i LCG model. Get one in fade bias, sounds like the perfect alternative for you

[Ty Webb]

It's really an unfortunate situation, because it is INCREDIBLY difficult to test drivers in x-flex shafts. All of the local courses and stores only have regular and stiff flexes available. I can understand why they aren't available just because I am sure they are a very low volume seller, but it leaves high swing speed players in the dark a little when trying to chose a club.

With that said, I went to a local course today that fits Nike clubs, and where I know the pros that work there. While they had no x-flex shafts available for fitting, they both agreed that the stock x-flex shaft felt extremely heavy. Just for fun, I took a stiff flex shaft (still the stock Nike) out to the range and gave it a try.

It was a bit easier to hit, and the lighter weight (69 grams vs. 79) made the club head feel a bit less nebulous. The ball still had far too much spin, although I was able to consistently hit the ball straight with the 1 degree open, 1 degree flat setting. I took both the Nike and my G2 out to a par 4 and hit both off the tee. The Ping outdrove the Nike by 35 yards.

After talking with the pros and a friend who is also a PGA professional, we have pretty much all come to the conclusion that the club's kick point is simply wrong for my swing. My clubhead speed is around 118-122 mph, which is a bit out of the range for even the x-flex in the AXIVcore blue shafts. I thought I read somewhere that the stock Nike shafts are of the blue variety. It seems that the red or black tour versions would be better suited to my game.

I really do love the Aldila NV shaft in my Ping, as it is a low launch shaft rather than the high launch which is found in the Nike. Right now I am just trying to decide whether I should return the Nike, or rather to instead order a 65 or 75 gram Aldila NV Green shaft for it. If only there was a way to test this before actually spending the money on it.

[sssmokin]

I got mine from TGW for $170. I hit it long and straight (for me)...........ask WIgolfer...............and it's the same loft as my other drivers, 10 1/2º. I don't hit it higher as many in here have said. I love it.

[SilverUberXeno]

Diamana Whiteboard.

OR:

Get a shaft you already have, and love, to try in the new head.

[runninlope]

Nike drivers=CRAP

[sssmokin]

Titleist drivers=CRAP

[ManchesterGolfer]

Titleist drivers=CRAP

Titleist 905T = Worse driver I've ever had the mis-pleasure of owning!

[buykrux]

i thought the dymo was a hot feeling face
with the proper shaft i think i would game it
as for the titleist crap drivers, id have to agree
the best driver they ever made was the 975j and downhil from there
they just cant match their cobra counterparts equipment haha