someone wants to sell me this driver

[Grungels]

nike ignite 460 8.5 with a blue grafalloy shaft for 155$....you think this is a good deal? its in very good condition

thanks

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

It may possibly be a good deal for someone. Without knowing a little bit about your game it is hard to tell. Two key points you will need to know (at least) before anyone can help you, your swing speed and the flex of the shaft. Although, to be certain need to get fitted.

8.5* is fairly low lofted driver, I personally would go down on a launch monitor or a place where you can demo one. Get your swing speed and hit a club with that loft and shaft.

If you have a swing speed up around or well over 110 MPH it may work well for you, That being the case, then you would need the shaft to be Stiff at minimal, probably closer to X-stiff.

If you have a slower speed or set up with the ball more back in your stance, you are going to be hitting nice little ground balls down the center of the fairway.

I'm just guessing that it may not be the right club for you, simply because if you have a swing that will work with that club, you probably would not be asking. Don't take this as an insult, when I got fitted, they said 8.5* would work for me, but I'm glad I decided on 10* instead. If you don't have a pretty hefty swing, you will be looking to move the club fairly soon in my opinion.

Personally, I don't care for Nike Products, but that is just personal preference.

 

[Grungels]

i had a calloway BB 8.5 and i love it...its the one they told me to buy when they tested my swing out

 

[Rockford35]

Here's my story from my use with the Big Bertha a while back.

I loved that club. I could bomb the hell out of it. But then one day I went and did something stupid. I demo'd a Hawkeye VFT Pro Series.

So stupid.

I ended up buying the VFT, even tho my morals told me never to cave to the pressures of the ever growing driver head craze.

The thing was, the damn thing was just so bloody forgiving. It made my Warbird seem like it was a caveman's tool. The purchase of the VFT led to the purchase of another VFT and subsequently my current Great Big Bertha II with a Grafalloy Blue SST Pured shaft.

The positives to the Nike? Forgiveness. That 460 will help you hit better, more consistent drives over that of the Warbird. The Warbird is a capable driver, but the Iginite would allow you to become lazy and less prone to poorly hit drives that your Warbird would enhance with a bad swing.

As much as I never wanted to admit it, the bigger heads DO make a difference. I still don't own a 460, but that damn Cleveland Launcher calls my name relentlessly.

A word of caution - the Graf Blue is a hit or miss shaft. Some people love it, others hate it. It's not very torque-y, so if you're currently hitting a Callaway OEM shaft, I think it will be a steep learning curve to appreciate the Blue. But, the 460 head should help you recover that when you're hitting bombs down the fairway.

Good price at 155 too, especially with the upgraded shaft.

R35

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

its the one they told me to buy when they tested my swing out

Good to hear. Just wanted to make sure the loft and shaft were appropriate to your swing. Just seen to many people buy top dollar clubs cheap, only to find it does not match their abilities.

I will let people with more familiarity with the Nike Ignite and its price give an opinion on the whether it is a good deal.

Good luck!

 

[VtDivot]

Love the shaft... don't know anything about the head tho. Finding the right combo without the aid of a demo can be difficult. I'm on my 4th driver in 2 years, don't even ask Neal

 

[nsherman2006]

so far i've found dozens of perfect driver combos. However, they only last 2 weeks, so i always have to have another on hand

 

[Grungels]

thanks for all the input

 

[Don]

Grungels: you mentioned that you have been playing golf for 8 months and score around 100-107. That tells me something about you, but what is needed here, is what your swing speed is and what launch angle you are hitting your current driver. The correct launch angle depends on your swing speed/ball speed. The lower your ball speed, the higher your launch angle needs to be. Grafalloy makes two blue shafts, the original Blue, and the ProLaunch Blue. One has a low bend point, the other a mid bend point. The Prolaunch Blue would tend to launch the ball higher than the Blue. If you have the Blue with a 8.5* shaft, my guess is you will be hitting low drives that will not go as far as you might like. I have a 8.5* Cleveland Launcher, with a low bend point shaft, and it's a pretty nice driver for when it's windy. But my 12* driver will allow me to carry the ball a good 30 yards farther. My swing speed tops out at 108, and I still see a big improvement useing the higher lofted driver. I think you need to get tested and see what your swing speed is, the try a 8.5* driver along side a 10.5 and a 12* driver. See what gets you the most carry distance and the most fairways.

 

[Grungels]

its the original blue shaft

 

[VtDivot]

Grungels: you mentioned that you have been playing golf for 8 months and score around 100-107. That tells me something about you, but what is needed here, is what your swing speed is and what launch angle you are hitting your current driver. The correct launch angle depends on your swing speed/ball speed. The lower your ball speed, the higher your launch angle needs to be. Grafalloy makes two blue shafts, the original Blue, and the ProLaunch Blue. One has a low bend point, the other a mid bend point. The Prolaunch Blue would tend to launch the ball higher than the Blue. If you have the Blue with a 8.5* shaft, my guess is you will be hitting low drives that will not go as far as you might like. I have a 8.5* Cleveland Launcher, with a low bend point shaft, and it's a pretty nice driver for when it's windy. But my 12* driver will allow me to carry the ball a good 30 yards farther. My swing speed tops out at 108, and I still see a big improvement useing the higher lofted driver. I think you need to get tested and see what your swing speed is, the try a 8.5* driver along side a 10.5 and a 12* driver. See what gets you the most carry distance and the most fairways.

Wow - I can't believe you have a SS of 108 and hit a 12* driver. If you told me you had a SS of 85-95 this might make more sense to me. Your Launch angle must be over 20* I'm curious, What shaft do you play with the 12*?

 

[Don]

VtDivots: I've got a NV65 R flex shaft in my 12* driver and my launch angle varies some, but usually between 14.5 and 15*'s. That's about right for my ball speed, and as I mentioned before, I gained 30 yards going with this driver over my 10.5* driver. One of my playing partners, a longer hitter than me, tried my driver one time on a 350 yard dogleg left hole, and he almost carried the trees guarding the corner. Hit the trees about 5 feet below the top of the branches. Would have reached the green if not for those trees. More than a few guys have hit my driver, and they all can't believe how far the ball goes with it. For what it's worth, Hank Kuenhe has a swing speed of over 130, and he plays a 10.5* driver, and lead the PGA tour in driving distance a few years ago. Seems to me that if he can play a 10.5* driver with that swing speed, and 12* driver can't be too far off for me. May not be right for every one, but it works fine for me, and every one that has ever hit my club has been impressed. I've managed to sell a few of them after just one swing of mine.

 

[VtDivot]

Wow - at 108 mph you must find the R flex in an already soft shaft (NV) to be tough to control. I know I couldn't manage it. I'm also sure that a 12* driver would launch me over 20*. It just goes to show how useful a launch monitor can be in order to find your optimum set-up.

Out of curiousity, do you have a steep angle of attack?

 

[Don]

Why do you think the NV is an already soft shaft? The NV65 R flex in my driver is stiffer than the two Rifle Graphite 65 S flex shafts in my 3 and 7 woods. The NV measures as a S flex according to the three frequancy meters I've had it tested on, Not that I have any faith in Freq meters any more. From what I've been told, the NV 65 shafts tend to run a little shafter than most. As for the control issue with this shaft, when I had my swing tested 3 times on a ShaftLab, the recommended flex for my driver was at the top of the A flex range, or just into the R flex range, depending on the length of the driver. 44 inch driver calls for an A flex, 45 inch calls for a R flex. So controlling a driver with a R flex shaft isn't a problem for me. Sometimes it helps to be old and have a smooth swing. Two weeks ago I purchased a 10.5* Mizuno MP001 with a NVS R flex shaft. Couldn't pass up the price at $89.99 brand new. After hitting in on a simulator and making more good contact shots than poor ones, it had to come home with me. If I can hit it as well on the range and course as I did on the simulator, I'll be quite happy. The NVS is a softer tip version of the NV, and it worked fine for me as well. Could just be me, but I'm happy with both the NV and the NVS so far.

As for having a steep angle of attack? I don't think so. If you tells you anything, I never take a divot with any of my irons, and I carry the ball 150 yards with a 9 iron. Like most everyone that plays the game, my ball flight varies with the woods, but when the ball goes the highest, it also goes the farthest.

 

[VtDivot]

Don, you are definitely the exception more so than the rule that's for sure. Most guys I know who swing at 108mph and hit a 9 iron 150 yards would not enjoy hitting an R flex... but hell if you have a slow enough tempo, and it works that's all that counts

As far as why I consider the NV to be a little soft, it's mostly because I play the Grafalloy Blue S flex in my driver and the NV in my 3W definitely feels softer. I like it, but I am not sure if I'd like it in R. I have never tried it though, maybe I could squeeze out a few extra yards, but I don't think the control I would sacrifice would be worth it.