Equipment
McIlroy puts Nike Vapor Pro driver in play at the Ryder Cup
GolfWRX readers have been talking about it since photos surfaced here a few weeks ago and now it’s official. World number one Rory McIlroy debuted Nike’s new driver, the Vapor Pro, at the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland. It’s risky to change equipment before a prestigious event, but McIlroy proceeded blast the ball down the middle off the first tee, hitting arguably the best drive of anyone in morning fourball matches.
The driver features a pear-shape, black crown with Nike’s bright “volt” color in the cavity back and Compression Channel. The Vapor Pro is designed to produce a penetrating flight, tour-launch with low spin and added speed across the face.
“The first thing I noticed when I hit this driver was how hot it was,” said McIlroy. “Then, I found that I could really control the flight and work it both ways on the golf course. I saw added ball speed on the monitor and am getting 10-15 yards more distance on the golf course this week.”
The Vapor Pro driver includes three key technologies: Nike’s new FlyBeam reinforced Covert Cavity Back design, a re-engineered Compression Channel and FlexLoft 2. All of these are vital to the golf athlete in achieving the ultimate in hitting their window of distance, speed and launch conditions.
“To elevate performance, we added FlyBeam technology to the Covert Cavity Back to focus energy into the variable-profile Compression Channel and NexCOR face,” said Nate Radcliffe, Director of Engineering. “This is the first time we have created a driver where the face and channel are measurably more flexible than the body.”
The FlyBeam construction stiffens the Covert Cavity in the back of the club, while the Compression Channel, with variable compliance, accentuates the spring-like effect across the face. Cohesively, the two work together to focus, store, and return impact energy to the golf ball for shots struck at all points on the face.
“This is the first time we have measured higher modal frequencies in the rear portion of the club than the front. This means impact energy is concentrated in the channel and face which tunes acoustics and maximizes energy transfer. This effect drives the increases in ball speed we are seeing in athlete and robotic testing,” added Radcliffe.
FlexLoft 2 allows the golf athlete the functionality of five lofts and three face angles within 15 different settings. The new, improved system is five grams (30%) lighter without compromising function. The redistribution of mass creates more stability, better launch conditions and faster swing speeds. Another benefit of FlexLoft 2 is its forward and backward compatibility. Golfers with previous generations of Covert can use shafts with the original adaptor in the new head or vice versa.
The 460cc Vapor Pro driver will be available on January 30, 2015.
Nike Vapor Pro
Availability: January 30, 2015
Specifications: 8.5° – 12.5° loft; Mitsubishi Diamana S+ Blue Board 60 shaft; RH/LH: R, S, X flex
MSRP: $479.99
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
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Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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stripe
Oct 3, 2014 at 10:50 am
Rampant commercialization at this years Ryder Cup. Just one big commercial for the golf industry. Getting worse every year.
dot dot
Oct 3, 2014 at 10:53 am
Yep, just going to keep getting worse, the trend is becoming the norm.
bradford
Oct 7, 2014 at 8:26 am
Even posing as two separate people, you fail to provide an example. This thread is not the Ryder cup–and you should expect that a golf forum would be full of equipment junkies, with writers catering to them. Fact is, there was no more “Rampant commercialization” of the actual tournament than any other year.
dot dot
Oct 8, 2014 at 9:35 pm
disagree
stripe
Oct 8, 2014 at 10:09 pm
Don’t bother answering Bradford, his deal is to be annoying and disagreeable. Remember the old internet saying “don’t feed the trolls”
stripe
Oct 8, 2014 at 10:10 pm
Remember we are the same guy.
bradford
Oct 10, 2014 at 12:12 pm
You ARE the trolls…I just don’t mind feeding them, especially when they’re so bereft of a clue they need to create a second fake name to back themselves up. Perhaps you should add a third, maybe THAT guy will be worth talking to.
dot dot
Oct 14, 2014 at 1:16 pm
This Bradford guy that keeps responding is creepy.
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Ballzo
Oct 1, 2014 at 12:36 pm
Put pink and purple polka-dots on the top, neon green on the bottom, Gigantic gold swoosh, a red shaft and a yellow grip. If its longer and straighter……I’ll pay for it and play it.
JEFF
Oct 1, 2014 at 10:52 am
LAME STUPID ASoNINE……. who cares what he plays? General public will never get close to what these over paid sissies play. Why care? why drool? golf is the next new dumb reality show!
bradford
Oct 1, 2014 at 11:44 am
You MAY not make a lot of friends in here…
Overpaid? We, as the golf fans, pay them–just like football fans pay to watch fat guys in tights, NASCAR fans pay to watch Rednecks all drive the same car in circles, Baseball fans pay to…. well, I’m still not sure what they pay for.
dot dot
Sep 30, 2014 at 8:47 am
@Bradford Thank you for admitting you were unable to back up your statements. You are a truly a gentleman. It was the proper think to do. Kudos.
Brandon
Sep 30, 2014 at 10:41 am
I’m pretty sure people have stopped acknowledging you.
dot dot
Sep 30, 2014 at 5:08 pm
who is this
bradford
Oct 1, 2014 at 11:16 am
My statement was that you were an angsty little man, and you’ve backed that up FOR me, so thank YOU.
dot dot
Oct 2, 2014 at 8:21 am
You do understand that you are just angry with yourself,right. The thought that you are being combative about an observation is truly telling.
bradford
Oct 2, 2014 at 9:20 am
Never angry, just honest 🙂
dot dot
Oct 2, 2014 at 11:20 am
I’m pretty sure people have stopped paying attention to you
bradford
Oct 2, 2014 at 12:35 pm
you haven’t….
dot dot
Sep 28, 2014 at 10:07 am
This just shows what the Ryder Cup and golf in general has become. It’s not about playing with the equipment that gives you the best chance of winning for your country it’s about how much will you can get paid to play the latest released equipment. Forget national pride it is now all about money. Prize money is insignificant during the season. What the players endorsement contract is worth is all that matters.
cally golfer
Sep 28, 2014 at 2:16 pm
Lol 5&4 win over fowler I agree fowler must have switched his driver before the match against rory…lol piff
dot dot
Sep 29, 2014 at 9:06 am
I think you missed the point of the comment. I was addressing the commercialization of Ryder cup not Rory’s match. I always try to make my comments simple to understand, it’s baffling to me how some still require an explanation.
Signed
Exasperated with a an aura of disbelief.
bradford
Sep 29, 2014 at 10:20 am
This is only true for about 5 guys…and I saw almost no branding on the Ryder cup. I respect your right to rebel against the ways of the world, but do it with data. What actual event in the Ryder Cup made you feel this way? Don’t forget that this conversation isn’t actually part of the Ryder Cup…
dot dot
Sep 29, 2014 at 12:23 pm
See picture of Rory swinging his driver in the articles photo. That’s branding right there. New Driver comes out, Rory is swinging it, that generates press.
That’s all I’m referring to. Nothing else, no additional data needed. It’s a comment not a homework assignment.
bradford
Sep 29, 2014 at 1:23 pm
ok good then, so you admit there’s really nothing backing it up. Good, cause it’s a generic garbage statement and if it WERE a homework assignment you’d get a C. Should be an F, but everybody gets a C now–
I was very pleased that there was no blatant branding at the Ryder cup this year. I think it helps keep it pure.
bradford
Sep 29, 2014 at 1:25 pm
and again–this photo you refer to ALSO isn’t the Ryder Cup, nor are the “press” they generate.
dot dot
Sep 29, 2014 at 2:53 pm
LOL My comment would get an A- from the GWRX review staff.
You really took my thoughts way to seriously. It was an observation. Just because it’s a statement you didn’t like does not make it garbage. Blatant branding was rampant at the Ryder Cup this year. The fact that it didn’t register with you may be something for you to be concerned about. Powers of observation and all that.
By the way please document the branding you didn’t see. I need to see data proving that there was less branding this year than in years past. Let’s go your assignment is due. Ready Set and GO.
See how silly that just sounded asking you for documentation and data in a website comment.That’s how you looked when you asked for backup on an observation. I hope I have helped you and that you can learn from this.
bradford
Sep 30, 2014 at 7:07 am
Again, just because you’ve said something is true doesn’t make it so. You’re clearly an angsty little rebel, aren’t you? That’s ok, the idea of enjoying something for what it is comes with maturity. You’ll get there– until then-hate on. You’ll learn.
Nigel
Oct 1, 2014 at 9:12 am
I agree with what I think you’re saying….. basically golf is now being used for a lot of advertising. But like others have said, this is just the nature of the world with every single sport and every way of life. It just is what it is… and what it is is that this Driver will be in my bag next Spring.
Don’t underestimate that these players are exactly like the rest of us and want the latest, newest looking clubs and be the first to use them etc. We’re all human.
Golfwb
Sep 27, 2014 at 7:51 pm
The person that said he has been working a lot with people on launch monitors lately. Don’t you think he has been working with them since he went pro or got with nike?
He is not swinging the club well this week, an it’s abvious.
The switch might have been bold, but a lot on wrx know that it’s not the club and one can still be confident. If I got fit with something that I knew was made for me, I would go out 100% with it.
Desmond
Sep 27, 2014 at 6:59 am
Vapor Pro is the Better Players Driver. I’ll avoid it and demo the other two models. MOI! MOI!
Larry
Sep 27, 2014 at 1:56 am
Lets see number one golfer in the world, been working with this new driver sense June…do you think maybe he has some of the best “Club Fitters” in the world helping him get the club fit right???? What does this say to all the high handicap players out there thinking getting fit for a new driver is really going to be worth the trouble???? answer ZERO. Play with what you like because that is the way you make the clubs work for you. Fitting golf clubs (for amateurs for sure) is not anywhere near a perfect science….your swing on Monday is not your swing on Wednesday otherwise your a single digit handicap….is that most of us????
Rwj
Sep 26, 2014 at 6:22 pm
The manufacturers run high profile players.
ed
Sep 26, 2014 at 4:29 pm
If you think this is busy, does anyone remember a couple drivers that TM put out a year back…R1 and RBZ Stage 2 ring a bell?? Now that is BUSY
Billy
Sep 26, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Retail is $399, same as Cover Tour 2.0.
Heads up.
God5peed
Sep 26, 2014 at 11:51 am
“The first thing I noticed when I hit this driver was how hot it was,” said McIlroy. “Then, I found that I could really control the flight and work it both ways on the golf course. I saw added ball speed on the monitor and am getting 10-15 yards more distance on the golf course this week.”
I think he is reading from the same advertising script for every driver that has ever been made.
Ral
Sep 26, 2014 at 1:06 pm
I’d like to see the CT and COR measurements on his club.
Cole
Sep 26, 2014 at 1:54 pm
Why? What would that do for you? The COR is as high as they can get it. If baffles me that people really think to themselves, “Man, I wonder what the COR on this driver is…” Like they really know how COR is measured. It’s going to vary between club heads, maybe you’ll get lucky and the one you buy from Dick’s is slightly above! Ridiculous.
jack from Omaha
Sep 26, 2014 at 3:12 pm
Rory helped the US by playing with that new Nike driver today in the Ryder Cup. I don;t believe he hot more than 5 fairways in 2 rounds.
Great decision Rory!!
The US Team thanks you.
Dumb, dumb, and dumber!!!!!
Why on earth would you ever change driver the way you owned your previous driver? Dumb, dumb, dumber!!!!
Ponjo
Sep 28, 2014 at 5:14 pm
Haha Jack. 9 under for 14 holes says it is working for the heir to the throne 🙂
gvogel
Sep 26, 2014 at 11:30 am
McIlroy might have piped it off the first tee, but he took himself out of the 18th hole with a very poor drive to the left.
When one is the number one driver of the straight long ball on the planet, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to change.
Don
Sep 26, 2014 at 11:06 am
I don’t really mind this club like I have with their past products. Looks kinda cool actually. And if the swoosh is really that distracting it isn’t anything that a jiffy marker can’t fix. Or use spray paint. Isn’t that what Tiger did with his Titleist driver when he switched over to the swoosh?
chad ryan
Sep 26, 2014 at 10:43 am
it still looks like a half eaten kiwi fruit……which doesn’t make me want to buy it….but it does make me hungry
cb
Sep 26, 2014 at 10:25 am
starting to like Nike’s stuff but unfortunately I saw my first problem with this driver. do whatever and put whatever color you want on the bottom of the club. But on the crown there is too much going on. it might have been fine with out the neon swoosh but you dont want something that will cause you to watch the club going back and not the ball
B
Sep 26, 2014 at 10:55 am
Completely agree. The swoosh on the crown I can tolerate, not so much the carbon pattern.
JJ
Sep 26, 2014 at 12:29 pm
Couldn’t disagree more. I am a Titleist/Ping fanboy all day, but the carbon looks awesome…in fact I think the crown is the most aesthetically pleasing part of the driver…
yolomcswag
Sep 26, 2014 at 4:16 pm
same here. love the swoosh, carbon just makes it weird
John
Sep 26, 2014 at 3:05 pm
if you’re watching the club go back in your backswing, and something like SLIGHTLY lighter shades of grey that you might not notice in the sunlight is enough to distract you, I think you need to be in the market for something other than new golf clubs.