Nike Covert Tour Hybrid

After the age of the white golf clubs, there came… red? Over the past year or so, Nike has has gotten a lot of really good press on their new Covert line with the Tour Hybrids making Golf Digest’s 2013 Hot List Gold. So, when we received the 3 and 4 hybrids for this review, the expectations were pretty high.

Ok, let’s dive into the tech stuff to see what makes these hybrids unique.

First off, the face is more flexible than last years award-winning VR_S model with a 45% larger hotzone. What this means is you get more distance even with mis-hits when the ball comes across the face. The science behind this magic lies in the sole cavity where, like on a cavity back iron, Nike has moved the weight around to the heel and toe for stability and forgiveness. This movement of weight translates to straighter, longer shots. Notably, the Tour model has less offset, lower trajectory and more flexibility in its settings so the face angles can be set independent of the lofts with the removal of one screw.

Over the years, golf companies have really improved the club adjustment process and the Covert is no exception. The Nike Hybrid is amazingly simple to adjust and lightning fast. Simply take out the one screw and turn the adjustment to the desired loft and face angle then replace the screw – that’s it. All in all, the hybrids have 4 degrees of loft and 3 face-angle settings so the 4 hybrids can very easily cover your 5 wood through your 5 iron depending on what you need in your bag.

Visually, the clubs are good-looking with that deep rich red color. In terms of feel, upon picking up the club for the first time, I did notice it seemed heavier than I expected. Prior to hitting the club, I recalled that some reviews mentioned the ball felt a bit dead coming off the face so I was curious to see if I had the same reaction. While  there is a certain “thud” to contact, and a lack of spring, there was no lack of distance. In fact, I found the ball flight to be quite penetrating and very controllable off of a variety of lies, including punch shots and half swings.

After a little work at the range, I was very comfortable swinging the club and quickly began to use it for a variety of shots during any given round. Specifically, it is easy to draw or fade and with the adjustments I could create more or less distance depending on where I wanted it to fit with my set.

Beyond your basic shots, the hybrid is also very useful for some specialty shots. For example, I have used it to punch out of the woods, escape from deep rough or even bump a ball from just off of the green.

While I am not a huge fan of adjustable drivers, the adjustable hybrid makes a ton of sense. First, it allows you to fill in distance holes in your set even when those gaps change. With 4 different lofts it takes the perfection out of trying to decide exactly which hybrid you need. Just change the loft as your needs change.

To learn more about the Nike Covert Hybrid you can visit the Nike Website.