Nike SQ Dymo STR8-Fit Driver Review

Pros

• Clubhead adjustable for face angle, lie angle and loft.
• Excellent distance on sweet spot and off-center hits.
• Heavier feel helps keep swing on plane.

Cons

• Sound at impact - it's a bit loud.
• Headcover could be easier to put on.

It's a reasonable question to ask of the longest club in the bag - when is there too much control in a driver, when is there not enough? Well, Nike Golf just may have found the best answer to that question with its STR8-Fit driver.

The Nike SQ Dymo STR8-Fit driver brings an 8-position clubhead to the tee box, allowing golfers of most all skill levels to create shots that may have previously been out of their reach or ability. The STR8-Fit also can minimize the bad tendencies of a golfer.

How? The clubhead can be rotated to allow a neutral face angle, a neutral or more upright lie, and various other positions that can help create a draw or fade. The club comes in a traditionally shaped rounded head or a squared shape. Plus, rotating the clubface adds or subtracts loft. Pretty neat.

Before you say that this is another marketing gimmick, take a step back on the tee box and consider that there have been movable and removable parts on a driver head before.

The Nike STR8-Fit makes all this moving around much simpler. The club comes with a mistake-proof wrench designed to loosen the collar holding the shaft to the head. After making your desired adjustments to the clubhead position, the wrench tightens everything back into place.

The wrench both beeps and blinks to let you know the head is tightened to its maximum. From near-scratch golfers to my high handicapper father-in-law, no one who helped me test the Nike STR8-Fit had any issues with understanding the concept or with actually using the tool.

Of course, changing the face angle during of a round is not allowed (Rule 4.2-a), so you'll have to choose your specs before starting and lock them into place. There is a clever indicator on the butt end of the grip that reminds you, when you look at it, in what configuration you have the face set. Too bad I forgot to consult the indicator grip on my 18th hole drive. I usually use a closed-face driver but had the STR8-Fit set up to fade. I did, however, see the effect of the left-to-right gentle fade, which was something I rarely produce on my own.

The Nike STR8-Fit driver is also forgiving on mishits. Balls hit toward the toe or heel went straight or in accordance with the face angle, also with little loss of distance. Nice.

OK, so what else makes the STR8-Fit stand out? For one, it feels heavier. With a 69-gram UST Axiv shaft – which deserves kudos on its own merits – I thought the static weight of the Nike STR8-Fit felt heavier than many drivers on the market currently. The good news here is that I like to feel the clubhead in the swing, and the weighty feel of the STR8-Fit slowed my backswing and kept me more on plane.

Another distinguishing feature is that the Nike Golf driver is back to being loud. There is a distinctive "klank" on impact. Not as loud as some previous generations of Nike drivers – but enough to deliver a soundprint to your foursome on the tee. However, if you like solid contact, this club has it in spades.

Given the outstanding versatility and performance of the Nike STR8-Fit driver, we should be seeing it in the bags of more and more golfers.