Nike Pro Combo Irons Review – Still Good And Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Nike Pro Combo Irons Review – Still Good And Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“I’ll be honest, when I read that any iron set is a combo set, I am immediately wary.”

Combo irons sets (sets that usually consist of deep cavity back long irons, moderate cavity mid irons and sometimes bladed short irons) are usually very forgiving; but in my experience, they can also be really inconsistent as well.

The difference in head shaping and styles just make it more difficult to get used to your entire set. The Nike Pro Combo irons are obviously a combination set. Naturally, I had my doubts. But I did my best to go into this testing round without any bias. Take a look at what I found.

Are Nike Pro Combo Irons Still Good?

“The long irons feature deep cavity backs with a polymer cavity insert. The short irons are bladed and the mid irons sport a very moderate cavity back.”

Oh, and these irons are forged by the way. Right away, I was smitten with the feel and feedback of these irons. The forging gives them a soft and consistent feel across the face. But you can still clearly feel where you made contact. They may not feel as soft as Mizuno’s forged irons; but they certainly give them a run for their money.

Pretty much everything is progressive in this set as well: the offset, the CG and the sole width. The long irons start out with a very low CG that gets worked up by the time you hit the 7-iron. The launch was effortlessly high which is a great performance aspect for players who launch the ball too low.

The Nike Pro Combo irons also feature blunted trailing and leading edges. I really enjoyed the feel of these irons through the turf. The long irons have wide soles and the blunted leading/trailing edges make them really comfortable to swing off the deck. The shorter irons have narrower soles so the launch is more controlled but you still get a smooth feel. I wasn’t losing club head speed to digging with the Nike Pro Combo irons which is a great thing for me personally.

I also really liked the distance I was getting from the long irons. They have deep cavity backs and a polymer badge that increases face flexion. With the 5-iron, I was averaging a carry distance of 183.8 yards.

When I looked at the launch monitor data, I was a bit surprised. That’s because my spin numbers were higher than normal but I was actually increasing my average distance. And despite the spin, I landed between 5 and 7 yards off target to the right on almost all my shots.

Overall, I had a great time testing these irons. Unlike other Nike irons to come from this era, the Nike Pro Combo irons play long. They also offer excellent feel and tight dispersion so they are definitely still good in my book.

Are the Nike Pro Combo Irons Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“The long irons are very forgiving and have a sweet spot that can’t be missed.”

I only have one real complaint about these irons and it has to do with what I was talking about in the intro. I can see some high handicappers having trouble with consistency. The long irons are big, long and forgiving. But when comparing the 3-iron and the 7-iron, you can see a major difference in head shape and profile.

Picture this scenario: you are driving into a long par three with your 4-iron. You just fall short of the green so you pull out your 9-iron to chip in. You look down at the 9-iron and it looks completely different from the 4-iron you just used for your first shot. The sight of a drastically different club head can be downright jarring.

This may not be such an issue on longer holes, mind you. But it’s still something to be aware of. Other than that, the Nike Pro Combo irons are plenty forgiving. The long irons offer great distance and area easy to hit with. All of the irons offer good turf interaction and the short irons are effortlessly accurate.

Nike Pro Combo Vs Nike Vapor Fly Irons

“The Nike Vapor Fly irons have deep cavity backs and come stock with lightweight shafts.”

The Vapor Fly irons would be a good choice if you are seeking better consistency and better club head speed. They feel light and nimble in the hands; but they lack the soft, forged feel that the Nike Pro Combo irons offer.