I’m not sure what I expected from the hyped-up release of the Nike Covert driver, but what I’ve experienced over the last month of testing has me sold.
I certainly expected the Covert driver to be good, I just didn’t think it would land at the top of the list for my preferred driver. With two notable innovations (the cavity back and the independent adjustability loft and face angle), Nike Golf has made a significant move in the golf club equipment category.
Look & Feel
The Covert certainly looks different than any other driver on the market right now.
At first glance, the red in the shaft and the head of the driver scream Nike all over it – not in a bad way, but with a clean, pure, and modern disposition. The progressive gradient fading of red to black running down the Kuro Kage shaft and the pure red head with the swoosh logo looks great at address. The look of the club brings confidence without bringing any notice to the cavity back or the adjustability options.
When you flip the club over and inspect the sole of the driver, the cavity back and adjustably options are clearly viewable.
The cavity back in particular usually results in puzzled looks as golfers inspect the club. The cavity back doesn’t make the club look bad, it just looks different. After a few holes of play with the club the cavity back seems to dissapear since it’s rare that you see the sole of the driver while playing.
As far as the feel of the club is concerned, for me – it was love at first swing. The Covert has a soft face that sounds and feels significantly different from any other Nike driver I’ve used. That hideous sound of previous Nike drivers is long gone and replaced with a muted and clean sound (and smooth feel) at impact. This is probably my favorite overall feel of any driver I’ve hit in the past few years.
Performance
The results that I’ve seen from the Covert driver haven’t propelled me into a new class of golfer, but they are overwhelmingly positive. Dispersion is tight and distance is just as long as any other driver I’ve used. I also feel like I have a high degree of control over the ball flight and that’s something I rarely notice in a driver.
The standard ball flight is typically piercing and is a joy to watch. So far, I haven’t seen any shots balloon off the club. Shots do fly high, but the max height feels further away than I’m used to. It’s wonderful to watch the shots start low and accelerate to their apex in what feels like it’s a mile away.
Adjustability
The adjustability options of the club range from 8.5 to 12.5 degrees and has three different face angle adjustments. In the month or so that I’ve played with this club, I’ve alternated between the 9.5 and 10.5 face angle, although I still haven’t decided what I’ll eventually play with. Both of those settings for me seem to have nearly identical results with slightly different default ball flights.
The Covert has the ability to adjust face angle and loft independently. This is the first time I’ve seen the ability to adjust these two independently and this capability is what has finally sold me on the benefits of adjustability in a driver. Although I play at a neutral face angle, the left and right options don’t feel like they distort the club. The independent adjustability is truly independent.
Closing Thoughts
Nike has brought their game with the introduction of the Covert. If you’ve been wondering when Nike will become a true player in the golf world, you can rest assured that their time has come. I’d predict that the Covert will show up at the top of many lists and you’ll be seeing more and more of these drivers out on the course as the season progresses.
We have a few additional photos of the Nike Covert Driver over on our Facebook page.
