Independent Golf Reviews is reader-supported, when you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Review: Nike VR_S Covert Tour 3-wood

It's All About Control
What do you need your 3-wood to do?  I think many golfer might answer that differently.  Some want to bomb it, some want to stripe it, others want to work it, others need a precise distance and others may want something else.  No matter which answer above you choose, it really is about control.  You want to control your 3-wood to do what you want it to, rather than simply what it does.  The new Nike Covert Tour 3-wood allows you to control it unlike any other 3-wood.  You can do everything above in one club.  It is simply the most versatile 3-wood made right now.
While much of the initial talk concerning the Covert Tour line is the red paint and cavity back, the real benefit is the best adjustable hosel on the market right now.  The dual cog system allows the golfer to adjust the loft and face angle independent of the other.  You can get both higher and lower loft and still set the face to the right, left or neutral and it works.  The stock setting or the way it comes from the factory is neutral 15*.  From there you can go down to 13* or up to 17* and each degree in between.  That feature alone will allow you to control your distance.  You don’t need a tour van to adjust your loft, nor do you need to search for that rare loft on the shelf, it is all right here.  If you have a certain shot shape you want or like to produce, the face angle adjustment works well too.  If you fight the right, close it down; if you fear the left, open it it up; and if you want to go both ways, leave it neutral.

 

On paper it is the most adjustable 3-wood you can buy, but is it useful or just confusing?  I found that after many rounds with it in play this spring that my biggest concern with a 3-wood is control.  I don’t necessarily need to bomb it, although that is fun, I need to be accurate and precise with both distance, trajectory and direction.  I tried just about every setting to see what this club could do and I am impressed.  At 13* you won’t find a longer 3-wood.  It flat out bombs it.  While that is great off the tee; for me, I need more elevation off the fairway for softer landings and better control in soft conditions.  I went the other way to try the higher loft and I got awesome trajectory and hit it really straight, but the loss of distance wasn’t exactly where I wanted to be either.  I settled on 14* loft with just a slight face angle to the left.  At times I fight a slice with the 3-wood, especially off the deck.  This little tweak really helped with that, yet didn’t cause me to hit it too far left.

After the range session and getting it dialed in to my loft and direction, I took it to the course and found that instead of fearing a 3-wood shot I was in control of what happened.  A poor swing still had poor results, but now I felt confident that my good swings would be rewarded.  Everything I am looking for in a 3-wood happened with the Covert Tour 3-wood.  Off the tee it is a straight bomber.  At 14* it isn’t quite the longest I’ve ever hit, but it is really close.  It was up near that 245 yardage.  Of the deck I really liked how it set up and how it elevates the ball enough to land softly, but not too high to balloon or lose distance.  The right/left control was the biggest factor for me.  I didn’t fear the slice, nor did I hit it.  It really just wanted to go straight.  I felt like I was in control.

The Covert line is all about the cavity-back woods and in the 3-wood it felt really explosive.  The hybrid was slightly muted feeling and the driver was really solid, but the 3-wood had some real pop.  The feel and sound of the Covert tour 3-wood is excellent.  It is a metallic, muted, ping, that is crisp and clear when you hit it in the sweet spot.  Off the toe or heel it isn’t quite as crisp or as pure, but still felt pretty good.  The results weren’t too bad either when missing the center of the face.  Even though the Covert Tour 3-wood is the smaller headed model, it still offered pretty good forgiveness.  There was only minimal distance loss off the heel or toe of the face.

The head also has good weight and balance.  It seems that some companies are pushing the limits of lightweight heads and shafts trying to get more distance, but this one has a good solid weight and feel.  The Mitsubishi Kuro Kage shaft is very solid.  It offers a good kick through the ball and offers excellent control.  The dispersion seemed pretty tight with this shaft.  It also has a comfortable weight to it; at 70 grams this shaft it is a solid option for a 3-wood.

There is a reason Tiger put a Nike Covert 3-wood in play early in the 2013 season and has found great success;  He wants it in his bag for control.  He doesn’t need to bomb it, or add umpteen more yards; he wants it to land in certain spots and hit controlled shots on tight fairways.  You can get that same kind of control with the Nike Covert Tour 3-wood.  The ultimate adjustable 3-wood that is all about control.

Check the price online here

For more information: www.nikegolf.com

Quick Hits
+Best adjustable hosel
+Excellent feel
+Ultimate control
+Forgiving yet compact

–Not everyone digs the looks

Subscribe to Independent Golf Reviews👇

Receive the best golf discounts available exclusively for our subscribers and be auto entered into our monthly golf giveaways!

.

No spam, ever. 🔒