Nike Golf has reimagined golf irons with the introduction of its new Vapor franchise – Vapor Pro, Vapor Pro Combo, and Vapor Speed. The modern family of irons was unveiled to a global media audience this week near New York City during an event featuring Nike players Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, and celebrity golf aficionado Jimmy Fallon.

The Vapor irons blend the detailed craftsmanship of Nike’s master club builder, Mike Taylor; the engineering expertise of The Oven; and the imagination of Nike designers. The result; a family of irons featuring a pinnacle Nike innovation called Modern Muscle.

Modern Muscle is a modification of a standard muscle-back design that moves the iron’s centre of gravity to the centre of the clubface, crafted to yield more efficient and pure strikes. The innovation has already contributed to a major championship victory when Rory McIlroy put a prototype Vapor Pro Combo 2-iron (MM Proto) in the bag and went on to win the 2014 Open Championship.

While Rory was the first to win with Modern Muscle in the bag, the innovation itself started with insights from Tiger Woods. “Our engineers and designers at The Oven have been working with Tiger for quite some time to evolve this innovation and bring it to the golf athlete,” said Rob Arluna, Nike Golf’s Global Golf Club Business Director. “We started with the traditional blade and asked what could be done to enhance its performance and modernise the design while maintaining a traditional, pure look at address. Thanks to Tiger’s inspiration, coupled with Rory’s added insights, we made the Vapor Pro blades feel and perform better with a technology advantage over the traditional blade. We then extended that innovation and design to Vapor Pro Combo and Vapor Speed.” irons

“Years back when we tested the parts with adjusted weighting, I immediately noticed a more balanced feel and more consistent performance,” said Woods. “Working with the club team to bring this concept to life was a great experience.”

With a modernised take on the classic blade profile, the Vapor Pro is Nike Golf’s most precise iron to date. The Vapor Pro Combo has the clean lines and workability of a blade with the power of a distance iron – resulting in the ultimate blend of precision and power. The Vapor Speed delivers pure power for the golf athlete who wants maximum distance and forgiveness through the set.

The Vapor irons will be available from January 31, 2015. Confirmed prices and specs will follow in due course.