Is Nike quietly plotting golf’s next big reset?

It’s a fair question. One that’s been quietly circling for months and just got a whole lot louder.

This past Friday, Nike sent over one of their biggest seeding kits in recent memory—Victory Tour 4s, Victory Pro 4s, a rotation of clean Dri-FIT Tour apparel, and a structured ADV cap that might be the best-fitting Nike Golf lid to date. And while product alone doesn’t always equal momentum, the timing couldn’t be more interesting. Because for the last few months—especially since the PGA Show in Orlando—there’s been a phrase floating around golf’s inner circles: Nike Golf is back.

But back from what?

Let’s rewind. In 2016, Nike exited the equipment game entirely. No more drivers. No more golf balls. No more clubs in bags on Tour. That move sent a signal: Nike was shifting its focus to footwear and apparel. Then came January 2024. Tiger Woods and Nike—arguably the most iconic athlete-brand partnership in the modern sports era—officially ended. That one cut deep. The face of Nike Golf, gone. The face of golf, gone. What now?

With no equipment and no Tiger, the question was real: Would Nike Golf fade out altogether?

And then… it didn’t.

Flash forward to 2025. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy—two Nike athletes—are ranked at the top of the world. Rory just capped his career Grand Slam with a win at Augusta. Golf, as a cultural and commercial category, is white hot. Brands are dropping left and right. Collabs are getting press. Influencers are moving product. Jordan Brand just dropped the Air Rev—a fully re-engineered golf shoe that feels like a reset moment. I was there at The Grove XXIII for the rollout. Jordan isn’t just dipping its toe into golf. It’s building a whole new blueprint.

That’s the tension right now. Because Nike Golf never fully left—but it also hasn’t led the conversation in years. And depending on who you ask, the criticism is consistent: the apparel feels uninspired. The footwear, too safe. Meanwhile, new players—like G/FORE, Malbon, Manors, and even Jordan Brand itself—have brought new energy, new identity, and clear cultural direction to the game.

But here’s the thing: Nike is Nike.

No brand on Earth flips a switch like Beaverton. All it takes is a moment. A restructure. A renewed internal focus. A leader with vision. And all of a sudden—everyone else is playing catch-up. They’ve done it before. They can do it again.

The real question isn’t “Is Nike back?”

It’s “Will we care when they are?”

Because this time, the landscape looks different. The competition is sharper. The audience is savvier. And style—real, thoughtful, expressive style—is no longer something Nike can mass-produce and assume people will buy. Not in this era.

So yes, the Victory Tour 4 Golf Shoe looks great. The new polos are clean. The seeding kits are moving. But if Nike really wants the crown back, it’ll need more than just product. It’ll need presence. Taste. And a willingness to play the long game.

Because in golf right now, hype is easy. Relevance is earned.