Method Core

The Method Core line, per golflink.com's reporting, opens in 2011 with a trio of heads, the MC2i, MC4i, and MC5i, grouped under a single release. Nike followed in 2012 with the Method Core Drone, then in 2013 pushed the line in two directions at once, releasing both the Drone 2.0 and the MC 01w in the same year. The line closes out, on the rows we hold, with the MC05W in 2014.

That final release drew the most attention. thehackersparadise.com credited the MC05W with a lower and deeper center of gravity, a two tiered flange, and what it described as a significant amount of Zing like styling, tying the head's design language back to Ping's own lineage rather than treating it as a Nike original. The same outlet pointed to Polymetal Groove technology and a multi-material insert as the putter's defining feature, and called the finish a continuation of the satin look used across Nike's Mod lineup.

Reaction to the MC05W split along familiar lines. One reviewer found the roll pure and quick and called the finish well-balanced for the price point, adding that the dual material insert feels softer underfoot, though the same review flagged the head as possibly a little overly elongated for some golfers' tastes from heel to toe, and noted it doesn't necessarily stand out in any one category. thehackersparadise.com took a more enthusiastic view, calling the MC05W the surprise of its review and crediting Nike with getting an insert right where most companies miss: any time a company gets creative as it pertains to inserts the results are usually very hit or miss, but with this one Nike hit it on the head.

Across four years and five releases, the Method Core line reads as Nike's ongoing experiment with insert technology and head shaping, moving from the original MC2i/MC4i/MC5i grouping through two Drone iterations before settling, at least on this record, on the MC05W as its last word.