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Now Available at your Local Retailer to Improve your Golf Game |
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By: Dr. Barry Lotz
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In the distance game, Nikes research found that of the Top 20 Average Distance leaders on the PGA Tour from the end of 2003, 19 of the 20 have dropped in average distance. Tiger is the only player from the Top 20 at the end of 2003 to actually increase in distance. He’s currently ranked No. 2. Although the creation of NexTi, a titanium-based alloy that can be directionally engineered, is a proprietary process that cannot be disclosed, the result is a layered yet tightly compressed metal that is thinner, lighter, and stronger than Beta-Titanium. Additionally, NexTi micro fibers can be bent, shaped and formed unlike previous forms of titanium. NexTi’s unique strength, even when bended and formed allowed Nike Golf’s engineers to free their minds and push the limits of current standards of club head design. It also allowed Nike Golf to increase the COR to previously unimaginable limits during the development process. Nike touts it as the strongest titanium ever invented, and the 460cc head makes it one of the industrys biggest driver heads to date. Our testers found the Ignite to be extremely forgiving, aesthetically excellent and extremely long especially when using the Nike One ball. You are encouraged to try the Lucky 13 model, especially if you have a slower swing speed. You will be amazed at how much easier and further this loft produces. The Nike team settled upon two sizes to appeal to a broad golfing audience – a 460cc and a 410cc – with one design shape that makes the heads not appear as large as their actual size. Often a barometer for acceptable standards, players on the professional tour have already begun to switch to larger head drivers for the performance enhancements they provide. This includes Tiger Woods, typically one of the most traditional players on tour. Size Loft (Flexes)
Nike has not forgotten the female golfer. The womens Ignite driver will be available in a 410cc head with a 10.5 degree loft, and a 460cc head with 10.5 and Lucky 13-degree lofts. The 460 is designed for maximum forgiveness, turning miss-hits into long drives, while the 410 is still very forgiving but with more workability for those who want it. The Womens Ignite will feature the YS-5 shaft from Graphite Design. The YS-5 is designed specifically for women in an L-flex. It is very lightweight at only 51 grams (14 grams lighter than the Ignite S-flex shaft), leading to faster swing speeds and greater distance, and its soft tip profile helps launch the ball on a higher trajectory. Both mens and womens Ignite drivers have a MSRP of $469.00
Also available is the NP-99, which has been known on Tour under the moniker BBD. The NP-99 is the most used Sonartec club on the PGA Tour, representing over 30% of all the Sonartec woods in play. In 2003, Sonartec had over 90 players use over 600 Sonartec golf clubs on the prestigious PGA Tour. So far this year, 43 different players are using Sonartec clubs, leading Sonartec to 15 Top Ten finishes after the first 12 events. Sonartec is the # 3 most played fairway wood on the PGA Tour, while only paying 3 staff players to use their equipment. One of those staff players, three-time Major winner Nick Price, has recently become an owner of Sonartec. The new NP-99, named for Nick Price’s induction as the 99th member into the World Golf Hall of Fame, is a hybrid of Sonartec’s best selling SS-02 and SS-03 fairway wood models. This gives the NP-99 extreme playability that will provide every skill level with professional grade trajectory and distance. The NP-99 is considered by Sonartec to be the ultimate fairway wood on the market. The state-of-the art design has a horseshoe shaped weight concentrated in the rear of the sole plate for a higher lift and a deeper Center of Gravity for an expanded sweet spot. This perimeter weighting system combined with Sonartec’s patented technology, the Driving Cavity”, gives golfers the opportunity to hit the ball with a high, flat ball flight that minimizes spin and increases distance. The NP-99 comes with a high-polish sole plate and face, and an exclusive “midnight blue” Aldila NV shaft. Lofts for the NP-99 are available in 13, 14, 15, 17, 19 and 21 degrees. MRSP is $339.00
The irons offer Pull-Face construction, featuring a clubface fashioned of high-strength C455-stainless steel and milled on both sides, which is created separately from the club head. This allows for the face to be exceptionally thin, yet strong. The ball rockets off the face! TaylorMade engineers took the 13 grams saved by this thin clubface and positioned it back and low in the club head. The rac CGB irons also feature an exceedingly large, deep back cavity and tall clubface, both of which contribute to an extremely high MOI, fueling excellent forgiveness. Although a taller clubface typically precipitates a high CG, TaylorMade engineers were still able to position the CG low and deep by virtue of the CGB’s advanced design and technologies. These are exciting irons that offer great feel, consistent distances and that never ending glorious sound of a well struck shot. A rac CGB approach wedge and sand wedge are also available. MSRP: $1,250 / steel, $1,500 / graphite.
Cleveland CG 10 Wedges
Microscopic carbon spheres suspended within CMM help create a matrix material that is 10% less dense and 15% softer than traditional carbon steel used in cast and forged club heads. CMM not only provides soft feel but also offers designers a newfound freedom to redistribute weight for optimum performance. Cleveland Golf has a patent pending for the exclusive use of CMM. The wedge was an immediate hit with our regular testers; they liked the look, the feel and the weighting. Hitting was smooth and effortless. Alignment was intuitive. Accuracy was excellent and trajectories were high and beautifully arched. Shots have an admirable tendency to land soft and die quickly. The hand-ground cambering to the heel and sole made it easy to get under the ball to float sensitive control shots short and high when necessary. Distance control was excellent. This wedge immediately jumped to the top ranks of our favored wedges. The wedges have a very attractive look and finish and an amazingly soft feel at impact thanks to the composite metal matrix (CMM) construction The CG10 is available with a satin chrome finish with loft options of 52º, 54º, 56º and 60º. The 52º wedge is available with a standard bounce while all other lofts are available with three bounce options – Low/Standard/High. The MSRP on the CG10 wedge is $141.00
PINGs new Craz-E putter is a major shift for this staid and excellent manufacturer. Unlike any of its predecessors, the Craz-E is a futuristic looking putter to say the least. Some will find it to be beautifully intriguing while others will find it awkward and decidedly un-golf like in appearance shades of Camerons Futura, Bettinardis Big Ben and Graces Amazing Grace. All the aforementioned putters are most definitely artistically striking and each one performs exceptionally well. Our testing staff ranked the Craz-E as having the best setup and grip of all the aforementioned putters. This peculiar looking putter is exceedingly easy to aim. It imparts a quiet, beautiful roll to the ball that tracks true. Impact feel is very soft and pace is noticeably slower than most other putters. For very long putts that need a large, aggressive stroke, the Craz-E truly excels and overall is an exceptional putter. The Craz-E putter is top of the line quality (It’s Ping, what’d you expect) and comes with a good, really workable and good-looking head cover that is very pleasing to the eye.’ All of our testers have different favorites for different reasons but they all putted well with the Craz-E. Accuracy was been good for everyone under all various conditions, though some needed a bit of adjustment time to accustom themselves to this putters idiosyncrasies. The new Winn grips have a nice tackiness to them. MSRP: $169 |
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Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America. He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, the California Golf Writers Association, and serves both as a Consultant and Mediator to the golf industry. He is also the author of numerous books, including “333 Best Web Sites for Golfers” and his current book, “How to Build Business Relationships Through Golf” is in the Top Ten Golf Business Book’s best seller list. He can be reached at www.pgtaa.com or drlotz@cbsgolf.net |
Driver
The hottest buzz in the golf community so far this year is that the new Nike Ignite driver, already a winner on Tour and in Tigers bag, is going to allow Nike to challenge the big boys. Both the 410 cc and the 460 cc Ignite drivers, with their expanded sweet spots, use a material called NexTi Titanium. It features Around the Crown design, a construction that actually wraps the face over the top line of the club head.
One of the hottest companies in golf today, Sonartec, has introduced a new series of hybrid iron/woods called transition clubs . The Md set of transition clubs ($199, graphite UST Irod shaft) is designed to replace those hard-to-hit 1- through 4-irons. They are available in lofts of 17, 19, 21 and 23 degrees. Almost 20 PGA Tour pros carry an Md, including Lee Janzen, Jonathan Kaye, Brenden Pappas and Bill Glasson. The Md provides a more penetrating ball flight than typical utility woods on the market today.
TaylorMade Golf the premier golf manufacturer for the past 5 years, had many retailers eagerly awaiting the introduction of their new rac CGB irons, which offer premium performance at a premium price. The rac CGB, which stands for “Center of Gravity Back,” features a low and deep center of gravity that helps make possible a remarkable combination of distance, control and forgiveness.
Cleveland Golf, the leader in wedge technology, has introduced a new wedge made from a new material known as Carbon Metal Matrix” (CMM”), that offers significant improvements in the areas of feel and performance.
Golf putters are a very personal club to any serious golfer. Golfers of all levels live or die by their putting ability, and the choice of a putter is as much by personal preference of style, look and weight as it is by technology.
I recently was examining swing sequences of some of the greatest players in history. Knowing that some of these players favored a draw as their standard shot while others preferred a fade, I sought to identify swing features within each group that would explain their respective ball-flight tendencies. Something profound emerged that I think will benefit all golfers, especially those cursed with a wicked slice.