WEST PALM BEACH, FL. – ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
That’s what Nicklaus Premium Golf Equipment is all about. Attention!
Attention to details. That’s what’s happening at the PGA Show.
Attention to employing modern technology and the highest-grade components in making the best golf clubs any golfer would want to use when putting the press on any 18th hole Nassau or playing in the club championship or just wanting to play a great round.
Attention to living up to the name and the standards set by the greatest golfer ever to play the game.
Attention to details is one of the reasons why the testing panel at Golf Digest put the Dual Point Technology 460cc driver on its "Hot List" for 2007. Further substantiation of the Dual Point Technology comes from the acknowledgement in the February issue of Golf Digest which places the 460cc driver on its annual Hot List… the driver with "plenty of heat inside."
The Golf Digest Hot List panel of testers also said: "Might be the most pleasant surprise of the year. This thing (Dual Point driver) is definitely on steroids." That accolade came from a panel made up of Golf Digest staff, scientists, players, teaching pros and golf retailers.
As Clay Long, Chief Designer for Nicklaus Premium Golf Equipment says: "As long as we pay attention, have good engineering and good physics behind our designs, the clubs are going to perform well."
"Our products are designed properly with an eye to engineering and physics, which is what makes any club perform," says Long. "It’s a matter of physics when a golf club propels a golf ball in the manner in which a player expects to be hit.
And on the cutting edge of technology, led by the Dual Point 460cc forged titanium driver, fairways and hybrids all featuring Nicklaus Golf’s Dual Point Advantage, where the company aligns the club’s center of gravity in the proper position with the most flexible point on the face. That creates a strong transfer of energy for a trampoline effect that’s still within USGA limits for C.O.R. (Coefficient of Restitution.)
"We adjust the mass distribution in the head to put the center of gravity in the position we want it to be, and we adjust the thickness of the face in different places to align the most flexible point on the face with the center of gravity," says Long. "We do that by manipulating the shell of the club, whether by moving mass around internally or by machining the face with a computer-controlled milling machine to affect the variable thickness geometry we want to achieve those things."
Having a multi-layered face that’s thinner (2.7mm) on the perimeter and thicker (2.9mm) in the middle also expands the high trampoline zone and help golfers get the extra distance they seek.
Dual Point fairway woods were also improved by making the face slightly shallower than last year’s model, again helping lower the center of gravity. The fairways have 35 grams of weight in the sole below the CG for an increased launch angle. Dual Point hybrids feature a 17-4 stainless steel head with welded soleplate construction with added weight low and deep in the head. Like the driver, both the fairways and hybrids have a multi-layered face to expand its high trampoline zone.
Both the Dual Point driver and fairways benefit from a graphite shaft by Fujikura, one of the hottest brands in golf, which was co-developed with Nicklaus Golf. Long says the shaft is particularly well-matched with the driver’s 460cc head.
"We think it brings a lot to the party," says Long. "It has great flex characteristics. The feel of it is wonderful.
"The stiffness distribution in the shaft from butt to tip has been adjusted so we have the feel and the action that we want in our head," adds Long. "When you pick this driver up it feels the way you expect it to feel. The performance is certainly there."
Dual Point drivers are available in RH lofts of 8, 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees; Offset lofts of 10.5, 12 and 15 degrees; and LH lofts of 9 and 10.5 degrees.
Dual Point fairways are available in RH 13 degree 3-wood+, 15 degree 3-wood, 18 degree 5-wood and 22 degree 7-wood, offset 15 degree 3-wood and offset 18-degree 5-wood. LH offerings are 15 degree 3-wood and 18 degree 5-wood.
Dual Point hybrids come in RH 18 degree hybrid 2, 21 degree hybrid 3, 24 degree hybrid 4 and 27 degree hybrid 5, as well as LH 21, 24 and 27 degree models.
Shaft offerings for both the Dual Point driver and fairways include the Fujikura SG Pro 3.01 in A, R and S flexes; Fujikura SG Pro 3.01 TS in S and X flexes; and Nicklaus SG Pro 3.01 in an L flex. Shaft offerings for Dual Point hybrids are a Precision Steel Crank Shaft with Shockshield and Rifle graphite in four flexes A,R,S, X.
While the Dual Point woods are the highlight of the Nicklaus Premium Golf Equipment Line for 2007, they’re not the only shining light.
NPS-1 (for Nicklaus Player Series) irons, a traditional muscle back design within a cavity for the 0-10 handicappers, makes its debut in 2007. It replaces JNS irons, a progressively offset cavity back club designed for mid-handicappers. The NPS offers responsive power with graphite and steel workability due to a straighter leading edge and less offset and excellent forgiveness through perimeter weighting. The irons give solid feel on center hits and greater stability on off-center shots.
"It has an improved sole design and a muscle back recessed cavity for a greater feel and performance for the better player," says Long. "The leading edge is thinner and has less radius in it. It cuts the divot much better. It doesn’t bounce as much as it did last year. The back design is significantly different. Instead of a hollow undercut cavity there’s a solid muscle recess in the cavity. It’s a little more of a high performance club than it was last year."
NPS-1 irons come in RH 2-9 with PW, GW and SW in RH only. Shafts include Rifle Matched Steel in firm or tour stiff, and new Rifle Black graphite in three flexes A, R, S.
High CT irons (for Characteristic Time, which creates improved ball speed via a higher C.O.R.), has been remodeled. A multi-layered, ultra-thin face with a thick oval center and milled perimeter creates the highest CT allowed by the USGA in an iron. Trajectory is enhanced through lower and deeper weight distribution. The irons also feature a progressive offset and sole width that’s less on short irons and more on long irons. Available in RH 3-9 with PW, GW and SW. Shaft options include a FST Pro Silver Ultra Light steel in R and S flexes and new Rifle Black graphite in three flexes A, R, S.
"The premium line covers the entire gambit of player skill levels. The premium line is essentially a high quality grouping of products that a player of any skill level can find the products that perform well for him," says Long. "We make an 8 degree driver, a 15 degree offset driver. A Tour player can play with an 8, 9, or 10.5 degree driver and a 25 handicapper can play with a 12 driver or an offset 12 or 15 degree driver. It would be a mistake to think the premium line is just a low handicap line."
In the end, when any golfer uses a club from Nicklaus Premium Golf Equipment, all the scrutiny to ATTENTION is all about putting them…
…At ease.
MSRP for Nicklaus Premium: Dual Point 460cc Driver: $299.99; Fairway Woods: $169.99; Hybrids: $79.99-$99.99; iron sets: $399.99-$499.
For more information on the Nicklaus Golf Equipment Co., visit the company’s web site at www.nicklausgolf.com, or call the company toll free at 800-322-1872.
Contact:
Alan Taylor
alan@alantaylorconsulting.com
516-835-1151
