Extraordinary New Ball Delivers Tour-Validated Performance at an Unheard of Price – Less Than $30 Per Dozen
CARLSBAD, Calif. (May 17, 2007) – Maxfli® Golf, a brand of the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company, has introduced a new multi-layer golf ball called Maxfli Tour Fire, which delivers tour-caliber performance for $29.99 per dozen – about $10 less than competitive tour balls. PGA Tour star John Daly was intimately involved in Tour Fire’s development and has switched to playing the ball on the PGA Tour.
"John worked extensively with us to design a ball that delivered affordable tour performance," said Dean Snell, Maxfli senior director of golf ball research and development. "We made it clear to him from the start that it was a huge challenge – a fast, long tour ball that costs less."
Offering Tour Fire at an attractive price is fundamental to Maxfli’s new brand image, which was recently reinvented to appeal to "long ball rebels" – players who like to hit the ball hard, have fun and get the best bang for their buck.
Daly tested prototype after prototype as Maxfli’s R&D team continually experimented with different combinations of materials, layering and dimple configurations. After two years, Tour Fire was born. In terms of performance, it combines the feel and spin that a tour pro requires with exceptional speed and distance. (Daly currently ranks second on the PGA Tour with a 309-yard average, his highest ranking since 2003.)
Critical to Tour Fire’s performance is its proprietary SpeedMantle® mantle design, which works with the high-energy core to elevate the COR all the way to .810. High COR promotes exceptional ball speed, which promotes tremendous distance. Testing proves that the material used in the SpeedMantle layer is seven percent faster than the mantle materials used in most competitive balls, and also feels 24 percent softer. Tour Fire’s first-rate spin qualities spring from the way its proprietary Iothaneâ?¢ cover – one of the thinnest compared to the covers of competitive models – works in conjunction with the SpeedMantle layer to reduce spin off the driver while enhancing shot-stopping spin off the irons. And Tour Fire’s 342 Tour dimple design offers vastly superior aerodynamics for tremendous carry and stability through the wind.
"Partnering the SpeedMantle intermediate layer with a high-energy core promotes the speed and distance that John insisted on," said Snell. "Likewise, combining the SpeedMantle layer with our new Iothane cover promotes the great feel and shot-stopping spin off the irons that make Tour Fire a tour-caliber ball."
"The performance of the finished product flat-out blew me away," said Daly. "I asked Dean, ‘how did you make a ball that feels so soft yet goes so long?’ It gave me all the spin I needed on approach shots and around the greens. It’s plenty long, and I love that the average guy will be able to save a few bucks and still get tour performance."
"I told John that the answer to his question is the SpeedMantle layer said Snell, "which is faster than the mantle materials used in most competitive balls, yet significantly softer. It helps make Tour Fire jump fast off the face of every club, and feel and sound soft while doing it. In fact, Tour Fire is the softest feeling tour ball on the market."
Maxfli Tour Fire’s tour-caliber performance and attractive price are certain to make it a favorite among a wide variety player types. "Lots of golfers either avoid buying tour-caliber because of the high price, or pay the high price reluctantly," said Mike Ferris, senior director of product marketing for Maxfli and TaylorMade. "Tour Fire offers them a fantastic alternative: the tour performance they want at about 25 percent less than they’re used to paying. That’s sure to appeal to the long ball rebels of the world, since they’re always on the lookout for ways to get more for less. Try Tour Fire once and you’ll find that it offers performance for less money than any ball you’ll find."
The street price for a dozen Maxfli Tour Fire balls is $29.95. Availability at Maxfli’s retail partners began on May 1, 2007.
About Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. dba TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company
Taylor Made Golf Company has led the golf industry’s technological revolution since the company was founded in 1979. TaylorMade metalwoods, irons and putters have been used to win hundreds of professional golf tournaments around the world. In 1998, TaylorMade became a wholly owned subsidiary of the adidas Group. adidas Golf footwear and apparel is the choice of hundreds of professional golfers around the world. Learn more about TaylorMade-adidas Golf and its brands at (800) 888-CLUB or www.tmag.com , www.taylormadegolf.com , www.adidasgolf.com , www.maxfli.com.
The adidas Group is one of the global leaders in the sporting goods industry offering a wide range of products around the three core segments adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has approximately 25,000 employees worldwide and generates sales of about â?åÂ9.5 billion (2005).
Contact:
TaylorMade-adidas Golf
John Steinbach
john.steinbach@tmag.com
760-918-6330
