Nike Golf Considers New 400cc Forged Driver

BEAVERTON, Ore. (January 4, 2002) -- In a surprise move to many, Nike Golf has announced that it has a new 400cc Nike Forged Driver that it is considering introducing at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL, later this month. The 400cc Nike Forged Driver is in addition to the 275cc and 350cc models the company announced last month and is debuting in Orlando.

Nike Golf PGA Tour staff member Mark Brooks plans to have the new driver in his bag when he kicks off his 2002 PGA Tour campaign at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Palm Springs January 17-20.

Tom Stites, the chief designer of golf clubs for Nike Golf, had been working on the 400cc forged driver for months before settling on the final design in late November. The advantage of a 400cc forged driver lies in the increased hitting area on the face, which translates into a larger "sweet-spot" and more forgiveness on off-center hits.

"This is a terrific golf club, especially for committed golfers with higher handicaps," said Mike Kelly, category business director, golf clubs for Nike Golf. "Our first goal was to make a driver that the best golfers in the world could play. We've done that as evidenced by the fact that David Duval and others on our PGA Tour staff have put our driver in their bags. But we also knew, from research and from the feedback we received from our retail partners, that there would be a great deal of interest in a product with a larger, 400cc face. We feel that our 400cc driver would be incredibly forgiving and helpful to golfers of all skill levels."

Beyond that, the 400cc version of the Nike Forged Driver shares the same design, material and innovative benefits as its smaller siblings. The three-piece head includes a face forged of Beta Titanium, the titanium alloy best suited for club head material because it can be made exceedingly thin while maintaining its rigidity. Each head is manufactured to within a two-gram weight tolerance and each angle in the head is kept within a point-5-degree allowance for strict uniformity and performance consistency.

Nike Golf is interested in what consumers think about the USGA restricting club head sizes. They have put up a survey on www.nikegolf.com allowing consumers to learn more about the 400cc driver and weigh-in on the issue.

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