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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Nike Scores a Slam Dunk and Jordan didn't even play.


There's nothing manufacturers love more than Tour validation and Nike got loads of it this past Sunday in Augusta. Not only did Nike staff players place 1st, 2nd and 3rd but the three men (Trevor Immelman, Tiger Woods and Stewart Cink) were split between two groups, resulting in beaucoup airtime and maximum exposure. Just about every shot Immelman and Woods hit was broadcast to 18% of U.S. households; Cink was never really in contention and appeared less often.

Kismet? Maybe. But credit has to be given to Nike for signing a promising golfer like Immelman, the sneaky-steady Cink and Woods (whoever he is). Had Paul Casey not ballooned to a final round 79 we may have even seen more of the Swoosh.

For the week Immelman hit 85.71% of his fairways and averaged a smooth 287.5 yards off the tee. Good driving is becoming a must for the new Augusta (along with a steady putter). BTW, the 28 year-old South African hits the Nike SQ Sumo 5000 drive (seen above.)

Monday, April 7, 2008

I Got Shafted.

While I may not be lucky enough to actually try one of those spiffy new drivers available with interchangeable shafts, I had the chance during my last two rounds to test a couple new shafts in two (but identical) driver heads to see if they made a difference in my game. I did this for two reasons: I noticed that the last time I played golf with my colleagues here at GT, they were hitting the ball a long way and seemingly straighter than I was. My driver on the other hand seemed to lack some forgiveness where I needed it, and it was about time to see if changing shafts was going to make a difference.

The first shaft I tried was Mitsubishi's new Javln shaft. Billed as a shaft with a stable tip section (for better control) but with a little extra flex to allow golfers who aren't swinging their best (or hardest) too still hit long and straight drives. Now, knowing the shaft had a firm tip, it was a still a smidgen softer than my old one. Reason being, I didn't tip trim it like I did my previous driver shaft. (My old driver shaft was tipped about 1/4 inch). So, I expected to draw the ball much more easily this time around.


The verdict? I did draw it. And to my surprise, unlike other shafts that tend to buckle when I swing hard and cause my ball to veer left of way left, seemed even when I swung hard with the Javln, the ball still went pretty darn straight. Virtually every tee shot had a slight draw, and I was happy to see that as I swung harder the slight draw didn't morph into a sweeping hook. This is a huge plus, and not only did I hit it with a slight draw, I tacked on at least 15-20 yards per drive. My old driver was set up for a fade, which I had to manipulate to hit to avoid not only slicing it, but also hooking the cover off it. The Javln though, was as they used to say back in the day, "da bomb."

The second shaft I tried was equally impressive, although different. The UST ProForce HMOI shaft, is designed for today's 460cc driver. The features include a higher balance point (to prevent the ball from ballooning) and a stiffer tip for added control. The result? I liked it a lot. This shaft felt and looked a lot like my old one, only with the HMOI it seemed that even when when my swing wasn't at it's absolute best, I knew the ball was going to go straight. Very straight actually, with a penetrating trajectory that added probably 10 yards to my drives. This is a strong-hitter's shaft, which is probably why the harder I swung, the better the result. I didn't tip trim this one either, but even still the ball flew straight as an arrow.
In any case, it's tough to say which one worked better for my game. All I can say is, both were an upgrade over my ultra-stiff driver in my bag, and having a tad more flex combined with good tip stability meant I was hitting straighter and longer drives. If anything, my advice for all of you if you want to hit the ball a little further is to try a softer flex profile, but keep a shaft with a firm tip--like both of the shafts that I tried. This will help you tack on a few yards, while retaining the control you need.

Other than that, I can't tell how good it feels to be the long ball in the office again. Try a few new shafts until you get it right. You'll know what I mean.