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Tiger Woods Rolls with Platinum into Year's First Major
Nike Golf Unveils the Secret to Driving the Green and Scoring in the Red:
Platinum
BEAVERTON, Ore., March 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nike Golf is adding
another color to its golf ball palette this spring. The Nike One Platinum (SRP:
$54), the first ball designed to maximize the potential of larger headed
drivers, joins the Nike One Black and the Nike One Gold, giving golfers a new
way to score in the red beginning in May.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050329/SFTU069-a )
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050329/SFTU069-b )
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020719/NKGOLFLOGO )
In November 2004, Tiger Woods switched to Nike Golf's newest driver, the 460cc
Nike Ignite. He proceeded to win two and place second over his next three
events.
Was this equipment nirvana for Woods and Nike Golf or just another opportunity
for innovation to rear its curious head?
Director of Product Development, Rock Ishii, watched Woods hit balls with his
latest long-range weapon through November 2004. Woods' ball had the optimum
spin-rate with the 460cc Nike Ignite, but in the engineer's professional
opinion, he could be more efficient and longer with a higher trajectory ball.
Even though he was hitting the ball further and controlling it better with the
new 460cc Nike Ignite, he still was not reaching his potential. The challenge
for Nike Golf's golf ball team, suddenly, was to develop a ball that was longer
and controlling with larger headed drivers without losing the spin performance
around the green.
In mid-May, Nike Golf will introduce the Nike One Platinum, the first ball
designed to maximize play with today's larger head drivers by promoting a
higher trajectory and a lower spin rate.
Woods has quietly been playing a prototype One Platinum since the debut of the
2005 PGA Tour at the Mercedes Championships. He continued his winning ways from
the November switch to the 460cc Nike Ignite driver, but since January the One
Platinum has helped him elevate his game even higher. In his six events this
year he is averaging 305 yards off the tee, which ranks him 3rd, and his
407-yard bomb at the Mercedes ranks as the 2nd longest on Tour.
For Woods though, the One Platinum's responsiveness around the green is just as
critical. A couple of the other reasons he green-lighted the One Platinum
project to go to production are his 74.1 percent average in Greens in
Regulation, which ranks 3rd, and his 69.16 scoring, ranked 2nd this year.
When it hits the market, the Nike One Platinum will feature a Progressive
Density Core with a soft center and a progressively harder outer shell. This
provides lower spin off the tee even with its soft outer cover. It is
comparable to the Nike One Black, Nike's longest ball on Tour, in that regard.
Similar to the Nike One Gold, the One Platinum is comprised of three layers or
covers beyond the core. Each cover of the One Platinum has its own job to do:
the Inner Cover, closest to the core, is designed to reduce spin off the
driver; the Middle Cover provides superior mid-iron control; and the Outer
Cover, softer than the Nike One Gold, promotes incredible feel around the
green. The Outer Cover also features Nike Golf's proprietary 408 dimple
pattern, the same one used on the Nike One Black. This particular dimple
promotes a higher trajectory and more penetrating ball flight through the apex
of the ball's trajectory. In other words, it descends at a less steep angle
promoting more distance and roll.
The shift to larger headed drivers on the professional tours, club heads of
400cc and bigger, began in earnest in 2004. Such a widespread trend usually
suggests that the average golfer is quick to follow.
The One Platinum is not designed exclusively for drivers over 400cc; its
distance off the tee, wind-boring control from the fairway, and responsiveness
around the green will match any combination of clubs. Golfers who have made the
move to a larger driver will experience the greater potential of the One
Platinum.
Nike Golf, located in Beaverton, Oregon, is passionately dedicated to honoring
and respecting the traditions and heritage of the game, and to providing
committed golfers with the absolute best equipment in the game in every product
category. For more information on Nike Golf, visit our Web site at
http://www.nikegolf.com/. Editors and journalists seeking editorial information
and downloadable images, visit http://www.nikegolf.com/presscenter.
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050329/SFTU069-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050329/SFTU069-b
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020719/NKGOLFLOGODATASOURCE: Nike Golf
CONTACT: Dean Stoyer of Nike Golf, +1-503-532-6018, or
Web site: http://www.nikebiz.com/
Web site: http://www.nikegolf.com/