By JAMES ACHENBACH
Senior Writer
BEAVERTON, Ore. – “Just like Tiger’s.”
For the first time, Nike has decided to painstakingly duplicate the irons and wedges of Tiger Woods and sell them at retail. Although Woods has been sidelined by knee surgery, Nike has begun showcasing the company’s golf superstar in a prominent new way.
The result: Victory Red TW Blades (pictured, top right), identical to the forged muscle-back blade irons used by Woods, began appearing in retail shops and stores during the first week of November.
Actually, there are three new Victory Red iron models. A forged split-cavity model (top left) and a cast full-cavity (middle) iron also are available.
One golfer who appears to have a case of Tiger envy is Paul Casey, who put the Victory Red TW Blades in his bag in late summer and used them at the Ryder Cup.
“I really like all the different shots I can hit with these irons,” Casey said.
The essence of muscle-back forged irons always has been their workability. Sure, some players believe forgings have a softer feel than castings, but it is the ability to hit a large variety of shots that appeals most to professionals and low-handicap amateurs.
Most of today’s cavity-back irons are designed to help golfers hit the ball higher and straighter, butthe world’s best players want to make their own choices about trajectory and shot shape.
According to Nike, the new Victory Red TW Blades are a precise duplication of the irons used by Woods.
“We patterned the tools after what we grind for Tiger,” said Tom Stites, Nike’s director of golf club product creation. “We were very careful about this, and Tiger (before his surgery in June) tested them.”
And, yes, Woods is scheduled to play the Victory Red irons when he makes his return to competitive golf in 2009.
He already used one of the wedges, a 60-degree Victory Red lob wedge, when he won the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
According to Stites, the forged split-cavity likely will be more popular than the muscle-back blade on the PGA Tour. Although Charl Schwartzel won on the PGA European Tour with the TW Blades, Masters champion Trevor Immelman and Skins Game king Stephen Ames already are playing the split-cavity version.
“It (the split-cavity) is a little easier to hit,” Stites said. “It has a little more forgiveness (on off-center hits).”
Many of Nike’s touring pros have been using a half-cavity iron that was never offered for sale at retail. This pro-only philosophy will change with Victory Red, and all irons used by the touring staff will be sold to consumers.
It’s no secret that Nike’s stable of touring pros is one of the deepest in pro golf. So far in 2008, seven Nike players have won 11 PGA Tour titles. In the process, those players used six models of irons. Victory Red is aimed at simplifying that iron-usage statistic.
So, with several major golf companies aggressively trying to clarify their club lineups, add Nike to the simplification list. The Nike pyramid of golf clubs will include three levels, or families, defined by Nike as such: Victory Red for highly skilled players, SQ for serious game-improvement players and Slingshot for entry-level golfers.
The Victory Red wedge family includes eight combinations of bounce and loft, from a 52-degree approach wedge to two 60-degree lob wedges.
MSRP for the steel-shafted wedges is $129.99.
The Victory Red TW Blades and split-cavity blades (MSRP of $999.99 for eight irons) are available only with steel shafts. The full-cavity irons are $799.99 (steel) and $999.99 (graphite).
The line includes left-handed versions of the split-cavity and full-cavity models, and a full-cavity women’s iron also is being offered.
Several additional Nike clubs were introduced in early November, including two boxed sets of clubs for juniors. One includes four clubs, a bag and golf balls (MSRP $179.99).
The other has seven clubs, a bag and golf balls (MSRP $239.99).
Said Stites: “These are really good clubs, with 100 percent graphite shafts and not the whippy glass-fiber shafts you see in some clubs for kids.”
Also new is Slingshot HL (High Launch), a mixed set that includes 3 and 5 hybrids along with irons (6-PW). MSRP is $699.99 (steel) and $799.99 (graphite).
The clubs that will be getting most of the attention, though, are the ones that are “Just like Tiger’s.”
• • •
James Achenbach is a Golfweek senior writer. To reach him e-mail jachenbach@golfweek.com.
Posted: 11/17/2008
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