| (From www.masters96.com. As support of my comments of increased use in the tours of
oversized titanium clubs.)
Nicklaus enjoying increased length off the tee using a
titanium driver
Last updated April 9, 1996 at 11 PM
By Rob Mueller
Staff Writer
Augusta Chronicle
Driven by that infamous Tom
McCollister newspaper article saying
he was washed up, Jack Nicklaus shocked the golf world as a
46-year-old when he won his sixth Masters Tournament championship
in 1986.
Now, in his 38th Masters, perhaps the Golden Bear can take his game
to a new level and seventh green jacket, driven by titanium.
----------------------------------------------------------
Paul Azinger drives a ball down the 15th fairway with a new
state-of-the-art titanium golf club.
By Steve Shelton/Augusta Chronicle
----------------------------------------------------------
``Sure, Jack could win in Augusta,'' said Hale Irwin, after
Nicklaus came from behind to capture The Tradition championship
Sunday - Nicklaus' second win on the Senior PGA Tour this year.
``He hit the ball better in the last seven days than I've seen him
hit it in a long time.''
It could be his new titanium driver. It's the buzzword on the tour
this year, and Nicklaus is one of many who have made the switch
from steel to the hottest metal in golf.
Nicklaus has been experimenting with several drivers produced by
his own company - Nicklaus Golf Equipment Co.
Tour followers say the difference in Nicklaus' game lately is
obvious, that he's been driving the ball farther than he has in
years.
Nicklaus put himself in position to make an exciting double-eagle
Saturday at The Tradition with a long drive on the 500-yard, par-5
12th. He holed it out with an 8-iron.
Was it the titanium?
``It helps you turn the ball pretty easily,'' said Paul Goydos, who
switched to Callaway Golf's Great Big Bertha titanium driver for
the Bay Hill Invitational - his first PGA Tour victory. ``If you're
playing well to start with, you'll do really well with
(titanium).''
Goydos' caddy, Brendan Wooley, says it's easy to see the difference
in Goydos' game since the switch.
``He can fly the ball farther now, probably,'' Wooley said. ``It's
pretty noticeable. I think he's pretty happy with it, he won with
it.''
At the recent Doral-Ryder Open, 20 players used the Great Big
Bertha, while 10 used Taylor Made's Burner Bubble.
Several other major manufacturers are producing titanium drivers,
including Lynx (Black Cat), Invex and Cobra.
The big factor is weight. Titanium is about 40 percent lighter than
steel, which enables manufacturers to produce drivers with a larger
club face and sweet spot.
The most significant difference for the average golfer is cost. The
Great Big Bertha retails for $400, as compared to the $220 Big
Bertha.
Callaway tour representatives proudly boast five players who have
won for the first time on the tour since they switched to one of
the company's titanium models.
``The impact is huge,'' said Callaway tour representative Evan
Byers, who introduced the club to Goydos and fellow first-time
champions Scott McCarron, Tim Herron and Paul Stankowski. Paul
Azinger also uses the club. ``I introduced Big Bertha five years
ago, and it took off after a couple of months,'' Byers said. ``The
same thing's happening with the new club. It's the hottest thing
going right now.''
Of the five, only Herron - the Honda Classic champion - had been
using the club since last year. McCarron switched the same week he
won the Freeport McDermott Classic.
Stankowski switched the week he won the Louisiana Open on the Nike
Tour, and used it to win his first PGA Tour title, the BellSouth
Classic, last Sunday.
As for the consumer golf market, affordability is something they're
still working on.
``Sure, it's more money, but sales are fantastic,'' Byers said.
``It's like the guy who buys a Mercedes-Benz. He wants the CD
player in there, not an AM radio. That's technology. That's what
the people want. We can't keep them in stock, it's been
phenomenal.''
Contents �1996 by The Augusta Chronicle and Sports Illustrated.
|