Nike follows the trend with latest grooved putter
In a totally predictable move, Nike has just released it’s new Method putter which is grooved to promote forward roll straight off the face.
The idea is not new but is definitely a good one. GEL and Yes! Putters to name a few have had similar products on the market for years and it’s a sign of things to come.
The idea is simple, add grooves to a putter in the right way and it causes the ball to roll almost instantly off the face instead of back-spinning (which makes it more difficult to judge distance). All in all, it’s a great idea that really works. See our previous article for more information.
Nike’s new product is made from combined steel and polymer in multiple ways to accomplish the polymetal groove technology. The revolutionary and visibly distinctive polymetal groove technology is influential in creating a faster forward roll after impact for the kind of accuracy and consistency that is craved by Tour professionals.
Used as a prototype putter by Nike athletes Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink when they won the 2009 U.S. Open and The OPEN Championship, respectively, the new Nike METHOD will officially be available in the market on February 1, 2010.
I’d love to see one of these putters compared to one of the GEL or Yes! ranges to see how it compares in terms of roll. The outcome would be very interesting as both have patented their ideas!
Since switching to the Nike METHOD, U.S. Open champion Glover’s putts-per-round ranking has significantly improved from 116th in 2008 to T45th in 2009.
“This putter has made all of the difference in my game,” said Glover. “I attribute a lot of the success I had at Bethpage to my putting. I give a lot of credit to Nike for coming out with such a great product.”
Paul Casey, who was the first player to win with the Nike METHOD this year – twice on the PGA European Tour and once on the PGA Tour — has improved 43 spots in his putts per round ranking.
“I fell in love with this putter the first time I putted with it,” said Casey, who first put it in his bag last fall. “You can really feel the difference in how the ball comes off of the face and you can see the difference in how it rolls. It’s really helped me with my confidence on the greens.”
“It’s quite rewarding to see our athletes succeed with our products,” said Tom Stites, director of club creation for Nike Golf. “We knew we had something good when we watched how our athletes reacted to how their ball rolled after impact.”
For increased Moment of Inertia (MOI) and added stability, a ported polymetal groove technology allows 30 grams of internal weight to be excavated from the face and body and relocated to the perimeter.
In addition to Glover, Cink and Casey, Nike athletes Justin Leonard and Stephen Ames also switched to the new Nike METHOD putter.
The new Nike METHOD putter (£160, €210, SEK 1995) will be available in five models, four of which are traditional blade designs, and one is a mallet.
Blades: METHOD 001, METHOD 002, METHOD 003, METHOD 004
Mallet: METHOD 005
I’ll have to get hold of one and do a complete review. Nike certainly has the deep pockets to R&D something of quality. But at the end of the day, it’s probably just for show – Nike golf doesn’t make any money on anything but their apparel. But we’ll see how this one takes off…