Customizable wedges available in five lofts, two new finishes
Fairhaven, MA (July 1, 2010) - Building upon the proven product and performance success that has made Vokey Design Spin Milled Wedges the most played at every level of competitive golf, Titleist introduces its new WedgeWorks Exclusives line.
WedgeWorks is a high performance custom shop where Master Craftsman Bob Vokey and his team of artisans design and build wedges for everyone from PGA TOUR players to avid wedge enthusiasts. Each personalized creation is one-of-a-kind, custom-engraved, hand-stamped and built at WedgeWorks in Carlsbad, Calif.
The new WedgeWorks Exclusives line features the tournament proven Vokey Tour Van Design (TVD) sole and pre-2010 Spin Milled grooves. Condition of Competition (C-C) wedges will be available in the WedgeWorks Exclusives line beginning in September. Two distinctive new finishes - Bright Brushed Chrome and Oil Can Zero - were created specifically for WedgeWorks Exclusives. Every WedgeWorks Exclusives club is custom and personalized - from length, lie and loft, to toe engraving, paintfill, grips, shafts and shaftbands.
"WedgeWorks is a life-long dream come true," said Vokey. "Wedges are personal. The Exclusives line allows avid Vokey enthusiasts an opportunity make the wedges their own."
The Vokey TVD features a crescent shaped sole and moderate camber. This allows the wedge to easily pivot around its center for versatility and shot making. Due to its moderate effective bounce, the TVD is a great all around wedge for a variety of playing conditions. Vokey TVD wedges are also the only wedges in the Vokey Design lineup that feature a Tour grind in lower lofts, beginning at 52 degrees and increasing to 60 degrees in two degree increments. A great wedge also deserves a great shaft, which is why WedgeWorks Exclusives will feature a high performance shaft matrix, including True Temper's Dynamic Gold, Tour Issue and Project X, as well as the KBS Tour in steel and black nickel. Shafts can be labeled with specifically designed WedgeWorks shaft bands.
The personalization options available on WedgeWorks Exclusives are virtually endless. Three different hand-stamp styles (straight, freestyle, snow) in up to eight letters and/or numbers; 20 different paintfill colors; and 40 different toe engraving combinations from which to choose. Finally, WedgeWorks Exclusives will offer BV grips in a variety of textures and colors to match the player's look and feel preferences. Among the grips available are the New Decade Multi-Compound and full cord Golf Pride Tour Velvet, as well as ribbed and .600 diameter options. BV Custom grips are available only through WedgeWorks.
"Bob Vokey built his reputation on providing golfers the best short game tools in the world to help them achieve the lowest scores," said Steve Pelisek, General Manager, Titleist Golf Clubs. "The new WedgeWorks Exclusives provide golfers a Tour-inspired and Tour-validated Vokey TVD Spin Milled wedge with all of the custom options usually reserved for the best players in the world."
Availability and Price The new WedgeWorks Exclusives will be available through www.Vokey.com beginning July 15. Condition of Competition models will be available in the Fall.
The base retail price before personalization for all models is $150.
The legal tussle between the Acushnet Company and Callaway over patent rights involved in the ProV1 golf ball have taken another interesting turn. Understand that this topic is strictly about money, which Bloomberg pegged Callaway wanted $246 million in damages.
The jury went to deliberations on Friday and rendered its decision today. It found in favor of the Acushnet Company that the patents in question, owned by Callaway, are invalid, which in turn is the basis for Callaway’s case over its pursuit of damages.
“We are extremely pleased with the court’s decision, and we hope that this finally brings this long standing dispute to a close,” said Joe Nauman, Executive Vice President, Corporate and Legal, Acushnet Company. “We have explained throughout this process that Acushnet independently developed the technology in question. The Titleist Pro V1 family utilizes technology from 74 Acushnet patents and was first introduced to our PGA TOUR players in October 2000; well before any of the Spalding patents were issued in 2001 and 2003. We appreciate the jury’s careful consideration of the facts and the time they devoted to these proceedings.
This verdict affirms our view that all claims in these patents are invalid – just as the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) has repeatedly found.” Callaway sued in 2006 over claims Acushnet infringed patents for multilayered golf balls. A jury ruled in December of 2007 that three of the patents were valid and one was partly valid.
In January 2006, before Callaway filed this litigation, Acushnet petitioned the PTO to reexamine the four patents in the suit. Since then, the PTO has repeatedly found that all claims of all four patents are invalid. During this process, seven separate PTO examiners were involved in evaluating the validity of these patents and all seven concluded that they are invalid, Acushnet said.
"We are disappointed with the jury's verdict, particularly in light of the fact that it is contrary to the prior victory we obtained on these same patents back in December 2007 and is inconsistent with the great weight of the evidence. We plan to file a motion with the court to set aside the verdict," stated Steve McCracken, Chief Administrative Officer, Callaway Golf.
With the official showing to the public of the new Titleist VG3 driver at the Golf Fair this weekend here in Japan, I thought I would go into a bit more detail on what will most likely turn out to be one of the most in demand drivers of 2010.
Titleist has long been known as a brand made for the better golfer and professional player. Titleist however wants the golfing world to know that it not only makes the best clubs for the better player but also for any golfer who demands the highest in quality and performance. To help support this point, Titleist Japan and Titleist America joined forces to develop a new concept driver specifically designed with the Japanese market golfer in mind, and the idea of hitting it long and straight.
For many years, Titleist has been accumulating data about golfers head speed, age, distance etc. They came to the conclusion for this new design that this driver should provide the best performance at an average club head speed (40 - 43 m/s), unlike previous Titleist Drivers which were made for faster swinging and better players. Tileist Japan's development team with joint cooperation from Titleist America sought to create a high performance Titleist driver with a focus on flying distance.
The VG3 was actually in development for almost a year and, through constant testing, and trial and error, Titleist created a driver with a Variable Gravity and CG position based on loft that would maximize the ability for the driver to grab the ball with clean impact creating maximum distance. The new Variable Gravity 3 or VG3 was born.
Without changing the head shape or size, Titleist alters the center of gravity on each loft (9, 10 and 11*) using two weight plates towards the back heel of the driver. The weight plates on the sole were designed to look like the tips of two Japanese swords pointing at one another. As you can see from the different positioning of the weights, the 9* is towards the heel but more forward creating a smaller gravity angle and a shallower CG point. While heel weight typically promotes a draw in this case it actually aids to battle the left side as the shorter gravity angle does not rotate square as fast as a larger one. The 10* places more weight further back to increase the gravity angle and push CG back but not as far as the 11* which is the high launch max carry model of the 3 with the CG back and big gravity angle that squares the face quickly for those slicers or those looking for a draw ball.
The sweet spot was also designed to match the typical strike pattern of the average Japanese golfer. Using the date Titleist Japan collected over years from hundreds of average golfers, they determined that by widening the sweet spot towards the heel lower, this increased the smash factor of the balls hit off center. The weighting coupled with the sweet spot allow average golfers to maximize distance, in other words, straight with optimal spin and carry.
Titleist did not stop there as they know as well as anyone that a good shaft contributes to a good club so they worked to creat 3 stock shaft offers that will suit players looking for different kinds of trajectories and styles of ball flight. The Yellow line in the chart represents the Motore 5.0 which is made for a draw ball and a distance focus. The red line represents the VG50 shaft made for high launch and max carry for those who have trouble getting the ball in the air or simply want to carry it as far as possible. The blue line is the VG60 which is the heaviest and lowest torque stock shaft and produces a lower more penetrating flight with a focus on control.
A large part of the development of the VG3 was Nobuo Serizawa, a 5 time winner on the Japanese tour and well known contributor to many golf publications when it comes to lessons and swing tips for average golfers. He is the spokesperson for the new VG3 line and took part in all the development and testing as a consultant and tester. Check out the promo video from Titleist for the new VG3 driver which features Serizawa in the US testing the driver and commenting on its performance as well as Dan Stone, VP Club R&D making comments on the driver.
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So how does it feel and perform? We were unable to really test performance as we had to hit indoors at the show in hitting bays so performance tests will come when I get a demo from Titleist in coming weeks. Feel however is superb. This driver is premium forged titanium and a multi piece laser welded head with forged cup face. Just these characteristics alone plus the soft feel make me suspect that this Japanese built driver could be made at Endo especially with a history of Titleist manufacturing at Endo. As with all premium forged drivers in Japan, they come with a price tag that surprise many who don't know the Japanese market. Titleist has set the MSRP of the VG3 at around 850.00US based on the current Yen and USD exchange rate (we've tried to price it lower at 729.00). While this is the average price for a premium driver in Japan, I am sure most Titleist users are not used to this kind of cash for a driver. I guess we have to think of it as a tour quality premium made driver as a lot of people do consider when they purchase Japanese gear.
Fairhaven, MA (January 26, 2009) - Titleist, manufacturer of the #1 ball in golf and the industry leader in golf ball technology, complements its 2010 product line with the launch of the New DT SoLo. Delivering soft feel, long distance and cut-proof durability along with the exceptional quality that golfers have come to expect from the golf ball category leader, the DT SoLo is reinforced by the positioning - Distance Never Felt So Good.
"The New Titleist DT SoLo provides golfers of varying abilities with soft compression solid technology which delivers a balanced solution for distance, durability and soft feel, as well as short game control,'' said George Sine, Vice President, Golf Ball Marketing and Strategic Planning, Acushnet Company. "Based upon golfer feedback from DT loyalists, we have streamlined our DT golf ball offerings to a single model that delivers a better playing experience for golfers and makes selection easier."
NEW DT SOLO FEATURES AND BENEFITS: The New DT SoLo provides golfers with an improved and balanced combination of long distance off the driver and irons, exceptional feel on all shots, and better short game spin and control compared to most other two-piece distance balls. The New DT SoLo will include a high visibility A.I.M. (Alignment Integrated Marking) sidestamp to assist in alignment off the tee and in lining up putts.
• Large (1.585"), solid, high velocity core formulation, with a soft overall compression. • Soft, durable Ionomer cover blend with a 392 Icosahedral dimple design and Staggered Wave parting line. • High visibility A.I.M. (Alignment Integrated Marking) sidestamp assists in alignment at address off the tee and when putting. • Cut-proof guarantee.
"The technological advancements of the New DT SoLo reinforce our on-going commitment to provide golfers of all playing abilities with golf ball performance choices that enable them to shoot lower scores," commented Sine.
AVAILABILITY: The New DT SoLo will retain its long-standing and distinctive red packaging. Available in the traditional 3-ball sleeve and dozen configurations, as well as a single ball launch display, the New DT SoLo will begin shipping on February 1, 2010 with a suggested retail price of $28.00 per dozen ($19.99 MAP).
Titleist Advances Technology Leadership Position With Introduction Of New NXT Tour And NXT Golf Balls
Two New Ways To Go Low
Fairhaven, MA (January 26, 2010) - Titleist, the #1 ball in golf, introduces the most advanced generation of its NXT franchise yet with the new multi-layer NXT Tour and new solid technology NXT.
"The New NXT Tour and New NXT deliver even higher performance and longer distance, further establishing each model as benchmarks in their respective categories," said George Sine, Vice President, Golf Ball Marketing and Strategic Planning, Acushnet Company. "Based upon comprehensive machine testing, as well as positive feedback captured during player testing with current NXT family loyalists and competitive golf ball users, we have delivered two exciting new ways for golfers to lower their scores."
NEW NXT TOUR: Utilizing advanced multi-layer technology, the New NXT Tour will be longer off the driver and long irons for most golfers, while delivering consistent shot-stopping greenside control, soft feel on all shots and outstanding durability. • Large, faster 1.58" dual core, multi-layer design provides longer distance and soft feel on all shots. • Soft, thin, more durable Fusablend cover contributes to soft feel and exceptional control into and around the green. • Conversion to a low-count, high-coverage Tour-proven 332 Icosahedral dimple pattern in seven different sizes combined with a Staggered Wave parting line contributes to enhanced aerodynamics and longer distance off the driver and long irons. • Tour-validated A.I.M. (Alignment Integrated Marking) sidestamp assists in alignment at address off the tee, as well as when putting.
"The new, advanced design of the NXT Tour offers an outstanding balance of overall high performance and control," said Bill Morgan, Senior Vice President, Golf Ball Research & Development, Acushnet Company. "The New NXT Tour pushes the envelope of advanced multi-layer solid core technology, delivering longer distance, soft feel and shot-stopping spin."
NEW NXT: The newly designed NXT replaces the NXT Extreme, and improves upon its predecessor's promise of extreme distance and straight ball flight. With high speed and low spin, the NXT provides the straightest flight within the Titleist golf ball family, and is also the most durable Titleist golf ball.
• Large and fast 1.575" solid core provides high velocity for extreme distance. • Ionomer cover contributes to low spin on all shots for long, straight distance. • Higher coverage 332 Icosahedral multi-dimple pattern combined with a Staggered Wave parting line contributes to enhanced aerodynamics. • A.I.M. (Alignment Integrated Marking) sidestamp assists in alignment at address off the tee and while putting. • Cut-proof cover durability.
"The New NXT strengthens Titleist's leadership position within the solid technology segment," said Sine. "The New NXT has been designed to deliver best in category distance, straight flight and durability."
AVAILABILITY: The New NXT Tour and NXT golf balls will be sold in traditional dozens and three-ball sleeves and will be supported by extensive introductory sampling initiatives.
Shipments will commence on February 1, 2010. The suggested retail price of the New NXT Tour will be $40.00 per dozen ($29.99 MAP), while the New NXT will carry a suggested retail price of $34.00 per dozen ($25.99 MAP).
