Brand History #3

Nike's first iron has made its debut as a muscleback.

When Tiger Woods made the transition from Titleist to Nike, the first set of irons he picked up were challenging flatback irons.
Despite their initial difficulty, their simple and timeless design gained popularity and attracted more users. However, due to their level of difficulty, many individuals eventually gave up using them.

Nike's first driver began right here.

Released two models: 275cc and 350cc.
The Japanese specification model, in contrast to the US-compliant version, was introduced as a high-rebound model featuring an X-face.

David Duval, who was a major champion and had a strong performance at the time, also actively participated in the development, and they released irons with a new concept called 'customized by club' design.

The long irons featured a full cavity design, while the short irons had musclebacks, making it a groundbreaking iron set at the time.

Introducing AIR technology into golf clubs as well.

It is designed to make it easier to hit the ball squarely by placing the center of gravity on the AIR portion on the back of the face, rather than at the center of the face.
NIKE became synonymous with overcoming difficulty,representing a prominent model.

The first Hybrid club from Nike, developed for average golfers, much like the SLING SHOT irons.

CPR stands for "Clubs for Prevention And Recovery," signifying clubs that inspire a determined attitude to tackle challenging situations with confidence.

Nike released its first putter.

The term "blue chip" refers to the blue insert area on the clubface.
By using 6061 aluminum material, the club has been lightweighted, and by redistributing excess weight to the toe and heel, it has improved the moment of inertia, resulting in reduced mishits.

Sasquatch refers to a model that, similar to the Bigfoot of UMA (Unidentified Mysterious Animals) lore, achieves a high-rebound area that was previously unattainable with conventional drivers.

The unique geometry of the newly designed Power Bow (head width face length) ratio allows for the expansion of the high-rebound area by shifting the center of gravity rearward.

DFI is an abbreviation for "Distance Force Injection," which means injecting power for increased distance.

Nike's first carbon composite driver had a catalog featuring a model used by Shingo Katayama called the T460.
However, it garnered attention for a different reason as it was canceled before release due to quality standards not being met.

SUMO is an abbreviation for "Super Moment," representing the remarkable moment of inertia (5300 g·cm²) achieved with a square-shaped head design, which gained attention for its exceptional straightness even on off-center hits.

Due to its distinctive head shape, there were mixed opinions about the sound it produced, resembling a hit with a metal bat. This aspect generated separate discussions apart from the performance evaluation.

Nike has been involved in crafting Tiger Woods' clubs for over six years now.

After consulting with Tiger Woods, three models were created: blade irons, half cavity irons, and full cavity irons.
It is said to be named 'Victory Red' because Tiger Woods wears a red shirt on the final day of tournaments when he secures victory.

Nike released its first driver featuring a click-and-lock mechanism. The STR 8Fit allowed for up to eight different combinations of face angle and lie angle adjustments.

DYMO is an abbreviation for "Dynamic Moment," and it represents a dedicated design approach that alters inertia moment, center of gravity position, and face height for different lofts to optimize ball launch angle and spin rate.

HIGH SPEED CAVITY BACK technology is the world's first driver to feature a cavity back design in a driver.

The weight wall positioned closer to the face absorbs impact power, resulting in enhanced straightness and distance.
The STR-8FIT function has evolved into a new feature called 'FLEXLOFT,' allowing independent adjustments of loft in five settings and face angle in three settings.

Three types of irons were released to match golfers' skills.

In the cavity section of the non-Pro Combo and Speed Irons, a material called RZN (Resin), also used in golf balls, is incorporated. It absorbs impact and delivers a sensation akin to that of a muscle back.
It also gained attention for adopting neon yellow for all clubs.

The VAPORFLY series, featuring unconventional color combinations, marked Nike Golf's final line of clubs.
Nike Golf announced its withdrawal from golf club manufacturing in 2016.

Ironically, after that, Nike's clubs became available only through the second-hand market, leading to a surge in popularity for Nike clubs in the used club market.