One of Nike's newbies, the Nike Precision Power Distance Super-Soft, has been on the market since November, 2002. The other, the Nike TA2, goes to market in February, 2003.
The Super Soft is the fourth ball in Nike's Precision Power Distance series (the others are Ti-Velocity, Full-Speed and Hi-Launch) and aims squarely at the turf long held by Top-Flite and Pinnacle: Inexpensive distance balls for the recreational player.
But Nike Golf says that the Super-Soft provides enough feel for better players, too.
It accomplishes that by using cover materials that produce a hardness Nike calls "super low," and by featuring the lowest compression - 70 - of any Nike golf ball.
"Soft and long off the tee with the feel you want around the green ... it's just super," said Stan Grissinger, category business director for Nike Golf's ball category. "We saw the growing soft-ball phenomenon among golfers, and responded with what we feel will be the longest ball in the category."
The Super-Soft is designed for smooth swingers who want extra feel without sacrificing distance and has an MSRP of $20 per dozen - squarely in the same price market with Pinnacle and Top-Flite.
The TA2, the result of more than three years of testing, is already drawing legions of professionals. According to Nike, 60 pros or more are expected to switch to the TA2 for the 2003 pro seasons.
Nike Golf's proprietary "Snap Velocity Core" - which is a blend of Neodymium-catalyzed Polybutadiene (got that?) - has resulted in the fastest core Nike Golf has ever introduced.
"From an engineering perspective we knew we had created our longest ball, to date, but I don't think anyone was prepared for the response the ball received from the men and women playing on the world's pro tours," Grissinger said. "We're going into this season with one of the biggest ball stories of the year. That's exciting."
There are two TA2 models - the TA2 SPN and TA2 LNG. The LNG model has a higher compression and slightly harder cover for players with a low-to-mid launch angle.
The SPN has a lower compression and softer cover, and a dimple pattern designed for golfers with a mid-to-high launch angle seeking a mid-trajectory, wind-boring distance ball.
Nike says the urethane covers on each model are the most durable it has used.
The TA2 sports an MSRP of $40 per dozen.
