Sonartec NP-99 Fairway Woods

Sonartec's NP-99 Fairway Woods - named in honor of Nick Price, long a player of Sonartec clubs - continue the company's great track record for creating top-notch fairway woods.

Pros

Cons

That the NP-99 is a great fairway wood shouldn't be surprising, for two reasons. First, it's made by Sonartec, whose fairway woods are never anything but great. Second, it's the exact same club that Nick Price plays on the PGA Tour.

The NP-99, in fact, is named after Price, a Sonartec professional and adviser to the company. The "99" refers to Price's status as the 99th golfer inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The release of the NP-99 was announced in late 2003, and the club should be available in golf shops by March, 2004. It will carry an MSRP of $339.

The NP-99 falls between Sonartec's SS-02 and SS-03 in style, that is, the clubhead is termed "mid/deep;" it features more surface area on the face to help better players get more workability.

But it also features Sonartec's patented Driving Cavity, along with a horseshoe-shaped weight around the rear of the clubhead and sole plate. That combo moves the center of gravity deep, expands the sweet spot and helps golfers achieve a high, flat trajectory.

When the club was announced last year, Sonartec president Toru Kamatari said: "The NP-99 is the exact club Nick Price has been playing every week. We have had many players use this prototype model on the PGA Tour this year, and the response has been overwhelming. I believe it is a perfect tribute to Nick and his Hall of Fame achievements to name a club after him."

We agree.