Nakashima Golf NP-1 Titanium Driver

Nakashima Golf's NP-1 titanium driver has been wowing golf gearheads since its introduction early in 2004. Did it wow the golfers who played it during testing for us? You might say that. Our crew found the 420cc NP-1 to be long and straight, and - not to get too wimpy on you - pretty to boot. The Nakashima NP-1 titanium driver plays as good as it looks.

Nakashima Golf - simply "Nak" to its many fans - is a "boutique foundry" launched by golf club designer John Nakashima. In a Q&A posted on the Nakashima website, Mr. Nakashima is asked what separates his woods from those of other golf club manufacturers.

"Our attention to detail in the following three criteria: performance, beauty, and craftsmanship," Nakashima replied. "One example is our 'true loft' system on all our titanium drivers. We CNC mill the loft number after completion of the heads. This gives the golfers the most accurate loft in the industry. No one else has the level of quality control that Nakashima has."

Nakashima Golf offers two version of the NP-1 driver, a 420cc model and 380cc model; the NP-1 Fairway Metal; and the NP-R Utility Metal.

The company provided About.com Golf with its 420cc NP-1 titanium driver in 10 degrees, outfitted with a stiff Accuflex Icon v.2 shaft.

The deep-faced driver sets up nicely and doesn't appear so large at address thanks to its classic pear shape. It's a very attractive club with its shape and black finish, plus a shiny, embossed "N," the company logo, on the crown.

Nakashima's woods all feature the "true loft" system mentioned above, which the company says ensures its clubs' lie and loft angles are within a tolerance of 0.5 degrees.

The face insert is forged through the company's proprietary "Super Micro Grain" forging process that ensures uniformity throughout the face, then is welded onto the body for a 2-piece construction. Having just two pieces - rather than three or four - keeps welding to a minimum, helping stanch the loss of energy at impact. Such high structural integrity facilitates a great energy transfer to the ball.

And the variable face thickness allows Nakashima to expand the sweet spot in the NP-1, which checks in with the legal limit of .830 COR.

In our play, the NP-1 produced a nice, high trajectory with plenty of carry for above-average distance. The ball really jumps off the face, and on off-center hits (we know those all too well) maintains a good performance. The NP-1 was enjoyed for its distance and also praised for its forgiveness.

The Nakashima NP-1 produces a very solid feel at impact, but the only consistent criticism of the club was its unusual sound at impact. It's difficult to describe, but imagine a driver that produces the typical high-pitched ping of a metal wood being struck under water. Of course, the sound of a driver isn't going to scare anyone away if the driver is otherwise top-notch, and the NP-1 certainly is.

The 420cc NP-1 titanium driver comes in 8, 9, 10 and 12 degree lofted versions, 45 inches in length with the stock NP-65 shaft (44 inches for the ladies flex). The 380cc model comes in 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 lofts.

The MSRP for the Nakashima NP-1 titanium driver is $399.