Nike Gets “Hot” With 460cc Ignite Driver

Andrew Penner

Posted 2005-04-23

When Tiger steps onto the first tee, squeezes his cheeks together, and goes after one like the rapture is at hand, people like to watch. After all, he’s fairly popular and he hits his ball quite far (and lately, quite straight). Not surprisingly, the 460cc Ignite driver that he’s currently wielding is one hot little tamale.

Fans of the ghoulishly large clubheads should take note of this particular offering from Nike. Not because Tiger beats the hell out of the ball with this weapon, but because this club is long – and very forgiving – even for mere mortals like you.

Nike claims two “milestone advances” in golf club technology with the Ignite drivers (besides the 460cc, there is also a teeny weeny 410cc model). NexTi titanium, which Nike claims is the hottest and strongest titanium ever created, and Around the Crown construction are the two “milestones” that set these drivers apart. These attributes combine to give Mr. Woods a club that, in his words, provides “unequalled control and workability.”

The other day I smacked a few shells with this contraption (the 460cc version) and came away with the warm fuzzies. I found this driver to be one of the most confidence-boosting clubs I’ve ever hit. The ball did go far and, for the most part, stayed on the planet (pretty good for me). The feeling at impact was awesome (toe hits still flew beautifully) and the freakishly-large clubhead made solid strikes an absolute breeze. To top it off, the 65-gram stock shaft that Fujikura specially designed for this club performs beautifully and, in my opinion, is the real reason why the “workability” factor is so high with this club. And, rest assured, unlike one particular gentleman who goes by the name of “Eldrick Woods,” Nike doesn’t pay me millions for endorsing this nasty weapon. www.nikegolf.com. Nike Ignite drivers have a suggested retail price of $469.