Nike Golf Rolls Out New TA2

Press Release

Posted 2003-01-11

On February 1, 2003, golfers will be able to experience the faster core and longer distance of Nike Golf's new TA2 golf ball - the ball that has created a stir across all of the major professional tours this winter with benefits that are driving an unprecedented 60 professional players or more to switch to the TA2 in 2003.

The TA2 (SRP: $40/dozen) is the result of more than three years of testing; feedback from hundreds of golfers after thousands of rounds played; scores of professional tour victories including seven Major Championships; and the magic of the most talented golf ball engineer in the golf industry.

Nike Golf introduced the world to the benefits of solid core technology in 2000 and led the shift away from the wound core ball with the ensuing Tour Accuracy line. Feedback from three years of Tour and amateur play combined with the consistent nature of the Tour Accuracy's solid core led to the creation of Nike Golf's proprietary Snap Velocity Core. This innovative blend of Neodymium-catalyzed Polybutadiene has resulted in the fastest core Nike Golf has ever introduced. It is the heart of the TA2 and what gives it the distance that tour level players demand.

"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," said Stan Grissinger, golf ball category business director for Nike Golf. "We're going into this season with one of the biggest ball stories of the year. That's exciting."

In addition to 36 of 38 members of Nike Golf's 2002 Tour Staff switching to the TA2, more than 40 new players from across the major pro tours will join Nike Golf's Tour Staff and tee up the TA2 in 2003. The newcomers include veterans such as three-time Major winner Nick Faldo, and rising stars such as PGA and European Tour rookie John Morgan, who earned his first cards within eight months of turning pro. Tiger Woods and David Duval will continue to play the golf balls designed specifically for them, the Tour Accuracy TW and Tour Accuracy DD, respectively.

The TA2 is the first major project at Nike Golf for new lead engineer Rock Ishii, who led the initial Tour Accuracy engineering team as a project liaison in 1998. Ishii has earned the respect and trust of the best golfers in the world, including Woods and Duval, and is heralded as some to be the most talented product designer in the industry.

Ishii has created two TA2 models, each designed to respond to a golfers' swing type and launch angle. Golfers can choose from the TA2 LNG or TA2 SPN based upon their preference for a high or mid-level trajectory:

TA2 LNG - Designed for players who prefer a distance ball with a higher trajectory, the TA2 LNG's higher compression and slightly harder cover make it the right distance ball for players with a low-to-mid launch angle. Players expected to use TA2 LNG in '03:

TA2 SPN - Designed for players who prefer a mid-trajectory, wind-boring distance ball with a slightly softer feel and increased responsiveness, the TA2 SPN's lower compression, softer cover and higher dimple pattern make it the right distance ball for golfers with a mid-to-high launch angle. Players expected to use TA2 SPN in '03:

The urethane cover on the TA2, both SPN and LNG is the most durable Nike Golf has ever introduced thanks to a new, proprietary curing process. Injection molding accounts for the seamless cover design creating superior ball flight, extra distance and excellent control.

The mantle, positioned between the cover and the core, consists of a blended polymer for efficient energy transfer. The high density of the TA2's mantle layer assists in reducing side-spin (less tendency to slice) for more accurate shots, less dispersion, and increased overall distance.

Marketing the TA2

In addition to its tremendous presence on the PGA, European, Australian, Japanese, LPGA, and Nationwide Tours, the TA2 will be the ball of choice for the more than 300 club and teaching professionals on Nike Golf's staff around the country. Other sports marketing plans are in motion and will be announced at a later date.

"Our off-season plans were to go after a handful of players, not uncommon for a company that has grown as much as Nike Golf this past year," said Nike Golf global sports marketing director Kel Devlin. "After the ball was introduced in private to a few players, word spread, excitement grew and the number of opportunities before us because of the TA2 was overwhelming, to say the least. It forced us to rethink our 2003 plans and add new resources to support our Tour Staff."

The TA2 will receive marketing support in the forms of in-store POP, print and broadcast advertising, and public relations.