Tommy Armour Unveils New Clubs for '04

Press Release

Posted 2004-02-26

When Gen X Sports acquired Tommy Armour and its related brands three years ago, the golf industry wondered whether the new owners were in it for the long haul. With Toronto-based Gen X having been known as an outfit that often acquired distressed inventory and then sold it off -- delving primarily in recreational equipment with skateboards, snowboards and inline skates -- the questions seemed legitimate.

“I can’t say we knew a whole lot about the golf business when we first came in,” admitted Gen X president John Collins. “But, we liked golf. We did have a background in sports equipment and we were committed to what we saw as an opportunity to build on some established brand names.”

Along with Tommy Armour, the Gen X golf portfolio includes Ram, Zebra and TearDrop, all of whom had been struggling under a succession of owners.

More recently, Tommy Armour and its related brands have strengthened the ownership picture further via a merger of Gen X with Huffy, a major player in the sports equipment realm.

“Huffy is a large corporation, with a solid background and sophisticated operations,” said Collins, now president of Huffy’s Tommy Armour golf division. “By integrating the businesses, and adding resources, the commitment is there to provide quality golf equipment at reasonable prices.”

As an example of its commitment, the company has formed working relationships with noted designer Ralph Maltby and custom putting fitter Todd Sones. Maltby is well known for having developed the Maltby Playability Factor, a scientific formula used by several manufacturers that provides an index of clubhead playability.

“[Maltby and Sones] bring both a legitimacy and an expertise to what we are trying to do,” said John Gutelius, V.P. of marketing.

Methodically, Tommy Armour Golf has been growing its portfolio, building on its popular 845 iron series and bringing forth new clubs each year. For 2004, the company is introducing a new iron model, the 845cs SilverBack, along with a 400cc version of its 845 Forged Persimmon driver, counterpart fairway woods, a SilverBack set of women’s clubs and a unique trouble wood called the 845 Sickle.

In testing under demo conditions, the new driver and the 845 Sickle notably received extremely high praise from a cross-section of amateur players.

Here’s a closer look at the latest from Tommy Armour.

DRIVER, FAIRWAY WOODS
First off, the name Persimmon is a misnomer. There is no wood in Tommy Armour’s drivers, which are made from forged beta titanium.. But, the look and color are reminiscent of a traditional persimmon head.

The 400cc model follows last year’s launch of a 350cc driver. The new driver features weight strategically located at the rear of the clubhead and a slightly higher center of gravity meant to provide distance and workability, along with a bore-through shaft for added stability.

Testers credited the driver for its looks, set-up, ease of swing, seeming wide sweet spot and trajectory off the tee, along with a value-priced positioning.

Available in lofts of 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degrees, suggested retail price is $249.99.

An accompanying array of 845 Metal Persimmon fairway woods comes in strong 3, regular 3, plus Nos. 5 and 7. The look is similar to the driver, along with features such as a bore-through shaft, slightly larger head, beveled leading edge and continual heel-to-toe radius sole meant to reduce ground interference and enhance playability.

Suggested retail price for the fairway woods is $129.99 each.

845 SICKLE
Tommy Armour's 845 Sickle features a 24-degree face loft. This unique club received raved reviews in testing. Designed for serious players of all skill levels, the 845 Sickle features 24 degrees of loft, a minimum sole area with five degrees of bounce angle to help prevent digging and bouncing through impact. Further, there’s a knife-edge with dual runners to help propel the club through deeper grass and sand.

An extremely low center of gravity, along with thin-shell technology, a 45-gram tungsten sole weight and a mid-sized face help deliver a high-lofted approach.

Our testers raved about the Sickle for its ease of swing, lack of mis-hits, and distance and trajectory achieved.

Suggested retail price is $130.

IRONS
Based on the Maltby Playability Factor, Tommy Armour’s new 845cs SilverBack irons fit into the “Super Game Improvement” category.

These cast, cavityback clubs feature a traditional look, perimeter weighting and slightly longer blade.

The addition of the 845cs model brings the Armour catalog of iron sets up to four, joining the forged muscleback 845m, forged cavityback 845c and dual cavityback 845u.

Suggested retail price for a nine-piece set of the 845cs SilverBack irons, which starts at No. 3 and includes a sand wedge, is a thrifty $399 with steel shafts.

WOMEN’S CLUBS
The complete line of new Tommy Armour women’s clubs includes a 350cc SilverBack Forged Ti driver, SilverBack Metal fairway woods and 845w SilverBack irons.

The irons, which come 5-SW, feature a wider, blended sole with increased bounce and a longer blade to help prevent digging into the ground. The slightly lower blade profile and low center of gravity help improve shot trajectory. The set rates “Ultra Game Improvement,” per the Maltby Playability Factor.

“This is a line of clubs specifically designed for a woman’s swing characteristics that also fits the 845 playability criteria,” said Gutelius.

Complete with soft-flex UST graphite shafts and Winn Tour Series grips, suggested retail price for a set (5-SW) of 845w irons is $399.99. List price for the Ti driver, with 12-degree loft, is $199.99, while list price for the Metal fairway woods, Nos. 3, 5, 7 and 9, is $99.99 each.