Nike Golf is taking another step forward in its commitment to advanced golf club design and performance by breaking ground for a state-of-the-art research and design facility in Forth Worth, Texas.
When the doors open in mid-2003 the 27,000-square-foot facility will be home to more than 30 employees. From materials research to physical club testing, all of Nike Golf’s club research, design and testing will occur at the facility, to be named at a later date.
“At any given time we have more than 100 club projects in various stages of design and development,” said Tom Stites, Nike Golf’s director of product creation for golf clubs. “With the new facility, we’ll be able to create prototypes of clubs just 40 yards from where we’ll begin testing with Tour pros as well as average golfers. This will speed up our testing and decision-making process, and as a result, we can bring our newest designs to golfers a lot sooner.”
Nike introduced its first golf clubs – forged titanium drivers, blade-style irons and wedges – in the spring of 2002. The company’s new Forged Pro Combo Irons will be available in March and will be followed by Forged Fairway Woods and a number of soon-to-be-announced club projects throughout Spring/Summer 2003.
A large component of the new facility will be an enhanced ability to design and test custom prototype clubs for Nike Golf’s Tour Staff players. The private facility will be located within the public Leonard Golf Links, a world-class public practice facility in Fort Worth, enabling Nike Golf’s research team to invite amateur golfers of all levels to assist in testing.
Nike Golf www.nikegolfeurope.com