Abu Dhabi: With three sole grinds made from the hands of Master Craftsman Mike Taylor, the new Nike Golf Engage wedges are the newest solution to help athletes such as Rory McIlroy both score and escape adverse conditions on the course.
The name Engage comes from three important interactions between the golf club and the turf, the club face and the golf ball and the connection between the athlete and his or her equipment.
“To me, they perform really well from the rough around the greens,” said world number one. “The ball seems to consistently get up easier and land softer.”
McIlroy debuted the wedges at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, putting a Nike Engage 59-degree wedge into play. He finished runner-up.
To better engage the club, ball and athlete, Nike engineers followed a similar design that is utilised in the Nike Vapor family of clubs, Modern Muscle.
Modern Muscle shifts the centre of gravity to promote stability and consistent turf interaction in even the worst of playing conditions.
McIlroy was one of the Nike athletes who tested the new wedge design and provided valuable feedback to Taylor and the Nike club team during the product development process.
The Nike Engage wedges are available in three distinct sole grinds: Toe Dual Sole, Square Sole and Toe Sweep.
“Our aim in offering three sole grinds allows athletes to be more purposeful when selecting their wedges,” said Matt Plumb, Product Line Manager for Woods and Short Game.
“Each of these three sole grinds, which are driven by our experience working with our athletes around the world, provide a distinct advantage in the types of shots you can play with them. We work with athletes to maximise their performance by selecting a combination of lofts and grinds that suits the needs of their golf DNA.”
The Square Sole was designed to be played with a squared-up club face while the Dual Sole offers two distinctive surfaces for a wide range of shots. The Dual Sole is inspired by grinds used by Tiger Woods and McIlroy.
The second-generation Toe Sweep grind maintains its superior performance as the best wedge from the worst lie on the course while improving versatility on tight lies. The wide toe and narrow heel width allow the club to be laid open at address and stay open through impact in even the deepest of grass.
The Nike Engage wedges are precision milled with X3X grooves to deliver maximum spin on full shots. The grooves have more volume and sharper edges to deliver a more consistent shot in any condition as well as a more consistent ball flight.
The precision milling process that makes the X3X grooves is offered for the first time with the Engage Wedges.
Based on athlete feedback and testing, the Engage wedges will all utilise an athlete-authentic raw finish instead of chrome plating. The finish will reduce glare as well as increase surface roughness to improve spin and control.
The Nike Engage Wedges will be available in April.
Nike Golf is a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.