Nike FootJoy Announce New Gear

SLINGSHOT PART DEUX: The next generation of Nike’s Slingshot irons, which raised golf industry eyebrows with its distinctive weight strip along the back, are ready.

The Slingshot OSS model features a thin cryosteel face, says Nike, which allows for 29 grams (slightly more than an ounce) of weight to be placed further back.

That results in a lower center of gravity, allowing players to get the ball up in the air easier. The center of gravity shifts upward a tiny bit in each club as the set moves into the shor irons, which helps ‘calibrate’ trajectory, as Nike engineers put it.

Also, the longer irons have more weight in the heel, which will help players square the clubface on longer shots, Nike says. The wide sole, called the Dual Glide, smooths the through-the-grass transition, Nike says.

Look for the clubs in stores Nov. 1. Suggested retail for the 4-through-A-Wedge set will be $799 with steel shafts (True Temper Speed Step Light/Constant Weight) and $899 with graphite (iDiamana-cw Light/Constant Weight by Mitsubishi Rayon).

FOOTJOY 2005-06 WOMEN’S LINE UNVEILED: Ten new styles -- eight with cleats, two spikeless -- make up FootJoy’s new Estate Collection for women.

The market-leading golf shoe company, which is a unit of Acushnet, also owner of Titleist, Cobra and Pinnacle, says the goal was to offer distinctive styles in a fully functional shoe line.

Twenty-six of FootJoy’s 32 total styles are new for 2005-06.

The Estates will be in stores October 1 and will carry a suggested retail price of $160. The popular Contour and Lo Pro lines will continue into next year.

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