| Puffy,
Congrats on the new clubs, Im glad they're working out for you. Nothing worse than buying a new set, and getting out there swinging, and then it ends up not being what you expected.
By the way, dont know if you've heard yet, but there is a Nike issued recall on ALL SUMO2 drivers. They ordered all stores to IMMEDIATELY pull all units from shelves and send back to Nike for replacements.
You may want to contact the store you bought it from, or NIKE to find out if your needs replacing?
The article:
********************************
By E. Michael Johnson
and Mike Stachura
Golf World
March 16, 2007
Nike Golf will offer replacements of its new, square-shaped Nike Sumo2 driver, due to what it calls an "unauthorized manufacturing variance." Individual golfers will be able to return their current Sumo2 driver for a new, conforming model starting March 26.
In a memorandum sent to Nike's golf professionals and retailers, company president Bob Wood said, "The CT [characteristic time] of a number of drivers fell out of our approved engineering specifications. While the result of this variance is an additional distance benefit of only one to two yards, it lies outside of the parameters as established by the USGA." Wood said the problem was brought to his attention by the USGA in late February, and that the USGA was made aware of the potential problem by a "competitor."
Characteristic Time (CT), which is measured by the so-called "Pendulum test," refers to a driver face's tendency to deform slightly at impact, resulting in improved ballspeed. The USGA and R&A. set a characteristic time limit of 239 microseconds, plus a tolerance of 18 microseconds. This correlates to the previous coefficient of restitution (COR) test and its limit of .822 with a manufacturing tolerance that extended to .830. By comparison, a wooden-headed driver has a COR of about .780. "I don't think anybody can sell a driver made at 239 [CT]," Wood said in a conference call with reporters. "I'd be pulling your leg if I didn't say that we didn't try to get as close as possible to the limit."
In the memorandum to retailers, Wood said, "As it stands today, the USGA doesn't have a published protocol for the ongoing testing of compliant product once in the marketplace. Therefore, Nike Golf is voluntarily conducting a testing and replacement program with the USGA to potentially serve as one model for the industry. We intend to do this in an open and straightforward manner. We expect other manufacturers' products to be tested in the future." The implication being that the USGA should further examine all manufacturers drivers as perhaps there are other clubs in a similar situation.
Conforming versions will be shipped within a month and will have a circular notch on the soleplate indicating that it is USGA conforming. In addition, Nike will provide, via its website or by calling 800-632-6453, the opportunity for consumers to trade in their current Sumo2 driver for the new version starting March 26 and running through April 30. Wood would not reveal how many Sumo2 drivers are currently in the marketplace, nor would he give an estimate on how much the return program would likely cost Nike.
The Sumo2 driver has been used by several PGA Tour players, including K.J. Choi, who won the Chrysler Championship in October with the club in his bag. Wood stressed that all drivers used by Nike's tour staff have been tested for conformance and do, in fact, conform to the Rules of Golf.
The Sumo2 is currently on the USGA's conforming list, and Wood stated that a new version of the club has already been submitted to the USGA and is expected to be on the USGA's new conforming list when it is published on Monday. |