USGA approves a new Nike driver to replace the nonconforming one
Nike President Bob Wood said the USGA notified the company in February there might be a problem.
03.19.2007 11:04 pm (ET)
BEAVERTON, Ore. (AP) -- The U.S. Golf Association approved new drivers from Nike on Monday to replace some Sumo Squared Drivers that did not meet the organization's regulations.
Nike Golf announced last week that some of its square-shaped drivers had excessive "characteristic time" -- which means that the drivers stayed in contact with the ball too long.
Characteristic Time (CT) measures in microseconds how long the ball stays on the club during impact. The USGA created the test to measure the trampoline effect in drivers, and the PGA Tour has adopted it for competition. Starting in 2004, the tour allowed players to voluntarily have their drivers tested to make sure they conform, but only a small number did.
Nike said consumers had from March 26 to April 30 to ask for a replacement driver. He declined to say how many Sumo Squared drivers the company had shipped to retailers.
Nike President Bob Wood said the USGA notified the company in February there might be a problem. He said Nike conducted its own investigation and found that during production of the drivers for consumers in the United States, Canada and Europe, a variance occurred that made the club fall narrowly outside the specifications.
Wood said a competitor told the USGA of potential problems with the Nike club, but he did not identify the company.
Nike said none of its PGA Tour staff was using the square-shaped driver that exceeded a measurement called "characteristic time" because their clubs are handled at a different facility.
Tiger Woods has never used that model in competition.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
USGA approves a new Nike driver to replace the nonconforming one
USGA approves a new Nike driver
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