Jack Nicklaus to sell golf balls

[NJGolf28]

Just saw a quick blip of this on tv. I could not find anything online so I apologize but apparently is unveiling 3 different types of golf balls. White, Blue, Black to be played by those who would play those tees at their course I guess. Very interesting considering his stance against the modern golf ball. I wish I had more info for you guys but I am sure somewhere here knows something!!

 

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/blogs/local-knowledge/2013/09/jack-nicklaus-to-introduce-his-own-brand-of-golf-balls.html

 

[jdmorris1980]

Stay away from the blue ones.

[erikro]

I already have blue balls

[lumberman2462]

What do you play if there are red and yellow tees? Titleist?

[Doc420]

Since he talks about nothing except rolling the ball back, he might be the last person that I would try a ball from.

[richard t]

What? If you play the shorter tee the ball goes further for you. Or the other way around. Jack, I love you. Always have. Stick to building golf courses. 'Play It Forward' and 'While We're Young' are great ideas, but words falling on deaf ears. ( Those it was meant for) I wish someone would just make a ball that goes 350 yds straight as an arrow and spins like a hippie's head. The end of slow play, distance gouging, everyone plays one set of tees. Tell the USGA/OEMs to stuff it. Then what problems would we face? Oh, and build golf clubs where you speak into the shaft and say, ' nice soft draw/fade, 265 out and roll 33.26 yds. Thank you. Why give a #$%& about skill! Why bring that into it? Sorry for the rant. Going tomorrow around 6AM. Going to have a ball. Me and my clubs, whatever tees I choose ( different ones on different holes to play 6300 yds) and just enjoy myself. Hit it 230 off the tee or 275 makes no difference. Going to play one par 4 that is 415yds. I'm going over the pond, as usual,land on the slope and have 80-90 yds to the green. Then tell anyone who will listen- " damn right, I drove that sucker 325 yds! They'll all laugh and say, "#7, right?"

[Froth]

I honestly don't get his thinking with the line of balls he's going to make - Personally, I bet this causes more problems than anything, why is it necessary to define a golfers skill level off the tee box he or she plays? Will they be ridiculed for not also offering a yellow and red version for seniors and women? This is going to add fuel to the fire for the people who already play the incorrect tee boxes for their skill level. Now, not only is there going to be a group of people playing off the blue or black tees that doesn't belong there...they may also be playing a ball that doesn't come close to fitting their game or swing speed. Bad marketing idea, in my opinion.

[Krt22]

The real question is, will they come with cool bear logos, and will the bears be ferocious looking or cute and cuddly?

[TML]

isn't jack the one talking about how much time he wants to spend with family? Isn't it time he actually practiced what he preached?

[richard t]

Froth, I'm sure the great man has that covered, but I certainly agree with you. Seems like this will just add fuel to the fire. I can hear it now, "well, I'm playing with the back tee ball cause I'm a ..." We all know folks who will just have to have the 'back tee ball' because any 'good' golfer plays the blacks (back tees).
Well, I ain't going back there. Don't need to go forward-yet. Have no business back there and at least have sense enough to know it. And, well, sorry Jack, I love you, but I won't be buying that ball.I hear trian wreck coming.

[square]

I have never understood the handicap level vs. tee box debate.
High handicappers are shooting high scores due to striking crooked full swing shots and lack of short game skills. Choice of tee blocks does not change the score of a high handicap player.

[NJGolf28]

[quote name='Krt22' timestamp='1380589115' post='7934767']
The real question is, will they come with cool bear logos, and will the bears be ferocious looking or cute and cuddly?
[/quote]
lol YES they come with a cuddly bear in each color on the ball above the number I do believe if I remember correctly! I'm still trying to find more info. I'm surprised no one else caught this on the GC tonight

[mukster]

"You'll know"

[Krt22]

[quote name='NJGolf28' timestamp='1380592965' post='7935179']
[quote name='Krt22' timestamp='1380589115' post='7934767']
The real question is, will they come with cool bear logos, and will the bears be ferocious looking or cute and cuddly?
[/quote]
lol YES they come with a cuddly bear in each color on the ball above the number I do believe if I remember correctly! I'm still trying to find more info. I'm surprised no one else caught this on the GC tonight
[/quote]

Count me in for a dozen of blue balls then!

Ill tell everyone they are GI balls and let me hit from the tips

[erock9174]

Jack mentioned in his interview tonight that all 3 are designed for the low handicap player with an 85-95 mph swing speed. He said if you are a pro these will perform fine but to look elsewhere. Hmm should a 95mph swinger really be playing from the tips ?? Seems like that would be a long day. I swing around 90 and hit more FW than I miss and I don't even have any business playing blue tees 95% of the time. Let alone the tips. (14 cap btw)

[NJGolf28]

The balls, which go into production within the next few weeks, will be sold online at www.nicklaus.com and through golf shops at more than 200 courses in the Nicklaus Design portfolio. The Nicklaus Black will have a suggested retail price around $50 per dozen in pro shops, while the Nicklaus Blue and Nicklaus White models will be priced in the mid-$40s. Online shoppers can purchase the balls for $32 and $26, respectively, with the option of adding a donation earmarked for the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation.

"For more than three years, we have contemplated entering the golf ball business, so over that time, I have been researching and testing golf balls," said Nicklaus, who has been a proponent for growing the game through the First Tee, Tee It Forward and other initiatives. "There are a lot of very good balls on the market, but I was not able to find a ball that fully met my expectations and hopes -- not just for me or other professionals, but more importantly, for the everyday golfer. So I simply decided not to enter the business until I found that ball. Well, I found that ball. Actually, I found three.

[YMark]

$50 / dozen? Jack's off.... his rocker. And he ought to get back on it and stay the hell out of everyone's living room telling everyone and their brother about Tee it Forward and While We're Young garbage. Jack wasn't exactly Mr. PlayFast. He made Furyk look quick with the putter.

[richard t]

OK, so for us morons out here ( that would be me of course) let's say, for example, you use three Titleist balls. ProV, Tour-S and SoLo/DT. Is he saying the back tee-accomplished player would use the ProV, the mid-capper the Tour-S and forward tee uses the DT? Not a Titleist snob. Just saying what then about a guy like myself? I play to a 6. Middle Tees. ( 6300 yds) I use/like very much the 2013 ProV1. How does that fit in Jack's scheme of things?What about the guy who is a 16, wants to play the back tees and the 'big boy' ball? Just about all ball makers have one for everyone, but it does not mean people will play a tee because they are using a ball desiginated for that tee. Am I missing something. ( yeah, but don't need any remarks). lol.

[4Wedges]

I see this as purely a capitalistic move on Jack's part...nothing more.

[HackerD]

Nowhere does it say anything about ball specs, not even cover material. Pretty lame.

[taz757]

Got a guy that I play golf with that completely idolizes Nicklaus. You start to bad mouth the man and he goes off and gets super defensive. We try to tell him that we're not taking anything away from the man, but he was good, FOR HIS ERA. He's a total Tiger hater. Anyway ... anything and everything he has to do with golf has to do with Nicklaus. He's got some of his clubs (which I think are pretty garbage, but they work for him), shirts, hats, gloves, etc. We've tried talking him into buying new clubs and he said unless he can find newer Nicklaus ones, he's not really buying anything. I'm really going to hate to see what happens when he finds out that there's balls out now. He'll probably go on a wild manhunt and buy every dozen he can.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

I think we ought to have a shootout between the new Nicklaus balls and the new Hogan balls. I'm guessing you can't move the ball right to left with either brand...but you'll make more putts with the Nicklaus ones for sure...

[Maaaaaardy]

This just sounds bizarre, I don't see myself straying from the Nike 20XI's for these to be honest! Would be good for them to be successful though I suppose, but the logic of them is so odd.

[lumberman2462]

They donate a portion of each sale to a hospital. Everyone should buy a commemorative dozen for that reason alone.

They'll be collectors items in a few years.

[pingman1]

[quote name='lumberman2462' timestamp='1380640710' post='7937439']
They donate a portion of each sale to a hospital. Everyone should buy a commemorative dozen for that reason alone.

They'll be collectors items in a few years.
[/quote]

I would rather send $30 to St Jude Children's Hospital, or any other charity.

[PhilsFanDrew]

[quote name='square' timestamp='1380591427' post='7935029']
I have never understood the handicap level vs. tee box debate.
High handicappers are shooting high scores due to striking crooked full swing shots and lack of short game skills. Choice of tee blocks does not change the score of a high handicap player.
[/quote]

Playing forward means the fairway is closer to you and you see more of it making it easier to hit. I know at my home course the back tee boxes are also staggered differently making the player see much less of the fairway thus making it more difficult to hit. Also a higher handicap player is more likely to hit more greens or at least be closer to the greens hitting 7 iron and less as opposed to 5 irons, hybrids, and potentially a fairway wood. Even with a flawed short game they will get down quicker being around the green with their 3rd shot as opposed to 100 yards or more away.

[mac94]

Blue balls and playing from the tips should not be in the same discussion. It's just not right.

[MarkCPA]

Surely Jack doesn't need a big tax writeoff this bad?

[NJpatbee]

[quote name='PhilsFanDrew' timestamp='1380643100' post='7937651']
[quote name='square' timestamp='1380591427' post='7935029']
I have never understood the handicap level vs. tee box debate.
High handicappers are shooting high scores due to striking crooked full swing shots and lack of short game skills. Choice of tee blocks does not change the score of a high handicap player.
[/quote]

Playing forward means the fairway is closer to you and you see more of it making it easier to hit. I know at my home course the back tee boxes are also staggered differently making the player see much less of the fairway thus making it more difficult to hit. Also a higher handicap player is more likely to hit more greens or at least be closer to the greens hitting 7 iron and less as opposed to 5 irons, hybrids, and potentially a fairway wood. Even with a flawed short game they will get down quicker being around the green with their 3rd shot as opposed to 100 yards or more away.
[/quote]

Excellent point. The blue tees (championship) on my home course have an enormous amount of additional diffficulty compared to the white (men's) tees. It is a long day (for the rest of us) when average golfers play from the blues. I can occasionally break 90 from the whites and play a fast round regardless of score. Add an additional stroke to reach the green (700 yards total) or a probable ball in the water hazard on 9 of the 18 holes and play can grind to a halt.

[jaskanski]

Well, if it's anything like the other Nicklaus branded equipment brought to the market place, it's sure to be a flop. Anyone who thinks they can make an impression into an already overcrowded market (for every handicap range golfer too), then they must be slightly delusional. I hope I'm proved wrong, but Jack would probably make more money from selling one of his jets.