By Rob Mueller
Staff Writer
Augusta Chronicle

Driven by that infamous Tom McCollister newspaper article saying he was washed up, Jack Nicklaus shocked the golf world as a 46-year-old when he won his sixth Masters Tournament championship in 1986.

Now, in his 38th Masters, perhaps the Golden Bear can take his game to a new level and seventh green jacket, driven by titanium.

It could be his new titanium driver. It's the buzzword on the tour this year, and Nicklaus is one of many who have made the switch from steel to the hottest metal in golf.

Nicklaus has been experimenting with several drivers produced by his own company - Nicklaus Golf Equipment Co.

Tour followers say the difference in Nicklaus' game lately is obvious, that he's been driving the ball farther than he has in years.

Nicklaus put himself in position to make an exciting double-eagle Saturday at The Tradition with a long drive on the 500-yard, par-5 12th. He holed it out with an 8-iron.

Was it the titanium?

``It helps you turn the ball pretty easily,'' said Paul Goydos, who switched to Callaway Golf's Great Big Bertha titanium driver for the Bay Hill Invitational - his first PGA Tour victory. ``If you're playing well to start with, you'll do really well with (titanium).''

Goydos' caddy, Brendan Wooley, says it's easy to see the difference in Goydos' game since the switch.

``He can fly the ball farther now, probably,'' Wooley said. ``It's pretty noticeable. I think he's pretty happy with it, he won with it.''

At the recent Doral-Ryder Open, 20 players used the Great Big Bertha, while 10 used Taylor Made's Burner Bubble.

Several other major manufacturers are producing titanium drivers, including Lynx (Black Cat), Invex and Cobra.

The big factor is weight. Titanium is about 40 percent lighter than steel, which enables manufacturers to produce drivers with a larger club face and sweet spot.

The most significant difference for the average golfer is cost. The Great Big Bertha retails for $400, as compared to the $220 Big Bertha.

Callaway tour representatives proudly boast five players who have won for the first time on the tour since they switched to one of the company's titanium models.

``The impact is huge,'' said Callaway tour representative Evan Byers, who introduced the club to Goydos and fellow first-time champions Scott McCarron, Tim Herron and Paul Stankowski. Paul Azinger also uses the club. ``I introduced Big Bertha five years ago, and it took off after a couple of months,'' Byers said. ``The same thing's happening with the new club. It's the hottest thing going right now.''

Of the five, only Herron - the Honda Classic champion - had been using the club since last year. McCarron switched the same week he won the Freeport McDermott Classic.

Stankowski switched the week he won the Louisiana Open on the Nike Tour, and used it to win his first PGA Tour title, the BellSouth Classic, last Sunday.

As for the consumer golf market, affordability is something they're still working on.

``Sure, it's more money, but sales are fantastic,'' Byers said. ``It's like the guy who buys a Mercedes-Benz. He wants the CD player in there, not an AM radio. That's technology. That's what the people want. We can't keep them in stock, it's been phenomenal.''

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