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Duval dishes on his new equipment Posted: Monday January 27, 2003 2:49 PM
Roaming the floor at the PGA Merchandise Show last week inside the massive Orange County Convention Center in Orlando: (Get the details on what clubs are new and cool in Sports Illustrated's Golf Plus next week, since if I reveal them here, I lose my 4A security clearance and will be reassigned to Guatemala.) Actually, I asked Duval about having a company create, sell and market his own golf clubs (designed by Tom Stites with Duval's input) and golf ball (the Nike Tour Accuracy DD) built to his specifications. Is there any thrill in that, I asked, like having your own baseball card? "Yes," he admitted, "those irons are basically my golf clubs. It's more of a personal satisfaction." Duval told me how the DD ball came to be. "Having my own ball was never part of the deal," he said. "Nobody promised to make me a ball. [Nike] already had the Tour Accuracy line, and after playing Tiger's ball [Tour Accuracy TW], I told them what I'd like to see different: a little less spin, a little bit higher trajectory. So they made three balls for me, I tested them and picked one, they made a few more like that, I picked the best one, they made a few more like it and I picked the best one again." The final test to decide which ball he liked came in Texas during a practice round before the MasterCard Colonial. "The fourth hole at Colonial, it's like 230 yards, a par-3, and was straight downwind. I hit a 5-iron with one model, kind of a quail-hook right into the front bunker. The next one, I used the ball that's now the DD, it started out right at the pin, landed short and rolled. It hit the flagstick and popped back six or eight inches." "I said, 'That's too bad,'" chimed in Nike exec Bob Wood, who was sitting in on our little chat. "Tell him him what you said next." Duval: "I said, 'Well, I'll just have to hole the next one.'" Duval took another ball (the same model that became the DD), tried a third shot and made a hole-in-one. "Some guys on the range nearby saw it." A near-ace and an ace made the decision pretty easy. Duval played the ball at the U.S. Open at Southern Hills the following month. The system requires no real expertise by the club pro, and gives the player the chance to easily test a variety of shafts. And Burrows offers all the top-of-the-line choices, from Fujikura to Aldila to Rifle ... you name it. The same gimmick also is used at the club's other end so a player can try a variety of different grips. Counting grips and shafts and clubheads, Burrows has 540 combinations. It's really ingenious. And you'll be hearing more about the Powersphere. (Take a look at burrowsgolf.com.) Els approached the company last year, John Ashworth told SI's Terry Galvin, and mentioned that his clothing deal with adidas expired at the end of 2002 and he was interested in making a change. "Ernie just thinks he feels real comfortable in our clothes and he always seems to play well in them," Ashworth said. "He's so talented, he could win with anything. He thinks we're his lucky clothes, lucky shirt. It could be three in a row. I just checked the scores and he's tied for the lead in the Singapore Masters with nine holes to go." That was Sunday morning at the show. Els finished second by a shot but his 2003 has been impressive: two firsts and a second. It couldn't be the shirt, could it? Nah. MailbagAn AP story two weeks ago read: "Ernie Els won the Mercedes Championship Sunday with a record-setting score of 31-under. It also solidified him as a challenger to Tiger Woods." Doesn't his victory just prove that he is a product of the "What If Tiger Didn't Exist" era? Els won two majors before 1997 but only one since. He has failed to stare Tiger down head-to-head, yet shines when Tiger is MIA. I think Els' victory only proved that he can't challenge Tiger; he can only mop up the leftovers.
Whether Ernie will challenge Tiger remains to be seen, Lindy Hop, but those were some pretty good leftovers at Kapalua, and 31 under was a score anyone -- Tiger included -- would be hard-pressed to duplicate. Ernie's British Open win stopped Tiger's Grand Slam run last year, in case you've forgotten. And you can't blame a guy for winning just because the other guy wasn't there. Lighten up, Francis. How can there be any question that Ernie Els is the No. 2 golfer in the world? Last year his play around the globe proved it, and his start this year certainly justifies the No. 2 ranking, if not No. 1.
No argument, Mr. Ed. Two wins and a second for Ernie in three tourneys means he's the man. At least until you-know-who returns. I carry an 8 handicap. Lately (the last six months or so) I've had problems with my 2-, 3- and 4-irons (big snaphooks). I picked up a Callaway Steelhead III 7-wood and can smoke it accurately about 205 yards. I'm 36, 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and catch a lot of criticism from my playing partners. They call it an old man's or a woman's club. Don't get me wrong: I could take every one of them. But are there any so-called real men who swing 9-woods?
None come to mind, but I did speak to a clubmaker last week at the show who thinks every amateur hacker should trade in his long irons for fairway woods, from 5-irons and down, based on how poorly they hit long irons. He's a big believer in fairway woods. Long irons are out. Put the 9-wood in the bag and double your press bets with your pals. Re: Your article on Phoenix/Scottsdale golf. I agree that this area has the best public golf in the U.S.: great courses, great scenery, great sunsets. However, the courses you featured (and you didn't mention Troon North or Legend Trail) are very expensive in peak season for winter visitors or locals. We all can't be on expense accounts. So I thought I'd recommend some less expensive but equally great courses: Thunderbird, Las Sendas, Coldwater, Estrella Mountain Ranch, Whirlwind and Cat Tail at Wild Horse Resort, Dinosaur at Gold Canyon Resort, Ocotillo and the soon-to-open The Duke at Rancho El Dorado. After all, the weather is the same and the cost is less.
Thanks for the itinerary, Amblin' Man. One thing that holds Scottsdale back from being a wildly popular golf destination is the cost. In-season during the winter, it's steep, no doubt about it. A scary number of resorts top the $200 mark. Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle writes for the magazine's Golf Plus section and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.
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