Power-Bilt is Back with Nitrogen Charged Metal Woods
Power-Bilt is Back with Nitrogen Charged Metal Woods
November 13, 2008
Yesterday at Chelsea Pier in Manhattan I had the opportunity to test Power-Bilt’s latest technology in its Air Force One line of drivers, fairway woods, and Hybrids. Believe it or not, these golf clubs are Nitrogen Charged.
First some history – A trip down memory lane:
I remember when wooden clubs were made out of wood. Club makers started with a block of persimmon woods and shaped the club head by hand. After a number of processes an insert and a soleplate was attached to the club head by screws.
The insert was made of many different materials and many were jazzed up by using shapes and color. The insert was screwed onto the club head and was square against it. It was totally reinforced.
One of the major club manufacturers in those days was the Power-Bilt Golf Club Company.
Power-Bilt is a division of Hillerich & Bradsby Company (H&B). H&B are probably better known for making baseball bats for the likes of Derek Jeter.
The company dates back to 1884, when John “Bud” Hillerich invented the revolutionary Louisville Slugger baseball bat. Mr. Hillerich’s great grandson, John Hillerich, IV, is now President & CEO of Hillerich & Bradsby Co., making H&B the longest running, family owned sports equipment manufacturer in the world. Other H&B brands include Louisville Slugger, TPX, TPS, Louisville Hockey and Bionic Gloves.
H&B expanded into golf in 1916, and introduced the Power-Bilt brand name in 1933. In 1934, Olin Dutra used Power-Bilt clubs to win the U.S. Open. In all Power-Bilt clubs have won eight majors, and over one hundred PGA and LPGA tour and worldwide pro events.
Power-Bilt has a great history and was always an innovator in persimmon wood technology. They designed clubs with back weights that made the ball go farther and helped golfers play better. Constant innovation and world-class performance led to worldwide popularity.
Recently we have not heard much from Power-Bilt and they seemed to have lost some of their golf popularity.
End of Trip!
Yesterday at Chelsea Pier in Manhattan I had the opportunity to test Power-Bilt’s latest technology in its Air Force One line of drivers, fairway woods, and Hybrids. Believe it or not, these golf clubs are Nitrogen Charged.
What makes Air Force One completely different from anything on the market is “Nitrogen Charged Technology”, which is patented. Power-Bilt is introducing an entirely new technology and is the only golf company to infuse a club head with nitrogen gas.
It works like this: The face of any good driver, regardless of brand, flexes when it hits a golf ball. This is often referred to as the “trampoline” effect. The thinner the face, the more it flexes. Big hitters want a thin face, but not too thin or the club may be susceptible to breakage or can be deemed “nonconforming” by the United States Golf Association.
By filling the head of a driver, fairway metal wood or hybrid club with nitrogen gas, Power-Bilt is able to offer clubs with multiple face thicknesses. Please do not confuse multiple face thicknesses with variable face thickness. There is a face thickness for big hitters and one for golfers with a slower club head speed. This allows all golfers to flex the face the way pros do.
The inside of the clubhead is coated with a leak-proof resin then filled with nitrogen to pressures up to 150 psi. The air pressure supports the face without mechanical bracing allowing the face to be thinned much more so than what is found on comparable clubs. This result is the thinnest face in golf, which creates a toe-to-heel sweet spot and a face that flexes for all golfers. Multiple face thicknesses will be offered meaning golfers can chose the face thickness that best suits their swing speed. This is the only technology in golf allowing the slow-swing golfer to compress the face at the same level as a tour player.
Nitrogen is very safe. They use it in racing tires and space suits. It is weightless and has large molecules. Power-Bilt’s research found the nitrogen is the best gas to use for this purpose.
In summary, Air Force One by Power-Bilt Golf features Nitrogen-Charged Power, a technology currently not being used in golf. It comes with a five year warranty and conforms to United State Golf Association guidelines.
Starting in January you will see information commercial featuring Roger Twibell and Fuzzy Zoeller promoting the clubs.
It helps the ball fly longer and straighter and that is a very good thing. It is certainly worth your while to try these clubs. Mine is on order!
