Like Losing A Good Friend

On Recessions and Casualties

One would think that after all the years I've spent around financial types, and all the recessions I've seen in my 50+ years that I'd get used to it. But when one forms emotional ties with their golf equipment, and eventually the companies that make it (in some sort of weird gnostic hope of figuring out each and every club's deep dark secrets) the deaths of the companies still cause some sort of deeper sense of loss for me than most people. I was a big MacGregor Fan. What a great idea--lets bring them back from the brink. A proud tradition, and all that. Hell even Greg Norman couldn't save them.

More recently, however, a name that's been very near and dear to my heart for years, with several clubs in and out of my bag over the past several seasons struck deeper than most. Oh sure I felt bad for Orlimar, but Jesse Ortiz did seem to land on his feet. That 420 driver he designed was part and parcel of the cult of golf underground. What a great club, which, until very recently, could hold its own with anything coming of the newer assembly lines. I had one of those, and I did have a set of Orlimar Irons in the bag. Lots of us had an old TriMetal or two, or three in the bag. We all mourned the loss of that company. They looked like they had made it, but recessions do cruel things to sporting goods companies.

I realize I tend to be more of a Nickent freak than most. I remember them when Michael Lee was CEO and Hoeflich was still hacking it out at TaylorMade before the big defection from that company sent him to Nickent and some of their better club designers to Adams. I used to shoot a set of Hyper Forged Irons and had the matching Hyper Forged Woods. No one could believe the quality of those products---and Callaway was so impressed they hired Nickent to due their castings for them. Most people were already playing Nickent Clubs and didn't even know it. Remember the Super Concorde brand of fairway woods? They were the most popular fairway wood in golf history. (It looked like a Trimetal Clone mixed with a dash of Adams Tight Lies. It hit further, straighter and better than either of the other two--and at 1/2 the price.) The success of the Super Concorde line financed the Hyper Forged line, which took over from the exceptionally well built--though somewhat funky looking Musketeer line of irons and Great Hawk Woods.

Most people never really became aware of Nickent till 2005 when their 3DX line of hybrids took the Nationwide Tour by storm, and became the number 3 Hybrid on the PGA Tour. They showed themselves to be a superior club to the competition in every way, and it wasn't until the aforementioned TaylorMade Designers hooked up with Adams that there was any real serious competition in the hybrid market. The Arc Wedges, though never a real commercial hit are still in my bag, and lots of people are scarfing up the 4DX Tour Clubs. The 4 DX Driver which eventually became "The Evolver" was not only one of the most revolutionary clubs to hit the market, but it was also what sounded the death knell for Nickent.

One need only remember that Nickent built their foundation as a value company. (Sort of on The Tour Edge Line of Logic) Unfortunately, though The Evolver was absolutely revolutionary in the sense that one could switch out shafts on theor own based on course and weatehr conditions (Sort of like a DIY Tour Van) it came at a hefty price. At $500 for a Nickent driver, tools and shaft it wasn't exactly a gyp--but during a recession the demand for such a luxury just wasn't there. They had bet a lot of the farm on this concept---and when they didn't pay there tour staff--the PGA said--Your van is no longer welcome on any of our premises. A $500 driver is a hard sell for any company when the nation finds itself in the midst of such a nasty recession--but for a value company--well.....

I will mourn the passing of Nickent more than most. I have 3 Arc Wedges in my bag, my back up driver is a 3DX Square for days when I suffer from CHS(Can't Hit Shit), my previous driver was a 4DX Tour Prototype, and I carry the 3 and 5 4DX Fairway Metals in my bag (with a 7 on reserve.) I really am sadder than most to see them go, as they always gave me something to write about at Epinions. They offered, until their recent miscue and demise, real value for the money. Guess I'll have to continue to plug Tour Edge, and Wilson Staff.

Some other soon to be victims of this recession, according to my sources, are Rife Putters, Heavy Putters, and Yes Putters. All of them seem to be a little deep in inventory, but at least they're still getting lots of display space (at least Rife is) at the big box golf stores. (Something Nickent rarely if ever achieved). I used to have to really source their stuff. I guess I'll keep this last generation alive as long as possible, but I will surely miss the opportunity to write reviews on new products that blow the doors off the competition--especially on a dollar spent vs. actual performance basis.