Nike Golf is now marrying the science of geometry to the science of optometry with the introduction of the Nike IC Putter. The new Nike putter will help golfers see what they’ve been missing in putting – literally.
The Nike IC Putter is optically engineered to dramatically improve a golfer’s ability to align putts. Playing on the words “I See,” the IC Putter was developed by Nike Golf in collaboration with Dr. Alan W. Reichow, the Global Research Director of Vision and Science for Nike, Inc., and Tom Stites, Director of Club Creation for Nike Golf.
Dr. Reichow, who is referred to as “Dr. Al” at Nike, has been at the forefront of sports vision and optometry for 30 years. His leadership and inventive spirit led to the creation of Nike MaxSight contact lenses to enhance athletic performance, and the Nike Hi-Vis Soccer Ball. For the last few years, Dr. Reichow has been working in partnership with Nike Golf on investigating the role of vision and performance in golf.
“What we have found through standardized testing of visual performance of many high level golfers is that they see differently,” said Dr. Reichow.
“Golfers are among the most visually sensitive athletes across all sports. Due to the extreme visual demands and the various environmental distractions golfers face, Tom Stites and I have connected the science of club design with the science of vision to come up with a putter that suppresses everything except the critical alignment cues on the IC Putter.”
The Nike IC Putter features two key elements that help golfers to focus their eyes accurately when putting:
Green Total Club Colour
The Nike IC Putter is green for a good reason. Tom Stites and Dr. Al pulled blades of grass from a number of different putting greens to measure the colour and reflection of the grass. From this test, they determined that the colour design of the Nike IC Putter from grip, to shaft to head, should match up to the colour of putting greens. Why the colour green? With the putter’s head and shaft colour blending into the background of the putting green, the Nike IC Putter eliminates “visual noise” and mutes the areas of the club that aren’t critical. Instead, the eyes are focused on what is critical – alignment.
Optically Engineered Alignment Aid
Stites and Dr. Al also collaborated on how vision reacts to different shapes and various lengths of alignment aids. After much testing, they meticulously came up with the white, triangular shape alignment aid that is a key feature of the Nike IC Putter. The optically engineered alignment aid helps square the face in relation to the hole and starts putts on the line. The Nike IC Putter’s total green colour from grip, to shaft, to head, allows the white triangular shaped aid to pop, hence focusing the eyes on the alignment. With its triangular shape, the mind’s eye better sees the line and projects further out in alignment.
Nike Golf has optimised the shape, location and contrast of the alignment aid to direct the visual attention to where it needs to be.
The face of the Nike IC Putter is milled to precise tolerances to enhance accuracy, predictability and distance control across the putter face. With a high moment of inertia (MOI), the head is stabilized throughout the stroke and at impact for greater confidence and improved accuracy.
The Nike IC Putter comes in five models: IC 20-10 Classic Blade; IC 20-10A Classic Blade; IC 20-15 Mid Mallet; IC 20-15A Mid Mallet; and the IC 20-20 Large Mallet. All models will be available in the US on December 1 with a suggested retail price of US$169.99.
Source – Nike Golf