“Nike 20XI Golf Balls” plus 1 more |
| Posted: 06 Jan 2011 10:01 AM PST
From The Shop Blog (January 6, 2011) But Alan and Nike think the next major advance is about to be made with the 20XI-s and the 20XI-x, both slated to be available May 1. The most unique aspect of the new 20XI (Get it? 20+XI=2011) is its core, which is made by injection-molding a new resin that Nike developed with DuPont. The material took four years to perfect, and Nike claims that the new core makes the 20XI 2-3 mph faster than the company's previous offerings with compression-molded rubber cores. Because the core material is so light, Nike engineers were able to use heavier materials in the layers that surround the core, which should add durability and increase the ball's moment of inertia (MOI). "You can think of it as a perimeter-weighted golf ball," Alan said. A high MOI helps a club resist twisting on off-center impacts. In golf balls, Nike says the increased MOI affects the 20XI's spin. "It resists spinning at impact with the driver," Alan says. "But once you get the ball spinning, it stays." It also means the ball is less affected by cross winds. That should come in handy this week in Hawaii, where both Anthony Kim and Francesco Molinari are expected to play the ball during the PGA Tour's Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Alan says the balls should leave the clubface with 100-200 rpm less spin than Nike's previous premium offerings (the ONE Tour), but will have 100-200 rpm more spin after the ball reaches the apex of its trajectory. That should mean more green-grabbing spin on approach shots. While both models are made using four pieces—including the same core and compression layer—the 20XI-s has a softer urethane cover that should produce more spin around the greens. The 20XI-x also features a urethane cover, but its firmer, so the ball should produce slightly more distance. $45.99/dozen, nikegolf.COM Related This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Goldman Sachs to Exit Japanese Golf Business by Selling Stake in Accordia Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:34 AM PST Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is selling its stake in Accordia Golf Co., ending an almost decade-long investment in the sport in Japan as player numbers fall. A Goldman Sachs investment unit will sell 470,587 shares in Accordia, the Tokyo-based golf operator said in a statement today. The stake is worth about 37 billion yen ($445 million) based on today's closing price. Accordia's stock has lost 60 percent since Goldman Sachs took the company public in 2006. Goldman Sachs spent more than 3 trillion yen since 1997 on assets in Japan, including golf facilities and office buildings. The nation's golf-course industry has been in decline since an asset bubble burst 20 years ago, and is unlikely to return to its former glory as the population shrinks and the economy stagnates, said Daisuke Seki of IB Research and Consulting Inc. "Goldman must have judged it's time to sell as it can't expect any upside from the shares, and the move suggests the bank will exit from other real estate investments in Japan," said Seki, chief executive officer at the Tokyo-based firm. "Golf is a luxury. Playing numbers are falling because of the declining population and weakening economy, as well as companies choosing not to entertain clients on the course." Accordia shares, sold in the IPO for 195,000 yen, fell 1 percent to 78,900 yen in Tokyo today before the announcement. Goldman Sachs owns a 45 percent stake in the company. Goldman raised about 100 billion yen from the IPO. Bankrupt Clubs Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s investment banking unit and Goldman Sachs will underwrite the share sale, according to the statement. They will sell the shares to investors in Japan, Asia and Europe, and decide the price as early as Jan. 17. Hiroko Matsumoto, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman at Goldman Sachs, declined to comment on the sale. She also declined to comment on returns from its investment in the golf business. Accordia last month cut its profit forecast to 11.4 billion yen for the year ending March 31, from 12.1 billion yen. It posted a 10.4 billion yen profit a year earlier. The stock slipped 19 percent in the past year while the Topix Index was little changed. Goldman Sachs, which made its first investment in Japan's golf industry in 2002, owned 131 courses as of Dec. 31 according to its website. Golf membership prices soared in Japan during the 1980s bubble economy, then slumped as the country fell into four recessions in the past two decades. At least 800 golf clubs have gone bankrupt since 1991, according to Meiji Golf, which trades club memberships in Tokyo. Membership values at Accordia-owned courses have fallen faster than the nationwide average, Kazunari Tsutsumi, executive director of Meiji Golf, said in July last year. Goldman Sachs at times faced challenges to acquire and operate the golf courses. It lost management control of bankrupt Nanso Country Club outside Tokyo last year after a court accepted a petition by members to remove executives appointed by the U.S. firm. To contact the reporter on this story: Takahiko Hyuga in Tokyo at thyuga@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Philip Lagerkranser at lagerkranser@bloomberg.net This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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