If the lady in your life wants to hit the links playing with a set of clubs sharing a name with a popular web font, I just don’t think you can do better than Nike’s new Verdana line.
In fact, even if you take the typeface element out of the equation, the female golfer in question would be hard pressed to find a better golf club than a Verdana. A high-tech blend of composite materials and detailed design, Nike produced a set of light and sensitive yet strong and durable clubs well-fitted to a woman who takes the game of golf seriously.
Nike reports that their Verdanas are specifically and solely designed for women and are the lightest club set ever produced by Nike Golf. By reducing weight as low as they can go, Nike allows the female player to pull off faster swing speed, more power and more control.
Available in standard and petite (-1”) lengths, the set includes a complete kit – 11 clubs with a driver, 3 fairway wood, 4 through 6 hybrids, 7 through PW, SW, putter and a matching Nike carry bag. The Nike Verdana driver serves up a 460cc head designed with additional loft for higher trajectory. The 18-degree 3 fairway wood offers a low center of gravity for more swing confidence, forgiveness and easier ball striking off turf. The hybrids irons have the wide sole that is a signature to Nike clubs and deeper faces with a slight offset. Irons and wedges include a wider sole design and those larger face profiles, while the Nike Verdana putter features a classic blade design.
Now, it may come as a shock to some, but I am not a woman. Therefore, I am not fit to test a set of elite Nike women’s clubs. I do know a woman or two out there, and I even found a pair who play golf. I let both a veteran female player and a beginner learning the game on a much more basic club set.
After playing one round each with the Verdanas, both ladies raved about the feel of each club. According to their experience, the new Nikes manage that perfect weight balance of deft lightness on the backswing and divine heaviness on the follow-through after a clean ball strike.
The grips are filthy. I don’t mean they’re soiled. I mean they’re so comfortable it approaches sensuality. You’re not going to see them on some late night TV erotic shopping network, but sampling them will mean you’ll want similar material on your own clubs. Soft and generously padded, these grips encourage that light, “bird egg” grip so essential to a well-balanced, properly paced golf swing.
Starting around $900, the Verdanas are clearly not intended as a set for beginner golfers. They’re targeted for veteran lady golfers who take the sport seriously and are on the lookout for club technology that will improve and refine their game.
If there’s such a player in your life, and if you can afford a gift costing a month’s mortgage payment, you will be a hero for snagging the Verdanas.
