In the Largest
Hybrid Field in the History of the PGA Tours, Who is # 1?
In a field where a record 109 hybrids
were put into play, the most hybrids ever used in a single
event on the PGA Tours, Nickent Golf battled the odds and
prevailed as the # 1 hybrid on the Nationwide Tour. Thirty-one
3DX hybrids were put into play at the Athens Regional Foundation
Classic in Georgia last week.
Even with extreme pressure from other major manufacturers
to try and solidify their hybrid position, Nickent was #1
for the second straight event. Four players using Nickent
finished in the Top 10, including the second and third place
finishers. Ten of the top 25 players on the Nationwide Tour
are using their clubs and Nickent has the most hybrid Top
10 finishes on the 2006 Nationwide Tour.
"Performance of the golf clubs has always been the key
factor in getting clubs in play on the Nationwide Tour,"
said Nickent Tour Director Josh Trivett. "I think our
numbers show why so many players go with us."
It is the third consecutive year that Nickent has earned the
hybrid crown in a Nationwide Tour event. They began using
the Nationwide Tour as a ladder to the PGA Tour in late 2004.
The strategy of seeding their product to the up-and-coming
Nationwide Tour has paid dividends on both tours: Nickent
is currently the # 2 most played hybrid on the 2006 PGA Tour,
according to the Darrell Survey.
"The hybrid category is exploding
on the professional tours, which in return is making the hybrid
explode at retail," said Nickent Senior Vice President
and designer of the new DC Hybrid series John Hoeflich. "This
is the year of the hybrid and Nickent is leading the charge."
Golf Datatech figures from January reported that of all woods
sold, hybrids represented 26.3% at an average price of $126.98.
That's in comparison to 38.6% share for drivers and 33.8%
for fairway woods. According to Hoeflich, hybrids are likely
to surpass fairway woods and contend with driver sales in
the next few years once the public is fully educated on what
hybrids can do for their game.
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