When it comes to golf club design, I was actually starting to think that I had heard and seen pretty much everything imaginable.  Clearly I was wrong.  What I’m talking about, is the new Air Force One Lineup from Powerbilt Golf (which falls under the same corporate umbrella as Louisville Slugger and Bionic Gloves).  So exactly what is it about the Air Force One that’s so unusual?  Not much really, except for a head full of Nitrogen.  Yeah, that’s right, Nitrogen.  You may have heard of it, or read about it on some chart in 5th grade science class.

In case I wasn’t clear (and I can’t imagine that I was because none of this makes much sense), let me see if I can explain this.  From what I can tell, what Powerbilt is doing is taking clubheads off their assembly line, using resin to create an airtight seal, and then filling the clubface with 200 PSI (I’ve also read 150 PSI) worth of Nitrogen.  That’s right, they’re injecting Nitrogen into the clubface.

Apart from being really really weird, what’s the point (you may or may not have asked)?  According the the Powerbilt people, the pressure from the Nitrogen supports the clubface without the aid of mechanical bracing.  This allows Powerbilt to incorporate the thinnest face in all of golf.  A thinner face means a bigger and hotter sweet spot.  The company reports that the driver is especially forgiving on heal-side mishits (which just happen to be my most common area of mis-hittyness).

The Air Force One series will be available with a choice of 2 face thicknesses.  Which thickness is right for you is largely determined by swing speed, but the underlying goal of the new “Nitrogen-Charged Technology” is to allow all golfers, regardless of skill level, to compress the golf ball like a pro.  And compression, well that means distance, doesn’t it?

I’m going to be honest, I’m coming about as close as I’ve ever come to calling shenanigans on a golf innovation, but I’m not going to.  I figure if I was willing to say that square driver thing might just work, and that hot-swappable shafts were brilliant, then I’m not about to completely dismiss the benefit of a little bit of nitrogen.  After all, we’ve been hearing rumors of Nitrogen in the kicking balls of some football teams for a while now.  It’s also worth mentioning that plenty of people swear by Nitrogen in their tires as well. So while I am skeptical, I’m willing to at least give it a look.

The Powerbilt Air Force One will be available in January 2009 in two different shapes.  The first, with what you might call a conventional design, is for players who demand a club that allows them to work the ball.  The second, has a more modern, high MOI design for players seeking more accuracy.

Retail price for the driver is expected to be $499.  The fairways will retail for $349.99; and for the hybrids, $249.99.

I demoed a few Powerbilt clubs last spring and liked them well enough (I didn’t buy them, but then again I didn’t buy anything else either), and you can bet I’m going to give the Air Force One a try as soon as the opportunity presents itself.