Nike's anticipated line of Method putters to debut in limited release

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- The new Method putter from Nike Golf has won two major championships and a handful of PGA Tour titles so far this season, but it hasn't yet been released to the public. Its official rollout will be next February, but Nike also plans to make limited, special-edition quantities of the much-anticipated putters available starting on Nov. 1.

The Method putters -- named for the "scientific method" their creators used to devlop them -- will be available in four blade models and one mallet. Each will carry a suggested retail price of $249.99.

Used as a prototype by Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink when they won the 2009 U.S. Open and British Open, respectively, the new Nike Method putters feature a unique polymetal groove technology that its creators say helps the ball roll more consistently and accurately toward the hole.

Nike's team of designers and engineers combined steel and polymer in multiple ways before discovering the unique blend they're usingin the Method putters. While most traditional putters start the ball with backspin, causing the ball to initially bounce a little higher, the Method's polymetal grooves help to start the ball with forward spin to minimize bounce and keep putts on line.

The polymetal groove technology also dampens impact vibrations for soft touch, Nike officials said, while the interspersed milled steel face maintains audible feedback for proper distance control. The polymetal grooves also allowed the designers to remove 30 grams of internal weight from the putter face and relocate it to the perimeter for added stability.

The Method putter line is the latest innovation from Nike Golf's Research and Development Center in Fort Worth, Texas, known as the Oven, where the company's square drivers and adjustable drivers also were created and developed.