Last week we were trying to decide what more we could do in anticipation of the launch of the new Nike TW ’13 golf shoe on June 8, 2012. The new shoe features some remarkably advanced technology, and although we’ve featured the shoes in a banner and “Staff Picks” tease, we were looking for something to punch up the ad campaign a bit. I suggested that we claim the shoes have magic properties that would make everyone play like Tiger. That claim was rejected based on some kind of vague legal technicality. The shoes are quite remarkable, though not magic, but I needed a hook.
So I called Tiger and told him he needed to win The Memorial, as it would make our ad copy a little easier to write. Tiger said, “Dude, I’ve already won the thing like four times…and besides I’m planning to win the US Open in a couple weeks, so you can use that.” I pointed out to Tiger that four Memorials in the past are just that—in the past—he needed to do something for sales this year-and we didn’t want to hear that “Hey, I won at Bay Hill” excuse. Bay Hill is ancient history in the world of sales—what have you done for us lately? As for the Open, that victory will come after the release of his new shoe, so that’s like no help with pre-orders.
Tiger remained a bit reluctant, saying he didn’t want to peak before the Open, but I pointed out that he could win both, if for no other reason, than as a favor to me. I also suggested and it would be fun to win his 73rd victory, tying Jack’s total, at Jack’s own tournament. Kind of homage to the old codger. Tiger’s not one for sentimentality, but he did like the idea of tying Nicklaus’s career wins while Jack looked on, so he said he’d take care of it and I sat back to await my copy.
I was beginning to think Tiger had double-crossed me until he performed yet another minor miracle by chipping in on # 16 for birdie in what Jack himself pronounced as one of the most amazing shots he’d ever seen. I, for one, was furious. I texted Tiger immediately that we were expecting on each occasion where he executes an impossibly difficult flop shot from the rough, landing it on a tiny, tiny spot of hard-baked green sloping severely away from him, that he would at least have the courtesy to make the ball pause on the lip of the cup with the Nike Swoosh showing, ala number 16 at Augusta, before allowing it to drop. Really, that’s not so much to ask is it?
I also told him to ace the celebratory fist pump. We need him to do a leg kick after each birdie in order to show off the new shoe—preferably a karate-style kick which he holds for a three count. I’ve yet to hear back from Tiger, but since I also told him in that same text to birdie #18 Sunday as a kind of “in your face” exclamation point, I assume he read it, although he inexplicably left out the “birdie kick” after draining the putt. I guess I cant’ expect Tiger to adopt all my suggestions. For instance, I never once saw him stand at attention and execute a left-handed military salute after each drive in order that the cameras might pick up the Nike Swoosh on his glove. But hey, I’m thinking the karate kick idea is money, so don’t be surprised to see the “Tiger Birdie Kick” in the near future.
In the meantime check out Tiger’s awesome new performance shoes. The Nike TW ’13 Golf Shoe is not just worn by Tiger, he helped design it. The shoe is extremely lightweight and offers Nike’s Dynamic Fit system for individually-fitted support and stability. They were designed to allow, rather than restrict, the natural motion of the foot. The TW ‘13s have an athletic look because they are an athletic shoe designed with the input of the world’s most accomplished athlete to optimize performance on the golf course. Let me just say this. These shoes were designed to meet the demands of the best golfer to have ever lived. He wears them. So should you.
The new Nike TW ’13 Golf Shoe is available for pre-order today at DGW.
[Editor's Note: Our blogger's conversation and texts with Tiger Woods are purely fictional. The new TW '13 Golf Shoes and their performance attributes are not.]
