Equipment

Powerbilt launches Air Force One DFX

Published

10 years ago

Mar 21, 2014

Though not one of the “big-name brands” in golf equipment, Powerbilt has striven to push the envelope in club innovation with its patented Nitrogen N7 “Nitrogen Charged” technology in its new Air Force One DFX driver.

The cavity of the DFX (Deep Face Extreme) is filled with highly pressurized Nitrogen (80 pounds per square inch), which independent testing has shown increases distance through a trampoline effect when the club face strikes the ball. This pressurized effect allows Powerbilt to reinforce the driver head without adding weight, which further increasing the trampoline effect of the club face to the maximum allowed by the USGA and also enables Powerbilt to increase forgiveness on less-than-perfect hits.

The DFX also has a 5 millimeter deeper face than the previous version, and six more grams of weight have been moved low and forward in the head to improve smash factor, the company says.

“We reduced the nitrogen pressure to 80 pounds, for better impact feel,” said Ross Kvinge, president of PowerBilt. “This new amount of nitrogen generates a tremendous trampoline effect for increased ball speed. In fact, now the trampoline effect is up to the USGA maximum limit. Shot dispersion is also the tightest ever in our drivers.”

The Air Force One DFX features a forged titanium body and titanium face and will be available for both right-handed and left-handed golfers in lofts of 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 12.5 degrees. Several shaft options will be available, including premium options from Fujikura, Fubiku, and Aldila. The Air Force One DFX will retail for $299.

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Neil Crutchfield

Neil Crutchfield picked up the sport of golf at the tender age of 34 in 2012 and has been completely infatuated ever since, much to the chagrin of his wife and bank account. Currently, he is a 11 and working hard to get down to being a single-digit handicapper, with the ultimate goal of being scratch.

12 Comments

Martin

Jul 31, 2014 at 5:06 pm

I was just fitted w/this driver. It’s for real. Did it on a launch monitor. Compared it to my SLDR and titleist 913 D3. Also used a new Adams head. Switched out a bunch of shafts and heads over 2 fitting sessions Adams was longer than both of my drivers. Performed great. The Power Bilt was just a notch above the Adams. Carry distance was a few yards longer. Spin was down and launch was up. ( About 2400rpm and 12+ on the launch) difference for me was the smash factor. Was around 1.45+ w/the Adams. Was 1.5 nearly every time w/Power Bilt. Had a few max out at 1.52. Went from low launch high spin with my sldr that gave me about a 240-245 carry to a 260+ carry with the right launch and spin w/Power Bilt. Swing was 105-110. This will surely help my game.

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jtizzle

Apr 7, 2014 at 3:49 pm

The top end jdm brand Kamui Pro has a nitrogen driver that is supposed to be one of the longest out. I am actually waiting on one to arrive right now. I have also heard that the Powerbilt drivers are fairly long too.

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Jack Nash

Mar 24, 2014 at 11:45 am

I remember when My brother and I were kids, we had the old style wooden matches we’d put between the ball and the old wood driver head. We’d do it in a corner of the course where we were surrounded by trees. When hit properly it would sound like a gun going off, making a scotch mark on the ball and club head. I would imagine that with this new driver that act wouldn’t be recommended? Would this new driver come with the appropriate warnings?

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Taylor Made

Mar 22, 2014 at 8:54 pm

Do I have to yell “POOOWWW!” “BOOOMM!” when i swing it? Air Force One??? Even the name is gimmicky. Ill pass.

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- Jed
  
  Mar 23, 2014 at 5:53 pm
  
  Leave it to somebody with the name Taylor Made to talk about being gimmicky.
  
  You hitting 400 yard bombs yet?
  
  Reply Report comment
- Travis
  
  Apr 16, 2014 at 12:32 pm
  
  Yea, because TaylorMade “ROCKETBALLZ” and “JETSPEED” isn’t gimmicky…
  
  Reply Report comment
The dude

Mar 22, 2014 at 6:51 am

Awesome!!…..now they can get Fuzzy and Jodie Mudd back 🙂

Reply Report comment
Perry

Mar 22, 2014 at 1:34 am

Nice to see a different manufacturer for a change. Get a bit sick of only seeing Taylormade and the other biggies. This site sure must be greeting some good kick backs.

Reply Report comment
RadioActive

Mar 21, 2014 at 2:57 pm

isn’t everyone up to or near the .830 limit?

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- Jack
  
  Mar 26, 2014 at 12:05 am
  
  That’s what I thought. So the hydrogen brings it up to (or close to) the limit that everyone has been at already. Wonderful. Thanks for no advantage. Isn’t this the definition of a gimmick?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Beau
    
    Apr 6, 2014 at 1:59 am
    
    Um, its nitrogen not hydrogen that powerbuilt uses. They have been using nitrogen in their drivers since the mid 90’s so would that really be a gimmick?? At least they can think outside the box for a change… maybe stop mocking companies that don’t conform to what is seen as normal? cheers
    
    Reply Report comment
- Joe
  
  Mar 28, 2014 at 10:42 pm
  
  Actually, the .830 limit is no longer used as the standard for top limmits. What is used is something called Characteristic Time, which is how long the ball stays on the face when being struck.
  That said, I agree with your premise about everyone being at that limit.
  Supposedly though, there can be a lot of variance amongst clubheads, even though they are all “supposed” to be at that limit.
  Adams Golf, for example, claims that they test all of their clubheads to make sure that they are at the top limit. That’s something other companies do not do. With most companies, the goal is to make a clubhead where the top limit of the best one is at the limit, but many of them may not reach that level. That’s why pros test many of them, looking for that “hot driver” amongst the group, according to legends like Lee Trevino.
  As for Powerbilt, I really don’t understand how the Nitrogen gas helps that trampoline effect, but I’ve heard that somehow it actually does so. Perhaps it helps on mishits somehow? In any case, Powerbilt drivers usually get extremely high marks in the distance category every year when numerous drivers are indepently tested, such as on sites such as this. Not bad for a brand that most folks don’t give a second thought to, and one that many stores don’t even bother to carry because of that.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

15 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

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And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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