What’s Cooking At The Oven?

FORT WORTH, Tex. – The last time I arrived at The Oven, the name affectionately bestowed upon Nike Golf’s research and development facility here, there was a vacant field on one side of the parking lot and an office on the other.

That was a couple of years ago, but on a return visit on Monday, there were three holes of Disneyland for those who like to tinker with the products made and fitted here or those who like to find themselves in plenty of grief while making like Ben Hogan, one of the proud names of the game that hailed from this area.

Mr. Hogan would surely have walked away shaking his head after witnessing the rebirth of my game after five months of inactivity, which is a nice excuse, but hardly a valid one for the balls I shanked and dunked in the water on a layout that proves that bad things come in threes, at least in my case on Monday.

The good news is that I finished with a birdie, a highlight of a day that included driver and putter fittings and a tour of the new Oven, which has once again changed considerably since the last visit.

However, as we all know in this business, we would rather be out hitting balls, which is what our group did on the three-hole layout that takes up about three-and-a-half acres at the Oven. Actually, there are several combinations of teeing areas and greens that allow you to mix it up to your heart’s content.

No matter which greens or teeing areas you choose, this little nightmare will throw all kinds of nasties at you, be it water or awkward lies.  Poor old Garry McKay of Ontario Golf finally made the smart move and threw in the towel when he had a towering sod wall facing him in a deep bunker.

This little three-hole gem is used by both tour pros and club professionals visiting the Oven and word has it that putting lights on it was considered at one time, but it was decided that only darkness would get the message to visiting pros that it was time to call it a day. The fear was that they would have stayed until all hours.

Apparently, a group of Canadian PGA professionals put this little layout to the test about a year ago when they visited. As part of an agreement, Canadian PGA pros can become accredited fitters through Nike, which will also be offering more and more educational opportunities at the Oven.

It’s a fun diversion from the business of the day on a visit to Nike and one that served as a warm-up for Tuesday’s activities, which include a round at the nearby Cowboy Club before we get on a flight from Dallas to the PGA Merchandise Show, which gets underway Thursday at the Orange County Convention Centre.

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