Hit the Gas! PowerBilt’s Nitrogen-Infused Air Force One DFX Driver

Patented N7 Technology attracts “cult following”

Chris Duthie

There was a time when just about every golfer wanted to play with PowerBilt Citations. The amber colored, gorgeously crafted and sweet-swinging woods were legendary, and few brands could match PowerBilt’s enviable street cred: 120 PGA Tour titles, including eight majors victories.

Sadly, the Louisville-based division of family-owned Hillerich & Bradsby Company took a beating in the 1980s when golf companies went public and golfers began favoring longer-hitting metal heads over wood. PowerBilt, which in 1916 started turning Persimmon clubheads at the same plant where H&B milled Louisville Slugger baseball bats, shied away from Wall Street and remained stubbornly loyal to its wood-only traditions… only to see its vaunted market share evaporate.

Well, PowerBilt is back. After struggling for the better part of 30 years, the storied brand has returned to prominence by honing in on consumers who demand quality golf equipment but refuse to pay inflated prices.

Its latest offering is the newly retooled Air Force One DFX, a forged titanium driver that combines aerodynamic design elements with out-of-the-box innovation, which in this case is the injection of nitrogen gas into the clubhead to minimize overall weight and to maximize its clubface-to-ball trampoline effect.

“In 2006 we saw the way the market was going—we modernized things, gave our clubs a more classic and clean PowerBilt look, and brought in some pretty radical technology,” said PowerBilt President Ross Kvinge. “With the nitrogen, we have a little bit of a cult following. Once golfers are introduced to a nitrogen-injected PowerBilt club, and they have success with it, they want it in the rest of their clubs.

Adding nitrogen allows PowerBilt “to thin the clubface but maintain its structural support,” explained Kvinge. “There are no hot or dead spots on the clubface, which gives golfers really good consistency, shot after shot.”

Which rings true. During a recent double-bucket practice session and on-course assessment, I found the Air Force One DFX driver played gratifyingly long off the tee, shot shapes were bang-on consistent and ball dispersion was tight. The club featured a 9.5-degree loft and a standard 45.5-inch Fujikura graphite shaft, with most drives achieving a pleasing launch angle. Performance suffered as expected during mis-hits, but the DFX’s big sweet spot and consistency instilled me with enough confidence to tee it even on pinched-target routings.

PowerBilt’s patented Nitrogen N7 technology has in fact proven a boon to the company’s sales and reputation. Its mainstay Air Force One irons—also gas injected—have been named to the 2011 and 2013 Golf Digest Hot List, and nitrogen is now a featured component of the company’s increasingly popular hybrids.

Equipped with titanium cup face technology, the Air Force One DFX driver ($300 retail) is also sold in degreed lofts of 8.5, 10.5 and 12.5, and comes in a variety of premium shafts and grips to match up with a player’s unique swing characteristics. For more information go online to powerbilt.com.

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Chris Duthie is a contributor to Colorado AvidGolfer, the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.