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Rory McIlroy is enjoying his first start of 2015 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championships and he’s doing so with some new gear in the bag, namely a Nike Engage 59-degree wedge.

Offered with three sole grinds, the new Nike Golf Engage wedges have been designed to help golfers score and escape adverse conditions on the course.

“To me, they perform really well from the around the greens,” said McIlroy. “The ball seems to consistently get up easier and land softer.”

McIlroy was one of the Nike athletes who tested the new wedge design and provided valuable feedback to Nike Golf’s master craftsman Mike Taylor and the club team during the product development process.

The wedges themselves were designed to better engage the club, ball and golfer, with Nike engineers following a similar design to the Modern Muscle that can be found in Nike’s Vapor family of clubs. The Modern Muscle technology shifts the centre of gravity to promote stability and consistent turf interaction in even the worst playing conditions.

“Our aim in offering three sole grinds allows athletes to be more purposeful when selecting their wedges,” said Matt Plumb, product line manager for woods and short game. “Each of these three sole grinds, which are driven by our experience working with our athletes around the world, provide a distinct advantage in the types of shots you can play with them. We work with athletes to maximise their golf DNA.”

Inspired by grinds used by Tiger Woods and McIlroy, the Square Sole is designed to be played with a squared-up clubface while the Dual Sole offers two distinctive surfaces for a wide range of shots.

The second-generation Toe Sweep grind is described as being ‘the best wedge from the worst lie on the course’, while improving versatility on tight lies. The wide toe and narrow heel width allow the club to be laid open at address and stay open through impact in even the deepest of grass.