Nike 20XI Golf Ball Review
Today…our friends over at GolfBallSelector.com…did a in-depth review of the new Nike 20Xi Golf Ball. We like to think we have come up with one of the most well rounded and detailed golf club reviews in the business. But when it comes to golf ball reviews we leave it to the guys over at GBS.
The Nike 20XI is available in two models, the 20XI-X and 20XI-S. They will serve as Nike’s new premium golf balls replacing the Nike One Tour and One Tour D models. The retail version of the 20XI balls will be available nationally on April 29th.
The key new aspect of the design is the ball’s resin core that replaces a traditional rubber core. Rock Ishii, Nike Golf’s Product Development Director for golf balls, states in their press release:
“I have never been more excited about a new golf ball innovation than I am now. For many years, golf ball development has primarily been focused on the number of layers with a solid rubber core. We believe that there wasn’t really anywhere else to go as far as technology advancement in these areas, and felt that the next window of opportunity was in the exploration of various materials for the core.”
The Nike 20XI-X and 20XI-S will be included in the next spring release of the GolfBallSelector.com site.
TESTING APPROACH
The Nike 20XI-X and 20XI-S were subjected to bench testing for compression and cover hardness, and player and robot testing using the driver, 6-iron and sand wedge.
Driver Testing:
The ball speed of the 20XI-X was approximately 2-4 MPH higher than the Nike One Tour and 1-3 MPH when compared to the One Tour D at the higher ball speed player level. Driver spin for both balls compared the same with the One Tour and One Tour D but reduced launch angle of 1-2 degrees was seen across all ball speeds tested.
6-Iron Testing:
6-iron testing across all ball speeds for both the 20XI-X and 20XI-S again demonstrated lower spins and launch angles but ball speeds seems to be on average for both balls 1-2 mph higher which resulted in a carry distance increase of approximately 2-4 yards compared to the Nike One Tour and One Tour D.
Sand Wedge Testing:
The 20XI-X and 20XI-S perform with significantly less spin (500-900 RPM’s) for a sand wedge than the One Tour and One Tour D across all balls speeds but most pronounced at the higher ball speeds. This brought the 20XI-X and 20XI-S at the high ball speed level very close to slightly less than the 2011 Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x. Launch Angles we lower in comparison by 6-8 percent across all ball speeds.
Bench Testing:
Our bench testing indicates that the 20XI-X has an overall compression reading of 115 points which is slightly higher than the 20XI-S which has an overall compression of 112 points. This is only slightly less. Both balls are considered higher compression golf balls among the top 10% highest compression readings we have tested. Additional bench testing measuring cover hardness revealed that the 20XI-X and 20XI-S exhibited similar cover hardness readings that are among the softest we have tested to date. The 20XI-S was a few points softer than the 20XI-X.
Notable Observations
Player testing was conducted across a range of ball speeds on the 20XI-X and 20XI-S golf balls. Overall, the 20XI-X exhibits less spin off all clubs (driver, 6-iron, and 56 degree wedge) than the 20XI-S at all ball speed levels we tested. Both the 20XI-X and 20XI-S have lower launch angle characteristics off all clubs and in the case of the high ball speed player slightly higher ball speeds off the driver.
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Greg
11 years ago
After having tried out several other tour type balls, more to the point, srixon Z-star and callaway hex, i decided to pick up a sleeve of the 20X1-X. I was pleasantly surprised. These balls by far have been the best i’ve tried. I’ve not overly noticed a difference in the putting but in general the balls are wonderful! Much better “feel” than any others I have tested. I was quite the srixon fan of late but now…. I am seriously going to be turning to this ball. Cant speak well enough about them.