Nike 20XI X (2011) Golf Ball Review

The Nike 20XI-X golf ball is a big improvement on the previous One Black and when we asked Charl Schwartzl which item of Nike equipment had given him the biggest benefit he said this ball.

On the course you can see why as in the wind it was very stable thanks to the new construction with the lighter resin core and 'heavier' outer layers working well together. The X version of the Nike 20XI golf ball is a little firmer on the greens than the S version but it is not clicky in any way.

The sound and feel is lighter which takes some getting used to but the performance is very good on the short stuff. We found the X version spins a little less and is the better of the two in the wind as it does not go as high and also spins a little less on chips which is a good thing as they are easier to run out.

Nike say that the flight of the ball has 100 rpm less spin after the Apex of the flight and therefore that gives more distance and certainly the distance was as good as other premium golf balls.

Speaking of premium, that is where the price will be to take on the Pro V1 and the 20XI X golf ball is certainly in that category.

The durability was not bad, although there were a few scuffs from some aggressive wedge grooves but no worse than any other similar ball.

Overall the 20XI X Nike golf ball is ideal for high swing speed, low to mid handicappers and is well worth a try, especially if you play in windy conditions a lot.

BTatHOME

November 2012

Great spin, but at what price? Pros: a lot of spin! Cons: costly if you rip them up with wedges

If performance is the only thing you want then I can see people falling over themselves to get these. Although this is a 'Distance' ball I never felt that I was outperforming my usual Bridgestone's or Srixon's. However they did spin an awful lot, with either hop and stop or huge back spin when I used a tee on the Par 3's. Definitely have to figure out how these perform on firmer greens as the soft greens are really not a good test of a good ball.

Nice feel off the putter, and for me that is one of the most important parts of a ball performance.

One thing that did disappoint, in the limited time I could use the ball, is the wear and tear of the cover. I used one ball for 36 holes and to be honest if it was the middle of summer and in a competition I would have to replace it after each round. It didn't cut up like a Pro V1 does, but did leave some ugly scaring from wedges. Let's be honest all premium balls have a scarring issue and these are no worse than some of the others (unless you use the yellow zstars) but you do have to be prepared to accept the damage your wedges inflict on them.

I guess the big question is would I buy them? Well it would be a consideration, as they aren't any worse than others for the same price, but do they offer more than a ball at £30 per dozen? Well at the moment I can't say yes as until the firmer greens come along its impossible to give a positive response, but I'll certainly try them again.