tm tp red ldp vs. nike one platinum 08

[golfernut78]

played today with the two side by side

over the weekend i played 18 holes with the new nike one platinum 2008 (see this post 2008 nike one platinum by golfernut78 ). well, today, i got out of work early and played a quick 18 with the tm tp red against the nike one platinum 2008. i played out at riverside golf club in grand praire, texas (its not the greatest course in the world, but its cheap and close by and i know the layout really well). i started the round on #10, and they had aerated the greens on the front 9. there was some wind, but not a lot. on some holes i played two balls, and on some, like a good driver hole i just hit both balls with the driver, but then played out with just the tm ball. some holes i only played the tm off the tee, but would have a wedge into the green and would play both from that spot. here is what i found:

distance: tie
both balls are long, but i was not getting the 20 yard difference in distance that the golf magazine test got. of the 4 side by side drives, in which both balls were in the fairway, they were never more than 5 yards apart, with the exception of one down wind hole, with 2 times the tm being the longer, 1 time they were even and 1 times the nike being the longer (with this the exception - the nike was 15 yards longer). on the irons, didn't see any difference in length.

spin: nike
i thought the nike ball did better spin wise. on one hole, driving dead into the wind the nike ball was longer off the driver, by a few yards, which i was suprised, as i expected the tm ball to be longer. (there was another hole into the wind were i hit both, but didn't compare as i pushed the tm ball right, and while long, it landed in an area between bunkers - #14 - and the nike found the fairway and the power alley getting some big roll). down wind, the nike was the better ball with it being 15 yards longer - both in the center of the fairway. so i don't know what to make of this at all. longer downwind i would think that means the nike spins more, but it was longer/as long into the wind too.

with the irons, the nike ball didn't roll out as much as the tm ball, but i don't know if it was the fairest test as the greens were sanded and aerated (small holes, not the big ones). with the wedges, the nike was the best. i checked up much more, but was also easier to control when i wanted it to check and when i wanted it to run out.

control: nike
they both are very easy to control, but i give the nike the edge as i could hit different trajectories easier with it. i couldn't hit the tm as low or as high as the nike - but it was a great trajectory, just couldn't manipulate it as much. both balls were straight, but could be turned.

durability: nike
hands down the nike was the winner. the nike ball that i played 18 with on saturday (was still in the bag) was in better shape after 18 holes than the tm ball after 3 holes. my vokey (not spin milled) chewed this ball up, and yet it still didn't spin like the nike. the paint came off pretty quick like the original pro-v1

overall:
while it would seem that i am heavily favoring the nike ball, thats not the case. they are both really good balls, and i found the tm to putt better (actually, had the best putting round of my life, 26 putts - and i typically average 37 a round). i found my missed putts were typically within 2' of the cup where as the nike were 4'-5'. the only area in which i felt the tm failed or wasn't even close was the durability. everything was close and the tm red ldp ball is a good ball. as of today, i would chose either one of these balls over the pro-v1, without hesitation.

[G-Bone]

Great detailed review, thank you for sharing!

[ccgolfer37]

GREAT REVIEW! The '08 Nike ONE Black/Platinum are the REAL DEAL! These golf balls are no joke, Some of the best I have hit in years!

[LONG&STR8]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time. I'm also in love the the NOP. The check around the greens especially off of short pitch shots has no equal. You can aim right below the hole and know that it will stop within a foot. Who needs to try to judge how much roll you're going to get?

[kool-aid]

great review.. I had a shootout this week between the LDP black and nike platinum.. and I found them nearly indistinguishable in a lot of ways. both balls spun really well around the greens, and like you I found the durability of the LDP not good.. but it spins great and is very predictable.

 

the one area where I thought the LDP shone was in mishits.. if I missed it a little bit, I got nearly the same distance, which was not the case with the platinum, callaway ix, or pro v1x. you should give the LDP black a try unless you're already sold on the platinum, which I could understand, it's a great ball this year. hated the 2007 version.

[tommytom11]

i agree that the new NOP kicks a** over the 07' version.