Nike 20XI S

[G.Review]

What do you think?

 

 

[bjackson]

I just played my first round with the 20XI-S. Great, great ball. This is going to be my gamer for the year. I've been a ProV1 guy for years and years, dabbling with others, but decided to make the jump to this ball for 2011. After giving it an on course test run today, I'm very happy with what I saw. It was solid off the driver, perfect trajectory with my irons, but best of all it spins around the greens! Made me feel like I was playing with the older U grooves. Very soft and checked up like I hoped it would. Feel off the putter was very nice as well. Give it a try if you haven't already, it lives up to the hype if you ask me.

[Obsessotron]

I have gladly switched from ProV1 to 20XI-S. It's a great ball that performs everywhere, it is soft but it provides the player with more tactile feedback on the clubface. A lot of premium balls are getting a bit too soft now, and while this is just as soft, the audible feedback provided by the new core makes it a more involving experience.

[Hitn18]

I just bought a dozen (20XI-S) to try after reading some of the reviews, even though some were not very good. I was hoping that the ball was going to be very good but I ended up very dissapointed. The ball was terrible of the tee at least 5 to 10 yards short and very low trajectory. I will say that around the greens it was one of the best balls that I have tried, great spin and very soft feel. At the end of the round I gave the remaining three sleeves to one of the kids that works at my club (he's a 3 handicap), after talking to him and the pro my guess is that these balls are most suited to golfers with swing speeds in excess of 100mph.

Jeff

[quote name='bjackson' timestamp='1305243587' post='3229214']
I just played my first round with the 20XI-S. Great, great ball. This is going to be my gamer for the year. I've been a ProV1 guy for years and years, dabbling with others, but decided to make the jump to this ball for 2011. After giving it an on course test run today, I'm very happy with what I saw. It was solid off the driver, perfect trajectory with my irons, but best of all it spins around the greens! Made me feel like I was playing with the older U grooves. Very soft and checked up like I hoped it would. Feel off the putter was very nice as well. Give it a try if you haven't already, it lives up to the hype if you ask me.
[/quote]

[tpariff]

Before I get into the review on this ball, let me give you a little background. I'm a 6 handicap with a driver swing speed of ~ 105 mph with a pretty quick tempo. I'd probably be considered more of a hitter than a swinger.

For the last year I've been playing the Nike One Tour D almost exclusively so I have a great point of reference for comparing Nike tour level balls. I've also tried the Nike One Tour, but didn't really care for all the spin generated off the driver and irons.

I tested both 20XI models (S & X) over the same weekend, head to head, where I alternated the two every 3 holes.

Now for my review of the 20XI-S:


[b]Appearance[/b]

Nice white color. Not quite as bright as the new Srixon line, but not quite as "dull" as the TM Penta or Titleist Pro V1. Graphics are subtle and well done.

One thing I did notice right off the bat was the depth of the dimples compared to the Tour D. When I went to draw an alignment line on the 20XI-S it felt that the Sharpie hit small speed bumps along the way. It seems the dimples on this ball are a bit deeper than those on the Tour D.

Packaging is OK. I've read some responses from WRX'ers that the boxes look cheap, like Top Flites or the like. I don't agree with that. I find the packaging a bit more flashy, but let's remember that it's JUST packaging. I'm more concerned with what's inside.


[b]Feel - Driver / Irons[/b]

Between the S and X versions of this ball, the S felt more like the Tour D. The S definitely has more of a "click" sound at impact, but it doesn't feel hard like the X. With the One Tour series, the Tour was clearly softer than the Tour D. I'd say there is still that gap in feel, but it seems that the 20XI-S is more comparable to the Tour D in feel off long shots.


[b]Feel - Short Shots / Putter[/b]

Again the S and Tour D feel very similar off short shots and the putter. The S does have more of a click off the putter than the Tour D, and less than the X, but overall it feels and sounds good. Spin around the green was absolutely amazing. I fully expected it would spin more than the Tour D on short shots and it delivered.

I hit a couple of pitches / chips that stopped very quickly from suspect lies. Very nice!


[b]Distance[/b]

Distance was virtually identical to the Tour D throughout the bag, and possibly a few yards longer. The S was a good 5-10 yards longer than the X, which seems strange considering the X is supposed to be the "distance" ball. I posted in my review of the X that perhaps I don't have the SS to make that ball work for me, so that could be the reason why the S performed better than the X in the distance category.

Compared to the One Tour, the S is quite a bit longer for me.


[b]Spin[/b]

The S has spin to spare, but there's no overkill in the spin category off the driver like I found with the One Tour. While I did not see the benefit of the resin core in the 20XI-X, I can definitely see it in the S version. Driver spin is minimized while short iron spin is maximized. A+ for achieving that goal.

In my opinion the S and Tour D have comparable amounts of spin on longer shots, but the S has quite a bit more spin on shorter shots and around the green.


[b]Flight / Wind Performance[/b]

There was no significant wind during my testing. The ball held its line well in what little wind I had over the weekend.

I'm not a big "worker" of the ball, so this is not applicable.


[b]Durability[/b]

Both the S and X are very durable. No issues here with shredding on full shots. Both are at least as durable as the Tour D.


[b]Conclusion[/b]

Nike hit the mark with the 20XI-S....I like it! I know there will come a day soon when the Tour D will disappear, but at least I know I've found a good replacement in the 20XI-S. I could play either ball and be happy.

I also reviewed the Nike 20XI-X here: http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/471124-nike-20xi-x/


Thanks for looking!
Kevin

[brooktini]

My buddy's dad won a dozen of these is a tournament. He gave me 2 sleeves to try and and tell him what I thought, I loved the feel off my irons and wedges great spin. The only downside was I had to change balls every two holes because my wedges were ripping the cover.

[J13]

In terms of distance perhaps you need more spin to have optimal numbers which is why you hit the S further.

[RICDOGG]

Background
17 Handicap - 101 mph Dr Swing Speed.

Previous Ball:
Bridgestone B330RX-S


Driver (5 stars) : Shot dispersion is much improved. Ball flight definitely holds the line longer before drawing/fading in. Distance is a bit longer than B330RX-S, but minimal. I attribute to less L/R movement while in air.

Irons (5 stars): Balls come out HOT. trajectory is low and piercing. Draw rollout is good. Fades definitely stop sooner than the Bridgestones.

Wedges (4 stars): Feel is excellent. I was very confident in attacking pins of tight and dry lies. Spin result very similar to bridgestones. low trajectory hop-n-check was very predictable. 3/4 swing high pitches resulted in 2-5 feel rollback. Played a few rounds with wet grass and rollout from rough is ~10%-15% shorter than bridgestones.

Putter (3 stars): Scotty Cameron Studio Select. The ball feel off the putter face makes me cringe. It literally feels like I'm putting a dead ball. Being this is my second box. I am getting used to the distance control of these balls. but the feel of every put just feels like it has no chance.

Durability (3 stars): There is none. These things shred so quickly. Not much to say. I clean the peeling outer layer. performance doesnt appear to be affected. just Higher frequency than normal in maintaining the surface as close to round as possible.


Conclusion (4 stars): this is a toughy. This is my second box. I was so turned off by the putter i said I was never going to play them again. However I ended up buying a box on a whim just to see if anything was different.
The ball from tee to green performs beautifully. Definitely have confidence in executing any shot that i'm trying to hit. My propensity on mis-hits is a slice, and with these balls they definitely do not turn as far as they used to. draws with driver definitely less lateral movement in the air with what appears to be more roll.

Overall great ball. Predictable and workable.
My only problem with this ball is that feel off the putter.

[PGA_09]

I really was impressed with this ball. I have played the lower spinning version of most other golf balls, but I really preferred the feel of the 20XI-S versus the 20XI-X. The feel at impact was much softer with the S and the ball flight was perfect for me. I found the ball to be very durable as well, great spin off of the wedges without leaving any scuff marks.

[ocu_canadian]

I love both the 20Xi balls. Nike knocked one out of the park with these. I will be looking to find a sick deal on them and stock up on them

[Clark]

Ball flies much longer than any on the market

[Tayzer]

[quote name='brooktini' timestamp='1318513081' post='3667133']
My buddy's dad won a dozen of these is a tournament. He gave me 2 sleeves to try and and tell him what I thought, I loved the feel off my irons and wedges great spin. The only downside was I had to change balls every two holes because my wedges were ripping the cover.
[/quote]

Use conforming wedges

[whatswrong11]

[b]"Conclusion[/b]

Nike hit the mark with the 20XI-S....I like it! I know there will come a day soon when the Tour D will disappear, but at least I know I've found a good replacement in the 20XI-S. I could play either ball and be happy.

I also reviewed the Nike 20XI-X here: [url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/471124-nike-20xi-x/"]http://www.golfwrx.c...24-nike-20xi-x/[/url]


Thanks for looking!
Kevin"

Thanks for comparing them agains the Tour D, nobody seems to mention that.

[ladahl]

[quote name='tpariff' timestamp='1310691195' post='3392451']
Before I get into the review on this ball, let me give you a little background. I'm a 6 handicap with a driver swing speed of ~ 105 mph with a pretty quick tempo. I'd probably be considered more of a hitter than a swinger.

For the last year I've been playing the Nike One Tour D almost exclusively so I have a great point of reference for comparing Nike tour level balls. I've also tried the Nike One Tour, but didn't really care for all the spin generated off the driver and irons.

I tested both 20XI models (S & X) over the same weekend, head to head, where I alternated the two every 3 holes.

Now for my review of the 20XI-S:


[b]Appearance[/b]

Nice white color. Not quite as bright as the new Srixon line, but not quite as "dull" as the TM Penta or Titleist Pro V1. Graphics are subtle and well done.

One thing I did notice right off the bat was the depth of the dimples compared to the Tour D. When I went to draw an alignment line on the 20XI-S it felt that the Sharpie hit small speed bumps along the way. It seems the dimples on this ball are a bit deeper than those on the Tour D.

Packaging is OK. I've read some responses from WRX'ers that the boxes look cheap, like Top Flites or the like. I don't agree with that. I find the packaging a bit more flashy, but let's remember that it's JUST packaging. I'm more concerned with what's inside.


[b]Feel - Driver / Irons[/b]

Between the S and X versions of this ball, the S felt more like the Tour D. The S definitely has more of a "click" sound at impact, but it doesn't feel hard like the X. With the One Tour series, the Tour was clearly softer than the Tour D. I'd say there is still that gap in feel, but it seems that the 20XI-S is more comparable to the Tour D in feel off long shots.


[b]Feel - Short Shots / Putter[/b]

Again the S and Tour D feel very similar off short shots and the putter. The S does have more of a click off the putter than the Tour D, and less than the X, but overall it feels and sounds good. Spin around the green was absolutely amazing. I fully expected it would spin more than the Tour D on short shots and it delivered.

I hit a couple of pitches / chips that stopped very quickly from suspect lies. Very nice!


[b]Distance[/b]

Distance was virtually identical to the Tour D throughout the bag, and possibly a few yards longer. The S was a good 5-10 yards longer than the X, which seems strange considering the X is supposed to be the "distance" ball. I posted in my review of the X that perhaps I don't have the SS to make that ball work for me, so that could be the reason why the S performed better than the X in the distance category.

Compared to the One Tour, the S is quite a bit longer for me.


[b]Spin[/b]

The S has spin to spare, but there's no overkill in the spin category off the driver like I found with the One Tour. While I did not see the benefit of the resin core in the 20XI-X, I can definitely see it in the S version. Driver spin is minimized while short iron spin is maximized. A+ for achieving that goal.

In my opinion the S and Tour D have comparable amounts of spin on longer shots, but the S has quite a bit more spin on shorter shots and around the green.


[b]Flight / Wind Performance[/b]

There was no significant wind during my testing. The ball held its line well in what little wind I had over the weekend.

I'm not a big "worker" of the ball, so this is not applicable.


[b]Durability[/b]

Both the S and X are very durable. No issues here with shredding on full shots. Both are at least as durable as the Tour D.


[b]Conclusion[/b]

Nike hit the mark with the 20XI-S....I like it! I know there will come a day soon when the Tour D will disappear, but at least I know I've found a good replacement in the 20XI-S. I could play either ball and be happy.

I also reviewed the Nike 20XI-X here: [url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/471124-nike-20xi-x/"]http://www.golfwrx.c...24-nike-20xi-x/[/url]


Thanks for looking!
Kevin
[/quote]

Great review! I always gamed the Tour D, as well. Sadly, I bought a bunch of X's (figuring this would be the replacement), but will now buy more S's.

I love these balls too (both S and X)

[chadhayes11]

For everyone that likes these rock bottom golf has them for 17.99 a dozen!!!! Just got 6 doz in the mail today and can't wait to hit them!

[Justin_650]

is there a market/demand for these balls?

[Philfil]

is there a market/demand for these balls?

 

Given that this thread is 6 years old, I'd roll the dice on a big no...