Titleist NXT Tour/Extreme Balls Review
Posted August 24th, 2007 by Alan Olson
If you think Ian MacCallister was miffed with the old Titleist NXT line, he's really going to be stark raving mad with the new ones.
Unless you've been hiding under a rock the past few weeks, you've probably seen quite a bit of Ian MacCallister expound on the evil virtues of Titleist's new NXT Tour and NXT Extreme golf balls. While the ads are quite humorous, Titleist seemed to be quite serious in giving the NXT line a facelift, which is pretty impressive since the older versions both were rated Gold on Golf Digest's 2007 Hot List.
I've been using the first generation of the NXT Tour for the past several years. The original NXT Tour was a good all-around ball, and I didn't have to worry quite so much about losing them as I would a $5 ball. They were, in short, a great blend of value and performance. They were also quite durable… and durability matters when you scrape your ball around the trees and off the cart paths. My only real complaint with the original NXT Tour was how soft it felt off the putter.
I couldn't ever quite used to the feel with the putter, so I often played the Pro V1. I was quite happy to hear that Titleist was revamping the NXT line. I hoped Titleist would push the performance levels to get closer to the new Pro V1 line. If the NXT Tour was once the Pro V1's distant cousin, I hoped the updates would make it play more like the Pro V1's kid brother.
Would the new NXT Tour prompt me to switch back? Read on to see if the allure of a premium ball was too much or if the value and performance offered by the new NXT Tour and NXT Extreme defeated silly pride for this 15-handicapper.
Design and Technology
The revised Pro V1 and Pro V1x were the first Titleist balls without a seam with the "Staggered Wave Parting Line." The updated Pro V1 line also added an "A.I.M." aiming line (the "Alignment Integrated Marking" line). Both the Staggered Wave and the A.I.M. line have made the leap to the NXT.
The balls share other characteristics as well. Both feature 392 dimples arranged in an icosahedral pattern (a Titleist staple layout for a few years now). Beyond that, well, both balls are white (with a new "Pro White" paint color), round, and obey the Rules of Golf. Yeah, we're stretching a bit, because the NXT Tour and Extreme's similarities end there.
The dimple patterns on the NXT Tour (left) and NXT Extreme (right) were tweaked and a Staggered Wave parting line added to give you longer distance through enhanced aerodyanmics.
The NXT Extreme, which replaced the original "NXT," is marketed to the budget-minded golfer who is more interested in gaining distance rather than control on and around the green. Its solid core is made of polybutadiene, which the engineers at Titleist describe as having a "high coefficient of restitution (CoR)." The NXT Extreme's cover is made of the old standby: incredibly durable Surlyn. All of this combines to make the NXT Extreme the lowest-spinning ball in the Titleist line (for those that require a lower spinning ball off the tee - both for distance and for curbing your slice or hook).
The NXT Tour is a dual-core ball (like the Pro V1x). Both the inner and outer cores are made of polybutadiene, each with slightly different properties: the firmer inner core contributes to the distance and the softer outer core to the feel and control. The cover material is named "Fusablend," a softer material than Surlyn.
Feel and Spin
In the past, the primary feature I considered when choosing a golf ball was affordability. Plain and simple. All I really needed was a ball I could find when I hit into the woods. As I've gotten better this past year and as I've spent more practice time on the green, I am now placing more importance on a golf ball's feel, especially off the putter.
Both balls offered a solid, dependable feel off the flatstick, but I preferred the feeling the NXT Tour gave me over the NXT Extreme. I could never quite warm up to the Extreme because it felt just a bit too soft, like most of the lower compression distance balls on the market today. Feel is going to be a huge individual characteristic, so what didn't work for me may work for you. Either way, rest assured the NXT Extreme was noticeably better around the greens that its predecessor, the NXT.
You can see the difference in core design with the NXT Extreme being solid core while the NXT Tour is a dual-core design.
The new NXT Tour feels more like its bigger brother, the Pro V1, and I quickly adapted to the ball and felt fairly confident when using it. On short wedge shots around the green, the NXT Tour spun quite pleasingly and more so than the NXT Extreme. While the NXT Extreme would land and run out, the NXT Tour had a lot more "hop and stop" capability. It'd still run out a little bit, but I didn't have to aim for spots 10 yards short of the pin with a pitching wedge, either.
Distance and Durability
Distance wise, both of these balls seem to have gained a little. Between the two, I'd call it a toss-up: both the NXT Tour and the NXT Extreme are long golf balls. Players looking to eke that extra yard or two from one ball or the other will need to play them for themselves, and they'll likely find it comes down to swing speed, plain and simple. With the NXT Extreme, I found I could really compress the ball well while not very swinging hard (similar to the feeling I've gotten with the DT SoLo), making this a good ball for golfers with slower swings speeds. Easy distance without swing hard is a great concept.
Those who swing harder will want to look at the NXT Tour first. The NXT Tour felt a bit firmer off the driver and irons and produced a more consistent distance at my clubhead speed (100+ MPH with the driver). The NXT Tour is not as "spinny" as the Pro V1s I'd previously used, so it also flies a bit straighter.
Between the two NXT models, I found the Extreme to be more durable, hands down. I bounced a few off the cart paths as well as smacked a tree or two and the ball showed few signs of damage. If you do manage to damage the cover, you can just send it back to the good folks at Titleist and they will send you a free sleeve of balls to replace your damaged one. How's that for customer service?!?
From the outside, the NXT Tour and Extreme look identical and incorporate the A.I.M. line. Under the cover, they are completely different beasts. If you cut up an Extreme during normal play, send it back to get some new ones!
The new, improved version of the NXT Tour is not quite as durable as its predecessor. On wedge shots, I noticed little pieces of cover material in the grooves. On more than one occasion, my Spin-Milled Vokey 56° sand wedge scuffed up the ball to the point where I had to regulate it to my shag bag - not quite as bad as you'll see with a urethane-covered Pro V1, but enough to warrant replacement in my opinion. I'm a bit picky, too: the balls were still quite playable - I just don't like to see little scuffs when I'm lining up my 180-yard approach over water. Small scuffs are to be expected: added spin comes at a cost. Fortunately with the NXT Tour, the cost is quite a bit less than with a Pro V1.
Conclusion
With the NXT line, Titleist brought in some of the same design concepts used in the top-of-the-line Pro V1 and Pro V1x. These changes have vaulted the NXT line to its worthy spot as the top affordable golf ball on the market. It perfectly fills the niche between the higher-priced Pro V1/V1x and the DT SoLo, with an appreciable amount of upside for the better-than-average golfer on a budget. Neither model will break the bank: the NXT Tour will run less than $30/dozen and the NXT Extreme about $25.
In the end, I was impressed with both offerings. While I never completely warmed up to the NXT Extreme, it is still a good ball that provides some nice distance and is very durable, particularly for those who don't quite reach 100 MPH with their driver. The NXT Tour, on the other hand, is much closer to what I want for my game. I really liked the feeling off the putter (although not quite as much as the Pro V1) and the wedges. Though I still have a bit of testing to go before I determine whether I want to play the NXT Tour or the Pro V1, I can already tell you it's a close call, and for $15 less, that's a win in my book for the NXT Tour.
NXTube.com
Titleist has been aggressively marketing these balls, both in print, television, and web advertising. One of their web efforts, NXTube.com, is an "anti-NXT" website run by the NXT's old arch nemesis, Ian MacCallister. Golfers can submit short video clips, post comments, and spend a few minutes laughing each day. I particularly enjoyed Ian's hit single, "Make Golf Difficult Again."
Feedback
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Posted 24 Aug 2007 at 10:13am #
great review! thanks for taking the time. i've been looking for some guidance as to what ball i could use that wouldnt break the bank, but would not add to my crappy 20+ handicap. i think i'll give the NXT Extreme a shot.
Posted 24 Aug 2007 at 11:52am #
Hey Alan, great review. I have a dozen NXT Tours locked and loaded, good to read this prior to my own experience.
One question,
"If you do manage to damage the cover, you can just send it back to the good folks at Titleist and they will send you a free sleeve of balls to replace your damaged one."
Does this apply to both NXT Tour and Extreme?
Thanks again!
Posted 24 Aug 2007 at 12:22pm #
Puttin4Bird said on August 24, 2007:
The replacement policy only applies to the NXT Extreme.
Posted 03 Sep 2007 at 5:47am #
Hi all,
I've tried NXT Tour balls during my last two rounds , but...I think they are much firm than older version, I didn't feel them so softly when hitting by irons compare the old NXT Tours. And I was quiet surprised, when saw them first time - they looks like packed in very thin layer of transparent plastic.....:-) From my point of view - it is step back, Titeist.
Ondrej
Posted 05 Sep 2007 at 8:06pm #
I found a (seemingly) brand new NXT Extreme at my home course and decided to try it out the next day. I'm a female golfer with a low handicap(5), but don't have a super fast swing speed. My irons are usually very accurate, but I'm a poor short-putter. My first round with the NXT Extreme: very long off the tee, to the point where I didn't have full shots for holes I usually hit 1-2 clubs more; my irons ran out on the green a little further than I expected, even adjusting to my seemingly newfound length; I didn't miss a putt within 6 feet; and I had a hole-in-one using one less club than I normally would have used!
Even though it's only one round, I think you hit the mark with your review, especially for a person with my similar characteristics. I certainly will be buying more of the NXT Extremes!
Posted 18 Sep 2007 at 5:37pm #
Thanks for the article. I tend to trust your review more than the major golf magazines, and definitely more than the old guy at the driving range near my house.
I am a high handicapper, but I am willing to spend a little more than $15 or whatever on a dozen golf balls; however, I can't spin the ball like Tiger Woods, and I lose enough balls in a round to make me think twice out spending my hard earned dough on ProV1s or even the cheaper HX Tours and Nike Ones.
I would really value your opinion in a head-to-head comparison of the major "2nd tier" golf balls, such as the NXT (tour or extreme), Bridgestone e5/e6, Callaway HX Hot/CX3 Hot, etc., etc. Is there anything in the works out there that I should look forward to reading soon?
Posted 27 Sep 2007 at 7:05pm #
I have just gone through a dozen of the new NXT Tours. I was a user of the originals for the past several years. An 18 handicap, who trusted the ball. The new ones however, do not seem to be improved at all. As the above writer states, these balls seem to scar up too easily. Playing the same courses with the same equipment, these new balls do not pass the test. I still have 9 of the original 12 in my bag but there is damage to all of them. The outside layer of paint seems to scrape off on iron shots at times, just spinning through a tree, (cartpaths too!), if I could locate a supply of the older version of NXT Tours I would buy 10 dozen.
Posted 08 Dec 2007 at 8:21pm #
I mostly play the older version of the NXT Tour, I found the regular NXT tended to "baloon" if I hit my irons too hard, while the Tour didn't launch as high. The only real problem I've had is with durability, with my short irons, as you mentioned about the new ones, I tend to get a lot of "skin" on the club face, ruins that ball. I've had better luck with ProV-1s but really don't like the cost (I'm an 11, not a 1, they do get lost). I'm going to give the new Extreme's a shot and see what happens.
Posted 07 Mar 2008 at 5:30pm #
Posted 08 Mar 2008 at 11:43pm #
I've been playing the NXT Extreme for a couple of weeks. I am very happy with the distance off the tee and fairway. Like most mid/high handicappers I tend to land short of the hole on approach shots, so having the ball run a little on the green isn't a big deal to me. Also I play in the wet Northwest and ball spin isn't a big deal on a wet soft green. I am interested in how the extreme reacts once the greens at my club dry out and harden up a little. And last but not least, the durable cover of the NXT Extreme is really nice. They are truly scuff proof!
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 12:34pm #
I've been playing the new NXT Tour, as well, and have had good results as far as playing characteristics go. The durability sucks, however. Every ball I've played so far has "sheared" as a result of the first iron shot.
I wrote to Titleist and was informed that it's not a problem with the ball, but rather the fact that I have new irons(???). Of course, I haven't had that problem with any other ball, including all the new premium balls I've been testing. I've never even seen a ball shear like this. Titleist has a problem and is hiding from reality.
By the way, I just traded irons two months ago and had the same result with my old ones. I just didn't realize what was happening. I attributed it to a bad ball or two. I now believe there is a design or material problem that Titleist doesn't want to face.
I've got two dozen new NXT Tours in the garage, and they are going back to the shop to trade for something else. It's a real shame as I've played NXT Tours exclusively since the were introduced.
Posted 21 May 2008 at 1:10pm #
I've been playing the NXT Tour for a couple of years now (I like it). I have average swing speed and tend hit a decent fade on good days and more of a slice on bad. I tried out the extreme last week and was amazed at the increase in distance and by how straight I was hitting the ball. My only gripe was that the ball really ran out when it hit the green, even with a 7 or 8 iron. I ended up having to putt from much farther out then usual. That being said, the distance and accuracy are making me think Extreme over Tour for this season.
I've read some about the Callaway HX Hot Bite. Does this ball seem like it's somewhat of a better alternative ...the distance of the NXT Extreme with the "bite" the NXT Tour.
Posted 05 Oct 2008 at 6:57pm #
I am on those players that has to keep a balance between performance and value.
The key starting point with me, is with the putter.
The NXT Tour w/my Cleveland Form Forged III Milled, is a very good combination. There is a desired feedback at impact that I seek. It can be described as a dense-deep centered contact that reverbs back to my hands, not just a surface contact.
Next, is how well it reacts to my short game with the wedges.
Although, these do not immediately stop on a dime which is ok by me due to I'de rather chip at my target spot, and allow it to roll to the hole.
Drives are very good with distance and control.
I agree, that the cover of this ball is not it's main focus. It's going to get scuffed...reminds me of the Balatas which, I do miss.
I give the NXT Tour a thumbs up...These are what I prefer to play a this time. Until, they change the line just to recreate the wheel that may not be broken.