My Nike 20XI S Review - I don't like them

[Deryck Griffith]

Originally Posted by iacas

Why not? Everyone joins for different reasons! :-D

Fair enough....

[Gioguy21]

I played the XI-S a few weeks ago, went back to my 'control' ball (i usually play the B330s for the last few years) for a few weeks and i'm picking up a dozen XI-X balls today at lunch (woohoo $30 rewards from dicks) to give these a go before the club championship next weekend...will post back with some results.

[Domenic]

The 20XI-s was great for me. It was longer, spinnier, not the softest but soft. I pobs wont buy again, just because I get bored of one ball. I'm like that for all balls. By the way, Im a low spin, low distance player, who is 13 and can stop this from rolling off the green, yet can still bomb 200 plus drives which for me is good,

[onintwo]

I played the 20X1-X vs Pro V1x and Callaway iz Tour and found the 20X1-X to be the longest of the bunch, on average about 7 yards longer (with ProV1x then iz Tour).  Just my opinion but the 20X1-X feels much harder around the green than the ProV1x or the iz Tour, sounded harsh hitting putts with it.  I think around the greens is a matter of opinion, so if you are looking for distance off the tee, definitely give the 20X1-X a try, I have not tried the 20X1-S version yet but plan to.

[Derek02]

Quote:

"The covers are the same urethane as other tour balls so they are just as soft."

Just an FYI: Some urethane covers are softer than others.  For example, the covers on Callaway's Tour balls are Thermoset Urethane  i.e they are heated which makes them firmer and gives them a "clicky" feel.  Try hitting one of the Callaway Tour balls vs. Titleist, Srixon, Taylormade, etc.

[Alistair]

Bridgestone make golf balls for Nike.  Probably Nike spec their balls uniquely so I would not assume they are the same as those branded Bridgestone.

[nike_golf]

Originally Posted by Alistair

Bridgestone make golf balls for Nike.  Probably Nike spec their balls uniquely so I would not assume they are the same as those branded Bridgestone.

Actually, that's not true anymore.

Nike started making their own balls at their own facilities starting this year w/ this ball.

FYI, I play the 20XIx and have of course played the S version a few times.

Both balls are great, IMO.  Obviously, everyone is entitled to their opinion but some of what I'm reading seems pretty misguided, and I'm left scratching my head thinking, "how do you come to that conclusion"?

Whatever though.  That's the beauty of having multiple, great choices to choose from in regards to equipment in golf.

[drcheese]

Interestingly the nike ball has the softest cover of the majority of the leading balls this year , softer than the other two balls you tried. The massive difference however is the Nike has a really high compression, a lot higher than that of the other two balls you tried. Perhaps that's why it "felt" hard. Try the Bridgestone RXS, i'd also try the Diablo ball - lots of my customers have enjoyed surprising success with this ball.

Enjoy.

[Derek02]

While I apprecaite this review, I am inclined to take it semi-seriously.  I have played three fulls rounds witth the 20XI-X so far in three VERY seperate situations.  The first time was in the rain, the second time on an overcast day with mist/wind and the third time, in beautiful sunny weather.

On all three occurances, I will say that my experience was entirely opposite to what the OP explained regarding spin and the ability to hold greens.  Keep in mind, I played the X version of this ball which is supposed to be less "spinny" than the S version.  For me, the X ball held greens VERY well.  The main difference I found between this ball and say the ProV1 is that the Nike X ball didn't suck back on full short iron swings or full wedge shots.  You say that you hit crisp wedge shots and while I believe you, I have the same ability and have been angered with beautiful shots with the ProV1 landing 8 feet from the hole and sucking back 15 feet.  To compensate with this, I would choke down on a stronger lofted club (i.e. 9i vs. PW) and control the spin that way with the ProV1.  When I played the ProV1X, it didn't suck back AS much but still required spin control on some shots.

With the 20XI-X, I could take a full swing with my 9i, PW, 56deg and the ball would hop hop, stop.  Like literally stop on a dime.  While I am a low handicap, I am no pro and certainly cannot consistently control spin with a ProV1.  And I would say that many people on the this forum who claim to be able to really can't.  So this ball reaction with the Nike ball was fantastic.  I could get my distance, play a full swing and not worry about a surprise on TOO much spin if I hit a super clean shot.  I also don't need worry about choking down on certain shots and try to get "cute" with controlling spin on a shot.  On short chips and pitches, the ball would hop hop, stop and release ONLY slightly.  This is perfect for people (like me) who like playing bump and run shots.  Again, this is with the X version of the ball...I would be sure that the S version for me would spin more which is why I am surprised at the OP review on holding greens.

I agree with you on putting.  The ball is very clicky on putts which is a personal thing with people.  For me, I like the clickly feeling, others may not.  On drives is where I think this ball really shines.  The ball sounds like it explodes off of the driver and the flight is very penetrating.  I gained some distance (which isn't important to me and shouldn't be for many really); I was more satisified at the tight ball flight; especially, on my second round with the ball in the wind.

So basically, what all of this really comes down to is the individual.  I have heard rumors that this ball (similar to the Bridgestone B330) suits higher swing speeds.  My driver swing speed is 116-119 and I hit my 6i 185.  With MY swing, I could feel the ball compress and do the things I wanted.  If others who play this ball do not have a consistent swing speed that is suited for this ball, then there is no doubt that they may not get all that they expect out of the ball.  This is the thing will golf balls these days.  Most people gravitate towards the high end balls when they can't even compress them!  Bridgestone has proved this with their excellent ball fitting specifications.

I will continue to play the 20Xi-X ball.  Will I be married to it, NO.  I'm barely a Nike Golf fan besides their clothing which should show that my expereicne isn't biased.  Will play the new Nike ball with others?  Sure -->ProV1X, Penta, etc.  But, to imply that it's not that good is a little unfair in my opinion and based on my experience, anyone that decides to play the ball should look at their own game to see if their "swing" matches this type of ball or any other high end ball for that matter.

Well put.  I agree with your (general) assessment.

[k-troop]

Lucas Glover stopped playing the 20Xi after a month.  He said that he couldn't control the distance with it, and it tended to blow way over greens when he was trying to hit a scaled back or a low shot.  Lucas switched back to the Nike Tour One-D, and based on his comments (very consistent distance and low ball flight) I gave them a second try (I used to play them a few years ago).

Tiger apparently loves the 20Xi, talking about how it helps him flight the ball on tight, boring lines.

I haven't tried the 20Xi, but I hate the One Tour-D.  I can't spin anything around the greens with it, and my preferred pitch or chip shot around the greens with my 52* or 58* is a two-hop spinner.  I cannot hit this shot with a One Tour-D.  If I need to release the ball on a pitch or chip, I just make a sweeping motion with a lower release and turn the hands over through the shot and it will run out nicely with any ball.

Two years ago, when I was playing different courses with different conditions, and I had a different playing style, I loved the One Tour-D.  Now I'm playing the Penta, which I absolutely love.  It gives me everything I want, with every club.  My old club, Keswick in Charlottesville, VA, had tight fairways--I could spin a bowling ball off of those lies.  Not so easy in Hawaii.

Point is that different balls work better for different players.  One ball might even produce significantly different results for the same player under different conditions.

[ohiolefty]

Man, kind of 'reverse pyramid' organization to this, given the thread title.

[Steel]

I play Nike one tours and love them, if I could still buy Titleist 100 or Bridgestone Rextar balata's I would, love the soft feel with tons of spin.  Picked up 4 dozen of these at auction for $100.00 can't wait for summer to roll around so I can give them a try

[NikeGolferAge12]

I love the new Nike 20xis. I have played both the S version and the X version. Both balls are true to their identites. The S spins more over distance. The X.....well 51% distance, 49% spin, which is what I would love in a golf ball. Besides these specs, the difference between these two balls is the S version is really not durable, and the X version is really durable. Just yesterday, I was playing my home course. My tee shot on the 7th hole went in the rocks/desert natives.(Las Vegas) I decided to play both the S version and the X version from where it was, 100 yards left to the green, a little punch PW for me from under trees.(I had to play the X version there anyways, because my tee shot ended up right there. The S version ended up 20 yards shorter) I hit my 20xi-X with my pitching wedge, it landed 4 ft from the hole and stopped. I did the same w/ the S version, but it landed 10 short of the hole and rolled out 12 ft. When I got up to play both balls, the X versions had no marks, or anything like that. The S version was a different story. It got scratched. It was a good thing that ball wasn't my tee shot ball and the X version was. AND it was a great thing I recorded a birdie on that hole and shot -6 under total thru 17 holes. It was dark by the time I got to the 18th. :(

[Used to be good]

With regards the comment made of being disappointed that a ball lands close to the hole only for it to suck back 15 feet away from the hole why not play the shot to land 15 feet by the hole. I am not being critical. Landing the ball 15 feet by the hole when a golfer is capable of drawing the ball back simply adds to the r epertoire a golfer has at his/her disposal in order to play a particular shot suited to a given situation. It is not dis-similar to the application put in place when a golfer has at his/her disposal the ability to generate the appropriate spin to control a particular shot when faced with a particular situation. It is application's such as the above that pro's spend endless hours practising that allows them to stand out from us mere mortal golfers.

[ApocG10]

Something suspicious about all the single post posters in this thread.

[ApocG10]

And on that note, I love the ball. I've been playing a dozen that I got with my Irons, and wrote a review on them today.

Tomorrow, i'll be reviewing my Ci11's, and I can tell you with certainty, Wilson Staff has a real winner on their hands. These are just all around better than my G10's. Accuracy, distance consistency, and forgiveness, with MUCH, MUCH better feel. So click on the reviews button under my name for my 20XI review, and tomorrow, my Irons review. I may review the g10's for fun, just to compare.

[TourSpoon]

I just posted my review about the 20XI X. [QUOTE]I received a few dozen of these to try and I am trying to get a feel for them. First off, this ball is long off the tee, just as long as a Pro V1X and more durable. The Nike just keeps going. Off the irons, I just didn't feel like I was compressing the ball enough to get a real feel for it. I swing the driver at 105 mph and off the irons it was hard to get that feedback that I normally get. The ball flight was fine and I have made some great shots that held the green. I had no issues with the short game and really liked the spin and control. Off the putter the 20XI X is firm but fair. Judging distance was not an issue. I just get the feeling that I would get more out of this ball with a swing speed of 110 or higher. [/QUOTE]

[Jimdangles]

I played the 20 XI-X balls because they were on sale for 36 a dozen so I had to pick some up. I have played pro v1's and v1x's in the past and cant usually see alot of difference because im only a 16hc but I have to say I did really like the xi-x. There was no shots that I could blame the ball for :) Sucked back down for me when I wanted, didnt have too much side spin and got some good distance out of it.