20 replies to this topic

[philsRHman]

I received a dozen 20XI-S and 20XI-X balls with the understanding I would post my thoughts here. Thanks to GolfWRX and Nike for the chance to hit these balls and for getting product into the hands of the site's users to weigh in.

About me: I've been hovering in the upper single digits for the past two years, but have played quite a bit this season and have dipped down to a 4.8 this summer. I've always looked for a performance ball at a bargain. Last year that meant the Wilson Staff FG Tour and this year it's meant the Srixon ZStar-X. If I had my choice of any ball, it would be a Pro V-1x. I'm a very high launch, high spin player, which was proven to be true on two recent Trackman sessions at HotStix in Rye Brook, NY. My driver swing speed at my last session was 114-118 and my big issue is that my angle of attack is around 3-4*, which puts an awful lot of spin on the ball.

I'll admit at the start, I really didn't think I'd be able to tell the difference between one premium ball and another, but I guess the fact I'm playing a lot, and playing pretty well, combined with the fact I've played almost entirely with the Z Star-X this summer, and I could see very obvious differences.

I've noticed a lot of the other guys broke down the ball by segments, so I'll do the same. However, I'll rank them in order of noticeable difference.

1. Iron spin: Unfortunately, both the S and X proved to have uncontrollable spin on full shots to the greens for me. With a Pro V or Z Star, a long iron would hit and release 6-10 feet. A 7-9 iron would hit and stop and a wedge would back up 3-6 feet. Very predictable. However, over the past few rounds, I've been unable to control the spin on either the S or the X. At first I thought it was just the S, but today proved that the X is as tough to gauge. A long iron (5-6 iron) would hit and stop, maybe even back up 3 feet. A 7-9 iron would back up 10-12 feet, and a wedge would suck back off the green. I saw examples of a 8 iron with a X sucking back 15-20 feet off the front, as well as a 51* wedge that hit on the back of green and zipped back to the front edge (about 45 feet) although that was an S. To me, this is where the review begins and ends for me. Keep in mind, these aren't on Augusta type greens, they're on putting surfaces slowed down to avoid losing the greens in the Northeast heat. While the spin once the ball lands was an issue, I didn't see much evidence of this ball ballooning into the wind, however my draw often turned from a 5-yard draw to missing the green to the left. In the past, this would be the case when I'd deloft the club at impact, which wouldn't be the ball's fault, but here I'd be missing pin high, which tells me it's excess spin.

2. Greenside spin: As you'd imagine, I saw some great hop and stop results with both the 20XI S and X, moreso with the S. This is definitely a plus for these two balls, because the spin around the greens is consistent and if you practice enough with them I'm sure you can really dial in your chips and hop-hop-stop shots. I particularly noticed that the X performed especially well out of bunkers. Personally, I would prefer the X's greenside spin, because it's not quite as aggressive and I found that the S had the habit of really sticking on the first hop, but again, that's personal preference and I prefer to play a low bump-run whenever possible when just off the edge.

3. Driver: Here is probably my favorite part of the 20XI X. I loved driving this ball, it was very easy to work, but I never found myself losing it in either direction. I normally fight a big hook or a block right, depending on the day. The Z Star X must have quite a low driver spin because I can't work it as comfortably as the 20XI X, so when I really have to work it, I go overboard and lose it. The 20XI X allowed me to hit subtle draws and fades. I think it's that comfort that allowed me to also bomb away. I found the 20XI X to be consistently longer than the Z Star X, which seems counter-intuitive but proved out over numerous rounds. I put the 20XI X into some positions that I haven't seen all season at my home course. With all that said about the 20XI X, I really don't have any good conclusions about the 20XI S in terms of driver, but I do know that I lost several of them into the woods, so I'd say that the extra spin meant I hit them extra wild. I wouldn't take that as gospel, however, as I sit here writing, I just never got a clearly defined sense of the S off the tee. It was OK, nothing really stood out.

4. Durability: Here's a real asset of this ball. Sure, a well struck 100 yard shot with a non-conforming wedge will scuff, just like any premium ball. But the cover doesn't fish gill the way some do and I would give this ball an A for endurance. Nothing longer than a PW marked up the ball, and never grated it on anything but a full wedge.

5. Feel: I know that people put so much stock in how a ball feels off the putter and off irons. I honestly never think about it, until reading a few other reviews and thinking, hmm, yeah, I guess I did notice that. Well, in terms of the S, I did find it to be soft, but not mushy (I thought the previous generation Callaway balls were very mushy). On the D, I also found it to be soft, but maybe a little more solid, if that makes sense. I guess I'd say they are both very comparable to the Z Star X since I didn't notice much difference between any of the three. I did notice, however, that while switching between the three balls during today's round (the final test round of about four weeks of playing them all), I couldn't get the speed of teh greens at all. I thought I just putted like a butthead, but then read another review of someone who couldn't find green speed with the 20XI balls, so maybe I've got an excuse. However, yesterday I made 3 birdies in 9 holes with the X, so I can't really blame the ball. One thing I will say, is that I dug a Pro V1x out of my bag for something yesterday and the feel was MUCH different. The Pro V had a much "deeper" feel at impact if that makes sense. Not firm or soft, just more substantial. I can't really put it into words, just sort of the same way a really pure iron shot just feels great.

Conclusion: For me, the 20XI X does a lot of things very well, specifically its performance off the driver and its durability. But it's very hard for me to keep a ball in play when I'm consistently frustrated with a good iron shot that ends up way short. It's something I could adjust to I'm sure, and maybe if I was playing firmer conditions I'd welcome that extra iron spin. I also know that won't be an issue for other players, and I think there are enough advantages to heartily suggest giving these balls a try. As for the S, I honestly don't think it's the right ball for my game, but in the right hands I think it'll be a good fit.

Edited by philsRHman, 12 August 2011 - 05:02 PM.

[ericm007]

Thanks for a well thought out, and written review. Very nice. Thanks!!!!

[TXgolfer130]

Agree w/ most of the post.  I found the S to almost uncontrollable around the greens from anything more than a 3/4 shot.  Feel was great especially when really compressing the ball, but distance was not controllable.  Off the tee, it was extremely long for me (both S & X).  But even w/ the S, it would really run and sometimes would go through the fairways and put me in positions that were penal 2nd shots.  Even after gaming them for 2 months, just can't keep 'em in the bag as they're just not reliable.  Really wanted to like them, as I like the Nike Tour, but I'm going back to my previous ball.

Edited by TXgolfer130, 12 August 2011 - 09:40 PM.

[prestiege]

my buddy found an S on the course, i hit my tee shot in the water and started walking back to bag to grab a ball when he tossed it to me.  i hit the S into the water as well but boy was it the best feeling shot i ever hit into the water.  it made me want to buy a sleeve but not at 14.99, im not ready to spend 45 on a dozen either.  guess ill have to wait to find another and save it for a familar course where i wont loose it before i dish out 45 for a dozen

[3 piece]

I don't spin the ball much so maybe I'll break down and try to see if i can spin these babies.

[philsRHman]

Let me amend my review. I had the chance to play in firmer conditions this week, and found that the spin from the Nike 20XI balls was very helpful. Whereas my biggest gripe was uncontrollable spin on full irons shots, I found these balls were just what I needed when my normal Srixon Z Star X was rolling out 9-15 feet. It makes sense, because on soft greens they were spinning back about the same ratio, so I guess it's just further proof that there's no one set answer when it comes to choosing equipment or a ball. If I were playing firm greens all the time, I would certainly lean toward these, which is what I did this week.

[Mirage]

philsRHman, on 18 August 2011 - 05:51 PM, said:

Let me amend my review. I had the chance to play in firmer conditions this week, and found that the spin from the Nike 20XI balls was very helpful. Whereas my biggest gripe was uncontrollable spin on full irons shots, I found these balls were just what I needed when my normal Srixon Z Star X was rolling out 9-15 feet. It makes sense, because on soft greens they were spinning back about the same ratio, so I guess it's just further proof that there's no one set answer when it comes to choosing equipment or a ball. If I were playing firm greens all the time, I would certainly lean toward these, which is what I did this week.

Great point.  Early this summer,  I tried the S out at home in Orlando on greens that are normally somewhat soft and receptive, and backed up a 7 iron four feet on a very, very slightly uphill green.   Although my SS is right around 100, I'm 6'4" with a fairly upright swing, so I'm probably a middle-of-the-roader for iron spin, and backing up a 7 iron seemed a bit much.  

I later tried the Z-Star XV, and absolutely love it, with one exception - the conditions phisRHman describes:  hard, dry greens, especially with a little bit of wind behind you.  Playing a course like that in Northern Virginia in June on a very windy day, I was good hitting into the wind or without it, but the slightest breeze at my back and it was hard to get the ball to hold.  

I get so many other benefits from the XV that I've chosen to adjust to the fact that in some conditions, I'll need to allow for more rollout - it doesn't check like a Pro V1, or the S, that's for sure.  That may hurt me a little in the long run, but so far, my scores are coming down.

[3 piece]

thanks for for the write up.  have a few x's coming in the mail.   hope to geive them a try,.

[Zlim]

Going to be honest, these do not feel as great as I would have expected. got a free sleeve of the S's for doing the speed trials (bored saturday), crappy spin, not so much bite on the greens. Drives fairly straight and good feel against my wedges.

Not my ball of choice and plan to stay with the z-Star yellows for the season still......but I can't deny the 40 score that I shot on 9 holes with this ball. I'm about a 15 handicap.

[wvularc11]

I really like the 20xi S ball, it is a bit firmer then the pro v1's but i like it and have had great results with it the few times I have played, especially off the tee in windy conditions, very stable and bored through the wind never ballooning.  The price is a bit steep like any top of the line ball but I buy them used a a lost golf balls site i know quite a few people on here use, a dozen like new (which in my history of ordering are basically brand new or logo over runs) for $20-25.00  not to bad.

[RacineBoxer]

philsRHman, on 18 August 2011 - 05:51 PM, said:

Let me amend my review. I had the chance to play in firmer conditions this week, and found that the spin from the Nike 20XI balls was very helpful. Whereas my biggest gripe was uncontrollable spin on full irons shots, I found these balls were just what I needed when my normal Srixon Z Star X was rolling out 9-15 feet. It makes sense, because on soft greens they were spinning back about the same ratio, so I guess it's just further proof that there's no one set answer when it comes to choosing equipment or a ball. If I were playing firm greens all the time, I would certainly lean toward these, which is what I did this week.

Nice review.  Makes you appreciate how good the pro's are since they are controlling the spin on their irons all the time (week to week, day to day, based on conditions).  More club, less aggressive swing = less spin.  Soooo much easier said than done though.


Great review by the way.

[philsRHman]

Circling back to this, I found a sleeve of the X in my trunk and had them in play last week and I have to say, it was a nice surprise. I had picked up a couple dozen Pro Vs with shop credit at the end of last season, but I honestly think I might buy the Nikes if I need to stock up this summer. Same thing as I found last summer. Playing a course with fast firm greens, I really benefitted from the stopping power on iron shots. Hit a 5W on a 230 yard par 3 that was my shot of the day - low, boring, hit and rolled out 8 feet. Spin around the greens was crucial getting the ball to check on chip shots, etc.

[tampay]

philsRHman, on 03 May 2012 - 02:41 PM, said:

Circling back to this, I found a sleeve of the X in my trunk and had them in play last week and I have to say, it was a nice surprise. I had picked up a couple dozen Pro Vs with shop credit at the end of last season, but I honestly think I might buy the Nikes if I need to stock up this summer. Same thing as I found last summer. Playing a course with fast firm greens, I really benefitted from the stopping power on iron shots. Hit a 5W on a 230 yard par 3 that was my shot of the day - low, boring, hit and rolled out 8 feet. Spin around the greens was crucial getting the ball to check on chip shots, etc.

Hows the spin on your full wedges ?

I'm finding these to be great all around when playing firm courses. If you have sticky greens that really grab spin. These will be spinning back to the front edge all day.

Great short game ball if you can get over the "click" off the face. I hit a big 10-12 yard flop the other day and the ball spun back at me 3 feet. Haven't done that since balata

[Dei3Nascar8]

These are as close to balata spin but nowhere as soft sounding.  These things are great when spin is at a premium.  I always have some in the bag to switch to if the greens are firm or sandy.  These things are addictive off the driver (EXPLOSIVE) and come in with so much spin that you could hold parking lot firm greens!  Was really excited to play the HEX Black thinking it was going to be better but Nike has done a great job with this ball.  Now we just need some deals to get more balls out there.  To many balls at the same price point and they are all good.

[spencer096]

a late reply to a dead post, i know, but i found a 20xi-x at the end of my round saturday and decided to give it a whirl off the bat on sunday (figuring if i hit it poorly off the bat, id just switch back to a prov1x like usual).  hit a poor 1st drive thanks to a horrible swing but smoked my layup (par 5)...one of the longest 5i's i've hit all year. really settled into a groove nicely after that and had a blast.

pros:

• loved it with the driver...didn't lose it and loved the ballflight i was getting.  909d2 with a 73x whiteboard and my normal shot's a nice mid-low power fade...275-80 carry with good rollout depending on the conditions.  hit 6/8 fairways when i used my driver, including the bad drive off the 1st tee.
  
• hit the irons really nicely...mizuno mp67's with s300's.  felt great, but everything feels great off mizunos.  only complaints were than flying a green on a flushed 3i and what i'll get into below...
  
• unfortunately, the best hole on the course is under renovation and it's been scaled down to a 105 par3.  flushed a nike vr pro 54* that i could've sworn was going to be probably 10 yards short because of a gust of wind, but ended up really nice, pin high about 8 feet.  nice little surprise.
  
• i played a sleeve of 20xi-s' earlier this year and hated the feel...thought they felt like rocks.  was extremely pleased with how the 20xi-x felt though...weird.  i must've just sucked when i had the 20xi-s.

cons:

• had trouble judging greenside spin even though i made center contact on nearly every shot.  shanked one pitch, first one in awhile since i struggled with it before, but im not about to blame the ball for that...should've stepped away.  wedges are vr pro's 54* and 60* with the dual sole...had one shot with the face wide open hit crisp release 20 feet where slope wasn't that big of a factor and had three others spin too much where a prov1x would release about 5 additional feet.  which wouldn't have been an issue if...
  
• ...i could putt.  not blaming the ball for this, but it's hard to gauge how much you like a ball if you're making misreads left and right.  rolled the putts nicely and liked the feel off the putter (scotty studio style w gss insert), but was just off.
  
• hit one iron long (mentioned above) but hit two crisply struck shots with a 7i and 9i end up a good bit short.
  
• took two hybrid shots the whole round (cleveland tour mashie with ckua 83x) and neither were hit well.

overall, i really liked it, and will probably put it in play until it's gone.  globalgolf has a buy 2 doz get one free deal that i might take it up on.  so far this year, ive played last year's penta and the tp5, the cally hex black and the prov1x.  i liked all of those a lot, but settled on the prov1x just in case i needed to buy a sleeve since they're everywhere...would put any of them in play.  think the 20xi-x is right there with them.  didn't like the nike one black/platinum or the tour/tour-d...but enjoyed the 20xi-x.  maybe that was due to low expectations going in but even with my short game and putting struggles, still shot an 82 on a 71/6800ish course with a 75.8/144 rating.

Edited by spencer096, 11 June 2012 - 08:13 PM.

[Tmpr111]

.....I just switched to these from the ProV1 (But only after I was able to convince myself it was worth a try considering the 20XI-S's were free).  I was pleasantly surprised for I'm one of those who think, "how can any premium ball close in grade, be that noticeable to anyone?".....  Well I'm now a believer..... There are differences for me between the 20XI-S and the ProV1 and they are as follows:)

- The 20XI-S feels so much softer and better off my irons and wedges - and are yards longer on average with all my longer clubs.

- The ProV1 looks much more durable to my eye, but the 20XI-S was way more durable (I hit 100+ balls at home with each using a full 56 degree wedge - Nike VR Pro:)

- The ProV1 seems to not roll out as much on higher approach shots, but at the same time the 20XI-S seems to check up after hops so much quicker than the ProV1.  I know that sounds confusing, sorry.

- The ProV1 feels better off the putter face, but that alone will not keep me from switching to the Nike 20XI-S - for good.

I honestly think this ball is great! I can't imagine how long the 20XI-X model is...

I'll add, the 20XI-S seems to fall between the older Nike Tour and Nike Tour D.

Edited by Tmpr111, 29 June 2012 - 10:47 PM.

[Mschumacher]

I decided to try this ball (regular ball is Penta) and bought a dozen for $50.  What  a waste of money.  I absolutely hate this ball.  I would compare it to a topflite with more spin.  Off the driver it sounds like I'm hitting a hollow metal ball and off the irons it feels like a rock.  So now I have 11 brand new balls that I'm going to probably just give away.  I can see why nobody is playing this ball.

I swing in the 100mph range so maybe I can't compress the ball?  My guess is it would be suited to really high swing speed guys.

[j2_a2]

Mschumacher, on 05 August 2012 - 10:14 AM, said:

I decided to try this ball (regular ball is Penta) and bought a dozen for $50.  What  a waste of money.  I absolutely hate this ball.  I would compare it to a topflite with more spin.  Off the driver it sounds like I'm hitting a hollow metal ball and off the irons it feels like a rock.  So now I have 11 brand new balls that I'm going to probably just give away.  I can see why nobody is playing this ball.

I swing in the 100mph range so maybe I can't compress the ball?  My guess is it would be suited to really high swing speed guys.

I'll take them if you're just going to give them away

If your swing speed is around 100mph, you have no problem compressing it. Mine is around 95mph and I still use this ball with no problems.

[DoYouKnowTheMuffinMan]

Mschumacher, on 05 August 2012 - 10:14 AM, said:

I decided to try this ball (regular ball is Penta) and bought a dozen for $50.  What  a waste of money.  I absolutely hate this ball.  I would compare it to a topflite with more spin.  Off the driver it sounds like I'm hitting a hollow metal ball and off the irons it feels like a rock.  So now I have 11 brand new balls that I'm going to probably just give away.  I can see why nobody is playing this ball.

I swing in the 100mph range so maybe I can't compress the ball?  My guess is it would be suited to really high swing speed guys.

it is one of if not the highest compression ball. i want to say it is 116 or 119 compression. mishits feel strange with this ball but give a lot of feedback. I like the sound of it off my driver.. it sounds powerful, but i have 8 grams of hotmelt that dampens the sound overall

[AChapa8807]

I have played the Nike 20XI S and X with different equipment changes and here is my take... My scoring average is 77.8

Started playing these once I made an all Nike bag and decided to give these a go. Now I have a different set up..
My bag:
Driver - Ping i20
Woods - Ping i20 3,5
Irons - Mizuno MP 58
Wedges - Nike VR VREV
Putter - Scotty Cameron Cali Monetery 1.5

I felt that I leaned more towards the X at first and here was my reasons. I thought that the X had enough spin around the greens and really held its line all the time and that if I miss hit it or had a bad swing I couldn't say the ball made it worse or better.

Anyways, the ball performed very nicely and I was pretty happy with it and feel that with more controlled swings and precision this ball could play great.

Spin was there, off the short irons and wedges I liked how it would just hit and stop on the greens, I could really predict what it would do. Long irons and driver was nice, held its line great and distance was there.

Feel - A LOT of people dislike how these feel. I perferred the S over the X at times but really it was that I wasn't hitting it on the sweetspot and I will admit that. When you hit it on the screws it feels great IMHO.. I currently play the S because off the putter which has deep milling, it feel phenomenal. Again, if your not hitting the sweetspot and have an off day these may feel harsher than most balls out there. Why? I have no clue but I'm striking it well now and everything felt great with this ball the past two rounds. (20XI-S)

Distance - Both balls have the distance that can pass or be on par with other premium balls out there. I have hit some shots that carry a little further and with the S, its nice because I can really spin the cover off this thing. The X seemed like it was a little shorter and I don't swing THAT slow, SS is 112.

Durability - Now that I have conforming wedges its GREAT! I can now use a ball for 36 holes + due to now chewing up the ball with wedges. I really like that too and yesterday I hit a cartpath and it didn't make a mark! I was pretty impressed and went on to use the ball for the rest of the round.

Off the putter these feel very nice, both of them and now I am playing the 20XI-S exclusively. I have hit some wedge shots that just blew me away. Last weekend I hit a shot from nothing, no lie at all, hardpan and DIRT it was awful but I played it like a sand shot and the ball got up, hit once and on the second, it stopped DEAD 2 ft from the hole for par. Yesterday I hit a 46 yard 3rd shot into the green on a par five, opened my 58 up and swung across my body to have it hit and stop 3 feet left of the pin, awesome control!! I will say this though, it SPINS on full shots, half and not so good shots. 94 yard par 3 and landed it 4-5 feet past the pin on the right of it and spun it off the green about 20 feet. I've never really done that but this ball spins, once you can know how it will react you can play for it. I adjusted to it and I really love the ball.

I have really played some good golf with this ball, and my last five rounds are 78, 76, 80, 73, 73 and the higher ones could be better if I was warmed up before playing at 7 am! Anyways, I really do think this ball can out perform some balls out there, for me atleast. I have hit some great wedge shots and full shots with the 20XI-S and love its performance all around. I think most people should probably play this ball for a couple of rounds and they might get past the harsh feel some account for. I don't think its harsh at all...

[philsRHman]

Circling back to this a year later. I saw these balls on special at GPPGolf and picked up 6 dozen of the 20XI-X. In the past month, since putting them into play, I've been playing lights out. My handicap has dropped to 3.3 and I shot 77 in my club championship qualifier and then made it to the semifinals where I lost to the eventual champ. Last week I played my best round of the year, a 75 that included four missed 3-footers on the first 4 holes because I was rushing to catch up to my group who got out a bit before me.

The ball itself is really good and my original issue with uncontrollable spin off the irons seems to have been fixed with a combo of conforming grooves and a much more controlled swing with the short irons (I'm no longer trying to power a 54* wedge 110 yards, etc).  Around the greens, these things are very consistent, and after one afternoon on the practice green I got the feel for them. On a short bump shot, these have more "grab" on the first hop than the Pro-V1x that I'd been playing all summer. I also love that these really don't get chewed up by iron shots at all. My original comment about the driver play with these balls remains true, I find they're long and workable.

As for the comments about them being so firm, I just don't see it. I am putting with a very soft 8802 style putter so maybe I don't feel it, but I'm thrilled with this ball. Quite honestly, I paid under $22/dozen for these balls, and I've been paying double that on the Pro Vs, so it's an absolute steal.