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Nike RZN Tour and RZN Speed golf balls

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Since the birth of the modern golf ball, there have been hundreds of thousands of different arrangements, styles, numbers, patterns and geometries of dimples. They’re a golf ball’s fingerprint, and that fingerprint plays a role in exactly how a golf ball will fly toward its intended target.

NikeBalls

Figure 1

One look at Nike’s new RZN Tour golf balls and you’ll notice something odd; each of its dimples has dimples — 344 standard-sized dimples, and 13,558 smaller “micro-dimples.” Nike claims that the microdimples, which look like shallow pin pokes, reduce drag to improve aerodynamics. According to Nike, the micro-dimples are placed strategically around the ball, and improve lift and drag properties, especially at the end of the ball’s flight.

With the new line, Nike has also re-engineered its familiar RZN cores and the inner layers of its golf balls.

Nike’s two new RZN Tour golf balls (RZN Black, RZN Platinum) have four-piece constructions and urethane covers, and their new RZN 4.0 cores have been made 10 percent larger than previous models. Using more of the lightweight, RZN material in the design helped the company redistributed weight to the outer layers of the golf balls, increasing moment of inertia (MOI). With more MOI, the balls will fly straighter for the duration of their flight, reducing the effect of wind, according to Nike.

Figure 2

NikeRZNTechnology

A graphic from Nike shows the microdimples (left) and how the RZN 4.0 core behaves at impact.

The new RZN 4.0 core is also said to make the ball softer, without sacrificing distance.

“The ball feels much softer, yet I’ve maintained my ball speed and even picked up a few yards overall,” Rory McIlroy said. “It’s easily the best combination of distance and feel I’ve ever played.”

The inner cores (pictured in blue in Figure 2) uses deep grooves and X’s on its surface to provide 26 percent more surface area contact than its predecessors for more efficient energy transfer from club to ball. The Speedlock Mantle (the yellow layer in Figure 1) also has similar “Speedlock” technology, which reduces slippage with outer layer of the golf ball and adds approximately 150 rpm of spin on approach shots, according to Rock Ishii, Nike Golf’s Senior Director of Innovation for Golf Balls.

RZNTourNike

The RZN Tour golf balls are for golfers looking for the ultimate in distance, feel and control. The RZN Black, which new Nike athlete Tony Finau will play, offers lower spin with a golfer’s longer clubs for more distance, according to Nike. The RZN Platinum offers slightly more spin and is “designed to Rory McIlroy’s exact specifications,” according to Nike.

For the golfer looking for a softer feel at a reduced price, Nike also has new RZN Speed golf balls.

RZN Speed (Red and White)

Nike’s RZN Speed golf balls have a three-piece construction, and are for golfers who desire a soft golf ball, or a lower price-point model. The balls have an even softer RZN core, according to Nike, and the same Speedlock X technology used in the RZN Tour balls to maximize energy transfer.

RZNSpeedNike

The RZN Red ball offers more distance, while the RZN White ball concentrates on a softer feel. Both the RZN Tour and RZN Speed golf balls will be available at NikeGolf.com on January 22, and at select retailers on January 29.

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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Oregongolf

    Apr 9, 2016 at 11:42 am

    I swing around 72-87 from pw to driver and many places said “the tour balls are made for high swing speeds” I played the platinum at a tournament and got some my best distance ever. So if your like don’t be afraid to try it they are very nice golf balls. But

  2. ol deadeye

    Jan 10, 2016 at 3:15 pm

    I loved the old RZN Red ball. Great feel and performance. I have not tried this new one but I will the next time I need some. I think Nike makes some great products but I do not see many of them on the course except shoes. I have a 2012 Nike driver and it is fine. I see some of their putters on occasion. They do not seem to do demo days in my area.

  3. Stolen

    Jan 9, 2016 at 11:15 am

    I guess you can steal ideas and use them if they aren’t “exactly” the same, as Nike has always done.

    http://www.mizuno.jp/golf/ball/platinum/

    • Brian

      Jan 9, 2016 at 6:27 pm

      I don’t want to start a fight here but those aren’t the same at all. One has dimples around the larger dimples and the other has dimples inside the dimples.

    • Snowpig

      Mar 17, 2016 at 6:54 pm

      That’s all Japanese to me. 🙂

  4. Brian

    Jan 7, 2016 at 1:41 pm

    Finally! I’ve been stuck playing those lame Pro V1s since October.

    Only half kidding. But I do miss my RZN balls.

    • Ct

      Jan 8, 2016 at 6:06 pm

      Prov1’s are for women and really old men! 🙂

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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head

From the seller: (@lasallen): “For sale is a BRNR mini 11.5 deg head only in brand new condition.  $325 shipped.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head 

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.

From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.

Specs/ Additional Details

-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)

-Original Anser Design

-PING PP58 Grip

-Putter is built to standard specs.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.

The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.

Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.

At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.

“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.

Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.

“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.

“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.” 

In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.

On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.

According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.

“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.” 

See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here. 

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