NiceBallz - Play Ballzy

 Great distance and good brakes for average players seeking an advantage

The Titleist NXT line of golf balls has been a best seller for the better part of the past decade. This can be attributed in part to the brand name and the company’s incessant NXT advertising campaign, you know the one about the Golf Course Designers Against Distance. But, the strong sales are surely also because the 2008 Titleist NXT Tour is in fact a good choice for mid-level amateurs and is one of the longest balls I’ve played.

The NXT Tour is a durable distance ball that also spins more than most, and it offers good overall performance for the price. A relative value at the mid-level market, the NXT Tour can be found for about $30 or $35 per dozen at most retailers.

The main benefit of the NXT Tour is distance. This ball really flies. I added an estimated 15 or 20 yards to my drives, stretching a typical 260-yard drive sometimes to about 280 yards – occasionally even a little more in the summer. These balls also added a half to a full club on most iron approaches. If it’s distance you crave, the NXT Tour is a good choice. The harder you hit it the better it goes, so the mashers among us can give it rip.

And, the ball is still soft enough to be acceptable for all but the most discerning players. This isn’t a rock hard distance ball, it’s a distance ball that also offers some feel and performance at a more affordable price than premium products. Titleist has nicely filled a niche between expensive performance and cheap distance with the NXT Tour.

Where the NXT Tour differentiates itself from other distance balls is in its shot-stopping ability on full swings. The NXT Tour does stick on well struck shots, and even acceptable misses are still likely to stay somewhere on the green. Try doing that with many other two- and three-piece distance balls, and forget it with the value balls.

However, while Titleist will try to tell you that the NXT Tour offers control around the greens – and it may be enough for golfers in the mid-teens – the better player will have trouble getting this ball to stop on short pitches and greenside finesse shots. If you’re comfortable playing the bump-and-run and you need more distance off the tee, the NXT Tour is a good ball and a relative value. But, many better players will want more bite.

I recommend the NXT Tour for average players (mid teens) who want to improve, anyone who needs more distance or when playing a longer-than-normal course, and maybe even for better players (single digits and low teens) on a budget who like to let the ball run out around the greens.

-Corey

Corey Grice is an avid single-digit player in the wet Pacific Northwest where balls plug. He finds and tests almost as many golf balls as he loses.