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OFFICIAL FORUM MEMBER REVIEW - NIKE RZN TOUR PLATINUM BALLS


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OFFICIAL NIKE GOLF RZN TOUR PLATINUM BALL REVIEWS

 

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TEAM PLATINUM

 

*Captain* GolfSpyMBP
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KCLeo12
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DanUsh
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cwojtowicz
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Visit Nike Golf's website HERE

Visit Nike Golf's Facebook HERE

Visit Nike Golf's Twitter HERE

Yo #JustPlayBetter


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Nike RZN Tour Platinum Ball
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This is exciting times we live in. As the golf industry grows, so it seems the number of ball options available. If you search online these days you'll find more than a handful of direct to consumer ball options beyond what the big OEM's are offering. If there's any segment of the market that feels a little oversaturated it's definitely balls.

Believe me when I say I was ecstatic when Barbajo invited me to Captain a team and get back to my roots member testing on the MyGolfSpy forums. Let's face it, I come from the forums and they hold a special place in my heart. It's an honor to join these dedicated members and test along side them.

Before we start though, there's one big thing you should know about me - I really love ball testing.

Get To Know Your Tester



Dan Mann aka GolfSpyMBP
Location: Vancouver, BC Canada - West Coast
Typical conditions: Mild wet winters and warm humid summers.

In my teens I was that scratch junior golfer who'd put a handful of sixty eight's on the board and thought he couldn't miss. My twenties? Write-off. Blew them partying & wooing the ladies, but I did nail a sixty nine once or twice. Imagine the shock waking up in my thirties to discover that a lack of dedicated practice and play had cost me my game. I KNOW! Shocking right?!

Today I'm fighting back. I'm taking lessons, increasing my practice regimen and play as often as I can. I struggle to maintain my spine angle—and it's nobody's fault but my own. Reason being: I'm too lazy to exercise, so now I have a weak back and core. I bet this weakness costs me 4-5 shots a round. You want to see wildly inconsistent iron play, just watch this guy

I've quit the game twice this year and the next day I'm back. No matter how bad I play there's always a shot or two keeping the hope of breaking par again alive.

Golf career: 35 years
Handicap: 8.1 - I've shot everything from 75 to 95 this year
Strengths of my game: 1. Putting 2. Short game 40y and in 3. Driving
Game Weaknesses: All the irons & the mental stuff
Typical ball flight: Mid trajectory - Driver baby fade, iron draw.
Typical miss: Flip hook or block right. I fight a sway
Swing tempo: Quick
Driver swing speed: 106mph
Current Ball: Snell

What's in the bag: View here



Nike RZN Tour Platinum - First Impressions

Nike has done a good job keeping packaging clean and simple.The combination of platinum and blues feel modern with a touch of timeless class. The graphics themselves get the point across; the cover has technology and the core is important. And props to Nike for getting a little greener by cutting down 30% of the packaging from past years.

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The ball itself has a nice white cover, I find it quite appealing to the eye compared to some off-white balls I've seen.

Nike's biggest marketing buzz with the new balls revolves around micro-dimples, dubbed the “flight suit”. Basically these are tons of tiny dimples (13,558 to be exact) within the big dimples (another three hundred and forty-four) which are supposed to keep the ball in the air longer. These aren't some secret hidden technology either, they're quite apparent to the human eye.

I've always been a fan of the Nike logo and offset numbering, it's simple, understated and not distracting. On the new Tour line you get a black Swoosh and a blue number and it doesn't take up some ridiculous amount of real estate.

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You'll find the ball model “RZN Platinum” in a blue and platinum color scheme anchored by black arrows on the side of the ball. The length and boldness act perfectly as an alignment marker on the greens or if you like to target your drives.

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Off to the practice green where initial impressions are great and quite promising. Gone is the terribly firm feel of the 20XI, the ball that originally promised Nike was focusing on a soft feel by “sounding soft”. No, it didn't. To quote Charlie Brown - “I got a rock.” Even last years RZN Platinum tried to go softer, but it feels nothing like this. The 2016 RZN Tour Platinum almost takes me back to the One Tour which felt like a Pro V1.

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I've hit a lot of putts with these now and this ball rolls very consistent and is quite predictable from different distances.

Chips are where I like them. A nice soft-firm feel off the face, a noticeable grab on the first hop and a predictable controlled rollout. Short pitches will check up quite fast as well in a couple hops.

I'm excited to get these out to the course and start collecting some data against my current gamers. So check back soon for my stage 2 full testing review.

Yo #JustPlayBetter


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*Make sure to check out my review intro above this post - http://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/16114-official-forum-member-review-nike-rzn-tour-platinum-balls/?p=209885

 

NIKE RZN Tour Platinum Ball – Official MGS Forum Review by Dan Mann aka GolfSpyMBP

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#SpoilerAlert - The Nike RZN Tour Platinum is legit.

 

If you've played a Nike tour ball over the last two years, you may have noticed a couple things:

  1. They weren't very soft

  2. They didn't do too much to stand out from all the good golf balls on the market

It seemed like Nike couldn't figure out how to put the complete package into a golf ball. OK, so maybe you loved ‘em, but they just didn't do anything special to justify a place in my bag.

 

Last season, while putting together the Direct to Consumer Balls testing for the MyGolfSpy blog, I discovered my current gamer, Snell's ‘My Tour Ball.' This Snell ticks all the boxes for me. It's soft like a ProV1, long off the driver, and displays super controlled spin into and around the greens.    Most of all, it's not an OEM ball—they're ‘the little guys' and I like to support underdogs.

 

Over the last month, my game's been on point. I've enjoyed solid ball striking, a short game you brag about after the round, and all the putts seem to be dropping. If it wasn't for slow starts (or a three hole span blow up on the back), I'd be shooting even regularly. What a great time it is too, because I can honestly say I've gotten a great feel for the Nike Platinum and a solid comparison versus the Snell—the best performing ball I've found for my game in all categories.

 

Performance

 

Driver

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The Nike RZN Tour Platinum exhibits exceptional distance for a tour ball, suffering no apparent ill effects from the lower spin and launch. I don't even notice the lower launch in the real world as the ball appears to climb just as high as any. Could Nike's marketing hyped Flight Suit cover featuring Micro Dimples, be actually keeping the ball in the air longer?

 

The lower spin should be noted as it comes in 200 rpm's under the Snell, yet still carries as far. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it, but I find I'm not as deep into the rough when I lose one right. This has been noted by my playing partners as well upon finding a ball a yard into the rough, when they expected it would be 4 or 5 yards in. Or maybe, it's not the spin, and those micro dimples are actually working their magic here too?

 

The ball is very consistent and predictable. A stock two yard driver fade is a 2 yard driver fade off the center line.

 

Void of any spongy feel, the Platinum is firm enough to know you've hit something. It provides plenty of feedback letting you know how and where on the face you've made contact.

 

Irons

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Irons are more of the same. That soft-firm feel, lower spin, lower launch while still maintaining carry distance. The ball definitely seems to move a hair less right or left off irons, but is certainly a workable golf ball.

 

Of note. During one round I hit a low flighted 9 iron (keep it under a branch) from 138y to a back pin. That ball landed right on the apex of an eight inch high mid green ridge and I was surprised to find it next to it's ball mark.

 

Wedges

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Impessive.

 

Spin rate is slightly higher than the Snell, yet very predictable. Most shots are hop and stop, but when called upon the Platinum will suck it back efficiently. I've had no issues working the trajectory of the ball as well.

 

This ball is a pleasure to work with pitches into and around the greens. An 81 yard, three quarter 54 degree wedge, will stop dead on the first hop. On short pitches and chips you can see it trying to grab on that first hop in a very predictable fashion,

 

Putter

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On the greens the Nike RZN Tour Platinum rolls very consistent. It's not hot off the face, nor does it feel like you need to hit it harder. There's nothing worse than a mushy feeling ball that feels like you gotta kill it.

 

Off the putter the Nike RZN Tour Platinum feels excellent. I'd ranked it right in line with the Snell, soft with an ever so slight click. It's a much softer and less clicky sounding ball versus last years Platinum as well. I decided to throw a 2016 Titleist ProV1 into the mix too, and found that a touch softer (by a hair), with a more muted sound.

 

For context if you've used a Callaway Chrome Soft or Wilson Duo Urethane, I'd consider those marshmallows and at the softest point on the chart. Then, go ahead and chuck range balls at the firmest point far left.

 

Performance Score: 50/50

 

 

Subjective

Looks & Durability

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Most of this was covered in my initial impressions post, but to reiterate:

  • The logo and numbering is simple, understated and not distracting

  • The RSN Platinum name and arrows on the side are great for alignment

  • The cover is a very clean, slightly on the brighter side white

Durability is not the Platinum's strong suit. After a full round it will have at least one good scuff from a wedge, and look worn from the day's battle.

 

Looks & Durability Score: 10/15

 

 

Sound and Feel

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Once again most of this has been covered in the previous intro and throughout the review, but to recap:

  • On the soft side of firm on all clubs much like the Snell or ProV1

  • Less of a click compared to past models putting (closer to muted)

  • Feel is excellent off the putter with excellent feedback on strikes

The RZN Platinum sounds and feels like I expect a tour ball too—think ProV1 with an ever so slight click. It's firm without a harsh sound off the driver & irons, almost muted with a softer touch on the putter.

 

Sound & Feel Score: 15/15

 

 

Likelihood of Purchase

 

What's there to complain about? Long off the driver, exceptional wedge spin and rolls great on the greens. Alas, I will have to dock it five points at the end of the day however, because it comes in twenty dollars a dozen more than the Snell for the same performance.

 

LOP Score: 15/20

 

 

Subjective Notes

 

Maybe it's placebo, or maybe I just like the swoosh, but I can't deny the fact I've scored really well playing the Platinum ball over the past month. I swear it flies straighter, stays in the air a touch longer and just always seems to find the hole.

 

OK, in all seriousness though this ball feels great, is highly predictable in all situations, which at the end of the day is enough to boost any golfer's confidence tee to green.

 

 

Conclusion

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To say I like the Nike RZN Tour Platinum would be an understatement. I love it. It does everything I demand and expect from a golf ball in the tour category.

 

Nike has really hit a homer with the 2016 rendition of the RZN Tour Platinum, after what it seems a 3-4 year span of trial and error. It looks like the marriage of the micro-dimpled Flight Suit cover (although not quite so durable) to the ever maturing RZN core technology, was the final ingredient they needed for a return to premium ball success.

 

Nike Golf fans should be extremely happy with the 2016 RZN Tour Platinum, and Nike critics would be doing themselves a favor setting aside their biases and checking this ball out.

 

Total Score: 90/10

Yo #JustPlayBetter


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Its always exciting to see a new idea in the golf indusrty and these Nike RZN Balls have something very cool on them. The dimples inside the dimples are not new but they have never been done like this before.

 

I have been lucky enough to test multiple products through MyGolfSpy and I really enjoy it. There is nothing like trying something and giving your honest opinion to try to help fellow golfers make decisions on what to buy and what may help their game.

 

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Getting to know the Tester

 

 

Now a little bit about me.

KC Leonard

Location- San Diego Ca

Conditions- come on we all know how great the weather is here haha

 

Most of my life I have been a 3 handicap or less. In high school I made it to State my Junior and Senior years. I played a ton of tournaments after I decided at 16 that I had a chance to get a scholarship. Which I probably would have if it wasn't for my extremely lack of interest in going to school.

 

I went to Butte Community College near Chico Ca and played on the golf team there. I made it to the State Finals and won my conference. I was offered a partial scholarship the next year to Chico State. The only school I swore I would never go to. I passed on the scholarship and turned pro.

 

This is wear it all went downhill. I played on the Pepsi Tour and other small tours. I did well until the doctor told me I shouldn't be playing golf everyday or even at all.

 

Now to present day. I am a 0.6 handicap I play 3-4 times a month and practice 1-2 per week now that my son is old enough to go to the range. I have set my goals on making it to Pinehurst for the VGA finals this year that is my main focus.

 

Golf career: 20 years
Handicap: 0.6
Strengths of my game: 1. Distance 2. Irons 3. Putting
Game Weaknesses: Chipping but getting better
Typical ball flight: High Cut with everything.
Typical miss: Pull or Big Push
Swing tempo: Quick
Driver swing speed: 118mph
Current Ball: Snell MTB

 

Nike RZN Platinum First Impressions

 

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When I first got the box I like the color and packaging. The key characteriscs were all highlighted on the back of the box. It took me a few seconds to figure out how to open the box haha not your standard box. The ball is a bright white ball with a clean look to it.

 

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The simple Swoosh and number on each side along with RZN Platinum on the side with small arrows for an alignment aid.

 

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As soon as I got them I went straight into the garage and hit some putts on my Birdieball Putting Green. I spent about 45 minutes putting it and comparing it to the Snell MTB, Titleist ProV1x, and Bridgestone B330. It felt softer then the other 3 balls and a bit heavy.

 

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Then I played a round with it and it was promising. I had a bad day off the tee so nothing to report there but I was impressed with the feel around the greens. Didnt seem to spin like crazy but it was very predicatable. I got up and down 7/10 tries including a crazy chip in from the trees over the green. Playing another round Thursday and will have more to report then.

 Ping G410 LST 10.5 set -1* Flat Accra TZ5 65 M5

Callaway Epic Flash 15* set -1 Aldila ATX Blue 75TX

Ben Hogan FT Worth Hi 19* KBS Tour V X

Ben Hogan PTX Pro 4-P KBS Tour V X 2* Flat 4* loft increments

Hogan Equalizer 50* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 X 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 56* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 62* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

EVNROLL ER7 P2 Aware Tour
Scotty Cameron Newport2 Buttonback P2 Aware Tour Grip
Snell MTB-X

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Stage 2 Review Nike RZN Platinum

 

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As I sit here typing this it seems that all the time and data compiled is for nothing since Nike announced they will no longer be making golf equipment. But since there will likely be some great deals to be had on these balls in the near future I will give it my best.

Years ago I had a bag full of Nike everything and loved every piece of equipment. Especially the Nike One Black golf ball which performed great. After a big dispute with them when there was the groove rule change in 2010 I dumped everything Nike and swore I would never use their equipment again. Well over the last year the irons and woods have been high on my radar and I thought of switching back to an all Nike bag. The only thing holding me back was the RZN golf balls. When the opportunity to test the new RZN technology came up I was very excited. If this ball was good I could make the switch to the swoosh.

I have been gaming the Snell My Tour Ball since they released last March and I love them. So in order to beat the Snell it would have to a very good ball.

Driver Performance

 

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With the amount of spin this ball was said to produce I was very concerned with the spin off the driver. I played 2 rounds with it to get used to the ball before doing a side by side with the Snell MTB and Titleist ProV1.

The RZN Platinum was consistently equal with the ProV1 and just a few yards behind the MTB. The feel of the driver is actually really solid has a slightly more muted sound then the other balls tested. Compared to the previous models of the RZN golf balls the new one far and away out performed in distance and feel.

Nike RZN Platinum    118.4     176.4    2247    306.1
Titleist ProV1        118.3    176.2    2262    305.4
Snell MTB        118.4    177.1    2098    308.8

Irons Performance

 

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This is where I thought the RZN Platinum shined. The soft and solid feel of the irons was very pleasant. The RZN had a slightly higher spin without a ballooning flight. One of the rounds I played with the RZN was in 20-30mph winds and it didn't balloon once going into the wind on solidly struck shots. The ball consistently hit and stopped on the long irons and I progressed through the bag this continued until the 8 iron through Pitching wedge. With the short irons I started to see some spin back without spinning crazy and coming off the green.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get consistent data off the mats with the irons so I decided to report on feel and observation. The RZN was nearly identical in performance with the ProV1 and MTB with mere inches more backspin on the short irons. The feel was noticeably softer then both the Titleist and Snell.
Wedges Performance

The soft feel of the Nike RZN Platinum off the wedges gave the mental confidence to attack the pins. The spin produced was very good and slightly better than the ProV1 and MTB but the difference in spin was barely noticeable on chip shots. The ball would stop within inches of the other two balls but the feel gave a slightly confidence that it was going to stop where you want them to. While testing I hit several shots from my favorite distance of 85 yards which is a perfect 80% 60* wedge. The Nike performed very well with this shot specifically whether it was a high or low flight the ball did exactly what I wanted. It would hit and check on low shots and back up of shot flighted higher. On just a few higher shots the ball seemed to spin too much and come back 8-10 ft where the other balls never spun more the 6-7 ft.

Putter Performance

 

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When I struck a putt for the first time with the RZN Platinum I instantly enjoyed it and thought to myself “wow that feels really good”. I enjoyed the feel of the RZN so much that I looked forward to putting. It took some adjustment to the softness as it seemed to come off just a little softer than the other balls and usually would roll a few inches shorter. I can't comment on the alignment aid as I don't use it to putt.
Overall Thoughts

Comparing this ball to the previous models of the Nike RZN balls this one far outperforms them in every category. But comparing it to the latest from Titleist and the Snell it didn't do enough for me to want to make the switch. The RZN Platinum was a very solid ball that produces good performance and a great feel. If you can get this ball on sale at the same price as the Snell MTB then buy a few dozen and enjoy. When doing my review I have to factor in price because why would I recommend a ball that doesn't perform as well and cost nearly $20 more per dozen.
Overall grade 48/50

 

 Ping G410 LST 10.5 set -1* Flat Accra TZ5 65 M5

Callaway Epic Flash 15* set -1 Aldila ATX Blue 75TX

Ben Hogan FT Worth Hi 19* KBS Tour V X

Ben Hogan PTX Pro 4-P KBS Tour V X 2* Flat 4* loft increments

Hogan Equalizer 50* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 X 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 56* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 62* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

EVNROLL ER7 P2 Aware Tour
Scotty Cameron Newport2 Buttonback P2 Aware Tour Grip
Snell MTB-X

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Where to start?

Dan Ushler

Tinton Falls, NJ

Hot summers that can be wet or dry

Cold winters that make me want to never see snow again.

 

 

 

 

 I have been playing golf for around 22 years.  My dad put a club in my hand when I was 7 and down the rabbit hole I went.  My golfing life has gone down a new route.  I just recently began working under a pro in my area running her junior clinics and camps for the summer.  This has had a profound impact on my game over the last few months.  It has made me much more aware of my swing and has turned me into a practice junkie.  What I never used to find time to do (practice) I am now doing like I never have before.   

 

 

Handicap: 7.9

Swing Speed: 105mph

Swing Tempo: Moderate to Quick

Strengths of my game: 1.Driver 2. Mid and short irons 3. Putting

Weakness of my game: 1. Long irons 2.Distance control 60 yards in 3. Mental game (blow up hole)

Typical Ball flight: High Baby cut (Working to get my baby draw back)

 

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I am a slight tinker of the bag.  I have a couple hybrids that I rotate depending on the course I play and the length of the course.  Otherwise what I have in the bag stays there for the year.  I was fit for my irons, wedges, driver, and putter.  

So what is in the bag? http://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/11012-danush-wiyb/?hl=danush

 

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Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy mobile app

Bag: :ping-small:  Hoofer Vantage

Driver: :ping-small:  G25 10.5 Aldila NV 65 S

3 Wood:   :cobra-small:  Fly Z+ 3 Wood 13.5*

Rescue: :adams-small:  XTD ti 18* set to 17* or  :adams-small: Pro 23* 

Irons: :callaway-small:  Apex Pro 4-PW, KBS Tour S, Standard Length and Loft, 2* flat, 

Wedges: :callaway-small: Mack Daddy 2 50* bent to 51*, KBS Tour S

:vokey-small: Spin Milled 56* bent to 55*

:callaway-small: Mack Daddy 2 60* U grind KBS Tour S

Putter: :cameron-small: Futura X5 MOTO

Grips: PURE DTX Green

 

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Gentleman I am extremely sorry that the review has taken this long to go up.  Several things came up for over the summer that had to take priority.  I want to apologize to the administrators and to all the forum members that look forward to the reviews that this has taken so long.  It is also bittersweet to post the review now after we all have found out that Nike will no longer be making this ball.  But as you will see from my review there may be many of us going to every Golfsmith, Dick's, Golf Galaxy, or online store to buy up what is left on the shelves.  There is also maybe the possibility of someone reintroducing this ball or a very similar one.  We can hope right?

 

 

Performance on the course

 

 I compared the RZN Platinum to the Snell MTB and Taylormade Lethal.  The performance on the course for me was very similar to the two balls I compared it too.  The difference on distance of the tee was very negligible.  Part of this is due to being able to hit three consistent shots off the tee in a row.  I did find myself coming up short with irons into greens with the RZN Platinum.  I don't know if it was because of the design of the ball or the swing change I was going through.  The difference was never too drastic.  I usually came up short on front fringe or front of green depending on the size of the green. 

 

The ball was extremely consistent on the course especially when it came to spin.  The RZN Platinum seemed to do what ever I asked of it whether from a mid-iron to a wedge around the green. 

 

The Feel of the ball was excellent. I loved the feel off of my wedges and putter.  I know feel of a ball on the putter is very subjective but the RZN Platinum was great for me.  The feel from wedges helped me dial my short game in very quickly with the RZN Platinum.  

 

Course Score: 45 out of 50

 

 

Looks and Durability

 

The looks of the golf ball were very clean.  I liked the blue color of the numbers.  It just seemed to give it a little extra for me.  This will never be a reason why I buy or don't buy a golf ball but I was a fan of it. 

 

Durability is another issue.   The durability was not great for me.  One or two solid wedges for me shredded the ball.  This was the same for the Lethals I was comparing the ball too.  The cover of the MTB seemed to hold better then both of the other balls. 

 

Looks Score: 10 out of 15

 

Sound and Feel:

 

Sound is crisp and solid.  Feel is like butter off the irons when hit pure.  The sound didn't seem any different from the other balls off the driver.  I feel that has more to do with my driver then the balls. 

 

Feel I can't get over the feel of the ball.  It just felt fantastic coming off a well-struck shot.  It had “it” when it comes to feel.  Whatever “it” is for me it had it.  I felt like I knew from the moment I hit the ball I knew how it would react.  To me that is the best feel a ball can have.

 

 

Sound and Feel Score: 15 out of 15

 

Likelihood of Purchase

 

Yes! Yes! Yes! And Yes! As I said in the intro I will be seeing if I can stock up on these while supplies last.  It is disappointing to know that a ball I am such a fan may not have a chance to get even better.  But I will be buying more of these. 

 

Likelihood of Purchase Score: 20 out of 20

 

I would tell those of you that are looking for a ball that is responsive into greens then this would be a ball for you.  Once again I am bummed to know that this will be the only season for the ball.  I will be looking to stock up and hopefully maybe get enough to get me through 3 seasons because I loved how this ball reacted off my wedges.   Although I did seem to lose distance on the ball if I played it consistently I know I could easily adjust. 

 

Total Score:  90 out of 100


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy mobile app

Bag: :ping-small:  Hoofer Vantage

Driver: :ping-small:  G25 10.5 Aldila NV 65 S

3 Wood:   :cobra-small:  Fly Z+ 3 Wood 13.5*

Rescue: :adams-small:  XTD ti 18* set to 17* or  :adams-small: Pro 23* 

Irons: :callaway-small:  Apex Pro 4-PW, KBS Tour S, Standard Length and Loft, 2* flat, 

Wedges: :callaway-small: Mack Daddy 2 50* bent to 51*, KBS Tour S

:vokey-small: Spin Milled 56* bent to 55*

:callaway-small: Mack Daddy 2 60* U grind KBS Tour S

Putter: :cameron-small: Futura X5 MOTO

Grips: PURE DTX Green

 

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Stage 1 Review

 

                When I found out that I was selected to review a product for MGS, I was pumped. Because the original post didn't specify the company or model we would be testing, a sort of blind leap of faith if you will, I was even more intrigued to see what the product would be. After finding out that we would be testing Nike's newest golf ball, I had some flashbacks to the 20XI, and they weren't the good kind. When recounting my experience with the 20XI, words like rock, dud, and flying turd came to mind. However, I was optimistic that Nike had stepped their game up over the last few years, and after a few short game sessions with the ball, I believe they have.  

 

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                But before I go into more detail about the ball, let me tell you a little bit about myself and my golf game (or lack there-of?)… I played a little bit as a kid, mostly going to the range with my Dad and picking up his bad habits, i.e. how to slice the hell out of a golf ball. The good part was that I did at least pick up some of the fundamentals and nuances of the game, so I'm thankful for that. I came back to golf about five years ago after my first deployment to Afghanistan and the addiction was strong with this one. I started off with a crappy set of MaxFli clubs but quickly realized that the $200 I paid for the set was pretty indicative of their quality, however, they did serve one purpose and that was sneaking some of the irons on a one way trip to Afghanistan during my second deployment. That was about all they were good for.

               

                Since I started golfing again, I've been able to shave about 5-8 strokes off my handicap/average score each year. I'm currently a 6 handicap and have made it my goal to shoot one round of even par before the summer is over. I came within inches of doing so two weeks ago when I lipped out a 10 footer for birdie on the 18th hole and ended up with a 73, I was a little mad at myself for letting the opportunity slide but I quickly realized that:

                a.) Missing a birdie putt to shoot even par is definitely a first world problem.

                b.) If someone would have told me 5 years ago that I would be that close to shooting even par I would have never believed them.

So I got over it and I'm excited to get back on the course and give it another shot.

               

                Currently, my miss tends to be a hook. It's usually a result of trying to get after the ball with a mid-iron or driver and like most of you, I can tell it's going to happen about ¾ way through my swing but there is nothing that I can do about it. It isn't usually anything unplayable, but just enough to put me in a bad spot where I have to do some scrambling to save par. I'm most comfortable playing a right to left ball flight but I can fade it if the occasion calls for it, however, I'm not really that comfortable doing so and about 1/3 of the time it turns into a pull because I don't leave my hands open.  Over the last few years, I have been working on shortening my swing, especially with my irons and wedges, in order to make more crisp and consistent contact. It has mostly worked but I still find my swing getting long once in a while, usually towards the end of a round.

 

                I moved to Colorado 6 months ago and with the crazy weather we get here, I've had to learn how to flight my ball low and roll it up onto greens. This was a stark change from the San Diego area where the weather was always 70 degrees with just a slight prevailing breeze off the ocean. However, I'm glad I was forced to make that change because I have become a much more creative golfer and noticed that my overall game has improved since then. I've gotten away from playing golf swing and have moved more towards playing golf, which is much more rewarding I might add.  The great part about moving from San Diego to the Denver area is the distance, holy smokes! When you find the sweet spot with the driver or 3 wood, the ball looks like it is never coming back down, I'm loving the nice increase. My driver swing speed is about 108mph, and I tend to hit the ball pretty high. In San Diego I was usually getting about 270-280 yds out of my drives and here it is 300+ yds on a well struck ball. In general, there is about a 10% increase in yardage for each club.

 

                One of the nice things about the thinner air is that you don't have to pay as much of a price for mishits, in San Diego, if you hit a spinny iron or wood shot, you lose a lot of distance because of the increase in drag. In Denver, those spinny shots don't seem to effect your distance as much. One of the downsides to Denver golf is that the greens are more firm than they were in San Diego. There have been numerous times where I hit solid iron and wedge shots into greens and the ball just skips forward, I'm currently playing a Callaway SR3 and it is probably a little bit too hard for these conditions, but it does fly great on the wood and longer iron shots. I'm really hoping that the Nike RZN Tour Platinum will have a little more bite…

               

                My swing tempo is moderate, although sometimes it gets a little bit quick and that's when the pesky hook comes into play. The strength of my game is probably my consistent driver and wood play. When I'm practicing a few times a week, my flop shots and chip shots are also a strength that I've had to lean on more than I'd like to. My weakness tends to be not taking advantage of my wedges and short irons and leaving myself long putts or having to chip when I should have been at least within 15 feet. My major weakness has been my putting but after reading Dave Stockton's Putting Unconscious, I've seen a noticeable improvement and I rarely 3-putt now. Most importantly, I look forward to making putts now and have the confidence that I will do so, that wasn't the case about a year ago.

 

                As far as clubs go, they are listed in my signature below, so I won't bore you with another list. I play mostly Callaway stuff because I had the opportunity to do an internship there last summer and loved their clubs, plus the discount was pretty nice…  I was fitted for my current set so I haven't done a whole lot of tinkering, I replaced my 3 and 4 iron with some hybrids about 7 months ago and it was one of the better choices equipment I've made. I recently bumped my driver loft back up to 9 degrees and that's about it, I'm pretty happy with my current setup.

 

                What I love most about golf is the chance it provides to enjoy the outdoors. I love going for a 4 hour walk and getting some exercise, which can be pretty tough to do in the world we live in. It's tough to beat getting to the course when the sun is coming up and enjoying the smell of the dewy grass while you kick off your weekend on a good note. Or, getting in 9 holes on the way home from work and blowing off some steam after a long day. I guess I love golf because it's always a challenge yet it provides you with the ability to forget about everything else and just enjoy some quiet time for a few hours. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's relaxing, because we have all had those rounds that are far from it, but it kind of just lets you press the reset button and unwind.

 

 Anyways, back to the Nike Platinums, because that's what you really came here to read about, isn't it?

 

                The packing that Nike came up with is pretty sweet, I really dig the silver and blue combination that they chose. In addition, they used some blue lettering on the ball which is a cool break from the typical red and black that we normally find on golf balls. The cover seems like a lot of work went into it, it's not your normal dimple pattern, it almost looks like there are some smaller dimples within the dimple which is either for better aerodynamics or greenside bite. I'll have to do some more research on that pattern and let you guys know in part two as to why I think they chose that dimple pattern.

 

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                The alignment aid seems pretty typical, just a straight line of text that can be used to line up your putts or tee shots, the lettering is platinum and blue, which looks cool, although I haven't used it to line up any putts yet so we'll see if that color scheme is distracting or not. So far, I've done some chipping and putting with the balls. I was really surprised at how good they felt after my horrible 20XI experience. They feel great off the putter face and the distance control was what I expected. I hit a few low checking chip shots on a firm green and they checked up really nicely, the first bounce took a lot of steam off the shot and the ball rolled out just how I expected it to. I actually ended up holing quite a few of my chip shots around the practice green which hasn't happened in a while.  

 

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                On flop shots, the ball seemed to check up well on the green and release when you expect it to. Overall, the ball just felt like it did what you asked it to do around the green, there were only a few times when I was surprised by the result or interaction with the green. The majority of my shots ended up with 3 feet of the hole, which is a distance that even I can make putts from. Usually. Hopefully.

 

                Since I've been using a harder ball for the last year, this was a nice change to see around the greens and I'm really excited to take it to the course and get some rounds in. I'm worried a little bit that the great spin around the greens will be a hindrance with the longer clubs but if it's not too extreme, this could be a strong candidate for my new gamer. Stay tuned for the second part of my review where I'll discuss how the ball plays on the course!

Driver: Callaway Epic Max LS 9° w/ GD Tour AD DI-6X

3wd: TaylorMade SIM 15° w/ GD Tour AD DI-7S

2h: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 17° w/ Fujikura Speeder 865 Stiff

4h: Callaway XR Pro 23 w/ Project X LZ 6.0

5i - PW: Callaway Apex Pro

Wedges: Callaway MD3 50°, Titleist SM8 54° and 58°

Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 7.5

Ball: Titleist ProV1x

 

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Nike RZN Tour Platinum Ball – Official MGS Forum Review by Clint Wojtowicz aka cwojtowicz

 

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As stated in my stage 1 review, my past experience with Nike golf balls had me slightly hesitant about playing their newest product. However, after playing the RZN Tour Platinum for a month (about 10 rounds), I was pleasantly surprised and would strongly consider switching to it as my new gamer.

 

My current ball is the Callaway SR3 and I have been using it for a little over a year. It was a great ball in the San Diego area where the soft greens were receptive to almost any ball and getting a little bit of extra distance was key, but I moved to Denver in December and quickly realized that the SR3 was a little too hard around the greens, which are firmer than those in San Diego. The SR3 wasn't providing the spin and greenside control that I needed. Over the last few months, I've read some of the articles on MGS about different golf balls and was looking at a few candidates to try out, then this review opportunity fell into my lap, it couldn't have come at a better time!

 

I have decent distance off the tee and the longer clubs, so I'm not too worried about trying to get more distance out of a ball, my major concern is finding a ball that will react how I want it to on and around the green. I'm a 5.5 handicap and the aspects of my game that need the most improvement are my recovery shots and putting. I found that more often than not, I was leaving my recovery shots around the green much closer to the hole than I have been over the last year. The RZN Tour Platinum reacts beautifully around the greens and is extremely predictable. It does exactly what you expect it to do.

 

 

Performance

 

Driver

 

Loved it. For a ball that has so much bite around the green, I would expect it to be overly spiny off the driver, but this was not the case. I didn't notice a change in distance when compared to my SR3 and the ball flight was exactly what I hoped for. When you want to draw it, it draws. When you want to fade it, it fades. I went through a few week span during testing where I wasn't hitting my driver that great, it felt like I just couldn't find the sweet spot, and I'm sure the ball had some extra spin on it, but it still behaved great. I didn't notice any of those ballooning trajectories like I have seen with other balls that are soft around the green. The Nike Platinum also has great feel and pop off the driver and 3wd. It isn't overly soft and provides great feedback on how well you struck it, this is a huge improvement over the 20XI, which is the last Nike ball that I tried.

 

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Irons

 

Performance off the irons is where the Nike RZN Tour Platinum really excels, I absolutely loved the feeling it provided off the mid irons and even noticed a slight increase in distance from the 5 iron down to the 9 iron; between 5 and 8 yards with each club. You can really feel the ball compress when you make a good strike and the ball flight is very predictable. I had a few instances where I wanted to hit a high ball with a hybrid, in order to land softly on the green, and the ball performed perfectly, the ball flight was what I expected and when it hit the green it checked and rolled out a few yards, even on firm greens. (Pictured below)

 

hybrid_green.jpg

 

With short irons, the ball sticks where it lands. Very rarely did I have a shot roll out further than I expected, it really allows you to go pin hunting without having to worry about the ball bounding off the green. Last weekend I almost had my first hole-in-one with it, I hit a 9-iron from 150 yards with a slight draw, the ball landed 3 feet behind the hole, spun back, rang the stick, and ended up 2 feet away from the hole. I haven't had a 9 iron spin back on the greens here in a while, it was a great feeling. The interaction the Nike RZN Tour Platinum has with irons really stuck out to me, it was my favorite part about the ball.

 

iron_green.jpg

 

Wedges

 

Again, it was awesome with the wedges, especially on less than full shots around the green. When you want to hit a low checking ball, it does just that. When you need to hit a flop shot because you've short sided yourself, it helps bail you out. I'm probably beginning to sound like a bit of a broken record but the ball is predictable, it does what you ask it to do. The feel on chip shots was nice, it didn't feel clicky and provided good feedback.

 

Putter

 

Typically, I don't notice how a ball is on the putter unless it performs poorly, I didn't notice anything wrong with the Nike RZN Tour Platinum. The distance control is what I expected and it felt just right. No rock-like feeling that plagued the 20XI and it provided good feedback, unlike some of the lower compression balls that are currently on the market. I liked using the lettering as an alignment aid and it seemed to work well, nothing too distracting.

 

As far as performance goes, I can't think of anything the Nike RZN Tour Platinum is lacking in. It was good in every aspect of the game and I am a huge fan of how it performs with each club.

 

Performance Score: 50/50

 

 

Subjective

 

Looks & Durability

 

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The packing and graphics are pretty cool, I don't typically buy a ball based on how the package looks but there isn't anything wrong with this one. Seems pretty simple and has a cool color scheme.

 

The lettering and graphics on the ball are simple too, nothing distracting. There's something cool about how simple the Nike Swoosh is, and it always looks good on a golf ball. The alignment aid was great, I had no problem using it and it wasn't distracting. I also like the platinum and blue coloring they used for the graphics, it's a little bit different but it is done well.

 

One thing that looks pretty cool (and performs well) is the flight suit. It's neat looking at the small dimples that Nike uses to improve the ball flight. You can tell that a lot of though and engineering went into this ball.

 

I didn't have any durability issues, I typically get about 2 rounds out of a golf ball and I didn't notice any scuffs or marks from wedge shots that made the ball unplayable. I had a few instances where I hit a tree branch pretty solid and the marks wiped right off with some water. I would say the ball has pretty good durability.

 

Durability seems to be better than other balls I have played. I didn't retire a single ball based on a durability issue. When I was sampling the Chrome Soft last year, this wasn't the case. The SR3 that I currently play also has pretty good durability, I would say that their durability is comparable.

 

Looks & Durability Score: 14/15

 

 

Sound and Feel

 

I discussed the sound and feel in the sections above but I'll give a quick summary here. It's good. When you strike it well it has that soft, sweet spot feel. It doesn't have the marshmallow feel that the Chrome Softs have. The sound was good too, I didn't notice anything abnormal about it -- it wasn't clicky or disrupting. When compared side by side with the 20XI, it's amazing that the same manufacturer produced both balls. They are nothing alike, I was really impressed with Nike's ability to improve their product. The feel on the longer clubs was much better/softer than the SR3, but I suspect that my swing speed might not be high enough to warrant playing with the SR3 so this could partially be my fault.

 

Sound and Feel Score: 14/15

 

 

Likelihood of Purchase

 

Performance wise, I would be very likely to purchase this ball. Cost wise… probably not. It's really tough to fork out $48 for a box of golf balls, especially when you can get the previous year's model for much less.

 

LOP Score: 12/20

 

 

Conclusion & Final Score

 

I love this ball. The performance is great and I really enjoy playing with it. The only that I won't enjoy is when I use up my last two sleeves, that'll be a sad day. My initial hesitance, based on the terrible 20XI, quickly faded away and I was left with a great overall impression. I would recommend this golf ball to anyone who asks, it is everything I look for in a golf ball.

 

The only thing holding me back from switching to this ball is the price, I really can't bring myself to paying almost $50 for a box of golf balls, especially when you see how much Tiger and Rory make in endorsements from Nike. Marketing and pricing aside, the engineers at Nike have done a fantastic job with the ball, the performance is superb throughout the bag and they should be very proud of it!

 

Total Score: 90/100

Driver: Callaway Epic Max LS 9° w/ GD Tour AD DI-6X

3wd: TaylorMade SIM 15° w/ GD Tour AD DI-7S

2h: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 17° w/ Fujikura Speeder 865 Stiff

4h: Callaway XR Pro 23 w/ Project X LZ 6.0

5i - PW: Callaway Apex Pro

Wedges: Callaway MD3 50°, Titleist SM8 54° and 58°

Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 7.5

Ball: Titleist ProV1x

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

My 1st impression is up

 Ping G410 LST 10.5 set -1* Flat Accra TZ5 65 M5

Callaway Epic Flash 15* set -1 Aldila ATX Blue 75TX

Ben Hogan FT Worth Hi 19* KBS Tour V X

Ben Hogan PTX Pro 4-P KBS Tour V X 2* Flat 4* loft increments

Hogan Equalizer 50* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 X 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 56* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 62* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

EVNROLL ER7 P2 Aware Tour
Scotty Cameron Newport2 Buttonback P2 Aware Tour Grip
Snell MTB-X

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Great start !!!!

 

Glad I'm not Following Dan in these reviews.  That guy is a #MASTER at doing reviews. hahahahaha

Driver:   :taylormade-small: M3 Tensei CK Pro Blue
3-Metal:: :callaway-small: GBB EPIC, FujiKura Pro Green

5-Metal:  :cobra-small: F-7, FujiKura Pro

Irons:   :mizuno-small: MP-18 SC, KBS Tour 120

Wedges:  :cleveland-small:   RTX-3  52 - 56 - 60
Putter:  EVN-Roll ER-5

Ball :  :bridgestone-small: Tour B XS

Range Finder:  Busnnell Tour-X,  Garmin S20 

 

Follow me:

@Hula_Rock

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Driver: Callaway Epic Max LS 9° w/ GD Tour AD DI-6X

3wd: TaylorMade SIM 15° w/ GD Tour AD DI-7S

2h: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 17° w/ Fujikura Speeder 865 Stiff

4h: Callaway XR Pro 23 w/ Project X LZ 6.0

5i - PW: Callaway Apex Pro

Wedges: Callaway MD3 50°, Titleist SM8 54° and 58°

Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 7.5

Ball: Titleist ProV1x

 

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  • 1 month later...

It took awhile but my Stage 2 is up

 Ping G410 LST 10.5 set -1* Flat Accra TZ5 65 M5

Callaway Epic Flash 15* set -1 Aldila ATX Blue 75TX

Ben Hogan FT Worth Hi 19* KBS Tour V X

Ben Hogan PTX Pro 4-P KBS Tour V X 2* Flat 4* loft increments

Hogan Equalizer 50* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 X 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 56* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

Hogan Equalizer 62* KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 2* Flat

EVNROLL ER7 P2 Aware Tour
Scotty Cameron Newport2 Buttonback P2 Aware Tour Grip
Snell MTB-X

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  • SPY VIP
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