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by
Robert Cotter
Director
of Golf Swing Instruction, Instant Golf®|
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The 3-P NXT Tour model has been a long standing constant in the Titleist line-up, and it is a fantastic ball. It is arguably the most popular "hybrid" golf ball on the market. It balances performance characteristics similar to Tour golf balls, while having forgiveness and playability for the less skilled golfer.
The 3-P Tour has a soft ionomer (thermoplastic) cover under the trade name Fusablend® and incorporates a dual core with a low compression inner core component, and firmer outer core for high ball speed.
It is interesting to note that Titleist has been juggling their 2 piece NXT category in recent years. A few years ago they replaced their 2-P NXT with the NXT Extreme, a distance ball with a firmer construction (and hard cover). Last year, they reintroduced a more playable 2-P NXT.
The 2 piece NXT Tour S bridges the gap between their popular low compression DT So/Lo golf balls, and the new Titleist Velocity (a dedicated, firmer distance ball).
The NXT Tour S has a softer compression construction which is a result of its large core. Titleist claims it is a full 10 compression points lower than the 3-P model!
They have also followed the lead of Srixon and Bridgestone and introduced a yellow version of the Tour S. The Srixon Z-Star series has been quite popular in yellow for a few years, and Bridgestone has been heavily promoting their yellow B330-RX series, prompting Titleist to jump on board.
Impressions and Testing...
I want to first comment on this yellow ball trend. Other than hitting the odd orange ball in my shag bag over the past few decades, I hadn't played with a colored golf ball. But let me tell you:
The visibility and color of these yellow balls is stunning!
When I first spread a number of the yellow balls before my test rounds on the practice green next to the white balls, I could not believe the degree of brightness and radiance of the cover. It was as if the yellow balls had batteries or a light stick in side them... they were that bright.
Now
obviously
there is no "factory built" performance advantage to the yellow
version, but from an enjoyment or even scoring factor,
many golfers will like this option for a few reasons:
The
visibility down the fairway is incredible, especially
if you do not wear sun glasses (which can help intensify
objects) or have less than perfect vision.
These balls show up like flares, especially on flat
light days. This also helps you find them in the rough
or woods too, unless your course has a preponderance of
bright yellow
plant life!
In
a similar manner to how confidence is inspired by looking down
at a particular driver club head shape/brand vs. another, many
golfers will draw confidence from this yellow color. The
ball actually appears bigger denoting a bigger (easier) target
for
the club head. Golfers are habitual if not superstitious
beings and small factors like this can have big effects on scores.
So if you haven't teed up or putted a yellow golf ball, I would encourage you to put one in play (even bum one off a playing partner). Whether it's the Srixon, Bridgestone, or Titleist, it's an interesting trend which can have some positive effects for many golfers beyond being simply a marketing gimmick for the manufacturers.
Performance...
If
you have been following my articles for any length of time,
you may know I really like the 3 piece NXT Tour. It is one
of the best non-urethane (non-rubber) covered performance
balls.
I wasn't really expecting too much with the new 2 piece NXT Tour S other than a standard rebranding of the past 2-P NXT's with a drop in compression. But I was pleasantly surprised.
I feel they have nailed the compression of this golf ball. It falls somewhere between the 3-P Pro V1, which hangs around 95 compression, and a softer low compression product like the Noodle+ or DT So/Lo balls.
Note that compression is a function of the core in a 2-P, and hardness is a function of the cover (i.e. - chipping, putting - where only the cover is engaged).
The
Tour S felt great off the irons and driver, noticeably
softer than the 3-P NXT Tour, but not a "sponge". The distance
was comparable to the firmer 3 piece NXT Tour model for most
clubs, and the sound off the driver was excellent. Side spin
was also similar to the 3-P NXT Tour.
Note that the highest swing speed players (the Tour average is 112 mph) may experience a slight drop in driver/iron distance with softer compression product. (i.e. long driver champs compete with very high compression golf balls). Note also that Titleist has stated that the 3-P model is slightly longer for most players. This is an indicator that the target audience for the Tour S is the less than Tour swing speed player.
This ball also held the greens fine which is great considering this is typcially the tradeoff with most 2-P product. The test days were not particularly windy so the full effects of the wind properties were not relevant. I have had lots of golfers report that this ball is good in the wind, holding and tracking its line admirably.
The ball is also very durable which is a huge advantage for many golfers, especially given the price (more below). If you keep it in the fairway, expect to get at least a few rounds out of each ball. Note that Tour players change their urethane (very soft rubber) covered golf balls every few holes. Good thing they get them for free.
Off the putter, I was also really surprised, the Tour S is excellent by my standards. Typically with softer compression product you get a hard cover, but not the case here.
I rate putting feel on 3 sound levels, as sound relates directly to feel;
- a "snap" (harder balls, poor feel)
- a "knock" (decent feel and speed control)
- a "soft click" (great feel, ala urethane covers)
This ball rates between the knock/feel. Distance control was excellent, and again, that yellow color was a kick on the greens.
Putting feel is perhaps the most subjective aspect of the ball characteristics. Some golfers like the firm feel, some a more balata-like (soft rubber) quality.
Summing up (plus a negative)...
Whenever a manufacturer finds a balance between softer compression, iron spin, and distance, they have a winner. The new Titleist NXT Tour S fits this bill nicely. Now, a reality check...
These balls aren't cheap. The MSRP is $42/dozen. They typically are around $32/dozen at retail. That's as high as you get for a name brand 2 piece ball (the least expensive construction to manufacture).
Now what is interesting is that the 3 piece NXT Tour and the 2 piece NXT Tour S are priced the same! This is usually unheard of as 3-P balls typcially carry a manufacturing premium. Let's keep in mind too that these balls are currently still made in the USA so that must be factored into their cost.
One
final impression with some conjecture. If you have been
watching golf here in the US (and maybe abroad), you have
seen some long commercials (1 minute+)
with Titleist promoting their premium Tour player
product, the Pro V1 (a 3-P ball) and Pro V1x (4-P)
for all golfers regardless
of swing speed, handicap,
etc...
So we have a new 2 piece NXT that performs similarly to the 3 piece NXT, and costs the same. But neither has a urethane cover, like the Pro V1 Tour balls. Hence, if you want a 3-P with a softer urethane cover, you play the Pro V1 (msrp $62, retail $47.95!). Makes sense from a marketing point of view.
In fact, when I bought my Tour S test balls at an on course pro shop, I didn't see the 3-P NXT Tour. When I asked the pro where they were, he responded "oh, you want to go old school?..we don't have those." However, sitting next to the Tour S in the Titleist display were the Pro-V1's, the game's best selling Tour ball.
Regardless, the Titliest NXT Tour S is a fine new ball that stands on its own performance merits and is a solid addition to the Titleist line-up. At $8-10 a sleeve, an 18 hole trial would be a nice way to spend part of an upcoming weekend.
Enjoy the 2016 golf season,
Robert
Cotter
Instant Golf®
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About the Author: Robert Cotter is a US patent award winning golf ball design engineer and fine player. His interaction with the top players in the game led to his discovery of The Key to a pro caliber golf swing. He is the author of The Key To A Repeating Golf Swing which has taught over 10,000 golfers in 60+ countries and has a success rate of >97%. Robert's passion is educating the golfing public about golf ball performance and demonstrating how the right ball will maximize distance, accuracy, and spin control for players ranging from beginners to touring pros. |
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