Equipment Review:
Titleist New NXT Tour, NXT Extreme Golf Balls
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com

It would be a fruitless effort to dispute that Titleist is the most popular golf ball on the planet. Sure, there are a growing number of high-performance balls on today’s market, but none compares to Titleist in terms of popularity and Tour victories. And according to Titleist, it’s the “undisputed leader in golf ball technology.”

After testing the new NXT Tour, and NXT Extreme golf balls, we won’t argue. Both of these new offerings are big improvements over the NXT and NXT Tour golf balls – both of which already offered a Tour-like ball for the working man. The price has always been right, and the performance from tee to green outstanding.

Now, Titleist has beefed up its dynamic duo with new designs and better performance for everyone from the average Joe to the aspiring pro. I’ve played the NXT Tour in the past, and saw some of the longest drives and best green-spinning performance ever to come out of this moonlighting low-handicap golfer who, alas, must earn his keep writing about a sport many are fortunate enough to play at a professional level. Yet, both the NXT Tour and NXT Extreme balls were a pleasure to test.

According to Titleist’s George Sine, VP Golf Ball Marketing and Strategic Planning – Worldwide, “The New NXT Tour advancements in tee-to-green performance have been designed to accelerate its acceptance by better, aspiring players, while the enhancements to the New NXT Extreme establish new benchmarks for distance and soft feel within the two-piece premium golf ball segment.”

Both the three-piece NXT Tour, and the two-piece NXT Extreme feature a new Staggered Wave parting line, first utilized by the Pro V1 and Pro V1x – golf ball royalty. The Staggered Wave parting line increases the dimple surface coverage, contributing to improved aerodynamics and more consistent ball flight. Combined with improved surface coverage and dimple dimension changes, the duo offer optimized distance off the driver and long irons, plus a slightly higher ball flight.

Another new feature, first seen on the Pro V1 and Pro V1x: the Alignment Integrated Marketing (A.I.M.) sidestamp. Accompanied by extended arrows, the stamp provides a good alignment aid – not only for putting, but for off the tee, too.

NXT Tour

My fav of the duo, the NXT Tour offers a Tour-like ball for those of us who actually have to work for a living. Translation: a dozen won’t cost you as much as your green fees. Yet, you’ll look like a million bucks, because these beauties are sure to improve your game from tee to green.

The new NXT Tour ball is designed for low- to mid-handicap golfers seeking soft feel, high performance control and long distance. It features a new higher coverage, Tour-proven 392 dimple design; advanced 1.58-in. core multi-layer construction which aids both distance and soft feel on all shots; and a soft, thin Fusablend cover for great feedback and exceptional greenside control.

NXT Extreme

Golfers of all levels can play this two-piece ball – it’s really long, and it’s surprisingly soft, too. An improved higher-coverage 392 icosahedral multi-dimple design brings better ball flight; soft compression, and high COR 1.55-n. solid core offers high velocity for extreme distance and soft feel; and a low spin Surlyn cover contributes low spin on all shots for long, straight distance.

If your game needs a boost in the driver and long-iron department, yet you don’t want to sacrifice anything in the short game department, then the NXT Extreme is for you.

Thumbs up for Titelist’s improvements to the NXT Tour and NXT Extreme golf balls. In particular, I find that Titleist has bridged the gap between the Pro V1 and the NXT Tour balls. Mere mortals won’t find any difference between the two. The NXT Extreme is arguably the best two-piece ball on the planet.

Visit the Titelist web site, www.titleist.ca or www.NXTube.com for more on these new balls from Titelist.