Positive vibe
Nike Golf’s new 20XI golf ball is making its first official appearance at a major championship at this week’s U.S. Open, with Nike golf staffers Stewart Cink (20XI X), Anthony Kim (20XI S) and Francesco Molinari (20XI X) each putting the ball in play at Congressional Country Club. Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, however, isn’t playing the 20XI, choosing instead to stay with the One Tour D that brought him victory at Augusta.
Regardless, the 20XI, according to Nike Golf director of product development for golf balls Mark Alan, has been received well by consumers this past April 29.
“What a lot of what people are seeing compared to the previous product we had in the marketplace (the One Tour and One Tour D) are distance gains,” Alan said. “A lot of that is because of the resin core, which promotes a faster ball speed.
“Through our testing, on average, we’re seeing two to three miles per hour faster ball speed with a lot of consumers and our Tour athletes. Greenside performance also has generated very positive response and also durability of the cover. So far we’ve been very pleased with the way consumers have responded to the ball.”
