[Update 2/15/11: Nike has formally announced the 20XI golf balls and released a video of tour player perspectives on the new balls]
We’ve posted about the rumors surrounding this ball back when it was code names “RZN”. Now we have pictures of the new packaging for Nike’s 20XI Golf Ball. It will be available in 2 versions hitting retailers in April 2011. The X is the “tour level” distance offering and the S is the “tour level” spin offering.
NGNation is reporting that Nike’s RZN golf ball will be named the 20XI. RZN has always been a prototype/development name, but I happen to think it’s a darn good one and that it would actually work as an official product name.
20XI is “2011″ in half numbers and half roman numerals. Perhaps RZN (resin) was too tied into the new core technology of the ball? I’m guessing the 20XI brand will better tie into other golf balls and products across their lineup. The timing on this seems right with the expected official announcement of the RZN this month with a 2011 product launch.
Titleist is putting the finishing touches on their new ProV1 and ProV1x golf balls. They’re out in force at the McGladrey Classic in St. Simmons, GA. No word on exactly when they’ll be available for purchase (or exactly what the improvements are), but it seems like a reasonable bet that Titleist will want something new to compete with the upcoming Nike RZN in February.
Immelman's caddy marks the new Nike RZN?
As I was hanging around the practice green today at the Viking Classic doing my best stalker imitation, I happened to see Trevor Immelman walk out with a unlabeled box of golf balls. His caddie pulled them out and began to mark them so I snapped a photo. I can only speculate that these may be the new Nike RZN golf balls that will be announced in just over a month. It would make sense that their top tour players are testing out the ball prior to the retail release in early 2011.
Immelman walks onto the practice green with an unmarked box of balls
A poster over at Golfwrx has spilled the beans on Nike’s new upcoming tour-level golf ball. It’s currently codenamed RZN (pronounced resin) and is the first solid core golf ball that has a core made of a material other than rubber. The core is made from a resin that Nike and DuPont have allegedly been working on for the past 4 years (I believe I read this in the golfwrx thread but I can’t find the post anymore – maybe it was deleted?).
The general idea is that the resin material is lighter than traditional rubber cores. This allows them to move more weight to the outside of the golf ball. Think of it as the golf ball version of perimeter weighted clubs. The benefits are reported to be less spin off the driver, more spin on wedge shots, higher ball speeds, and the highest MOI ever for a golf ball.
