Review: Nike RZN Tour Golf Balls

Flight Suit on a Golf Balls?

What does that make you think of? For me it was a pilot or an astronaut in the air. What a perfect way to describe the cover on a golf ball in flying thru the air. Nike has long been known to step outside the box of conventional wisdom and they have done it again with the 2016 Nike RZN Tour golf balls. Each year we hear about the latest advancements in cover, layer and core parts of the golf ball from every company, but Nike took a giant step forward this year in all three.

I have always been a fan of the way Nike pushes the boundaries of technology, but playing a Nike golf ball has been rather hard for me because none of them felt or performed well for me around the greens. I read an article once that said the first thing Tiger would do with a new golf ball he was testing was pitch and chip with it. I consider my short game to be above average for an amateur and a million miles from a tour player, but chipping and putting are the first two things I always evaluate golf balls. Both of the RZN Black and RZN Platinum are nothing like the Nike golf balls I remember, so they passed my first test immediately.

On the course, the RZN Black was average for me, but the RZN Platinum was noticeably better. The ball flight on the RZN Black was not climbing very quickly and dropping out of the air like a low spin ball usually does for me. However, the RZN Platinum was climbing and holding its flight. The touch around the greens was way better than other Nike golf balls I had tried to play. Overall I was impressed with the changes Nike has made to make a ball to compete with the others in the market.

I also wanted to know what Nike thought would be the better ball for my game, so I took the quick online fitting guide

I clicked on:

BELOW 80

MORE THAN 95 MPH

DISTANCE

MAX SPIN & PRECISION STOPPING

QUIET & SOFT

And the best RZN ball for my game:

I would agree with this recommendation because the RZN Platinum both felt the best and performed the best for me. The data tells the same story when I hit the Black and Platinum balls on Flightscope. Using 10 shots with each ball and club I compiled the average for 5 performance categories.

While it seems that Nike has been kind of quiet in 2016, they produced their best line up of tour golf balls yet. The improved feel, outstanding performance and “Flight Suit” make these legit contenders for the best ball this year. So if you are looking for something different in a tour ball check out the Nike RZN Black or Platinum for your golf ball needs.

For more information: www.nikegolf.com

Quick Hits:
+ Cutting edge technology that works
+ Multiple models to pick from
+ Easy selection guide to get fit

– Not many recognizable golfers beyond Rory playing them