Equipment
Nike RZN Tour and RZN Speed golf balls
Since the birth of the modern golf ball, there have been hundreds of thousands of different arrangements, styles, numbers, patterns and geometries of dimples. They’re a golf ball’s fingerprint, and that fingerprint plays a role in exactly how a golf ball will fly toward its intended target.
Figure 1
One look at Nike’s new RZN Tour golf balls and you’ll notice something odd; each of its dimples has dimples — 344 standard-sized dimples, and 13,558 smaller “micro-dimples.” Nike claims that the microdimples, which look like shallow pin pokes, reduce drag to improve aerodynamics. According to Nike, the micro-dimples are placed strategically around the ball, and improve lift and drag properties, especially at the end of the ball’s flight.
With the new line, Nike has also re-engineered its familiar RZN cores and the inner layers of its golf balls.
Nike’s two new RZN Tour golf balls (RZN Black, RZN Platinum) have four-piece constructions and urethane covers, and their new RZN 4.0 cores have been made 10 percent larger than previous models. Using more of the lightweight, RZN material in the design helped the company redistributed weight to the outer layers of the golf balls, increasing moment of inertia (MOI). With more MOI, the balls will fly straighter for the duration of their flight, reducing the effect of wind, according to Nike.
Figure 2
A graphic from Nike shows the microdimples (left) and how the RZN 4.0 core behaves at impact.
The new RZN 4.0 core is also said to make the ball softer, without sacrificing distance.
“The ball feels much softer, yet I’ve maintained my ball speed and even picked up a few yards overall,” Rory McIlroy said. “It’s easily the best combination of distance and feel I’ve ever played.”
The inner cores (pictured in blue in Figure 2) uses deep grooves and X’s on its surface to provide 26 percent more surface area contact than its predecessors for more efficient energy transfer from club to ball. The Speedlock Mantle (the yellow layer in Figure 1) also has similar “Speedlock” technology, which reduces slippage with outer layer of the golf ball and adds approximately 150 rpm of spin on approach shots, according to Rock Ishii, Nike Golf’s Senior Director of Innovation for Golf Balls.
The RZN Tour golf balls are for golfers looking for the ultimate in distance, feel and control. The RZN Black, which new Nike athlete Tony Finau will play, offers lower spin with a golfer’s longer clubs for more distance, according to Nike. The RZN Platinum offers slightly more spin and is “designed to Rory McIlroy’s exact specifications,” according to Nike.
For the golfer looking for a softer feel at a reduced price, Nike also has new RZN Speed golf balls.
RZN Speed (Red and White)
Nike’s RZN Speed golf balls have a three-piece construction, and are for golfers who desire a soft golf ball, or a lower price-point model. The balls have an even softer RZN core, according to Nike, and the same Speedlock X technology used in the RZN Tour balls to maximize energy transfer.
The RZN Red ball offers more distance, while the RZN White ball concentrates on a softer feel. Both the RZN Tour and RZN Speed golf balls will be available at NikeGolf.com on January 22, and at select retailers on January 29.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Oregongolf
Apr 9, 2016 at 11:42 am
I swing around 72-87 from pw to driver and many places said “the tour balls are made for high swing speeds” I played the platinum at a tournament and got some my best distance ever. So if your like don’t be afraid to try it they are very nice golf balls. But
ol deadeye
Jan 10, 2016 at 3:15 pm
I loved the old RZN Red ball. Great feel and performance. I have not tried this new one but I will the next time I need some. I think Nike makes some great products but I do not see many of them on the course except shoes. I have a 2012 Nike driver and it is fine. I see some of their putters on occasion. They do not seem to do demo days in my area.
Stolen
Jan 9, 2016 at 11:15 am
I guess you can steal ideas and use them if they aren’t “exactly” the same, as Nike has always done.
http://www.mizuno.jp/golf/ball/platinum/
Brian
Jan 9, 2016 at 6:27 pm
I don’t want to start a fight here but those aren’t the same at all. One has dimples around the larger dimples and the other has dimples inside the dimples.
Snowpig
Mar 17, 2016 at 6:54 pm
That’s all Japanese to me. 🙂
Brian
Jan 7, 2016 at 1:41 pm
Finally! I’ve been stuck playing those lame Pro V1s since October.
Only half kidding. But I do miss my RZN balls.
Ct
Jan 8, 2016 at 6:06 pm
Prov1’s are for women and really old men! 🙂