I have a question of my own to piggy back the forum.  I am wondering if it is time to lower my standards and go to an NXT tour or even NXT distance.  My driver has slid well under the 270 yard mark and playing the back tees is becoming more dreadful on those long approach shots.  Switched from the V1 to the V1x to get more distance for this year, but not noticing much difference (5 to 10 yards at best).  I know the season just started, but is it time for the NXT to get that lost distance back?  

I love titleist, and would argue that the ProV's are the best ball out there, but not sure of the NXT's.  Is there a better second tier ball than the NXT's from another manufacturer.  Please be honest, Titleist still will get plenty of money from me, just look at my club selections.

Really appreciate some honest help here.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the question. When looking at distance alone, it's important to know that regardless of a player's swing speed (from tour players, mid to high speed players, and moderate to lower speed players) the distance differences between Titleist golf ball models is just 4 to 5 yards. This is most likely not a game changing difference.

Our fitting methodology is focused on helping golfers shoot lower scores and what we've found through extensive player testing and round-by-round analysis is that most scoring opportunities are created by shots to the green. My suggestion would be to take a sleeve of the NXT Tour and the Pro V1x out to the course to conduct an on-course evaluation. 

The best way to go about the evaluation is to start by hitting partial swing shots to the green first and working back to full swing shots to the green, followed by longer shots and concluding the evaluation on the tee with the driver.  You should also keep feel preference in mind as you go through the evaluation process. 

This process can be conducted during a normal round of play, by tracking fairways hit, greens hit in regulation and proximity to hole on approach shots.  Another option is to play one model golf ball for nine holes and do the same with the secondary recommendation on the back nine. At the end of the evaluation, you should have a good idea around which ball works best for your game.

Here is a link to our on-course evaluation scorecard: http://media.titleist.com/images/titleist/pdfs/US/2011/scorecard.pdf

I hope this helps and keep us posted. Thanks a lot.