Jack Nicklaus Black Golf Balls

Jack Nicklaus Golf Balls – Black
Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: A nice premium ball

Entering a crowded market, Jack Nicklaus now has his own line of golf balls. These are apparently manufactured by Bridgestone, and Nicklaus says that they have been extensively tested for performance by family and friends.

Three things make the Nicklaus golf balls different: “Fitting,” price and charity. The company writes:

By focusing on selling Nicklaus golf balls through the Internet at a recommended price instead of a fixed price, Jack is able to make the game more accessible and also give back. Now, golfers around the world who would not have been able to afford the best quality golf balls will be able to get them at a greatly reduced price, and those who could afford them before will be able to include a donation to help sick children and still pay the same amount for a better golf ball. In stores, the balls will never be sold below the recommended price and will include a donation to the Foundation.

Nicklaus golf balls are branded Black, Blue and White,  corresponding to the tees that players typically use. It’s an effort to simplify the ball selection process.  While new radar technologies offer the ability to test equipment and generate data on spin in all orbits, distance, launch angle, etc., not everyone has the requisite access, time or money. The Nicklaus balls are designed to fit your game without requiring you to go to a ball fitting.

The second thing that makes the Nicklaus different is the price. When you go to the Nicklaus site, you will find that the balls have surprisingly low prices. The premium Nicklaus Blacks, for example, are just $32 a dozen. That price falls to $27 a dozen if you get a 12 month subscription.

Which brings me to the charitable contributions. For each Nicklaus Golf ball purchase you make, the site offers you the opportunity to pay an additional sum of between $5 and $100 to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. If you don’t make a contribution, the company still donates a dollar to the charity.

THe balls are also available in Nicklaus course pro shops, and at many Speedway locations.

Each of the Nicklaus golf balls is a multi-layer affair, with a corresponding compression. The model I received for review was the Nicklaus Black. After playing several rounds with the ball, my impression is that it plays as well for me as other tour level, premium balls. The Nicklaus Blacks fly high and straight, check up fast on the greens and have a nice feel off the putter. I will warn my dear readers, though, that their mileage will surely vary. I am not a fast swinger, and my game is helped far more by balls with much lower compression, such as the Wilson Duo and Callaway Super Soft. Can you spin these orbs back like a Pro V1? I have no idea, because I can’t spin back a Pro V1 — or any other ball, for that matter.

The Nicklaus Black balls have a Urethane cover, a “high speed gradient core” and a “spin optimization mantle.” The ball has a compression of 84. It’s designed for tour performance and control

The Nicklaus Blue have a surlyn cover, “high speed gradient core” and “low spin mantle,” with a compression of 82. These, the company says are designed for distance, penetrating flight and high ball velocity.

The Nicklaus Whites have a soft surlyn cover, a soft gradient core, and a spin reducing mangle. The compression the Nicklaus White balls is 62. The Nicklaus White balls is designed for soft feel and spin elimination.

I’d like to try the Nicklaus Blue and White. I have a feeling that the Nicklaus Whites are more appropriate to my game.

It s too bad they didn’t call these “Jack” balls. They you could have Jack White, Jack Black and … well, Jack Blue isn’t funny, but there it is.

Final note. No golf ball should ever be called “Blue.” Just because.