Nike Unveil New Speedlock RZN Golf Balls

Building on the success of the 20XI ball and RZN core technology, Nike Golf is unveiling its innovative Speedlock RZN core technology and adding four golf balls to the new RZN franchise – RZN Platinum, RZN Black, RZN Red and RZN White.

Nike Golf’s new interlocking RZN core design delivers more energy at impact for faster ball speed, longer distance and a more stable ball flight.

Nike’s proprietary Speedlock RZN core technology features an interlocking core design – the core’s surface is similar to that of a waffle iron – that interconnects with the compression layer to form a tighter bond that helps promote better energy transfer through the layers at impact.  Similar to how snow tyres utilise aggressive treads to bond with a road surface, the Speedlock core’s interlocking geometry helps eliminate the slipping that normally occurs between a traditional, smooth-surface core and the outer layer. When a core slides or slips on impact, the ball loses energy and as a result, speed and distance. Speedlock Technology helps to harness more energy between layers for faster ball speed, longer distance and more stability into the wind.

A new spin-optimised coating on the outer surface of the ball helps grip the grooves for better control on wedge and iron shots. The coating, in addition to a softer cover and softer compression in the core, also helps provide improved sound and feel, especially on off-centre shots.

Rock Ishii, Senior Director, Golf Product Development, commented "We knew we hadn’t pulled 100-percent of the energy that we could out of the existing RZN core. Working in partnership with DuPont we were able to develop a softer and faster RZN material and created the interlocking core design to reduce energy loss at impact. That means more distance, especially with fairway woods, irons and wedges, and softer feel and sound around the greens.”

“The lightweight RZN material allows us to add weight to the perimeter of the golf ball which gives the new RZN family an extremely high Moment of Inertia (MOI) in a golf ball,” Ishii adds. “This provides incredible ball flight stability in all wind conditions.”

“Tightly-wrapped material pulls more energy through the layers, and converts that energy into additional ball speed,” Ishii says. “One additional mile-per-hour produces an average of five yards in additional distance.”

Several Nike Golf athletes, including Rory McIlroy and Paul Casey, have put the new ball into play in 2013.

Four versions of the new ball will be available in the Nike RZN frange from March 1st 2014:

• RZN Platinum: Tour Performance control and moderate spin
• RZN Black: Tour Performance distance and less spin
• RZN Red: Distance Performance, longer carry
• RZN White: Distance Performance, softer feel, for swing speeds 95-100 mph

For more information visit: www.nike.com/gb/en_gb/c/golf