Nike vs. Titleist - Pro V1x / ONE Black Shootout

Can the NikeMachineusurp the reign of Titleist?Firstly, here's the mostasked (and hated)question in all of golf retail: Which is the best ball?Over the past thirteen years I have been asked this question more times thanI have occasion to scratch, literally. Of course it's the $64,000 question and one without a definitive answer because, as we all know, the player's results always speak for themselves. But how about the companies who make those crazy white round things? Is there one we can count on, year after year to keep us in the game? This review tackles that 'ball' question by examining two top dogs:Titleist: the undoubted king of the hill and its oh, so popular: Pro V1xNike: the funky new upstart who dares challenge through the play of the master TW using : ONE BlackThe Contenders: brand, spanking new The Interesting StuffI am not going to bore you with the mumbo-jumbo of the manufacturing process because you can Google that anytime. What I will tell you is the things may not be in the official press release. I hope this will give you an insight into the players view of both products.Colour: You should be able to pick out the definite colour difference between the two. Both of the covers are made of a substance called 'urethane' (an ester of carbamic acid) which was once used in the treatment of leukemia. Urethane has a soft tackiness to it, almost what some would call 'sticky'. Notice the duller, chalkier finish to the Titleist (pictures taken by same camera, day, time). You can see how the Nike has a real stark whiteness to when compared to the Titleist. You might say that the Pro V1x has a bleached look whereas the ONE Black is ultra-white. This colour difference between companies using the same materials is actually quite common, but the Japanese manufacturers seem to have the whiteness thingy really down pat. And what's that got to do with the Nike ball you ask? Well, *dramatic pause* the ONE Black is made by no other than Bridgestone Golf (Precept)! It should probably come as no surprise however, in that Nike outsource everything.Seam: There's is sort of an urban myth amongst amateurs and pro's that it is possible to increase the distance of your shots with a little trick called 'seaming'.Seaming involves positioningthe 'seam' of the ball vertically or horizontally to change the launch angle and resistance of the tee shot (don't ask me what they do on the fairway) thusgaining some more yards/metres. Our Pro V1xhas a cover made from two halves that are fused together. Where these meetthere forms a seam, a sort of flatterline, that is usually marked withthe