The days are definitely getting cooler here in Michigan.  And on a crisp fall morning, there’s nothing better to wear than a breathable mock turtleneck. I own three of these Nike Dri Fit UV Long Sleeve Mock turtlenecks. They’re breathable, so you don’t get all sweaty. And the fabric has UV protection. Don’t fool yourself about not needing sun protection in the fall and winter. The worst sunburn I ever got was on a ski trip.

Nike Power Distance 2-Super Soft

Grade: B+
Teacher’s Comments: A good distance ball with durability issues.

It seems that there are a lot of good golf balls out there for the mid to high handicapper in the $20 to $25 range.

The Nike Power Distance 2 Super Soft is one of them.

I found these balls on sale at a local pro shop the other day, and in the interest of keeping my readers informed, thought I’d give them a try.

I have to admit that my hopes for the ball were’t particularly high. I’d tried some of Nike’s lower end balls in the past and wasn’t really impressed. But these were nicely different.

As implied in the name, the Super Softs are super soft—perhaps the softest feeling I’ve hit. I particularly like the way they come off the putter. They also have good spin off the wedges and gave me good short game distance control. They weren’t stopping on a dime, but they didn’t roll too far after hitting the green, either.

The other thing implied in the name is that these are a distance ball. And they are, indeed long—at least as long as the HX Hots that I reviewed earlier, and definitely longer than the DT SoLos that I usually play.

Try this on for size: My drives usually go about 230 or so. Not long. I played this ball in a tournament a couple of weekends ago, and had five drives in the 260 yard range. On one of the par fours, I was in a peculiar and unfamiliar situation: driver-wedge. (Flubbed the wedge and put it in the water. Took a drop and did the same thing again. Shot six got to the green. Wasted drive).

Now, I was hitting the ball off the tee unusually well, but not enough, I think, to discount the effect of the ball.

I also thought that the ball flight was lower than with the DT SoLo, resulting in more roll on tee shots.

Where the balls fall short, though, and why I gave them a B+ instead of an A is in the durability department. They simply get beat up too quickly for my tastes. A few good crisp wedge shots are enough to scruff up the cover—and if you hit a cart path or tree, they’ll really suffer.

But at the price (under $20 a dozen) I guess you can afford to sacrifice some durability.

Nike Dri-Fit Low Cut Sock

Grade: A

In my youth, as an Eagle Scout, I learned the value of wearing good socks when hiking. Wear a good pair, and your feet are happy; wear a bad pair, and you end up with blisters and sweaty, miserable tootsies.

I’ve rediscovered the value of good socks as an adult who walks every round of golf I play (except in events at my club where its required).

The Nike Dri-Fit line is my current sock of choice. (I never dreamed that I’d write a review of socks—but here it is.) They don’t bunch up and cause blisters. And the Dri-Fit stuff, whatever it is, keeps my toes drier than others I’ve worn.

The other nice thing about the low cut socks is that it lets my tan go further down my ankles. My wife compains about my funny “golf” tan. 

You can get them at Austads.

The Nike One Platinum is a ball that doesn’t need any introductions. After all, it does its own television promos.

Nike says that the ball:

features a Progressive Density Core with a soft center and a progressively harder outer shell. This provides lower spin off the tee even with its soft outer cover.

The Nike One Platinum is comprised of three layers or covers beyond the core. Each cover of the One Platinum has its own job to do:

* the inner cover, closest to the core, is designed to reduce spin off the driver
* the middle cover provides superior mid-iron control
* the outer cover, softer than the Nike One Gold, promotes incredible feel around the green.

The outer cover also features Nike Golf’s proprietary 408 dimple pattern, the same one used on the Nike One Black. This particular dimple pattern promotes a higher trajectory and more penetrating ball flight through the apex of the ball’s trajectory - it descends at a less steep angle promoting more distance and roll.

The One Platinum is not designed exclusively for drivers over 400cc; its distance off the tee, wind-boring control from the fairway, and responsiveness around the green will match any combination of clubs. However, golfers who have made the move to a larger driver will experience the greatest potential of the One Platinum.

You can get it at Golfsmith:

The Nike One Black apparently is causing quite a stir after four Nike sponsored golfers used it on the famous 16th Hole at the FBR Open.

Nike had apparently hoped for a hole in one, but that didn’t happen. But still, people are interested.

USA Today reports that Nike is considering offering the black on black as a two pack with the purchase of a box of Nike One Blacks.

Nike says that the Nike One Black has:

Longer distance. Penetrating flight. Like the TA2-LNG but with a larger high-velocity core and thinner urethane cover, yet with the same thick top coating as the Nike One Gold for an added touch. 3-Piece urethane distance ball built for distance off more aggressive swing speeds.

I’m interested in what you have to say! Add your own review by clicking on the comments link below.