KickX Tour Z Golf Ball

First impressions. Pulling the ball out of the sleeve, two things jump out:  the ball feels sticky, and the graphics are wild.  The "sticky" feel of the cover must help the cover connect with the grooves, because this ball spins like crazy.  The graphics were a little distracting (there's a giant orange X staring up at you), but the alignment aid on the side was useful on both the tee and green.

Trajectory.  My first shot with the KickX Tour Z was a driver on a medium-length dogleg right par 4 with a stiff left-to-right wind.  Whoa--how did that happen?  So I hit another one, and WOW--what is going on here?  Just to make sure I hadn't lost my swing, I hit one with my Penta-TP.  Okay, that looked normal.

HOLY CRAP THIS BALL FLIES HIGH!!  The normal shot on the opening tee is to hit a sliding cut that rides the wind around the massive banyan tree that blocks the right half of the hole, which I did perfectly with the Penta.  The Tour Z would have easily gone over the tree.  The ball went BALListic right off of the clubface, and just kept climbing.  Both of my tee shots were solidly hit though, and they cut right through the wind without excessive bend.  This was repeated shot after shot:  I could bring the flight down a little bit if I tried, but it was still much higher than Penta.

Distance.  The ball is long.  I repeated my driver experiment several times over that first 18, and each time the Tour Z was within a few yards of my Penta.  Even into the wind, when the ball went dangerously high, the distance was still comparable with the more penetrating Penta.  A few times I hit impossible bombs with the Tour Z.  It was equally long and high with the irons.

Off of the woods.  High, long.  Solid feel when struck well, and a great sound.  I never could keep the ball within a few thousand feet of the ground, no matter how hard I tried, but this is apparently no cause for concern.  The ball seemed to be unaffected by wind, and the high bombs into the wind were just as long as the lower shots with my normal ball.  I got into trouble a few times, actually, because the ball wouldn't go with the wind.  When you're putting a ball into orbit with a 30MPH right-to-left crosswind, you tend to allow for a big hook.  When the ball stays comparatively straight, you tend to then mutter unspeakable things and declare a provisional.  I did this a few times in the first 36 holes.

Off of the irons.  Here is where this ball truly shines:  the long, towering, spinning shot off of a 4-iron that holds the green, even downwind.  I hit many solid long irons with this ball during my first 36 holes, and most acted comparable to what I've described with the woods.  However, two shots truly stand out--and they were on consecutive holes.  The first was a downwind shot from 225 yards to a tiny, elevated green completely surrounded by sand.  It's a terribly difficult shot from 225, especially downwind, because if you hit it hard enough to land on the green, it's probably flying too hot to hold the green. I hit a flush, hard 5-iron that launched into the air.  It landed on the middle of the green, 20-feet short of the tucked back pin.  I walked up to the green fully expecting to have an impossible flop shot from behind the green, but was pleasantly surprised to see my ball sitting 10-feet below the hole.  I had a similar situation on the next hole.  A bombed drive left me with a 230 carry, over water the entire way, to a slightly downhill par-5 green with a helping left-to-right wind.  I didn't think "this ball is really excellent for layups" would play well in the review, so I unsheathed the 4-iron and toed it into the water.  I dropped another ball (hey, I'm a weekend golfer).  This one was flush, sky high, heading straight for the flag.  The wind pushed it just a hair right of the flag, towards the edge of this typically hard green--I was sure I was going to be short-sided.  The ball mark was 5 feet from the fringe, and the ball stopped on the fringe.  Two unbelievable long irons in a row that held very difficult greens.

Off of the wedges.  To put it bluntly, I'm not happy with the way this ball performed with my wedges.  I couldn't control the spin, and I couldn't keep the ball from ballooning up into the wind.  I spun four wedge shots completely off of the green, once even when I had opted for a 3/4 PW over a full GW.  If you're looking for more spin, this is your ball.

Chipping and pitching.  The "too much spin" trend bled over into pitches and chips as well.  I typically like to hit two chip shots:  the two-hop runner, and the two-hop spinner.  The spinner was super easy to execute with the Tour Z, but my runners kept coming up short.  The second hop always seemed to grip the green a little too well, and I had a lot of 10-footers where I was hoping for 2-footers.  This isn't really a drawback to the ball, though--if you really liked the spinny properties of this ball, you'd have to simply change your tactics around the green a bit.  I did manage to hold the green with an impossible downwind bunker shot off of a downhill lie, though.

Putting.  I've never been one to worry about (or really notice) the way a ball "feels" clicking off of the putter face, so I can't really comment on that.  The alignment aid, however, is money.  It's easy to line up (saving a bit of time in the pre-shot routine), and super easy to focus on.  I'd dare say that I hit the putter more "solidly" throughout the rounds I played with the Tour Z because the alignment graphics draw your eye, and your clubface, to the center of the ball.  Other than that, the ball putts like any other ball.  I didn't notice that the pace was any different, and the "sticky" feeling cover didn't seem to slow down the pace of my putts at all.

Durability.  The ball scuffed fairly easily, about equal to my usual Penta.  The Pro-V cover is seemingly more resistant to scuffs and groove-marks on a full wedge shot.  However, the cover on the Tour Z doesn't discolor the way Penta does.  After seven holes playing with one ball, I had three very nice scuff marks (two from the wedge grooves; one from a cartpath) on a brilliantly white ball.  The Penta's cover would have noticeably faded at this point. 

Overall impressions.  The distance, trajectory, and spin characteristics were impressive.  When you want to hit a ball really high with a billion RPMs of spin, this is a fantastic ball.  Unfortunately, I rarely want to hit that shot, so it was more of a novelty than a selling point.  If I still lived in Georgia, I might have a different impression--but here in windy Hawaii, I'll be sticking with my Penta.  Still, this is a high-quality ball which I would choose over anything Titleist offers.  Bottom line:  if I needed to play a spin ball, this would be my hands-down choice over Pro-V.

I didn't get the opportunity to play with this ball as much as I would have liked (due to some injuries), but I was able to play with it during two scramble rounds which I think is sufficient to review it.

As soon as I opened the package and felt the ball, I could tell it was a tour level ball. It doesn't have the hard cover feeling that you typically get from lesser balls and feels on par with the other tour balls on the market.

Design

Being a web/graphic designer part-time, branding is something that immediately catch my eye. I wasn't a fan of the graphics on the ball. I felt there's just a little too much going on with the large orange "X" and the type "Tour Z" all bunched up there together with a large number. Not the end of the world, but was my initial impression. The more minimal the better.

The one thing I loved regarding the design was the alignment lines. I felt like it was much easier to line up the KickX over the small thin line on the ProV1's.

Irons

I don't have Trackman numbers to back up my claims, but I felt like the KickX ball was longer with the irons. The first swing I made with one was on a 120 yard par three which should have been perfect for my PW. I ended up flying the green by about 8 yards. Impact with irons feel like any other tour ball out there except this one seems to just fly a little further.

Driver

Just like with the irons, I seemed to gain a little distance with driver over my normal ProV1x ball. There were a couple occasions where I hit the KickX ball first and then hit a ProV1x immediately after and the KickX ball ended up about 10 yards longer each time. Difficult to tell if it just got some extra roll once it landed, or if it really was 10 yards longer. I would be really curious to hit both balls on Trackman and actually see if my ball speed goes up. Can't argue with the results though.

Around the Green

I spin the ball quite a bit and this ball spins enough to compete with other tour quality balls. It seemed to have a little less spin than my ProV1x, but it's not a deal breaker for me. I put it down as a "con" because I think the goal is for the ball to spin a lot like other tour balls, but it could be a "pro" depending on your point of view. A lot of times I'll come up short of the pin because I've spun it too much. So... maybe it's a good thing?

Putter

The ball feels extremely soft off of the putter face. I almost felt like I needed to take a more agressive stroke to get the ball to the hole. There's not much sound at impact and we know that sound is closely related to feel. I really didn't feel like I had much feel with this ball when putting.

Conclusion

There's no doubt this ball is good enough to compete with the big boys. It performs extremely well in all areas except on the putting surface but personal preference has a lot to do with my feelings on that. The feel on the greens is the one thing that will keep me from putting this ball in my bag.

Kick X: Tour-Z Premium Golf Ball

I received a dozen Kick X: Tour-Z premium golf balls in May.  This was the first time I have played the Tour-Z ball, as over the last couple of years I've only played the TaylorMade Penta tour golf balls, most recently the TP5.  

Tour-Z Unboxing

As soon as I took the Tour-Z's out of the sleeve, I immediately noticed the unique marking on the ball.

One of my favorite things about the look of the Tour-Z golf ball was the 'Z-Aline Alignment System' that is found on the golf ball itself.  It is elementary in design, but sets up perfect to my eye, and makes it incredibly easy to line up a putt.

The only thing I didn't care for when looking at the Tour-Z ball - was the size of the dimples.  The Tour-Z has 316 dimples, which is much lower than the TaylorMade TP5 (360 dimple pattern in comparison).  It was only a minor concern, but the dimples appeared to be larger than the TP5.

Tour-Z Alignment Aid

The Z-Aline Alignment System found on the Tour-Z golf ball is by far my favorite thing about this premium golf ball.  While the Z-Aline Alignment System is simple in design, the execution which incorporates two black parallel lines - offers excellent contrast when placed onto the white ball.  And the solid black dot placed in the center - with an intersecting gray alignment line really gives you a focal point as you prepare to make the stroke.  It doesn't hurt that the ball really sets up beautifully with my TaylorMade white Ghost Spider putter.

This is exactly the type of alignment aid I like to see - and really helped me eliminate variables with regard to proper alignment when putting.

When playing with the Tour-Z, I found the Z-Aline useful as an alignment aid when placed onto a tee too to hit a full shot with a driver or iron.  It just gives you a solid reference for path.  

Tour-Z Distance

The Tour-Z has a 'Metal Fusion Core' - which sounds fancy to me.  But I didn't notice this ball to be longer or shorter than the Penta.  I have not had access to Trackman to do a side-by-side comparison of the two golf balls... But from playing several rounds of golf with the Tour-Z... I'd say the difference is minimal.  The good for the Tour-Z is that it can hang with the Penta when it comes to distance.

Tour-Z Feel

My typical ball flight with my mid to short irons is a baby fade.  I didn't have any issues hitting this stock shot with the Tour-Z.  And while I'm not a guy that tries to work the ball on every shot - as I'm not at that skill level yet.  When I needed to hit a draw/hook - or a fade/slice - I was able to work the ball accordingly.  And if I missed the shot - it wasn't because of the ball... But moreso the lack of skill to pull of the shot on my side! 

Putter:  This ball worked very well on the green.  Rolls true to the line you put it on.  The alignment aid was very beneficial for me as I choose to line up every putt with the aid.  It definitely helps you out by having 3 lines instead of the normal 1 line that most of us are used to having as an alignment aid.

Around the Green:  This ball can get some massive amounts of spin.  I really liked playing with this ball from 50 yards in.  I could really create, or not create, spin by where I placed the ball in my stance and how I contacted the ball.  Really neat to experiment and see the different results with minor changes in ball position and swing contact.

Irons: I liked the way the ball felt leaving the irons.  Made a solid sound and felt really smooth leaving the face.  I liked the distance they carried but wasn't overly impressed as I didn't gain much, if any, distance with this ball.  The ball flight was very similar and comparable to other premium golf balls.  I was able to move the ball around with ease and shape the shot the way I intended.

Driver:  This is where I felt the ball gave me the largest advantage in distance. I hit this ball several times along side other premium balls and this ball went from near the same to noticeably longer than other balls. I love the way this ball sounds and feels leaving the face of the driver. It sounds a lot softer than other balls I have played, which I like.

Durability:  Very durable ball. I could hit wedge shots creating a lot of spin as well as hitting long approach shots and not ontice any scuffing of the ball. I was able to easily make 1 ball last 18 holes.  I wold have been comfortable using the ball for another 9 considering the appearance of te ball.

Overall:  Overall, this is a great ball. I fully intend to buy these balls and begin using them in my everyday game.  I am not just saying that to boost this review, I truly feel that these balls are great.  I enjoyed playing with them and shot my lowest round of the year with them (79).  In conclusion, give this ball a chance and go buy some.  You won't regeret it.

After several practice sessions and 36 holes, I think I'm ready to declare this ball a real winner.

Putting (4/5)

The first thing you notice when taking these balls out of the sleeve is how soft and cover feels in your hands.  The urethane cover almost feels 'sticky' in comparison to other premium balls... it is noticeably softer than what I am used to playing.  Because of this, the Kick X tour took a bit of getting used to on the putting green.  

Putting side-by-side with a Pro V1x left a sour impressed as these balls feel very different off the putter face.  The V1x has a muted crisp feeling, and in contrast impact off the putter with the Kick X was much less distinct.  These balls feel more similar to a TP Red LDP or Penta TP5.  After a few sessions exclusively with the Kick X, I began to get a feel for the ball and I began rolling the ball well.  Distance control on the green was very, very good with this ball.  

This distance control carried to the course as well.  Playing the Kick X, I had one of my best putting rounds this year with this ball... 26 putts, without a single 3 putt.    

Pitching/Chipping (5/5)

This ball is very fun near the green.  I was astounded with the amount of spin and control that the Kick X exhibited near the green.  I haven't played a ball that has this level of consistency and flexibility on pitch and chip shots.  I was able to hit it high and let it release as well as hit it low and watch it grab.  The way this ball checks after a crisp pitch let me get much more aggressive with my wedges.  Comparing the performance against a Pro V1 and Pro V1x was interesting; as I found the Kick X to feel softer off of my wedges and spin harder than either.  

Driver (5/5)

The Kick X has a very nice feel off of the driver and 3-wood and impressive distance.  Again, it's a bit softer feeling and sounding than the V1x, but the sensation at impact is very nice.  I could still tell where on the face the ball was hit, and solid tee shots felt very fluid at impact.  

Distance and shot shape were also very good with the Kick X.  Playing the ball back to back with the Pro V1x on my home course, as well as exclusively on a new course, I'm fairly convinced this ball is a few yards longer than the Pro V1x for me.  Give the soft feel, this was really a welcome surprise.  The ball also seemed to generate less side-spin than the Pro V1, and generally flew pretty similar in shape and trajectory to the Pro V1x.  Playing in the midwestern wind, this ball didn't balloon off the tee and had a nice strong trajectory.

Irons (4/5)

Feel off of the irons was again, nice and soft.  Distance was predicable and on par with other premium balls.  I was able to shape the ball both directions and able to control trajectory to a certain extent.  Compared to a Pro V1x, I found that I had a difficult time hitting lower-trajectory shots on approaches, but I haven't been hitting the ball as solidly as I'd like.  With that said, the ball had great stopping power with my shorter irons and several mid-iron shots that I was able to test.

Wind Performance (3/5)

I didn't care for this ball in the wind.  Downwind shots seemed to fly shorter than expected, and the ball struggled to pierce through side and head wind.  We played in 25 mph wind this morning, and I had a tough time getting this ball to do what I wanted it to do.  Approach shots into the wind seemed to really get eaten up, and I never developed a feel for how to compensate.  By contrast, the Pro V1x seems to play more predictably and is less influenced by wind.

Aesthetics (3/5)

As you can see, I didn't care for the aesthetics of this ball.  The logo is loud, and the putting aid (which I don't use) is enormous.  I am still not warming up to the big orange X on the cover, and the font and graphics seem incongruent with a 'tour' ball.  Lastly, I found these balls to cut easily on wedge shots from the fairway.  A crisp shot from 60 - 120 yards would leave 3 - 4 cuts on a new ball, which is aggravating but not dissimilar to other tour balls.  I played 3 different Kick X tour balls over 18 holes due to scuffing/cutting the ball with wedges.  I can't confirm that these cuts really hurt the flight or performance of the ball, but I don't like looking at them.

Overall (4/5)

I'm going to continue playing this ball.  I had too much fun around the green, and this ball just seems to work great for my short game.  The distance and accuracy are excellent, and my playing partners wanted to know what I was playing after several hard-stopping pitches that behaved like 'magic.'  

I can deal with the aesthetics, and will continue to rotate this ball with the Pro V1x depending upon the wind.

Overall this is a very good ball and responds well to many different kinds of shots.  In a blind test I'm not sure I could tell the difference between this ball and my regular Callaways except for the sound at impact and  less spin around the greens.

Driver:  The ball performed well.  I didn't notice any gain in distance, but no appreciable loss either.

Irons:  I had a slight loss in distance with my irons, but once again nothing drastic.  The sound coming off of the clubface was harder than I'm used to, but the ball flight was nice and high and with enough spin to stop the balls on our greens easily. 

Around the greens:  This is where this ball was lacking for me.  I tend to hit many low spinning shots around the greens and I couldn't get as much spin or control the amount of spin as well.  On regular chip shots or even flop shots the ball performed well enough, though it comes off a bit hotter than my regular ball and with less spin.

On the green:  I really liked this ball on the green.  The cover is soft and feels nice coming off of the putter whether I had an insert putter or not.  I usually add an alignment line to my balls and didn't with this one because the alignment lines already on the ball are great.  The three alignment lines really help to get set up square and the offset on the lines helps promote a good through stroke.  I think this is the best and most innovative feature on this ball.

Durability:  This ball is durable.  It won't beat up a cart path...but what ball will?  I played over 18 holes with one ball and it showed some wear, but definitely less than my regular Callaway.

Overall I think this is a good ball.  It has good distance, good full shot spin, and great putter feel.  Will it replace my regular ball?  Even though it performs well in many categories, I don't think so.  The lack of controllable spin around the greens and on shots hit at less than full speed made the ball too unpredictable for me.  I think at $36 a dozen with the coupon it's a pretty good value, though I will continue to pay more for a ball that allows me more options around the greens.

My overall impression is that this is a terrific ball.  It launched a little lower than the ProV1x, and I didn't notice any difference in distance.  But it really excelled in the short game, where I was pleasantly surprised that it matched, and possibly even surpassed, the ProV1x I typically play.  The only negative was that I thought it felt a bit too soft off the putter, even dull at times.