Precept Laddie X - a quick review

[Nyper]

I picked up a double dozen box of the Precept Laddie X last night.

To fill you in quickly.. my driver swing speed is about 103mph. When playing a ProV1 or Callaway HX Tour my average drive is about 260.

I played my first round with the Precepts this morning, but only used them on the front 9. I hit 5 drives in the fairway on the front. My longest was 254. The shortest was 242 (all measured with my GPS). The 242 was an outlyer.. all the others were between 250 & 254 (flat course, not much variance).

On the back side I switched to Callaway HX Tour 56. I hit 6 drives in the fairway, and the shortest was 256. All the others were above 260, with the longest being 267.

The Laddie X doesn't spin worth a crap. I was hitting some nice wedges in to the greens from about 100 and the ball would still bounce 10ft or more.

On the back, hitting those same shots with the HX Tour 56, the ball would stick.

On my mid irons, the Precept was roughly the same distance as the HX Tour 56, but didn't have much feel to it. The HX Tour 56 is noticeably softer.

As far as straightness, I couldn't tell any difference in the Laddie X, a ProV1, or a HX Tour 56. If you hit the ball with a hook or slice swing, it's going to hook or slice. No ball is going to cure that.

Bottom line.. I think you get what you pay for. I think ProV1's and other $45 balls are overpriced, but didn't expect much from the Laddie X's for their price. I don't feel like they're really good for people with higher swing speeds (specifically I mean faster than mine.. I don't consider myself to have a high swing speed) or people who have good short games and can control the spin on their shots etc. I don't think many low handicappers (lower than mine) would like this ball.

Hope this helps someone out...

[madcityscott]

I bought the 24-pack too, based on numerous reviews (and price). First, I should say I'm still not very good, but this ball hasn't impressed me. It feels dead off the club and distance has been unimpressive. On the plus side, they seem to last forever.

I've still got about half of 'em to go through, but I'll be switching to another ball when they're finished.

[Dub]

A bargain priced ball that is ho-hum performance wise. Not the worst...

[GaijinGolfer]

You cant expect explosive distance off the driver and crazy spin on the greens for $20 per 2 dozen.
IMO, the Laddie-X is intended for high-handicappers who lose balls often (and want a ball they can afford to lose often); not for single digit handicappers who demand a high-performance ball.

[ThePhantom]

I used the Precept Laddie X all last year and I found it amazing. I'm a fairly new golfer, 93 mph swing speed. I've tried other balls: Noodle+, Bridgestone e6, Callaway Warbird, TopFlite 5000XL and I finally found the Laddie X. It gave me what the other balls didn't ... confidence.

I find I am more consistent with the Precept. I would previously hit my drives 225-230 yards ... but all over the place. With the Laddie X I am closer to 240 and I find the fairway more often.

Perhaps, as I improve, become more consistent and rely more on feel I will find these balls lacking. But in the mean time I think they're a great value for a beginner who needs a good ball.

[HammerZ71]

Good ball, Great ball for the money.  Current index is 6.7, driver swing speed about 115-118 mph.

I recently got put to part time due to cut backs at work, so my playing time is up, but my $ for golf balls is down.   I used to play the Pro V1 but switched to the Bridgestone 330 about two years ago.   I've started looking for a cheaper ball for daily play so I can "reserve" my supply of 330s for tourney play.

Of every $20 per dozen or less ball out there, I haven't found a one I like the feel of except these Laddies (and they are a two dozen for under $20 ball!!!).  I can hit them about 95% as far as the B330s and while I can't zip these back on the greens with my wedges like I can a "premium" ball, I have no problem getting them to bite and sometimes back up a couple of feet.  For me, they outperform even the NXT which is over twice the price.

About the only non-premium ball out there that performs better for me would be the Bridgestone E series balls, but they are still up around $26 a dozen in my area.

Obviously, a single digit handicapper is not going to fall in love with this ball, and if it wasn't for my income getting whacked 40% I wouldn't be playing them, BUT they don't seem to be hurting my handicap at all and it's a ball I believe every 12+ handicapper can get the most out of at $20 per 2 dozen...

[GaijinGolfer]

I played the Laddie-X for a while and its a great ball for the price.

[Jody Keith Wong]

I just found this thread because I just used these balls for the first time.  They are definitely soft and they are cheap.  If you read about them though, they are designed for players with a swing speed less than 100 MPH.  If you swing faster then that, then you probably won't like this ball.  I swing slower than 100 mph because if I swing faster than that I can't seem to find the fairway consistently....  anyways, I liked the ball for the price.

[muskerjoe]

If you swing over 100mph, don't touch this ball. You'll overcompress it. I'm in low 90's and LOVE this ball. handicap is 9.2. I consistently hit it 15-20 yards further than ProV1 with driver. 240yard with ProV1; 255 with Laddie Senior PGA golfers started using this ball in tournaments to reach the par 5's. However, in the day it was called the Ladies Precept! Havn't heard it confirmed, but rumor is that Precept got wind of this and created the Laddie. The Wilson Elite 50 is similar softer ball that flies for lower swing speed players.