Top Flite Gamer v2?

[jamo]

Nope, I'm with you on this one but I think the modern "ionomer" covers are a softer variant of Surlyn, hence decent spin numbers. For me, the original Gamer was good apart from durability. The cover was one of the least durable I've hit in recent times. If a new version has a more durable cover (and maybe a slightly softer feel on short game), I'd be interested.

Surlyn is a wide-reaching name, there are many different kinds of it but DuPont has 'em all covered:

http://www2.dupont.com/Surlyn/en_US/...resins.html#su "DuPont™ Surlyn® resins (overview) DuPont™ Surlyn® ionomer resins are a family of high-performance ethylene copolymers containing acid groups partially neutralized using metal salts such as zinc, sodium and others. The result is an ionically strengthened thermoplastic with enhanced physical properties versus conventional plastics. The DuPont manufacturing process for Surlyn® enables highly tailored combinations of properties: outstanding resilience, broad hardness and stiffness range, and excellent resistance to cuts and abrasion - all highly desirable for golf ball applications. Surlyn® ionomers can be melt-processed using conventional injection molding and compression molding methods and equipment, to create parts of various designs and gauges. Because of their performance properties and processing versatility, Surlyn® resins have been widely adopted, in neat or blended form, as premium materials for golf ball covers, mantles, intermediate layers, and other components."

[beachbreak]

I just played 18 holes with the new Gamer V2. Played the entire round with one ball. No shredding. That being said, I prefer the feel of the old Gamer. I felt like I could spin the old one a bit more. The V2 is a tad bit longer. Good ball for money.

[sean_miller]

When I run out of balls I'll pick up a dozen (on a 1 round per ball pace right now - that means I should run out some time in 2011).

[MGP]

I just played 18 holes with the new Gamer V2. Played the entire round with one ball. No shredding. That being said, I prefer the feel of the old Gamer. I felt like I could spin the old one a bit more. The V2 is a tad bit longer. Good ball for money.

I did the same thing last Friday. I played a round with three balls -- Gamer V2, new(er) D2 Feel and NXT Tour as a reference (course was not busy so played 2 balls side by side, rotating all three in play).

Gamer V2 was longest and spun most for me on pitches chips and greenside shots. Least amount of driver spin. NXT Tour and D2 Feel about the same length off the tee, NXT Tour spun slightly more but felt harder and "clickier". D2 Feel gave me slightly less wedge spin than NXT Tour but not much less. I like the D2 Feel off the putter best of the three, Gamer V2 second and NXT Tour last, but this is totally personal preference. I used a milled face putter so I like a ball with a softer cover. Someone who uses a putter with a soft insert or "clicky" feel may like the NXT Tour best. Note that I was playing the D2 Feels in the newer, smaller box. Topflite says they reformulated the core for more distance last year and I believe it as the older D2 Feels are noticeably shorter -- for me maybe 5-10 yards off the tee. On cover durablility I'd say they were all about the same. All three left small amounts of cover material in my short irons and wedges but none of them "fuzzed" the covers much at all. I hit good shots with all of them and would play any of them. My home course has fast hard greens and soft zoysia fairways so a ball that stops on the green is a must as is good carry off the tee. High launch, low spin gets maximum distance. Around here the Gamer V2 is about $6-8 dozen cheaper than the NXT Tour so based on price alone I'd play the Gamer V2. I have about 15 doz. of the new(er) D2 Feels stashed away from Target's $3.87/15 pk. blowout last year. I'm playing them as my everyday ball, I don't feel bad about losing one or taking one out of play due to cart path or tree rash.

[nike_golf]

Bump............

Just out of curiousity, I bought a pack of these things to try out. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised and quite happy w/ my decision to get them.

I used ONE ball for my round today and I couldn't have been happier w/ the performance of these things. I actually shot the best round of my year w/ it as well. Go figure.

I wasn't blown away w/ the length of the ball, as in I don't think it's longer or that much shorter than any other ball I've played, but for the price, the durability and softness of it is unmatched, IMO.

I never thought I'd think or say this, BUT. I would definitely recommend the Top Flite Gamer V2 ball. For the price of $19, you can't really go wrong and the performance matches or is BETTER than golf balls in a higher "class". I've tried a good share of balls, especially in the past two years, and I would have to put the Gamer V2 in my top 5 of ANY ball I've tried.

I guess I kind of felt obligated to share this w/ you good people. (I'm usually not one to push equipment on people, and yes, even though my username is nike_golf )

[LaPuzza]

I just played 18 holes with the new Gamer V2. Played the entire round with one ball. No shredding. That being said, I prefer the feel of the old Gamer. I felt like I could spin the old one a bit more. The V2 is a tad bit longer. Good ball for money.

I was going to make this exact post.

[TourSpoon]

I just started playing this ball and I am amazed that I can get these for less than 20 a dozen. I guess the Top-Flite name keeps the price down. I was particularly impressed with the ability to stop the ball on the green, which is something that I didn't expect from a ball in this price range.

[nike_golf]

I just started playing this ball and I am amazed that I can get these for less than 20 a dozen. I guess the Top-Flite name keeps the price down. I was particularly impressed with the ability to stop the ball on the green, which is something that I didn't expect from a ball in this price range.

Neither did I and that's exactly what makes this ball awesome for the money.

[jayt0625]

Just bought 2 dozen of these today and went out on the 12th grean and did a lot of shots from 60 in and WOW, was I surpised with these balls. I got them to stop on a dime, hop and check and even got them to spin back a bit. Love them for shot chips cuz you can got at them and they ball will bite more than I am use to. Will try putting with them tomorrow and update that part. Cant wait to play them on 18.....

PS-Awesom on open blade flop shots too, these stings are like throwing darts!!!

[TourSpoon]

Just bought 2 dozen of these today and went out on the 12th grean and did a lot of shots from 60 in and WOW, was I surpised with these balls. I got them to stop on a dime, hop and check and even got them to spin back a bit. Love them for shot chips cuz you can got at them and they ball will bite more than I am use to. Will try putting with them tomorrow and update that part. Cant wait to play them on 18.....

Yes, you can spin them reasonably well, not 330S well, but you know what I mean. You can get them to stop, check and even back up which is unbelievable for this price point. Actually, I think it out performs most balls in the under $30 category.

[jayt0625]

Yes, you can spin them reasonably well, not 330S well, but you know what I mean. You can get them to stop, check and even back up which is unbelievable for this price point. Actually, I think it out performs most balls in the under $30 category.

Yeah I was very surpised. I have never really spun the ball back a lot but most of that was due to cheaper 2 piece balls. I was able to get good spin on the NXT Tours but at 30 a pop they got expensive for my wallet. I had my 54* SW last night and tonight I am gonna try my 50* GW and my 58* LW, curious to see how the LW spins back.

My favorite part about this ball is I can flight it low with good speed and watch it stick, so much fun being able to flag hunt on softer greens! Now my greens have been soft lately due to heavy rain so I will get a better feel if they dry up a bit....

[Farm_kid]

I bought a box recently and played 18 holes. I lost a ball into a murky creek on my second hole and then played the rest of the day with one ball (16 1/2 holes). I thought it held up very well. No major surface cuts or scuffs. Maybe a couple dings in the cover, the kind that you can just scrape off the plastic speck with your fingernail. Greens were pretty hard and I don't spin the ball back very often anyway, so I can't comment on that area of playability.

[cmbischoff]

I have searched high and low for a good golf ball at a great price. The gamer V2 which is on the Golf Digest top 30 gold list is that ball. First for 20 bucks you get a dozen balls or $1.80 a ball you really don't care if you hit it in the water. However if you look at the golf digest article you will see it has the highest spin for a ball in its class. I am a 11 hdcp and can drive this ball 285. I like the soft feel on the putter and can make it stop or come back a little. I get 18 holes out of a ball but its scratched up and a scuff ball after that. Right now if you shop you will find a bonus pack with a extra sleeve of balls for the same price. I have tried all the other balls it this price range and find by far this to be the best for my game. I looked at price first and performance second and this is the one.

[limoric]

Was at Golf Town to pick up some Wilson Zip balls for winter (40-55F in Vancouver during the winter). Saw the Gamer V2 in a small pile on the way to the till, $15/doz, so thought what the hell. My normal ball is Pro V1 (X on hot and windy days). I have to say I really, really like the V2. I find it to spin a little less than Pro V1, perhaps similar to V1x, but still a little more muted. Driver and Long Iron distance is really really great. I love that I can work this ball.

I would say that this is a muted Pro V1 for $15/doz. I'm very impressed. I never did play the gamer V1, but if it was anything like the HX Tour 56, I can see how the value would disappear. I used to take out a new HX Tour 56 every 2nd hole...terrible. I rotated 3 Gamer V2's today (cold weather, lift and place), the balls were hardly marked up and I'm using the callaway wedges with MD grooves...

[B-Con]

I played the Gamer v1 for a while, and it did shred easily. No one's ever faulted me for my suburb attacking of the ball, but I peeled little shreds of cover off quite frequently with my irons. It spun well, though. It was great for the price.

The Gamer v2 completely fixed the durability issue. It spins well and feels a little longer to me, but I'm not sure about that. The price is still unbeatable. It also feels like it spins a little bit less, but it's impossible to compare since I played one course with the v1s and another course with firmer/faster greens for v2.

[NuclearMike]

I'm a big fan of the Gamer V2 like a lot of you.  Has anyone heard anything about upcoming availability of Top Flite balls since Callaway sold the brand to Dick's Sporting Goods/ Golf Galaxy last month?  I've been buying them at Sports Authority with a 20% off coupon ($16) and would hate to see distribution limited to one company.

[UNIDuffman]

Originally Posted by NuclearMike

I'm a big fan of the Gamer V2 like a lot of you.  Has anyone heard anything about upcoming availability of Top Flite balls since Callaway sold the brand to Dick's Sporting Goods/ Golf Galaxy last month?  I've been buying them at Sports Authority with a 20% off coupon ($16) and would hate to see distribution limited to one company.

I haven't seen anything announced, but I wouldn't expect them at Sports Authority in the future. Dick's buys these brands to sell exclusively in their stores.

I'd be more worried about the ball being available at all. I've seen some claims that the gamer is just a re-branded Callaway. If those patents stay with Callaway, the ball could be off the market.

[Matthew Brett]

The real question is, when is the firesale?!