Some non-premium golf ball reviews.

[Bucki1968]

Always on the lookout for that low priced, 3+piece golf ball and have spent the better part of the past few months trying out different brands because frankly I'm tired of paying $40 plus dollars for a dozen golf balls. I want to preface this by saying that I have found that I don't like to use refurbished or used golf balls because (in my experience) some of the balls do not preform as good as others. I will also say, none of the balls I have tried/reviewed preform as well (for me) as a Pro V. But one in particular actually comes pretty close.....

Snell MTB-I have not tried the black or the red yet so I'm basing this on the previous model. After reading so many good reviews I decided to order a dozen and roll the dice. Off the tee it's not too bad (100 mph swing speed). However I feel like it didn't go as far as the Pro v or the Callaway Chrome soft (or a couple of the other "cheap balls" that I have tried). I would say it's about 10-15 yards shorter than the others.  Spin was comparable.  I tended to hit this ball straighter. Not as soft around the greens but not too bad. I would give this ball a grade of a B.

Vice Pro soft-First of all...it's not as cheap as the other balls I tried so maybe that has something to do with my review. I don't think the Vice ball preformed better in any category (spin, feel, accuracy or distance) for me. It's not a terrible ball, I have played worse. I just feel like it's not worth the cost. Grade-C+

Top Flite Gamer- The cheapest of bunch. Not quiet as good as Snell as far as feel/softness but it's longer off the tee and irons than the Snell was for me. It didn't spin as good as the Snell but it does stop pretty good on the greens. It doesn't feel as soft off the putter but it's not bad. For the $, I would spend the money on these before the Snell. Again...this is my opinion. Grade B+.

Maxfli U-fli soft- This was the biggest surprise for me. I saw these balls in the store I bought the Top Flites in (I'm sure you all know who I am referring to) and was intrigued by them. They went on sale (2 dozen for $45) so I bought a couple dozen to try them out. I have used them for the past couple rounds and have been impressed. They go as far as any ball I hit EXCEPT the Pro V. I will say this about the Pro V, I hit it further than any other ball. But the Maxfli goes as far as the Callaway and Bridgestone (I don't know about the Taylor Made because I have never used it). Spin and feel around the green is good. I hit this ball straighter or as straight as any ball I have played. It does lose a little distance on mis-hits but not enough to worry me. It feels soft, stops great and putts great. As of now I'm going to continue playing these balls. The price is fantastic and the performance is right there. Grade A-.

Again...this is all based on my opinion, swing speed etc. I want to also add that I hit the ball high and none of these balls  made any difference in my ball flight/trajectory.  Also I would like to add if I graded the Pro V and Callaway Chrome soft, they would be  Pro V-A+ and Chrome Soft -A. Would love any feedback for forum members.

Disclaimer-I am not an expert or claim to be one. If I somehow offended anyone that was not my intention. Just saying.....

[b101]

Interesting - I've done similar and gone away from the Pro V1s or Chrome Softs - although I do love the Chrome Soft... My choice was the Titleist DT Trusoft, which is pretty near half the price and I really haven't seen any difference in performance or feel.

[Patch]

I have tried some the balls the OP mentioned above. They are all good balls. When I decide to try out a new ball, I purchase a sleeve of three. When I go to a golf expo, I get alot of those 2 ball sleeves. 

I usually give a new ball 4-5  rounds before passing judgement. I like the Snell ball, as well as some of the Volvik models. That said, all the balls I try, usually do what my swing tells them to do. I could probably play any of them without much difference in my scores. 

In every case, I still return to the Bridgestone e6, or e7 balls. It's a comfort thing for me. That, and they roll pretty good off my putter. They are also convient to purchase. A dozen cost me $22 at the box store I frequent, and there are usually plenty on the shelf. 

[Bucki1968]

3 hours ago, b101 said:

Interesting - I've done similar and gone away from the Pro V1s or Chrome Softs - although I do love the Chrome Soft... My choice was the Titleist DT Trusoft, which is pretty near half the price and I really haven't seen any difference in performance or feel.

 

2 hours ago, Patch said:

I have tried some the balls the OP mentioned above. They are all good balls. When I decide to try out a new ball, I purchase a sleeve of three. When I go to a golf expo, I get alot of those 2 ball sleeves. 

I usually give a new ball 4-5  rounds before passing judgement. I like the Snell ball, as well as some of the Volvik models. That said, all the balls I try, usually do what my swing tells them to do. I could probably play any of them without much difference in my scores. 

In every case, I still return to the Bridgestone e6, or e7 balls. It's a comfort thing for me. That, and they roll pretty good off my putter. They are also convient to purchase. A dozen cost me $22 at the box store I frequent, and there are usually plenty on the shelf. 

This is what I was hoping for...some other suggestions. I guess I'm a golf ball junkie. 

[MarvChamp]

9 hours ago, Patch said:

That said, all the balls I try, usually do what my swing tells them to do. I could probably play any of them without much difference in my scores. 

That's pretty much my experience. I did like the Pinnacle Soft and the Srixon Trispeed, though. And I'm tempted...MG Golf is advertising 4-piece urethane Callaway balls for $21.99. Interesting topic. Thanks, -Marv

[1badbadger]

I just read your post Bucki, and I have several thoughts.  Before I begin, historically Buckeyes and Badgers don't get along very well, but I'm willing to put the college rivalry on the back burner for now and talk about golf balls if you are...!

The feedback you provided about the different models you've been testing is helpful.  This is exactly what I've done for a living for many years so I have extensive experience with this, and there are a few things that you mentioned that I'd like to comment on.

It sounds like so far you have been doing informal, on-course testing, meaning that you have not gathered any data from a launch monitor or other measuring devices.  This is pretty common, especially for players who play the same course most of the time and/or don't have easy access to a launch monitor.  What tends to happen though is the results are based on perception, rather than hard numbers.  For most players, it's not realistic to be able to test 2 models side-by-side on the course, so they play one model and the next time they play they use the other model and try to compare them based on memory, but it's not the best way to test balls.

The reason is because a ball's trajectory is the combination of a handful of variables, which are very hard to determine with the naked eye.  Plus there is the perception issue I mentioned earlier.  Here are the concerns I have...

You mentioned that you hit the Pro V1 longer than any other ball.  I'm guessing this includes most of the current models available , not just the handful you listed in this post.  This is pretty unusual.  The Pro V isn't a distance ball...it's a high performance, high spin model.  I would be very surprised if this ball is truly the ball you hit the longest. 

Another point you made was that you typically hit the ball high, and you didn't notice any difference in trajectory between them. I'm willing to bet there is a difference, but again sometimes it's difficult to tell using the naked eye.  Just because the difference isn't big enough to see without a launch monitor doesn't mean it's not there. And based on my experience I'm going to bet you don't hit the ball too high either...I have a feeling you're spinning it too much which is causing your shots to balloon on you.  You're most likely seeing the blue line to some extant:

 I've done tens of thousands of ball fittings, and I'm sure I wouldn't be able to see 2* difference in launch angle or a 600 rpm difference in spin or 3 mph in ball speed just by eyeballing it, but add these up and it will definitely make your trajectory more efficient.  My suggestion is to find a facility in your area that has a launch monitor.  It takes so much of the guess-work out.  Hopefully you'll find this information insightful and it helps in your search for the best ball. 

 

[Lihu]

I have to admit, that I really like the Pro-v1, but they really spin quite a bit more than the Pro-v1x or many other balls for even a roughly 100mph swing speed. I might be a bit faster than that (at least according to my LM results with my Mevo and Trackman, etc.), but not by much and the Pro-V1 aren't "distance" for me. I still get around 2700rpm with my Callaway XR16 S stock shaft with 1" trimmed off the tip with an overall length of 43". However, I really like the feel and spin on the approaches and that certainly makes up for the shorter drives I make with it.

When I test out balls, I test one right after another, when I have the course to myself...On top of that, using even a Mevo. It gives me far more data than just seeing where the balls land or sit.

Before drawing any conclusions, I would test with a LM for sure.

Edited June 27, 2018 by Lihu

[colin007]

Have any of you tried Cut Golf balls?

https://www.cutgolfco.com/

[ScottyT]

Top Flite Gamers...give 'em a try.  I've tried and played most premium balls and really like the ProV's and the Bridgestones.  That being said, I really don't like paying $30-40 for a dozen balls.  I play a course with water on almost every hole as well as lots woods.  Many of the fairways tilt towards woods or water and it's really easy to lose balls.  Sooooo, I started looking for cheaper alternatives.  Top Flite Gamers,  I think,  are the best ball for the money.  Dicks has 'em on sale for less than $12/dozen and that's a steal.  Since switching to Gamer's, I've seen zero change in my handicap  (8) or scores.  Granted, they dont spin as much as a premium ball, but I don't have any trouble getting good spin on them.  I still play ProV's and Bridgestones, but only the ones I find in the woods or pick out of the water.  BTW, I also have played Noodle's.....not great, but not terrible either.

[Bucki1968]

18 hours ago, ScottyT said:

Top Flite Gamers...give 'em a try.  I've tried and played most premium balls and really like the ProV's and the Bridgestones.  That being said, I really don't like paying $30-40 for a dozen balls.  I play a course with water on almost every hole as well as lots woods.  Many of the fairways tilt towards woods or water and it's really easy to lose balls.  Sooooo, I started looking for cheaper alternatives.  Top Flite Gamers,  I think,  are the best ball for the money.  Dicks has 'em on sale for less than $12/dozen and that's a steal.  Since switching to Gamer's, I've seen zero change in my handicap  (8) or scores.  Granted, they dont spin as much as a premium ball, but I don't have any trouble getting good spin on them.  I still play ProV's and Bridgestones, but only the ones I find in the woods or pick out of the water.  BTW, I also have played Noodle's.....not great, but not terrible either.

Yes...you can't beat the price for the Gamers (or even the Gamer Urethane) right now and it's a pretty good ball. I do like the new version better than the regular "Gamer" but you really can't go wrong with either ball at that price.

[mcanadiens]

With the end-of-year comps, I've been using Callaway Supersofts that I've bought for $21. During casual rounds, I'll use whatever beater balls I've managed to scrounge up. 

Anyhow, I do like the feel of the Supersofts off my irons, wedge and putter. They seem to react nicely on the green and decent shots will hold. 

My driver is bad enough, there isn't much meaningful I can say otherwise, but I'm definitely not losing any distance.

 

 

[DrMJG]

As I am still returning to the gamester a lot of time away, I have worked through a number of balls,  As to soft, I have used , , and e6.  I have played a few non-soft.  As someone else said above, I keep returning to the e6.  I cannot quite tell exactly why, but I have gotten better and more consistent results of my shots.  I am thinking of playing some of the non-soft balls from  and  .  I will by a sleeve of 3 and play a full round or two.

BTW, my local golf store sells the Bridgestone e6 in the 2 for $50 as the normal price.  A number of internet sources have had them at $22.00/dozen quite often and  locally saw them at a big box for $20.00. What I am interested now is finding a second ball I am very comfortable with.  Even thinking a getting a launch monitor reading to add more information.

[Carl3]

I have been playing Titleist Trusoft and had won a $50 proshop credit on Monday. A friend had also won that as well and walked out with a dozen Pro V1s. I had been thinking about making the switch to the Pro V1 and have stockpiled several sleeves as well as maybe 50 older ones I have found. My plan was to start playing the shag Pro V1s early next year and then work in the new sleeves and then get the 4 dozen for the price of 3 next spring. Knowing my distance is real important. I tried a sleeve of Chrome Softs last year and I had noticeable distance loss on a par 3 with several shots. I think they spin a little more and that causes the ball to lose distance.

I am too cheap. I traded my $50 credit in for 2 dozen of the Trusofts. 

[dennyjones]

I like the Trusofts and E6.   I also like the Supersoft and Srixon Q Star