Game Changers – STOP PLAYING The WRONG BALL

It’s an epidemic. People (golfers mostly) keep hitting the wrong ball. You’d think they’d be more cognizant – more aware of their egregious errors – but they just keep doing it, and it is costing them dearly. Are you one of “those people?” Are YOU hitting (playing) the right ball?

I played a Titleist ProV1 for years before a Callaway demo day exposed my ignorance. Suddenly (after switching) I was hitting the ball better, further, and with more accuracy for my swing. I had no idea a golf ball could make that much difference. Believe it or not, I was overspending on golf. I could spend LESS and play BETTER. (Absurd.) Well, technology has progressed a lot since then, and as Callaway’s prices have gone up I’ve moved down to better balls (for me)… cheaper balls. I might still swing like a caveman, but I do so much more intelligently, and companies like Volvik, Vice, Snell, OnCore and Cut, are saving me a BOATLOAD of $$$. Yes… Direct-to-Home Golf Ball companies are saving my golf game. Maybe, just maybe, they could also be saving yours.

VICE (Pro Soft/Pro/Pro Plus/Tour / Drive)

Engineered in Germany and absolutely BLOWING UP in the USA, Vice golf balls are probably the best brand you’ve never played. As a direct-to-consumer brand, Vice has marketing genius down pat. If only more people were paying attention. Their Vice Pro, Vice Soft and Vice Plus balls are exceptional and get cheaper the more you order. (Regular price: $35/dozen.)

The Vice Pro is my favorite, a ball I would play every day. The four-piece Pro Plus is ideal for high swing speeds, whereas the low-compression, three-piece Pro Soft is better for average swing speeds. These models are all a technological step up on the last version and with the NBA line they are taking a giant leap out into the mainstream.

Golf Digest gives their Performance and Innovation 5-Stars, and their Feel 4.5-Stars. Another budget-buster for beginning to average golfers worth considering… the Vice Tour ball prices at only $22/dozen and receives 4.5-Star ratings across the board. These are the publications that rave about Vice Golf products: Golf Digest, SIGolf, NBC Sports, Links Golf, Tee Times Magazine, Golf Monthly and Golf WRX. Better still, you can personalize them any way you want. PLEASE do yourself a favor and visit their website!

VOLVIK (S4/S3/Vivid XT, Soft, Lite/Crystal/Vibe/DS55)

This is a company that is about to get as mainstream as Titleist and Callaway. Their golf balls are just too good to ignore. I almost cried when I lost my last S4 ball, and my son felt the same about his S3s.

Volvik is being played by 12 TOUR players (probably even more by now). The S4 is a 105 compression ball – soft feel, high spin. The S3 is 95 compression. And, as someone who used to HATE playing colored balls, I’ll play a Vivid ball any day of the week. They’re matte balls, so a different feel, but they come in about 80 flavors. (Sorry, I meant “colors”…for some reason I visualize them as scoops of ice cream – delicious and soft… ANYWAY!)

Middle-to High handicap players should consider Volvik’s NEW Vivid Lite Balls ($33/dozen). With a firm center and soft outer core, they produce more distance with a softer feel than you’re probably used to. Volvik has so many lines and such good quality. They HAVE TO make a great ball for you!

SNELL (MTB Black & Red and Get Sum)

A 2018 Golf Digest Hot List GOLD MEDAL Award Winner, The Snell MTB Black and Red balls are superb in virtually every way. Golf Digest gave them 5/5 Stars in Performance, Innovation AND Feel, while noting that they are anything but “in demand” because so few people even know about them.

The Black ball is a 360-dimple, low-compression model (7% lower compression core than average) that essentially means less spin and more roll on drives. I am in LOVE with this golf ball. The Red ball features an extra layer (with 338 dimples), which is ideal for approach and greenside shots with the extra spin.

Priced at $31.99 a dozen on their website, these are ridiculously reasonable and should be way more popular than that Kirkland Costco ball ever was! Slightly cheaper (at $21/dozen), with a large, soft core, Snell’s 2-piece “Get Sum” line reduces hooks and slicing while producing a high flight path (except when you’re putting). I’m already too high for these balls though, so… (wait)… I’ll stick with the MTB Black.

NOTE: Snell golf balls are designed by Dean Snell, a man with 28 years of experience working in research and development for Titleist and Taylormade (with over 40 patents to his name.) The man who invented the ProV1! (WARNING: These Balls DO Sell Out.)

ONCORE GOLF (ELIXR, Avant & Caliber)

Five years after the release of their hollow metal-core golf ball, OnCore is back with a brand new edition. (And more impressive visions.) The ELIXR model is their most advanced line, an 85-compression ball available on-line for $35/dozen. With this ball they’ve shifted the weight from the middle to the perimeter, intent on reducing backspin against the wind. (Works amazingly!) More forgiving on mishits, you’re bound to make solid contact with at least one of the 318 dimples.

This is the company that is working on the golf ball that everyone needs – the GENiUS – a ball that can be tracked via GPS and found in the woods (or in my case… the lake). Until then, I’m more than happy to play the ELIXR, whose feel seems between that of the ProV1 and ProV1-X, although it is recorded as attaining about 200 rpm more spin than a ProV1. I played it in intense winds in Ireland and feel the ball (unlike myself) performed admirably.

They say this ball is ideal for the great player, but I played great with it, which was ideal for me. OnCore also offers an Avant Model (Currently Sold Out Online, it’s that popular) and the Caliber ball with the metal core and rifle spin.

CUT GOLF (Blue, Grey, White and Red)

Cut Golf is a company you’ve probably never heard of. That’s going to change, especially when they are dishing out high quality golf balls at prices as ridiculously low as $20 a dozen for their stellar Cut Blue model.

Their founder, Sam, got tired of doling out for expensive golf balls and dedicated himself to producing the best golf ball you could buy under $20. He and his team developed their line with you and every other golfer in mind. The 4-piece Blue ball ($19.95/dozen) is my favorite (and one I’d play every day) with 338 dimples and a 90 compression.

A Golf Digest Hot List Silver Pick in 2018, this ball has made some waves for its max distance with great greenside spin and control. The Grey and White (both 80 compression) and the Red ball (75 compression) worked great for my wife and son, but were a little too low of compression for me and my back breaking swing speed. I’ll keep my Blue balls.

SUMMARY: I’ve tested 12 lines of golf balls from these five amazing companies, each line for at least one full round. If I had to pick the perfect ball for me, I’d say: 1. Snell MTB Black. 2. Vice Pro and 3. The Volvik S4. What big box store brand should you be giving up? What direct-to-consumer brand will start shipping to you?