Londo

Honestly, when I have the chance to play some of the nicest course (ie. Whistling Straights, Sand Valley) I have played from the reds/seniors/ladies tees. It makes for a much more enjoyable experience from the level that I am at right now. If I am a 4 HCP 10 years from now? Sure back it up, I’ll make it a challenge. I have just talked to so many people that have played from the Whites/Blues at some of these places that are 15+ HCPs that have gotten destroyed/humbled at these places that it ruins the experience

I don't think that they were egregiously bad but the ball would smoothly return to the same spot up every time after using the index finger to lightly spin the ball floating. It wasn't abrupt but the ball would take a few spins afterwards and the sharpie dot I made would always return to the top. Good enough to knock around chipping in the yard or use on a water hole for fun but certainly wouldn't use them on holes that counted or for true putting practice.

A very weird round today; shot an 88 but did it with 15 bogeys, 1 par, 1 birdie and a triple. A lot of near misses and it was encouraging as I feel like that it a lot of very correctable things to change at least a half of those bogeys into pars. Driving was very consistent which if I keep that up is a total game changer. Biggest areas of improvement is approach game and chipping, lost at least 6-7 strokes there and could have gotten a number of putts closer. Very excited to see if I can improve on this going forward!

I selected "other" as the game of golf is definitely evolving and I think that it is both good and bad. I think that it is fantastic that the game of golf is growing as more people than ever are getting into the great sport and showing interest. There are more options that ever in terms of gear and technology which is typically great for the consumer/golfer to find the best gear for them. However, some of the drawbacks are that there can be choice/decision fatigue between all of the options. The technology available helps those who are interested get as much data as they could ever want about their gear and game. However, this can also be seen as a drawback as those who have access to the best technology/training can be barriers to entry for those who don't have the financial resources but want to improve at the game. Personally, I think that even as a younger golfer, one of the largest drawback to the game is that some of the courses that are being made today are longer than ever before. This is due to technology advancements and that the best players are longer than ever before. However, non professionals are not that long and accurate and these courses typically aren't creative or fun. I believe that at its core, golf should be fun and reward skill and creativity. New courses shouldn't be made as long but should be unique and fun. Not saying that courses should be short or not difficult, but they should have unique, memorable holes that take advantage of the natural geography that all golfers can appreciate. Otherwise, the sport just turns into a driving contest.

This is me when I had a lesson and when I upgraded to my Mavrik, most of my misses are right off the fairway and I get much more consistent distance. The best part was after the lesson I can usually nail down what my mistake/miss was and what I need to do to correct it.

Alright Boys and Girls, I got out to the course this morning and just finished my first 18 with the Left Dot. I have been playing the Snell MTB-X and Chromesoft but trying a lot of different balls to see what sticks. Off the Tee: The first thing I noticed with this ball was the trajectory, it isn't crazy low but certainly lower than most balls. Second thing I noticed was the D I S T A N C E. I think that I am a fairly average swing speed player (SS slightly over 100, probably average 250-260 off the tee depending on conditions) and it may have been that I got a hold of the first two perfectly but I got between 275-280 on flat holes. It is pretty rare for me to do that. Another thing that I did notice however is that on a couple holes I did not hit the ball flush and I think the lower trajectory hurt me in this case, still a massive amount of roll out on the fairway though. I think that TBT is spot on that: 1. Distance wise they seem to be about 10 yards longer than the Snells but not quite as long as the Left Dash AND 2. I also noticed a little more side spin than I normally see on my tee shots but this could also be MY crappy swing Approach Shots: I was playing in the wind, this is going to be a great selection for the wind because of its penetrating mid-low flight on my irons. The ball felt great off the irons, I am a low/lower spin iron player so I really need a ball that has some check with the 7-9 irons or else I'm rolling off the back of the green. In softer conditions, from 150 out I struck a great 8 iron and the ball was within 6 inches of the mark on the green- this is exactly what I would like to see from my gamer in this situation. Chipping and Pitching: It felt solid off the wedges for chipping and pitching, good strikes felt controlled, anything that was short or long was on me. Putting: I am not a big "feel" guy for balls putting. Outside of the Left Dash, I haven't encountered a ball that is distracting to hit off the putter (likely due to insert). The ball felt as solid as any coming off the face and was nice to look down on. I will definitely play this ball in the wind again due to the low trajectory and distance off the driver. I didn't love a couple of the spinny driver strikes (again could have just been me) but think its a okay risk/reward in those conditions. It could be the best overall Titleist ball for me, the regular ProV1 is close but they definitely do different things. It certainly isn't a unicorn ball but it checks many of the boxes of things I would like my gamer ball to have!

For those interested, I did this with a dozen of the Chromesoft and Chromesoft X outs, with each box there was 1 ball that had core centricity issues from the epsom salt test, and 1 ball that had some sort of noticeable cover deficiency (dent/scratch) that would lead me to not play them. The other 10 in both dozen would be balls I would play then, obviously limited sample size but not too bad for ~ half the cost of a brand new pack!

I would eventually like to try a Bridgestone ball as well but I have been able to play the Chromesoft, Snell MTB-X, Z Star XV and Left Dot. Biggest differences I noticed were the Chromesoft being noticeably softer (its nice but way down on my priorities list), all drives I hit with the Snell MTB-X seemed to be straighter (could be a coincidence but I didn't have one drive that was too far off the fairway), Z Star XV had less release for irons, and Left Dot definitely has a lower trajectory but FLEW when I got a hold of it. I honestly didn't dislike any of them but if you made me pick one out of those bunch right now, the Snell MTB-X felt great and it seemed like I was playing on the fairway way more often with it!

What balls are you trying out and what are you finding? Just curious as I am doing the same thing with Chromesoft/X, MTB-X, Pro-V1, Maxfli Tour, Srixon Z Star XV, and Vice Pro Plus

Going to do a epsom salt test, see what % of these balls actually only have "cosmetic defects that in no way affect performance"

I am fine having a mixed bag but for me I find that mixing different brands within subcategories (woods, hybrids, irons, wedges) usually does me more harm that good. Probably mostly a mental thing than actual performance but if I have continuity within those sections, I at least feel like its one less variable haha

Very excited to try this ball out tomorrow, I have had some similar experiences with some balls as you have. It is good to know about the iron roll out you experienced as that is a key element of selecting a ball but if it absolutely excels off the tee and has even a touch more iron spin than Left Dash, I can certainly make that work!

The ball test coming out has really caused me to reevaluate my ball situation. Two years ago I started to really get back into golf after playing in HS ten years ago. After slowly upgrading my clubs I realized at the beginning of this year, there is a lot more to balls than just the brand. I would mostly just play “good ball name brands” that I would either randomly find or buy. I now obviously realize the vast difference in ball material and quality. I have improved 7 strokes this year since taking a couple lessons and upgrading clubs and most importantly, I now know my style/game and what I need to compliment it. The ball test had helped me get a starting point of balls to consider that will help my game the most and I now have a number of balls I am going to test this fall/next spring to see what fits me the best. I have come a long way from where I was a few years ago and MGS has been an invaluable resource the past year to help guide a number of my decisions.

Gifted my dad the last three sleeves of Left Dots I had as an early birthday present. He was hesitant to play them as he didn’t want to lose them. He is a 7 handicap and has played exclusively ProV1s for years. He ended up shooting a 75 with 3 birdies today his first time out and didn’t lose one haha. He was impressed but also said he didn’t notice a ton of difference between the balls. To be fair, he is a very consistent, finesse player and I believe that he wouldn’t vary more than a stroke or two between high quality balls regardless of attributes.

Maltby MPF Shaft Guide is amazing however my wallet hates that I discovered it haha

Had the Evenflow Blue on my Rogue driver, I liked it alright- was likely more of a me issue than anything else. The biggest disappointment however was thinking I had finally figured it out (no major mishits, 13/18 fairways and PR on the most difficult local course) the shaft snaps at the flex point on my first swing the next time out.

Don't know what I was thinking but ordered a Mavrik SZ 3w on a whim, it was mint condition, price was right and I have loved playing the Mavrik Driver this year. Hit about 20 shots with it before realizing it definitely isn't for me, and half the reason I wanted a 3w was to have something that was EASIER to hit. Anyway, I will be selling the SZ and will be demoing the Max this weekend- hopefully with much better results.

Not sure if you are referring to me, but I did not purchase the balls in order to resell them.

I ended up selling one of my two boxes, it made a lot more sense when I realized that the buyer was a current professional athlete.

FWIW, Chromesofts are available on the website again, however it says availability is 2-3 weeks out

If people are still looking for a Chrome Soft alternative, you can buy the Chromesoft Xout version on Amazon yet for $25/dozen. Usually only 1-2/dozen that doesn't look close to perfect on the exterior.

Agreed, I have been ordering what I have needed the past couple weeks for next year. Hope to have enough to not place an order next year, there likely won't be any season opener deals next year. Will be lucky if there aren't any price hikes

I suppose I am confused from different poster's comments, was it confirmed if Test Ball #3 or Ball #4 was the Left Dot? Thanks!

Just got mine yesterday, can't wait to try them out. I like most of Titleist's balls a lot but I hadn't found one that checks all the boxes for me, everything about their description fits my game. From their release I would be floored if it didn't became part of their permanent line

I had previously lined up all of my puts with the alignment mark, but this is more what I do now. I find it most helpful for putts ~3-15 ft. Typically more trouble than its worth under that and I find myself worrying more about the alignment than pace on putts longer than that. It has helped scrub a good chunk of 3 putts out of the game and as I improve I am sure I will start stretching that back though.