climberboy2000
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Posts posted by climberboy2000
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3 hours ago, MuniGolfer said:
Played our par 3 course 2 days ago. I am still struggling with which ball I like better. There was a bit of wind, and both were great. This is the reason I used to play Callaway balls, as they seem to just cut through wind. For instance, the first hole was 122 with wind off the right. I hit a smooth gap wedge, flighted down a bit, to take the spin off. It just went dead straight, no movement from the wind. I expected it to get pushed into the middle of the green, but it never left the pin. It pulled up on the front of the green, but that was due more to my early season distance control, or lack thereof, than anything else. I also hit 7 iron with both balls, dead into the breeze, and both flew to my normal carry distance and were sitting pin high.
When it came to spin, this is where I am having a hard time deciding. From my simulator work, the Tour x seemed to have a more ideal spin rate for me, but playing outside, there were times it spun too much. Whereas, the Tour spun right how I wanted on full shots, and one hopped and stopped when I took spin off. I am interested to get these out with the driver in the next week or so and see which seems better for me. I will say, there were times around the green I appreciated the little bit extra spin from the x. One problem with the Tour, however, I hit two shots that were a groove or two low on the face. Instead of dropping short of my target, they flew the green, like 10-15 yards past my normal carry where I can't usually push a particular club to. It wasn't like these were bladed shots that I expected to go stupid far, just a little low on the face where I usually lose distance. I can only figure that the lower spin of the Tour dropped to a perfect window of launch and low spin where it just carried forever. It didn't even fly much lower than my normal ball flight! That little inconsistency does concern me a bit. The x seemed to perform more as normal on those groove low shots, where it would drop a few yards short of normal.
Tour x, hit slightly down wind off my 56*, with some cut spin. I was expecting about 4-5 feet of back spin, not 12-15
Chrome Tour hit into wind, smooth to take spin off. Expecting one-hop and stop. Wind added a little spin and it backed up a foot or so to near it's ball mark.
Durability was a little different than in the simulator, which it expected with dirt and other debris getting trapped between the clubface and the ball. Still good. Nothings I would pull the ball out of play for yet, at least for casual rounds. For tournament play, I would start fresh, especially with the x. It seemed to mark up easier than the Tour. The paint on the triple track seemed to really be fragile. It chipped off in several spots.
Chrome Tour x after 1 par 3 round
Chrome Tour after 1 par 3 round
I also found, when I was really looking at these balls for damage, that the clear coat had lots if little bubbles in the middle of the dimples that I didn't notice before. It wasn't as bad as some have seen, with the big popped blisters, but it still was interesting. It was more pronounced on the Chrome Tour, and you may be able to see some if you zoom in on the picture above.
Finally, one thing I didn't love about the Tour was if felt almost too soft off the putter today. I haven't noticed it before, but it felt almost marshmallowy. The x felt a little more positive and gave me some feedback. It wouldn't hold me back from bagging it, but was something I noticed today that I hadn't felt indoors yet.
Played with my last ball of the bunch today and it looked worse than those above. Granted I've been hitting it in the SIM, but after 9 holes today it's in the retired/water ball bag. Now that I'm out of Tour balls, I want to take one of the ProV1x from my SIM bag and go play 9 to see how it holds up. Maybe I've forgotten and I'm too hard on the Tour balls. My impression has been they (Tour) get scuffed up easier, but I'll test it out next week. Weather is perfect today...happy hitting everyone!
- William P, ZackS, MuniGolfer and 3 others
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On 3/19/2024 at 7:20 AM, GolfSpy_APH said:
Thank you all for your participation in this!
Thanks for the opportunity to test these balls. Had a lot of fun, plus this is an awesome ball to be able to test. Happy swinging everyone...the sun is shining!
- Indy_Oz, Digiburdie, Rob Person and 2 others
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I was able to get outside again yesterday. It was a cold windy day! The air temp was 45-50, but the strong wind the entire round made it feel a lot colder. Played at Eagle Mountain in Brigham City. A lot of the testers have said the balls perform well in the wind and I would agree. Even though we would have to sometimes play two full clubs because of the wind, the balls flew well.
I gave a ball to all 3 of my playing partners and they all liked the way the ball came off the club face. One guy, who used his ball for about 15 holes before he lost it, did comment how beat up the cover was. I was hoping to get a picture of his ball, but then he lost it on the next hole. After playing a couple outside rounds I do believe that the covers are softer than a ProV1 and other balls I play. Have yet to see a ball after 18 holes that I'd pull out to play again (unless I'm hitting over big water).
I've posted my thoughts on this forum on what it will take to convert the ProV1 crowd. I talked with my foursome after their experience with the ball and they would agree. Even though they really liked the ball, at the same price point, most players will buy ProV1. Drop the price $5-$10 and I believe Callaway has a great ball that will convert a lot of golfers.
Next up: Back on the SIM to compare the new TPx balls vs. Tour.
And my home course opens up Monday!!!!!!!
- William P, Indy_Oz, Rob Person and 2 others
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7 minutes ago, ZackS said:
Have any of the testers or anyone else that have tried these seen imperfections in the clear coat? I got a sleeve and Golf Galaxy let me have one from their fitting inventory to test out on the course. 3 of the 4 balls have had a little spot were the clear coat had what looks like it had a little bubble when applying it.
I didn't notice anything on any of the balls I received.
- ZackS, Rob Person and William P
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13 hours ago, buckpillar said:
Testers,
Has there been any "UH HUH" moments that would make you choose either ball and put it in play going forward?
Based on my testing, both on SIM and on the course I will definitely add this ball to my bag. When I played outside I loved how they stuck on the green. My balls typically roll out and I felt they bit a lot more. My home course hopefully opens next week and I'll get to see how they play on the greens I'm used to. But as far as distance, they are right up there with ProV1. And they have a great feel when putting.
- William P, Rob Person and buckpillar
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6 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:
Really interesting you found this.
I was impressed by the durability overall..I have new wedges and hit 50 plus shots into a net plus the rest of my shots and it showed like new.
Interesting!
My golf buddies and I have hit them into the screens (a lot) for the past few weeks and they hold up really well inside. It wasn't until I played outside that I saw any real wear on the balls.
- TG8, GolfSpy_APH, Rob Person and 1 other
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Some new balls on the way to compare to the Chrome Tours. Haven't seen a lot of posts in this thread about comparisons to TaylorMade balls (or maybe I missed those posts).
- William P, Rob Person, TG8 and 1 other
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On 3/2/2024 at 5:26 PM, Bohnson said:
@climberboy2000 those balls seem to wear more than your gamer? I played the Chrome tour for 25 holes and had to retire it. Just normal wear and tear. Hit one tree but the damage from that was not bad. IMO the covers seem to wear a little bit more than I would like. Performance is great everywhere else!
I forgot to respond. For me I felt that they were similar to my gamer balls (ProV1x and Sugar Pure). Minor scuffs after 9 holes with each of them. I'm holding out those two balls for my next outdoor round (if it would stop snowing up here) and see how they look after another 9 holes. My brother and golf buddy must be a lot harder on balls than I am, as their balls didn't fare as well. As far as performance they are right on par with my normal balls in distance, feel, putting, etc.. And the triple track is nice so I don't have to draw a line on my ball that eventually wears off. Definitely a high quality ball.
- TG8, Bohnson, Rob Person and 1 other
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Got a little more time on the SIM with my 50 Degree wedge. My short game is the strongest part of my game and all 4 balls tested performed equally well. To be honest didn't really even notice any difference. I warmed up hitting a lot of shots to a slightly elevated green so didn't use those results. Then I switched to a flat range and the results are below. The balls held up well hitting a lot of wedge shots, no marks or anything on the balls. The distances below are right on with what I see out on the course. As I said in my previous post, Callaway has finally produced a ball to compete with the ProV1/x, but it's going to be a hard sell to get golfers to switch since they are the same price. Golf balls have just gotten too expensive and Titleist has a dedicated following. The golfers with money will probably choose ProV1 and the rest not willing to pay $5/ball are going to find something else that performs well at half the price. Of course the Buy 3 get one free deals will help out (even saw that ProV1 has a buy3/get1 deal on one website). I have no affiliation with Sugar, but for a ball that is half the price I have found the Sugar Pure to be a great ball. Performs just as well as the ProV1, wears well and putts well. I bought a bunch for a charity tournament I put on and have given balls to many people I play with and they have all been impressed with the performance.
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5 hours ago, Wicki said:
With the testing why not have others hit the balls to see what they think. Had a fellow member give it a try. He normal does NOT play Callaway. Gave him the chance to see what the new Callaway is about. It was a hole that it is a tight tee shot and over a pond. He was impress with how he was able to hit a straight shot. He liked how it felt coming off the club face. His next shot, he tried to play a very high lob shot over a tree and just missed clearing the tree on the last branch. It was a shot that he would not try. He liked that all around play if the ball.
Let another golf buddy give it a shot, who used to play the Chrome Soft. He switched to Pro V1 because the Callaway Chrome Soft is too soft for his liking. So why not let him try the ball out. He liked how it is comes off the club and that it is not as soft as the Chrome Soft. I not sure though it was enough to convince him to play the Tour.
As for me, the weather is getting nice and the shanks are coming out of hibernation! I still like how I hit the ball with less of the side spin. My short game has improved, just have to remember what I am doing to continue this game. Also considering getting the 4 dozen pack of Tours to have on hand for important rounds! If the Tours were anything like the Soft's, I wouldn't even been thinking about it. There has been an improvement on how I have been thinking of playing my golf game.
This has been informative to myself and pushed me to try things that I would not try or do normally.
I gave my brother and another player a ball to use the other day for our round. My one buddy hit a tree early on and it got scuffed up pretty bad (see the pic in my post), so he switched back to his usual ball. But my brother played the entire round with it. He liked the ball and played well, thought it was just as good as the ProV1's that he usually plays. But it only lasted him one round, pretty dinged up at the end (see pics in post as well).
- William P and Rob Person
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I've posted a bunch about how these balls performed on the SIM and now I was finally able to head south and play on grass at Davis Park (after being on the SIM all winter). Shot an 80 in the wind on my first time out in 3 months. Thought we were going to have a nice sunny 50 degree day, but the wind decided to show up for most the round. I felt both balls performed well (like any other ball I normally play) in the wind. First shot off the tee I kept it low and hit a nice shot down the middle of the fairway. Stepped up to an 80 yd shot, put it up and thought I was right on, only to have the wind take it right and drop it short of the green.
I played the Tour on the front nine and the TourX on the back nine. Can't really say I noticed much difference (as a good shot went well and a bad shot...well). But one thing we did notice is that they tended to get scuffed up. I gave balls to the other three players and only my brother actually finished the round with his ball. And you'll see in the pictures below how his ball looked at the end of the round (pretty beat up).
Below is a picture of one of the other players after he hit a tree!
As I said, the balls performed just as well as the normal balls (ProV1x and Sugar Pure) that I play. On one hole, my brother had a great drive down the left side of the fairway, so I stepped up, talked some brother smack and put one 5 yards past his ball (albeit in the left rough). From 100 yards out, he hits one about a foot from the pin. I step up and hit one that looked like it actually either hit the pin or rolled right around it. Below is the picture of where our balls ended up.
I do love the spin and how these balls stick the green. For winter, the greens were actually in great shape and rolling quick. My shots were hitting the green and stopping fairly quickly and even getting a little backspin. The feel off the putter felt great with both balls, but would have to say I putted better with the TourX (I played the Tour on the front and the TourX on the back). My balls held up better than the rest of them with only a few nicks/scratches at the end. Maybe I just don't hit as many trees as my playing partners
Overall I think Callaway has done a great job at making a ball to compete with the ProV1/ProV1x. Now if they only could keep the price down a little. Whereas Titleist already dominates the upper end of the market, if Callaway would market these at $5 or even $10 less than ProV1's they could take away some of the market share. To convince golfers to switch from ProV1 they need to first, get them to try the ball, and second convince them that either it's better or less expensive. Convincing golfers that anything is better than ProV1 is a hard sell. Titleist has done a great job at marketing and makes a great ball. But as ball prices just continue to climb, I believe more and more golfers will be looking for a quality ball for less money. And the Chrome Tour and TourX are right in that wheelhouse.
If I can get back down there in a week or two I'll have to bring my PRGR launch monitor with me to get some real stats on how the balls are flying on the course.
Below are a couple videos to show you how windy it was. Was happy to make the long putt in the second video for birdie!
Shot below to show you the great place we get to play golf. Still lots of snow in the mountains (and at my house), but luckily it's a little warmer and hour south.
It's been a lot of fun testing these balls and if I can get some deals on them I'll buy a bunch for a charity tournament I put on up here at Birch Creek GC. Thanks MyGolfSpy for the opportunity to test these balls and for all the great information you provide to help us in our quest for golf "perfection" (is that even possible)!
- MuniGolfer, Rob Person, William P and 1 other
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8 minutes ago, Madden B said:
Did you happen to play in a tournament today at Glen Eagle? I am working today and when I was cleaning up some golf carts I found the white box with a sleeve of Chrome Tours in the cart. And if that wasn't you, maybe another local person is testing the balls. But we should go and play sometime, my dad and I would love to head out and catch a round with a fellow Spy!
Hey Madden, I played at Davis Park yesterday with my Dad and brother. Finally got to test out the Tour balls on grass. Plan on writing up my review tonight. Must be another local is testing balls. We should definitely hook up at Glen Eagle. That's where my Dad plays regularly so the 4 of us should hook up and play in the next week or two (we won't be playing up here for at least another 3-4 weeks). My phone # is 435-760-5011. Send me a text and I'll look at my schedule and see when I can get away. I live in Logan so only an hour away.
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1 hour ago, Mike10487 said:
Sunday was a horrible weather day (for Florida) with temps in the low 60s, rain and 20 mph wind that seemed to be in our face on every shot. But I stuck with the plan to play the X all day. That didn't last long. Opening tee shot the X ballooned nearly straight up into the wind leaving me 30 yds short of my playing partners. I hit a decent 2nd shot and escaped with a par. Off to number 2 a longish par 5. My thought here was swing easy, and it shouldn't get out of control. Well, I was here to test balls, not to preserve a score! I "tried" to play a low draw to get a little more run out. I ended up with a low snap hook resting just under a saw palmetto frond. I was able to get a solid punch out and left myself 172 to the green. I pulled 4 iron and choked down a half inch to adjust for the wind. I struck it as pure as I could. The X ballooned into the wind again and plugged into the front bunker. This was perhaps the highest I have ever hit a 4 iron. Thanks to a 40' putt, I walked away with a smooth par. This is where things went really wrong. skip to #4. Par 5 left to right wind and at our backs. I aimed down the left side of the hole to play a cut and "Tee it high and let it fly"! Well once the ball got up into the wind it was like it pulled full flaps! My normal butter cut turned into OJ Simpson. The ball sliced 70+ yards. I reteed to play the same shot and did it again. For giggles I hit a third with the Tour, noticeably lower flight, 20 yd cut and right in the center of the fairway. I managed to find the 2nd ball, took my penalty drop. 240 out with no trouble in the front I pull 3 wood and proceed to slice it OB again. I just couldn't seem to control the X. Granted I switch back and forth between my gamer Maxfli Tour and X given the wind conditions, so I kind of set myself up for failure with this wind. Carded a smooth 11 on my way to a solid 92!! I stopped any thought of further testing at that point due to the "I don't care " attitude. The X driver spin rate seems to be very high for me. I play the Cobra Aerojet 9.0 LS adjusted to the -1 draw setting. My normal spin rates are 1700-2000 range. I will go to my local golf shop and hit a few shots with the X to determine the spin rate. But it seems very high to me. I don't feel as though the Tour X is the right ball for me. Once again, the ball feels very solid, but I feel it needs more iron swing speed than I can produce to make it shine. I wouldn't think off the driver it would make that much difference, but clearly it isn't the ball for me in the wind!
I will be taking a few days off from further testing as I pulled a slick move and substantially burnt my left hand while working yesterday.
I would take low 60's...woke up to this today! Does Callaway make a flashing/glowing Tour ball so I can find it in all the white?
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On 2/16/2024 at 9:44 PM, climberboy2000 said:
Took the balls to the indoor putting green (still too cold up here) yesterday.
The Tour and TourX didn't have any noticeable differences between the two balls. Both felt softer than the ProV1x, but very similar to the Sugar Pure. Loved the sound and the feel off the putter face. I really like the lines, because now I don't have to draw a big line (that eventually rubs off in about 9 holes). I've always used a line on my ball and I get down and line my putt up with it. So this is a bonus. Overall GREAT balls for putting!
IMG_0142.MOV 25.86 MB · 2 downloads If this video doesn't work I'll have to figure out how to properly upload videos
Took a long "lunch" today and hit some balls in the SIM (we still have snow on the ground). Had some interesting results today. Someone asked if I threw out the outliers in my data. So I'm not a robot and hit every shot perfect
But if I hit one fat or shank it then I take a "mulligan" so that the shot doesn't show up in the results.
Today using my 8 iron, the results for the five balls I used were pretty similar. Didn't really notice much of a difference. But when it came time to hitting my driver, I could not hit the Callaway Tour for the life of me! I hit my first set of 3 balls each with the driver and the Tour was significantly shorter. Rested for a little bit and came back to start the second round. The Tour was my first ball. They kept coming up short....like 20 yards+ short of the others. I must have hit 10+ shots with the Tour and even shots that felt good were not flying. Then I switched to the TourX and immediately increased 20+ yards. I went through the other balls and they all were good. So then I decided to give the Tour a few more hits...and the same thing. Immediately lost yardage. My swing speed today varied between 93-100, and even when both my swing speed and smash factor were identical to the other balls, the Tour did not fly as far.
I noticed my launch is significantly higher today than the other day, but that might be because I adjusted my TSi3 driver a week ago. Or it could be the SIM?? Guess I'll watch it the next few times I go as I play on different SIMs to see if it's consistent.
Balls are holding up well as far as wear and tear (for indoors). My buddies and I have played multiple rounds on the SIM with them and they still look almost brand new. Hoping to head to Salt Lake next week if the weather warms up to get a round in outside.
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56 minutes ago, golfinnut said:
Did you take out the anomalies on the ProV1 with the driver? I find that hard to believe those numbers, especially the carry. 18 yards less
If I had a bad swing I would take a mulligan (which excludes it from the stats). I'm going to go tomorrow and hit some more, this time with ProV1x, which is what I normally play.
- Rob Person, golfinnut and William P
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If anyone has any tips on how to upload a video I'd love the help!
- William P and Rob Person
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4 minutes ago, climberboy2000 said:
Took the balls to the indoor putting green (still too cold up here) yesterday.
The Tour and TourX didn't have any noticeable differences between the two balls. Both felt softer than the ProV1x, but very similar to the Sugar Pure. Loved the sound and the feel off the putter face. I really like the lines, because now I don't have to draw a big line (that eventually rubs off in about 9 holes). I've always used a line on my ball and I get down and line my putt up with it. So this is a bonus. Overall GREAT balls for putting!
IMG_0142.MOV 25.86 MB · 0 downloads If this video doesn't work I'll have to figure out how to properly upload videos
Got a little more time in this morning on the SIM with my 50 degree wedge. I hit both the Tour and TourX, but somehow at the end I reset the Tour data so lost it for today. But the TourX had at least 4-5 extra yards per shot. My shots were all fairly grouped together and the TourX definitely were going further. I have a video of one of the shots, but need to figure out how to upload correctly. Below are the results:
- William P, Jeremy Meyer, Indy_Oz and 1 other
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On 2/15/2024 at 11:03 AM, climberboy2000 said:
First of all...big thanks to MGS for all that you do to help educate us on the equipment we are using. And providing a great forum for thought, discussion and even a little fun (Love the Run Your Pool competition each week...makes watching a lot more fun).
Intro: I've been golfing for about a half century (wow that sounds like a long time)! Grew up in California playing golf, but now live in northern Utah so have had to suffer for months of no golf...until this year. We had an indoor place open up that is open 24/7, so I've now been able to swing 2-3 days/week during the winter. I play weekly in one of the largest Men's associations (about 600 members) in Utah at one of the best public courses in Utah...Birch Creek! If you ever venture up to Cache Valley come play at Birch and you won't regret it.
I also put on one of the largest charity tournaments up here (this year is our 20th year) for http://thefamilyplaceutah.org and so I buy a lot of balls, equipment, clothing for the tournament. Depending on sponsorship level, every player gets to "shop" before the tournament with $100-$200. Not a bad deal...free golf stuff, 18 holes, and lots of food!
So I'm always looking for something new I can get for the tournament, which is why I'm excited to test these new Callaway Tour balls.
Long story short...I play a couple times a week, handicap fluctuates between 8-10, currently a 7 in Men's. I play a lot of charity scrambles in the area and just enjoy getting outside. When I'm not golfing, I'm climbing, running, hiking, etc...
First Impressions: Looks like Callaway is finally trying to have a ball to compete with the ProV1 series. And from the look and feel of the ball I think they have done a good job. I decided that I would compare them to the usual balls I play. This year I have been alternating between ProV1/ProV1x and Sugar Pure. On Monday went to Links (indoor) and hit both my 9 iron and driver for a bit before work.
Below are the results:
The Tour felt good off both clubs, and as you can see above performed, very similar to the other two. I actually picked up a few yards on the driver compared to the Sugar Pure (which I had my longest drive of the season (290 yd) during a tournament this fall). Tomorrow, I plan on going back to Links to hit a lot more. And this afternoon I'm going over to the smaller indoor place that actually has a fairly big putting green. So more to come.
And looks like it might get to 50 degrees an hour south of me by next week, so hoping to take a day off work and go play outside.
Took the balls to the indoor putting green (still too cold up here) yesterday.
The Tour and TourX didn't have any noticeable differences between the two balls. Both felt softer than the ProV1x, but very similar to the Sugar Pure. Loved the sound and the feel off the putter face. I really like the lines, because now I don't have to draw a big line (that eventually rubs off in about 9 holes). I've always used a line on my ball and I get down and line my putt up with it. So this is a bonus. Overall GREAT balls for putting!
If this video doesn't work I'll have to figure out how to properly upload videos
- Rob Person, Indy_Oz and William P
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10 minutes ago, skraeling said:
Lemme know if you want me to send a sleeve of them, I still have I think about a dozen left of the sugars.
I might need to give these another round of play too
Thanks for the offer, but I have 4 cases outside my office. Since they perform just as well as a ProV1, I bought a bunch for a charity tournament I put on each summer. When I heard about the golf ball plant blowing up in Taiwan that makes Sugar and many other brands, I stocked up in case balls got scarce this Spring. I believe that one plant made 1/5 of the worlds golf balls and will take a year to rebuild. Take your extra Sugars out and try them again...they performed well this past year for me.
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1 hour ago, Madden B said:
Thanks, I did work hard on that review! I still have a few of the Sugars left and do think that they are nice balls. I would say that they have to be one of the best value balls that you can buy, they are really solid balls. And around the greens, you can spin them like crazy.
I am now testing the Chrome Tour and Tour X balls and really, really liking them. I played Glen Eagle yesterday after school and was 2 under through 6, but then it got too dark to continue playing. I hope that the weather starts to get nice again, I am tired of just hitting balls in my garage in the sim all the time and want to be outside! And I love Glen Eagle, I have pretty much lived on that course every day that the sun was shining since I was about 9.
Since I'm testing the Tour balls as well we should hook up at Glen Eagle in the next couple weeks and test them together! I've been watching the weather and Mon-Tue looks to be 50 degrees. I'll have to look at my schedule.
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First of all...big thanks to MGS for all that you do to help educate us on the equipment we are using. And providing a great forum for thought, discussion and even a little fun (Love the Run Your Pool competition each week...makes watching a lot more fun).
Intro: I've been golfing for about a half century (wow that sounds like a long time)! Grew up in California playing golf, but now live in northern Utah so have had to suffer for months of no golf...until this year. We had an indoor place open up that is open 24/7, so I've now been able to swing 2-3 days/week during the winter. I play weekly in one of the largest Men's associations (about 600 members) in Utah at one of the best public courses in Utah...Birch Creek! If you ever venture up to Cache Valley come play at Birch and you won't regret it.
I also put on one of the largest charity tournaments up here (this year is our 20th year) for http://thefamilyplaceutah.org and so I buy a lot of balls, equipment, clothing for the tournament. Depending on sponsorship level, every player gets to "shop" before the tournament with $100-$200. Not a bad deal...free golf stuff, 18 holes, and lots of food!
So I'm always looking for something new I can get for the tournament, which is why I'm excited to test these new Callaway Tour balls.
Long story short...I play a couple times a week, handicap fluctuates between 8-10, currently a 7 in Men's. I play a lot of charity scrambles in the area and just enjoy getting outside. When I'm not golfing, I'm climbing, running, hiking, etc...
First Impressions: Looks like Callaway is finally trying to have a ball to compete with the ProV1 series. And from the look and feel of the ball I think they have done a good job. I decided that I would compare them to the usual balls I play. This year I have been alternating between ProV1/ProV1x and Sugar Pure. On Monday went to Links (indoor) and hit both my 9 iron and driver for a bit before work.
Below are the results:
The Tour felt good off both clubs, and as you can see above performed, very similar to the other two. I actually picked up a few yards on the driver compared to the Sugar Pure (which I had my longest drive of the season (290 yd) during a tournament this fall). Tomorrow, I plan on going back to Links to hit a lot more. And this afternoon I'm going over to the smaller indoor place that actually has a fairly big putting green. So more to come.
And looks like it might get to 50 degrees an hour south of me by next week, so hoping to take a day off work and go play outside.
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On 7/3/2023 at 10:50 PM, Madden B said:
I’m Madden, 13 years old and have played since I was 7. I am about 5’5” right now and weigh about 115 lbs, but don’t let my size fool you or underestimate me! My dad is my swing coach/caddy/best golfing buddy and we have worked hard to get my swing right. He is also my editor and will help me write these reviews! He first found MyGolfSpy and got my account started, he thought I would enjoy the content and we both love and use the site. I am currently playing at a 0.8 Handicap and was as low as a +1 at the end of last summer playing the blue tees (high school tees), but winters in Utah can be long and hard so I am still working my way back to last summer’s form (this year was brutal but good because we needed the water). I will be a freshman in high school this fall and plan on being the #1 on varsity. I am obsessed with golf and spend every waking hour thinking about it, reading about it, studying it, talking about it, or playing it. I am at the course for 8-12 hours per day in the summer practicing and playing. And my dad hasn’t beat me since I was 12, which I love to hold over his head at all times!
Alright, after being selected to test the Sugar Golf Balls, I spent some time watching reviews on YouTube to get a sense for what people think. People seem to feel like it is a worthy competitor to the high end golf balls, so I can’t wait to test it. I usually play ProV1s, Chromesofts, TP5s, and will also throw in the Kirkland golf ball from time to time (my dad likes them because they are inexpensive!) I have hit almost every brand of golf ball but settled on these, so that is my benchmark. And my dad has high hopes that these are great to save some money! haha
Here are my plans for the testing:
- Simulator - I have a friend with a simulator so I will do some direct comparisons to see how it compares on the machine and get some baselines.
- Short Game -I will put it through lots of putting and chipping exercises, see how it performs around/on the green.
- Bunkers – Durability test.
- On Course - Lastly, I will play with it, a lot. I am at the course daily and will play several rounds to see how it performs, how it holds up, and how I score with it.
Here’s how the Sugar Golf Ball ends up being my tournament ball:
- Consistency
- Durability
- Distance
- Control around/on the Greens
These are the things I am looking for and care about the most, in no particular order. I hope you are okay with videos and pictures, I will provide lots!
And I received my shipment and am working through some first impressions and Day 1 at the course. I have lots of videos and photos that we are going to edit down, so please stay tuned for my thoughts. So far, I am very impressed!
First Impressions (9 out of 10)
Okay, so let me walk through my first impressions and unboxing of the Sugar Golf Balls. Have to say thanks for the hat and the towel, they are really nice and I am already using both of them. Everything came very quickly, which is always appreciated. I was notified on Friday that I was selected to review the balls, given a shipping notification on Saturday, had balls in hand on Sunday. That type of speed is awesome so great job on shipping times, that speaks highly of the company and how much they care about getting the product to the customer as quickly as possible. So bonus points!
- Box of Balls – I am a big fan of this presentation of the cube box, it seems way more efficient than the standard box of a dozen balls, so great job there. I like the 3 rows of 9 balls, with the numbering system going 1,2 and 3. I don’t know if you can customize the numbers or if there is a way to change that, but I have a weird thing that I only like to play odd number balls so there is that.
- First Handling of Balls – Right off the bat, I like the feel of the ball in hand. They feel like there is almost like a little film on it, more like the feel of a Callaway Supersoft as opposed the feel of a Chromesoft or ProV1. I opened up new packs of Chromesoft X and ProV1s to hold them all and I pressed my nail into all of them to see how soft they all were. They each feel about the same, from a softness standpoint. And the reflective cover is the same as those other balls, so not too dull and not too shiny. Dimple pattern is a little different from those other balls, but seems really solid. Overall, I am impressed by the look and feel of the balls.
- Graphics and Alignment – I love the alignment on the Sugar, it is a nice, solid line that isn’t too thick (I think that the SuperSoft is too big for my eye, by way of comparison). It sets up really nice to me. And I actually really like the simple Sugar logo. It is a very clean ball and really looks good.
PUTTING TEST
No time to get to the course today, so I did a putting test at my house. I have a couple of different putting mats, that range from 6-15 feet. I put things underneath them to change the slope so they don’t just roll straight, so I tried lots of different putts and rolls. I also switched between several different balls to see how it felt.
RESULTS??? - I have to say I actually really, really like the feel of the ball off the putter face (Scotty Cameron Studio Select Fastback No. 1). It feels exactly like a ProV1, which is very exciting and impressive to me. The Chromesoft is a bit firmer when you putt it and comes off a little hotter so controlling the speed isn’t quite as easy. But after putting for around an hour, I would have no problem at all using the Sugar ball. It rolled straight and true, over and over. I hit my very first 12 putts with it from about 10 feet, and then just kept draining putts. After using it, I absolutely love the alignment line on this ball. For me, it is better than the ProV1 because it is a sold line and better than the SuperSoft. I think that it is on par with the TripleTrack when it comes to alignment, at least to my eye. But overall when it comes to putting, I think that the Sugar ball is awesome and a 10 out of 10, at least on my putting greens at home. I prefer it over the ChromeSoft, Kirkland, TP5, and SuperSoft balls, without question. And I feel like it performs and feels just like a ProV1, so Sugar has certainly hit that claim on the putting surface.
7/20 Update (Simulator and Durability Test)
Numbers in the Simulator (18 out of 20)
Okay, time to get into the numbers of this golf ball and how it performs for me. I spent some time in my friend’s simulator and hit 10 shots alternating with a Sugar and a ProV1 with a driver, 3 hybrid, 7 iron, and PW. Now his simulator is a SkyTrak and we didn’t know how to track alternating balls, so we recorded the information and my dad put it all into this spreadsheet to average things out. And I thought that we had done a bunch of pictures and recordings, but nothing saved, which is super frustrating. The only pic I had was my friend's dad before we got the session started, so say hello!
Okay, so if you look at it across the board, the 2 balls were very similar. According to the machine, I do get slightly better carry, speeds, and overall distance but it is pretty close and I think that you really don’t lose much if you are using a Sugar ball. And I like the way the ball feels, it is very similar to the ProV1.
The ball flight was pretty consistent on both balls and my accuracy and closeness to the target were very similar. My go to shot is a small draw and both balls moved about the same and spin rates were very close and consistent. I am really impressed that the Sugar could keep up, it passed the simulator test with flying colors.
Durability Test (10 out of 10)
Now, I did the Rick Shiels test and hit 10 balls out of a bunker vs a ProV1 and they were pretty equally scuffed up. I bladed the heck out of one swing in the bunker and it put a pretty good cut on the ball, so I guess the key is to keep the ball on the fairway and out of trouble and if you do, the Sugar ball is going to last a long time for you. And I did keep the sand on the wedge in between shots, to add some extra measure of scuff to the balls, so here is the video of it:
I don’t know what these balls are made of but they have been really, really good for me. I played with one ball for 3 rounds of golf and it has 2 little dings on it, that’s it. I think that I hit some branches on one shot and may have rolled through or barely hit a cart path, but this ball holds up better than any other ball I have played with. I normally would never play a ball for 2 full rounds of golf (sometimes not even 1 full round!), but I was just curious on how long this would last. I am very impressed!
Here are the only 2 marks on the ball after 3 rounds of golf:
On the Course (Update coming soon)
So I have had a few tournaments in the last couple of weeks and decided to play with the Sugar balls and have really enjoyed using them. My dad and I are working through the write up on them, but here is a putt that my dad recorded, he had this feeling that something good was about to happen!
And with that putt, I ended up moving up the leaderboard and finished in the top 4, not bad for never having played that course before! More updates soon, I really am enjoying this ball!
Alright, 7/27 update for the Spys!
On the Course (18 out of 20)
To test the performance on the course, I played two 18-hole rounds of golf and used 2 golf balls, one ProV1 and one Sugar Pure. I also had my dad playing with me doing the same thing so that we could get his thoughts and comparisons. I played at my home course, Glen Eagle (https://golfgleneagle.com/), from the Blue tees which run 6621 yards, 70.2/123 Slope and Rating. I play here 4-5 days a week and know every inch of this course, so I can usually score pretty well here. Let me get to the details:
Off the Tee – As you can see, the Sugar Golf Ball performed pretty well off the tee. The distance was always pretty close to the ProV1 and I hit basically the same amount of fairways. I did have some holes where it went further, but overall it was just a couple yards shorter. I don’t think that any accuracy was lost at all with the Sugar ball and the difference in fairways could have just been 1 mediocre swing. Very happy with how the Sugar performs off the tee, nothing to be concerned with at all.
Winner: ProV1
Approach – I was hitting the ball really well in both rounds and hit a lot of greens in regulation. In fact, the Sugar Pure had 1 more GIR over the course of the 2 rounds. But when it came down to it, the ProV1 was consistently closer to the pin by a couple of feet. We walked off the distance on each hole and averaged them out for the Greens in Regulation only. The shot of the 2 rounds did belong to the Sugar Pure. On #7, a tough uphill Par 3 that was playing around 225 because it was into the wind, I hammered a 3 Hybrid and left it about a foot right of the hole for a nice tap in birdie, it was sweet!
Winner: ProV1, Slight Edge
Ball Flight – I usually prefer to play a slight draw with my ball flight but did have some shots that required moving the ball the other way. Not sure if it is just a comfort thing because I have played with the ProV1 longer, but I hit the ball consistently closer to the pin and had fewer mishits with it. Both balls are very workable and I don’t feel any hesitation trying to move either of them one way or the other.
Winner: ProV1, Slight Edge
Around the Green – I don’t know what the Sugar ball is coated with but it spins like crazy around the greens, which I love. I put the ball closer to the pin on average and did get up and down more often with it. I feel like I can take a more aggressive chip with the Sugar ball because I know it will check up quickly and stop. The 2-hop and stop is easier for me to hit with the Sugar than the ProV1, so it comfortably picks up the win here.
Winner: Sugar Pure
Putting – Had the same number of putts with both balls over the 2 rounds and love the way they both feel. If you blindfolded me, it would be hard for me to know which ball was which because they really do feel the same. They both roll beautifully and I didn’t really have any issues with speed control. I did have two 3-putts with the ProV1 vs. just 1 for the Sugar, so the edge goes ever so slightly to the Sugar Pure, but it was pretty much a statistical tie in every way on the green. And I really like the ball alignment tool on the Sugar, more so than the ProV1. It really suits my eye and makes lining up and hitting the right line easy to do. I guess that I did have slightly further distances with the Sugar, so maybe the means it wins by a little more margin, but either ball is great on the greens.
Winner: Sugar Pure, Very Slight Edge
Scoring – It is tough to complain about anything when you shoot 1 under of the course of 4 rounds. Seriously, I played great and was incredibly pleased with the way the rounds went. I have to give the slightest of edge to the ProV1 though, as it just came through and won by 3 total strokes. Now that could just be a ball out of bounds or a bad lie here or there, but I really feel comfortable with the Sugar Pure, it was nipping at the heels of the ProV1 both days!
Winner: ProV1
Overall Thoughts from the Course -
Hard to say much negative here, I was very pleased with everything the Sugar Ball did. Tee shots flew long and true, my draw was consistent and I did feel like I could work the ball the other way when needed. The Sugar holds greens well and it is awesome on pitch and chip shots, seriously spins like a Tasmanian devil. I LOVE the line on the ball for putting, it is the perfect size for my eye and liking. And while I didn’t beat the ProV1, I feel like it would be able to on any given round. I am totally comfortable playing it.
Thoughts from my Dad’s rounds –
My dad ended up shooting in the low 80s with all of his rounds but did end up winning with his ChromeSoft balls by 8 total strokes. He is an 11.7 if you are looking for a comparison. He said that he wasn’t as good around the greens with the Sugar but did notice they spin a lot more, which he didn’t quite adjust for because he hasn’t used them and played with them like I have. But Tee-to-Green they were very similar for him, he said he likes the feel of the Sugar ball better with the putter, just felt softer and had a better sound. He said that if he practiced some chipping to get the speeds right, he would be fine using the Sugar ball and doesn’t see a ton of difference in how it performed. The only thing he didn’t love was he felt like there was a weird coating on the ball, which is maybe why they spin and stick so much? But he said that he could get used to the Sugar ball!
August 7, Final Update
The Good, the Bad, the In-between (17 out of 20)
Let me go through a few of the high and lowlights about the Sugar Ball.
The Good:
- Spin around the green is awesome
- Love the alignment aids on the ball
- Durability is off the charts
- Feel on the putting surface is fantastic
- Pricing is really good for the value you get from this ball
The Bad:
- Nothing really bad to say about these balls, they are really solid!
And the In-between:
- Solid overall performance that comes close to a ProV1.
- Not quite as much distance or control as the ProV1, but very close!
- Has a coating feel on the cover that almost cheapens it? Makes it feel more like a Callaway Supersoft ball, if you know what that feels like.
Play it or Trade it? (17 out of 20)
So this is tough because I have really liked using these Sugar Pure Golf Balls, they are really a high quality ball that I think the vast majority of golfers would enjoy and get great performance from, especially on and around the greens. I did use them in a couple of tournaments and ended up playing pretty well with them. But maybe it is just what has been pounded into my head that the ProV1 is the best ball on the market that I still just feel a little more confident standing over one. The numbers bear out in the simulator and my scores on the course, so maybe there is something to it. But the differences are negligible and it is really a good ball.
I think that there is a lot of value in this ball though, especially at the price. And my dad is going to be using the rest of the box of balls because he has been playing with them a bit and really likes them. He is a mid-handicapper and hates losing ProV1s because of the cost, but he is shooting the same scores now as he did with the Titleist and can do so for half the price. He is good enough to feel the difference between a cheap ball and good one and agrees that this is a really solid ball. Performance for him has been on par with what he expects from a ProV1, and he prefers it around the green because they spin for him.
Conclusion and Final Score (89 out of 100)
If you are looking for a really solid ball that performs consistently off the tee, feels great on approach shots, and is really good on and around the greens, this may be the ball for you. Using the Sugar Pure Golf Ball has been a real good experience and I don’t think that you will go wrong using them, especially in the short game. And while for my game, I still think that I am will stick with the ProV1 because of the slightest advantages it offers, I do think that lots of golfers would enjoy using and get great results from this ball, especially in the mid-high handicap range. The value you get for the price is very high! And the durability might just be the best of any golf ball I have ever played.
Please message me if you have any questions about the ball, I am happy to answer them for you.
And special thanks to Sugar Golf and MyGolfSpy for giving me an opportunity to review and post about my experiences. This has been really fun to document and gave me even more excuses to get out and play some golf! Thank you!
Great Review Madden! I've been playing the Sugar Pure for about a year and love it. I alternate with a ProV1x and like your review, feel that the Sugar performs better in some areas...and it's half the cost. I played down at Glen Eagle just before Christmas and gave some Sugar balls to all my Dad's friends to try and they all had positive feedback. Fun course...I need to get down there in the next week or two to try out the Callaway Tour on a course vs. SIM. So pray for 50's and sunshine.
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3 hours ago, Hamhandsbill said:
Really love your sugar ball review and the way it’s chronological. I am finding using the forum a bit confusing and how to keep multiple posts or replies as we progress and add how it all stays connected as your review looks. Any advice is welcome
I'd agree he did a great job on the Sugar ball write-up. Just read it and would agree with it. Been alternating between the ProV1x and Sugar Pure all season and love the Sugar balls, especially at half the price. I'm actually using a Sugar Pure and ProV1x for my testing of the Callway Tour and Tourx. Figured I would compare the balls I've been playing.
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I'm right there with you on one handed putting. I can definitely lag putt long putts better one handed. I have yet to play an entire round one-handed (putting), but for some reason it seems my stroke is straighter.