Hindsy1987

Introduction : 
Hello there my fellow Golf spies, My Name is Ryan and i have been playing golf on and off since i was a teenager, i was lucky enough to have golf as and elective at my high school. The high school i attended was in Australia's Pilbara region so i didn't see my fist grass green until i was an adult, to say it was a learning curve is an understatement. More recently i was living in Margaret River a region known for its extensive wineries, it plays as a very difficult course and there was a lot of trial and error finding the right equipment, i have recently had two years off due to shoulder condition so i'm currently not handicapped, i have/had a relatively fast swing speed so normally will play a regular flex, this test something i'm looking forward to with my recent forays into Sim golf.
 
Current Ball:
I tend to swap between two different balls depending on the days playing conditions, on a normal clear sky day i will play the Callaway Supersoft for its feel mainly off the face and the control i feel when i'm on the greens, if i'm playing through any inclement weather i tend to play the Callaway Supersoft Matt. I find this covering gives me better control off the face especially in bunkers or high wet grass, i also have issues tracking a white ball in a grey sky so bright reds and oranges are my go to for contrast, falling into autumn i will change to colours again to greens and purples. i think this is the thing im most excited for in this test is to see how the Volvik offerings compare, i've always been a fan of the graphic designs (marvel heroes etc) they bring out with their balls so it will be interesting to see how they hold up after a round or two i find other matt balls can get torn up quite easily.
The things I'll be looking at will be:
Longevity - how long will these balls last in a variety of playing conditions out of bunkers or the cart path(hopefully not)
Visibility - how easy is it to find these balls on the course through trees and thick rough, how visible are they off the tee box ? lets find out !
Feel/Play -  How to these balls play and how do they feel, testing the metrics in the sim and the actuals on the course. do they feel like hitting stones or marshmallows, how do they play on the greens, how do the distances compare with my usual ball ? lets break it down 

My balls showed up last week and I just posted my unboxing and first impressions to my pinned post. Hope you all enjoy!

Haven't done the next official write up section of the review (want to have a couple rounds under my belt with them) but I played a round last Friday with these. Even though I played terrible (no fault of the ball), I really like them. Here's a quick rundown of what I found...
I found no loss of distance and was pretty impressed with the spin around the greens I played 18 holes and didn't lose any golf balls which is very rare for me...I played red on the front 9 and orange on the back 9. I usually play Srixon soft feels, Srixon Divides and Callaway Supersoft but these ones really seemed to stand out in the grass. The triple alignment lines really seemed to help. I only 3 putted one time (usually I'm around 4-5 per round) and there were about 4 putts that were within 2" of going in from 15'+ away.

I've done a number of grip fittings as I work in a golf shop. You might want to give the midsize grips a try.
Also you might try the Golf a pride MCC Plus4 as it might feel more natural and comfortable to you. The plus 4 basically is like adding 4 wraps to the bottom of the grip (right hand section if you're right handed). 
Hope this helps a bit and if you have any questions just let me know

I'm not quite sure where or to whom I signed up for these golf balls all I could read on the label was "golf" 😅 can't say I'm disappointed though has this randomly happened to anyone before ? 

I just played 9 holes yesterday at Stonebridge's Sunrise Course and shot a +6 42. I bought a few Srixon Q-Star Tour Divides (red/yellow split) for the round to try and give myself a reference point for another matte 3-piece ball in a similar price range ($35/dozen for the Q-Star Tours vs. $27 for the Vivids). Between the Q-Star Tour on the high end of the three-piece price range and my normal Kirkland on the low end, I think that might add an interesting value discussion to the conversation. 
TL;dr: the Divide played great. I traded a few yards off the tee from my Kirklands for a much better feel. The colors and flickering effect of the Divide w were easy to track. Soft off the putter and wedges, and while a little bit slower on the putting greens, that was easily fixed with 15 minutes of practice. The lack of an alignment line made putting more mentally taxing. I genuinely don't know if they're worth double my Kirklands, but they're definitely ahead of a lot of the other matte offerings out there that I've played (e.g., the Titleist Velocity, Callaway Supersoft and Srixon Soft Feel). With the Volvik's being in the middle price and compression-wise, plus having a nice alignment marker, I'm really hoping they can be the best of both worlds. 
 
 
Unofficial Q-Star Tour Divide mini-review
Off the tee: With its lower compression (74 vs. the Volvik's 85 vs. my Kirkland's 93) I figured I'd be trading in some speed off the tee as opposed to my Kirkland's for feel. And while I did, it was only about 5 yards shorter on average than I normally would expect from my Kirklands on the same type of strikes, mainly thanks to a bit lower and more penetrating flight. And honestly, the tradeoff in softer feel off the face really has me hoping the Vivids end up in a sweet spot/middle ground of keeping the distance the same while still feeling just a bit softer than the Kirklands. 
It was also the perfect day for testing visibility, with rolling storms in the valley creating a lot of gray or inconsistent views. While my partners struggled tracking their white balls, I had no issue with the Srixons. The colors were bright enough (without being overly so) that even alone they contrasted against the sky very well. Together, they created a flickering effect while they spun in the air that was easy to track. If I end up loving the Vivids, I might have to look into the Combis, their version of the split ball. 
 
Around the greens: The Srixons were easy to work in and around the green. They felt really soft and nice off my Odyssey's putter face, though I still got a noticeable click on the one mishit I had. They were a little bit slower than I expected, but after about 15 minutes on the practice green, I'd gotten used to it and had no issues with pace control (no three-putts and multiple 20+ foot lag putts to within an easy tap-in). That feel also translated to bump and runs and short little chips with my wedges. I don't get balls to spin back too much if at all, but these were actually pretty responsive and checked up nicely when I was getting out of two bunkers and on a little 30 yard shot. It was hot and dry, so I wasn't able to get any damp testing, but given the conditions, they performed great. 
The one issue I will say is that I actually found myself having to mentally work pretty hard to line up the ball. The divide by it's nature is a very thin line, so it wasn't as easy as the normal alignment aids I see. That has be even more excited for the Vivid's lines, which look really appealing to me from a putting perspective. 
 

Introduction : 
Hello there my fellow Golf spies, My Name is Ryan and i have been playing golf on and off since i was a teenager, i was lucky enough to have golf as and elective at my high school. The high school i attended was in Australia's Pilbara region so i didn't see my fist grass green until i was an adult, to say it was a learning curve is an understatement. More recently i was living in Margaret River a region known for its extensive wineries, it plays as a very difficult course and there was a lot of trial and error finding the right equipment, i have recently had two years off due to shoulder condition so i'm currently not handicapped, i have/had a relatively fast swing speed so normally will play a regular flex, this test something i'm looking forward to with my recent forays into Sim golf.
 
Current Ball:
I tend to swap between two different balls depending on the days playing conditions, on a normal clear sky day i will play the Callaway Supersoft for its feel mainly off the face and the control i feel when i'm on the greens, if i'm playing through any inclement weather i tend to play the Callaway Supersoft Matt. I find this covering gives me better control off the face especially in bunkers or high wet grass, i also have issues tracking a white ball in a grey sky so bright reds and oranges are my go to for contrast, falling into autumn i will change to colours again to greens and purples. i think this is the thing im most excited for in this test is to see how the Volvik offerings compare, i've always been a fan of the graphic designs (marvel heroes etc) they bring out with their balls so it will be interesting to see how they hold up after a round or two i find other matt balls can get torn up quite easily.
The things I'll be looking at will be:
Longevity - how long will these balls last in a variety of playing conditions out of bunkers or the cart path(hopefully not)
Visibility - how easy is it to find these balls on the course through trees and thick rough, how visible are they off the tee box ? lets find out !
Feel/Play -  How to these balls play and how do they feel, testing the metrics in the sim and the actuals on the course. do they feel like hitting stones or marshmallows, how do they play on the greens, how do the distances compare with my usual ball ? lets break it down 

Introduction : 
Hello there my fellow Golf spies, My Name is Ryan and i have been playing golf on and off since i was a teenager, i was lucky enough to have golf as and elective at my high school. The high school i attended was in Australia's Pilbara region so i didn't see my fist grass green until i was an adult, to say it was a learning curve is an understatement. More recently i was living in Margaret River a region known for its extensive wineries, it plays as a very difficult course and there was a lot of trial and error finding the right equipment, i have recently had two years off due to shoulder condition so i'm currently not handicapped, i have/had a relatively fast swing speed so normally will play a regular flex, this test something i'm looking forward to with my recent forays into Sim golf.
 
Current Ball:
I tend to swap between two different balls depending on the days playing conditions, on a normal clear sky day i will play the Callaway Supersoft for its feel mainly off the face and the control i feel when i'm on the greens, if i'm playing through any inclement weather i tend to play the Callaway Supersoft Matt. I find this covering gives me better control off the face especially in bunkers or high wet grass, i also have issues tracking a white ball in a grey sky so bright reds and oranges are my go to for contrast, falling into autumn i will change to colours again to greens and purples. i think this is the thing im most excited for in this test is to see how the Volvik offerings compare, i've always been a fan of the graphic designs (marvel heroes etc) they bring out with their balls so it will be interesting to see how they hold up after a round or two i find other matt balls can get torn up quite easily.
The things I'll be looking at will be:
Longevity - how long will these balls last in a variety of playing conditions out of bunkers or the cart path(hopefully not)
Visibility - how easy is it to find these balls on the course through trees and thick rough, how visible are they off the tee box ? lets find out !
Feel/Play -  How to these balls play and how do they feel, testing the metrics in the sim and the actuals on the course. do they feel like hitting stones or marshmallows, how do they play on the greens, how do the distances compare with my usual ball ? lets break it down 

Introduction : 
Hello there my fellow Golf spies, My Name is Ryan and i have been playing golf on and off since i was a teenager, i was lucky enough to have golf as and elective at my high school. The high school i attended was in Australia's Pilbara region so i didn't see my fist grass green until i was an adult, to say it was a learning curve is an understatement. More recently i was living in Margaret River a region known for its extensive wineries, it plays as a very difficult course and there was a lot of trial and error finding the right equipment, i have recently had two years off due to shoulder condition so i'm currently not handicapped, i have/had a relatively fast swing speed so normally will play a regular flex, this test something i'm looking forward to with my recent forays into Sim golf.
 
Current Ball:
I tend to swap between two different balls depending on the days playing conditions, on a normal clear sky day i will play the Callaway Supersoft for its feel mainly off the face and the control i feel when i'm on the greens, if i'm playing through any inclement weather i tend to play the Callaway Supersoft Matt. I find this covering gives me better control off the face especially in bunkers or high wet grass, i also have issues tracking a white ball in a grey sky so bright reds and oranges are my go to for contrast, falling into autumn i will change to colours again to greens and purples. i think this is the thing im most excited for in this test is to see how the Volvik offerings compare, i've always been a fan of the graphic designs (marvel heroes etc) they bring out with their balls so it will be interesting to see how they hold up after a round or two i find other matt balls can get torn up quite easily.
The things I'll be looking at will be:
Longevity - how long will these balls last in a variety of playing conditions out of bunkers or the cart path(hopefully not)
Visibility - how easy is it to find these balls on the course through trees and thick rough, how visible are they off the tee box ? lets find out !
Feel/Play -  How to these balls play and how do they feel, testing the metrics in the sim and the actuals on the course. do they feel like hitting stones or marshmallows, how do they play on the greens, how do the distances compare with my usual ball ? lets break it down 

I knew you'd be lurking 😂

I'm not quite sure where or to whom I signed up for these golf balls all I could read on the label was "golf" 😅 can't say I'm disappointed though has this randomly happened to anyone before ? 

I finally got myself some irons to re engage in the deep dark rabbit hole that is golf. I actually did a bit of research on these before purchasing and even at 20 years old they're in amazing condition(especially for $100 AUD), I just couldn't justify the expense on a new set until I at least get a few months in, lest I lose passion with subpar results after so long away from the sport. So my bitza bag now consists of 
Driver - Nike VS - this is dialled right down 
3W - Titleist 904F 
Putter - Cleveland Huntington Beach Blade 
Irons - Wilson Deep Red II (Distance) 2i-SW
Wedges - Pending (Taking recommendations)

Ricky Fowler for a while there was my favourite player to watch, now he's slipped out of the top 50 and still hasn't managed a Major(he's come close sure) what do you think lead to his downfall ? And will we see him rise back up the rankings 

i hit mine 200 yards, sure i thinned it onto the cart path but 200 yards is 200 yards 

i hit mine 200 yards, sure i thinned it onto the cart path but 200 yards is 200 yards 

i hit mine 200 yards, sure i thinned it onto the cart path but 200 yards is 200 yards 

I've never been able to hit mine properly and usually resort to the 5W I don't know if I'm standing to far away or what it is I never feel comfortable 

New lazrus irons and a 20% discount :Fairwayfun. 
would love to see these tested!

Ive recently had two years off due to  damaged intercostal muscles and a blown shoulder and im now looking at returning to the fold, now this probably seems like a stupid question but what about procuring some blades this time around, i understand the difficulty in ball striking but my thoughts are if i learn on the hardest tool and i dont care about progress being slow or frustrating surely this is the way to go. on this i only have a limited budget at the moment (very limited :P) so i would like some suggestions on some short irons and wedges, thanks guys cant believe i didn't know this forum existed luckily a mate told me last week. 

Sim golf in conjunction with with lessons have paid off very well for me. I have my own sim at home. I own the MLM2pro and a DIY enclosure. I can now walk out to the garage and practice whenever I get some time. Which has translated to significantly lower scores than last year. I've cut 8 strokes. Hopefully I can dedicate some time to continuing lessons later this year. But, the one downside is the mat. After switching from the course to the garage and back, I can really tell when I got away with something that I never should have due to the mat. Awkward lies still get to me on the course because there's no way for me to practice that. So, I just go with what I know for it and hope it works out. I can usually get kinda close to what I was doing. Either way, I love having it around. If nothing else, I can go out on a Friday afternoon, have a few drinks and play some courses I would otherwise never see. 

Hi Hindsy.  You reacted to my posted reply to you, using the fire symbol.  Is that good or bad?  

... @Hindsy1987 golf clubs are simply tools to accomplish a goal. I am always a little chagrinned when some think they "should" play MB's. I can't imagine a runner wearing dress shoes that look great but don't make running any easier. The goal is to find clubs that enable you to hit your best shots. Few can do that with anything more demanding than a Players CB/Multi Material iron. And plenty of low to + index players use GI irons. You want your irons to enhance your swing not make your swing enhance your irons. 

... Thankfully you have lots of choices. 👍

If you don't care about your scores then go ahead.  @chisag and I have shared this thought over the years.  I could sum it up as succinctly as: play as forgiving a club as possible to allow you to play your best.
But more importantly, that makes the game fun.

I have physical issue also.  Curved spine.  Very curved.  Lost lots of time due to various injuries.  Disability 3 full years.  Now I golf!  I got fit 2 of my 3 iron sets.  First 2 were modern cavity back cast.  I finally took lessons.  I learned that I wanted a narrow sole for accurate hitting and direction, which is hard to do with the wide bottom cavity backs.  I decided to make a split set, go for a fitting for the short irons 8-9-PW, and stick with the last cavity model that Nike made, Vapor Fly.  I hoped I could hit Mizuno blades.  Not quite but I got fitted for Ping I 500s on a good graphite shaft, the Recoils.  The I 500 is a forged face welded to a well designed, well engineered body.  Loved them so much that I decided to sell off my full set of the Nikes, and eventually added the 6 and 7 Ping I 500 irons.  For clubs longer than that, I had a bargain bin find, a 24 degree forged hollow body Mizuno Fli-HI.  And a MIzuno JPX hybrid 5.  I don't see me getting different irons for a long time.  I might re-shaft to Aerotech Steelfiber but that is a luxury doo-dah I don't need to do.  I am not scoring below 100 yet because I doodle around on a few holes, learning to try the hard shots until I get good at them.
Bottom line, is 1.  get fitted if you can, and hopefully better than Dicks.  They are nice but not like getting a fully skilled experienced PGA fitter.  2.  Start like I did with the 8-9-pw.  Never mind a full set.  You can do just like I did, add longer clubs if you are in love.   3.  I also highly suggest Mizuno forged wedges.  Again, I bot some, found true love in their 2018 model the S5.  Easy to use, accurate, easy to find used ones in good condition.  Mizuno makes Grain Flow Forging.  They re-heat and hammer the billet of steel to get the molecules all lined up in parallel.  I don't think anybody else does this.  Vokeys are Titleist (bob vokey is their employee) very good and they pay the pros but I have stuck with the Mizu and love them more and more every round I play.
Hope this helps.  Don't let my crummy scores bother you.  I finally retired and now can work on scoring, and I play on a pretty hard course with lots of marsh where if I roll off the fairway, so long, no rough, I'm in the drink.