KevinE

Happy 10th to Golf Spy......I've always loved golf but this site has increased my love 10 fold !!!!!! Keep up the good work....

Played all 3..like them all..but think i like Connecticut National the best..... Love Butter Brook!!!!!!

Was one of the Snell MTB X testers. Liked the golf ball very much. Had a feel issue around the green, real or imagined doesn't matter. It was there for me. Liked the ball, wanted to love it, just couldn't. Played the Titleist Tour soft, like them didn't love them. Played the last month or so of our season with Pro V's. Liked better, I guess, still not in love. Was a Bridgestone E guy for a bit. Thought they progressively got stone like. From the original E6's to the newer ones. Played the E12's........no go for me.......Think either I'm getting fussier or senile in my old age........but I ain't giving up !!!!!!!!!!

I agree on the "soft" feel. I am not discounting the "soft" feel. In fact as I have said I loved the NXT soft. Loved its feel, sound and the ball itself. Just have not found that love with its replacement. My question was and is, do your think that a person with a slower swing speed can still find success with a ball comparable to the Pro V.

I think older golfers or golfers with slower swing speeds, are compelled to hit softer golf golf balls. At 62, I know my swing speed isn't what it was 20 or 30 years ago. So, all the major ball companies came up with their versions of the softer ball for slower swings. I bought it. I played the Titleist NXT Soft for years, and really liked them. Then, they rep[aced them with the Tour Soft. I don't like them as much. I was playing in a tournament with a guy who was in his early 70's. I told him my dilemma. Asked what did he play. He told me Pro V1s. I said don't you think your swing speed is a little too slow for them. He said that is pure unadulterated BS. After being a tester for the Snell MTB's, I found I did hit them longer. I found some extra spare change in the ashtray and bought a dozen of Pro Vi's. Been playing them for about 3 weeks and I must say I am hitting them longer than the NXT's or the Tour Softs. I still have 3 of the Snell's left from our tests, and they are comparable in distance to the Pro V's. What do you guys think? Do you think the swing speed is a little over rated for the use of Pro V's and/or other premium balls from Bridgestone, Taylormade and others??????????? I'm starting to think so.

Good advice, on the swing tweaking and not revamping. This dog is too old for major changes and not enough time or patience to put in. I know that things "ain't built in a day". I just want to get back to where I was. Which was playing pretty steady golf, having good days and bad days, scoring wise. I have played less. And have played a little better. Short season up in New England so don't want to let too much of what's left go by.

Quick question to my fellow Spysters. It is a hard question for me to talk about. Kind of like saying the word shank or yips in the middle of them. For about 2-3 weeks , right after my course's member/guest. During it's Senior Club Championship and continuing through the waning weeks of my twi-light league. I have lost my swing. I can't get an iron air borne. My driver has developed at best a large fade at worst a slice. My natural ball flight is left to right not right to left. No tempo what so ever. My brain is a total mess. I went out in the Senior CC and shot a 97, 5 balls went OB. My wife, who plays no golf, says it's in my head. I can't argue that. I played the other night, didn't score well but started hitting a few good,natural shots. I went in with the mind set of NO mind set. It seemed to help, probably not for the long run. But, short term it may be my only way back to sanity and better golf.

I think the hexagon shaped dimples of the late '70's and early 80's belonged to Pro Staff (Wilson). I used them in high school. Maybe Maxfli had them too.

Read all the reviews. I think there was honesty in all. I like the praise of the X but also how some found faults and short comings. I think the variety of comments gives validity and honesty to the reviews. Again, i thoroughly enjoyed doing my part of the testing. Enjoyed reading the phases and the different methods of testing by my fellow testers. To my northern friends enjoy the rest of the golf season. To my southern friends, you lucky #@$%@*&) enjoy your never ending golf season.

Played twice this weekend...High heat (over 100 heat index) and humidity. I will say this emphatically, the Snell MTB's durability was much greater than mine. Don't know how you Southern boys do it all summer long. Glad the temps here in New England are modifying this week.

One of the best sites I've found on anything golf is golfinfoguide.com. It will show every golf ball known to man, or woman. Nice site.

I have a pair of Sketcher spikeless. Also, Addidas and Foot Joy soft spikes. Comfort wise the Sketchers and foot joy win. Spike or Spikeless, pretty much 6 of 1, half dozen of another. The exception being wet conditions. For me spikes win that battle. With constant grooming of the wet grass in the spikes. My course has the spike brushes attached to the ball washers, so that comes in handy getting the grass out of the spikes.

How much longer do we have before we enter into Phase 2 ? Not rushing the process, just curious as to when I should start my final analysis.

Nice Shot !!!!!!!!!

Whacked the Snell around, one day this weekend. Had a very bad 9 holes. Went back to one of the old stand bys on Sunday, had a very good 9 holes. Not blaming or crediting either golf ball. Most likely the swinger. Just saying !!!!!

#5 Jimmy Walker Winning Score.....-14

I have a question to my fellow testers. Out of the dozen Snell's we received, how many do you have left in play. I lost 3, and retired 4 due to wear or tree or cart path damage.. So I have 5 left. 2, I am playing now and 3 still in the sleeve.

I.m older...been called cranky, lol....definitely a traditionalist......Wilson..maybe good for Wilson.....Titleist new irons look good....music on the course...is that even a question...save the music for a night club, beach or a concert....correct I voted NO !!!!!!!!!

Actually I'm out before anyone is on.......what I've been doing(twice, right now) is I play all 4 balls at the same time for the 4 holes I mentioned previously. I also am logging the distances of drives, 150 shots and 100 yard shots of the 4 balls. It is a little time consuming but not bad.

Nice presentation.........you got me humming the "Grand Tour"..."Step right up, come on in"..........

Since my course doesn't have an extensive practice area. I will be doing most of my testing on course. My plan, which I will post in my Staging area, is to play 4 holes on my course. Using 3 golf balls plus the Snell. Putting and chipping will be on these 4 holes but also around the courses putting green. I have started the course playing part of my testing, and will have updates soon.

Guys you have done a great job!!!!!! I'm have some difficulties loading pictures. Any advice ????????

Placeholder Stage 2 Snell MTB X Final Review Looks & Durability (# out of 15 points) 1. The X has a very professional look to it. Its graphic is conservative and functional. Its packaging is a nice color of blue that leans towards basic but very tasteful. It has a nice look all in all. 2. I found that the short term durability was very good. On one of the balls I noticed a little peeling on the cover. But, did not find that to be the case in all the balls *I played. I tried and play each ball for as long as was feasible. Not counting lost balls, I played each ball on an average of 36 holes and/or multiple hours of short wedge shots. I used only newer balls when I was putting testing. Out of the complimentary dozen, I used or lost 9. I still have one sleeve remaining unopened. 3. The X was more or as durable as the other 3 balls, I played alongside it. 4. The X was not Superman. It responded to cart paths, trees, and any other natural or man made objects, the same way any other ball. It scuffed, peeled or generally became unplayable. It also did NOT float. At least the one I hit in the drink, didn’t. Total Points 13 Sound & Feel (# out of 15 points) 1. To me the sound was crisp. Not, as crisp as my favorite ball. Which I will name later. It is also no longer in production. 2. Did not try the nail. But, it was as hard as two of the balls and not as hard as my 3rd ball. 3. I found that it’s sound did not impact a thing, the feel seemed to impact my irons slightly. 4. The sound of the driver, when well struck brought a smile. From 4 iron to 8, did not cause much of a reaction to me. 9 thru my wedges, chipping and pitching, was not its finest hour with me. Putting was a nice sound and good feel. Total Points 12 On Course Performance (# out of 40 points) Off the tee 1. The X was more than long enough compared to the other 3 balls I used. Was 10 yards longer than the E-6. It was comparable with the NXT Tour S and the Titleist Tour Soft. It compared favorably to the NXT and Tour Soft. Outperformed the Bridgestone E6 in distance. Accuracy was a little off until I got used to it. Approach 1. My home course has very tiny hard greens. It is quite a feat to make a ball stop on a dime from 150 yards. On the Par 3’s with my high ball flight, the X held well. I had some distance problems. Hitting it longer than normal with some clubs. I do experience that with the 2 Titleist at times. 2. Around the Green This is the area where I had my hardest time with X. I just never got comfortable on how hard to hit it. The click did not have the same sound or feel that I had got used to with the NXT Tour S. I’m sure it was not the ball but more me. But as we all know when confidence is down so is performance. 3. Putting The X putted well. It had a nice line on the ball for alignment. It sounded good and rolled true. 4. Ball flight My natural ball flight is on the high side. I also generally hit it slightly left to right with some top spin. Thus, I get some roll on the fairway. That basically stayed the same with X. I was pleased with the X off the tee. I liked it from the fairways and greens. Not so much as mentioned with the chipping. My scoring suffered noticeably at the beginning of the testing. It started to improve the more I played the X. Total Points 36 Misc (# out of 10 points) The X is a very good golf ball. It does what it is suppose do. It is a golf ball for its price, at the top of its game. Total Points 8 Game Bag or Shag (# out of 20) The X is definitely a Game Bag golf ball. Just not sure it is my Game Bag. I think the ball itself is fine. I think the golf ball is a very good golf ball. Just not sure it is my golf ball. Total Points 18 Total Points (# out of a 100) 87 Conclusion The Snell MTB X is a very good ball. I enjoyed it, 85% of the time. My testing was against the Bridgestone E6(which I used for a couple years) Titleist NXT Tour S (which I’ve used for 2 years, and much to my chagrin, has been replaced) and the Titleist Tour Soft (which I am having growing pains with). It is a far better ball than the 6. In my opinion is as good as the Tour Soft. But, it doesn’t compare to my NXT’s. They are my go to ball. But, as I mentioned The NXT is out of commission, I have 2 dozen left. So, a change is on the horizon it may be the Tour Soft or the MTB X. My advice to all the golfers out there is give the X a shot, it is a very good golf ball, maybe even great. It just isn’t MY ball right now. The other thing I heard and read on Golf Spy, and others, when you find a ball stick to it. Don't vary if satisfied. I like it a lot, I just don’t love it. I would like to thank Golf Spy for giving me this opportunity to do this test. It was a real pleasure. It was work at times, thus the compensation of a free dozen of balls. But, it was fun. It was a joy to read comments from other Spyers and fellow testers. I look forward to reading all the final reviews of the other testers. Again thanks for the opportunity it was a hoot. Keep swingin' it is the greatest game in the world !

Placeholder Stage 1 Hi, fellow Spysters, my name is Kevin E. Wonoski. I have quite a few nicknames, and answer to a bunch of them. Let’s just go with KevinE, for now. I turned 62 years old on June 14th. I love to golf, watch golf, talk golf, write about golf, and just about anything else concerning golf. I do love my wife and children and other things, but I really like golf. I live in Massachusetts. I do about 75% of my golfing in Massachusetts and about 75% of that, at my home course. I do play other courses in New England and usually a road trip or two to New York or some other northeast locale. I have had the opportunity, in my younger days, to golf in California, Hawaii, Florida, New Zealand, Philippines and Australia. If you haven’t already guessed, yes I was in the Navy. I was lucky enough to write golf course reviews/articles for on line golf site. The site is no longer up and running, but it was something that I enjoyed immensely. My game runs something like this. I play to around an 11 to 12 handicap. My swing speed, last time I checked ran around 90-98 mph.My driver goes about 220 -240, with an occasional 250+. I play around 4 times a week. My strengths, and there aren’t many, I drive the ball in the fairway. Not sure if I consider my putting a strength, but I am streaky good. My weaknesses, I don’t putt for a lot of birdies, so my second shot irons aren’t the most accurate. But, usually end up somewhere close and around the green. So, most of my birdie attempts are short chips or long putts from just off the green. Here lies my biggest weakness, short (inside 25 yards) chips from around the greens. They are stroke eaters for me. I hit a high ball from driver to wedge. This opportunity to test the Snell golf ball came at a perfect time. I currently play the Titleist NXT tour S (Gold Box), which has been replaced. I tried it’s replacement and not sold yet. So, I went to every on line golf retailer I could find and purchased my Gold Box. I have 6 dozen left, and when that is gone, I need to find a new ball. Have tried others, and just have not found the right one. Maybe just maybe these Snell’s are it. Ok still having picture troubles....working on that. Here is a small update on my testing procedures. My home course has no practice facility (chipping area, sand trap, driving range). It does have a putting green. So, the way I am going to run my test, is as so. I am going out early in the morning, before the course officially opens. Around 6 am. I am going to play 4 holes with 4 balls. 3 of the balls are ones that I have played regularly. Titleist NXT Tour S, The new Titleist Tour Soft and Bridgestone E6 Speed, and the Snell. The holes will be a short par 4, a mid range Par 3, a long Par 4 and a Par 5. I will do 50 to a 100 yard wedge shots at the course. Putting will be done on the practice green and at home. Testing has begun !!!!!!!! I have taken the Snell on its 4 hole jaunt, twice now. It has performed well, I have noticed that the distance is a little longer than the Bridgestone E6. As I said earlier, I am currently playing the older model Titleist NXT Tour S. The Snell MTB X is comparable to the NXT. A little longer off the tee at times. It's with my iron shots (150 and in), I am having trouble dialing in club to yardage. After the second trip, I decided that I would take the Snell along for play on my twi-light league night. After 4 holes, I went back to the NXT. No fault, on the Snell, just my confidence and calculations haven't reached the competition level , just yet. There will be more to come in the not to distant future. Ok, got the picture thing down. I think. Here are the 3 balls I have used or are using plus the Snell MTB X. Since, I have used or are currently using these golf ball, these are the balls I will be comparing to the Snell MTB X. I've been told that at my swing speed and skill level, I would be better off with a 2 piece ball. I currently am using a 2 piece ball and the Snell is 3 piece construction. I understand the 2019 Pro V is 4 piece construction. This may or may not be true. At this stage of my playing the MTB, I feel I have been hitting it well, just having a little distance control issues. As far as accuracy off the tee, I have not noticed any major or minor changes.. Also I had a small gallery during a 6 a.m. testing session. Day 4 of my 4 hole testing routine............being an early riser does have its benefits.... Still doing the 4 hole routine........Have done it 7 times, plan on 10 times. Also, started hitting it 80,60,40 yards. Have been putting it at the practice green and at home. With out giving any final analysis, I must say my scoring with Snell hasn't improved nor has it worsen. I have everything I want computed. so when the time comes to give it my final grade, the numbers and my personal feeling will be the outlying factors. Day 8...Red skies in the morning....... Today is 7/2....2 more days of the 4 hole 4 ball test....Should have this phase done by 7/4 or 7/5 ....I must say up to this point, I am mildly surprised at some things I've found in the 4 different balls. But, that is for my Final Stage Report. I hope all the fellow testers are enjoying this experience as much as I am. I am curious in the end how different, or how comparable each tester's final results will be. Day 9 Not one of the holes I'm playing..just sitting , waiting for the fog to burn off......... The final day of the 4 hole test is complete.....I have my results/opinion. Have also used the same 4 balls for approach and chipping tests. The putting tests are also completed. I am presenting the case to myself and waiting for the verdict to be determined.