cynogriffin

Holy Cow! I got 19th which is definitely my highest so far! Congrats to all the winners and MGS for putting these great contests together!

-22

Charley Hoffman -14

I never pick them up. I've filled too many ball pouches with balls I'll never use and weighed down by bag unnecessarily. I just leave them all now and play my ball that I know. Side note though: never take a ball out of the water. Golf balls are naturally hygroscopic which means that they absorb water from the environment around them. There's just too much science that shows that even balls that have just sat in water for a relatively short amount of time are significantly affected. My advice, if you're low on balls, don't care what you play, and find a clean one in the fairway or rough that looks like it was just lost that day, by all means take it if you're gonna use it. Leave all the others though.

I'm really loving the Srixon Z-Star. Might be just a tad over your budget at $40 a dozen or less, but they go on sale a lot (just came off a buy one get one free sale) and really perform for me as good or better than a Titleist ProV. Definitely worth checking out in my opinion.

I haven't got the chance to play the Snells yet, but I really like the standard Z-Star into wind. It performs really well compared to other balls I've tested and should have a tad lower ballflight than the XV. So the standard Z-Star gets my personal recommendation.

The Wilson blades will more than likely be my next set. They are stunning!

Golf Ball H2H #3: Srixon Z-Star vs. Taylormade TP5x In true head-to-head fashion, for this test I put the winners of the first two tests against each other. The Srixon Z-Star beat out its sister ball, the Z-Star XV, and the Taylormade TP5x took on the industry-leading Titleist ProV1x and emerged victorious. Now it's time to see which of these two winners can hold it's ground when pitted against each other. Most Noticeable Differences: TP5x is obviously a firmer ball and felt much better off the driver. Z-Star was fantastic into the wind and on approach shots into greens Other Notes: The distance comparison on this was actually much closer than I anticipated. The TP5x feels better off the driver (where I couldn't really feel how well or poor I was hitting the Z-Star due to it's softness) and actually goes farther when I'm hitting well, but the Z-Star goes surprisingly far as well. To be completely honest, I was actually hitting the ball better while using the Z-Star while swinging just OK with the TP5x, but the Z-Star actually held it's ground as far as distance is concerned and I wasn't able to tell too much of a difference between the two on this occasion. I was, however, hitting the Z-Star much straighter and was much more consistent with it. Like I said, it could've just been the day, but that's how they were performing for me when I tested them under the same conditions. The spin is another interesting comparison with these two. While I was getting plenty of spin with the TP5x (enough to where I would be totally satisfied gaming this ball), the Z-Star spin was incredible. I was holding greens from 200+ yards out with it! I had every confidence with the Z-Star to to play an aggressive game into and around the greens, and it really payed off in terms of GIR and scoring opportunities. When chipping, there was actually less of a difference and I was impressed with how both balls performed. The Z-Star is a softer feeling ball, if that's something you're into, but doesn't matter much to me personally. It was a very windy day when I conducted this test and this is where the Srixon Z-Star really shined. The TP5x, as noted in a previous test, is pretty good into the wind, but the Z-Star was outstanding! The flight was true, not letting the wind push it around on crosswinds and into the wind no ballooning and a piercing ballflight. It was an absolute dream! This is something that I kept noticing again and again during the course of this test and the ball kept wowing me the entire time. When putting, I honestly didn't feel much of a difference. If I really concentrated on it, I could tell the Z-Star was softer, but there was nothing really in it as the TP5x is pretty soft for an "x" model ball. There really wasn't much in it for me. Consistency was the another big difference I was seeing between the balls in this test. I was throwing darts with the Z-Star and hitting all my targets (even surprising myself on a number of shots) while it felt like I had absolutely no control at all over the TP5x. The TP5x was all over the place for me that day; it would go a long way but I could never get it going in the right direction or with the right shot shape. Could it be that the 5 layers where just too much for my game right now? Maybe, but all I can say for sure is that the Z-Star and I were clicking and I have the numbers to show for it. Lastly, both of these balls are top quality balls. Both feel and perform as a top-tier, premium ball should and I would be more than happy gaming either of these models. Both were good in terms of durability with the Z-Star taking the to seat. The TP5x did well except for one small scuff resulting from a direct hit on a tree, but nothing to cause me to take it out of play. The Z-Star, on the other hand, was an absolute tank of a ball! After 9 holes, this ball looked brand new, even after suffering its own bout with trees, rocks, etc. The Srixon Z-Star's durability is the absolute best of any ball I have ever used. Overall: The clear winner here for me has to be the Srixon Z-Star! Pretty much across the board (except for preferring the firmer feel of the TP5x off the driver) the Z-Star has outperformed the TP5x on this test. I didn't really sacrifice any distance by using the Z-Star, while gaining so much control, a great ballflight, amazing spin, and overall just an outstanding performance. The Z-Star gives me everything I could possibly ask for in a ball and I'm loving it so far!

My point is, they are not serious options that compete with the field. For instance, why did you buy a Cleveland putter and wedge instead of a Wilson? Or Callaway woods and wedge? Or a Cobra driver? Because the Wilson options in the same categories don't compare. If they did, people (and Tour players) would use them and tout them as quality products. The only clubs the 5 whole Wilson staffers are using that are actually Wilson clubs are the irons and the wedges. NOT ONE Wilson staffer is using a Wilson wood (driver or fairways). The few people that get payed to play Wilson won't even touch their woods. That make the clubs a joke in my book. I agree the D7 was a step in the right direction, but once again it's not a result of a TV show. The Cortex was a gimmick. A driver produced from a "Golf Channel show to show design and make it fun" is the definition of a gimmick, which was my point. Not that every club they produce is a gimmick. The other clubs they produce just don't perform or compare to industry leaders and that's where they need to invest their resources if they want to compete and be taken seriously again.

Gimmicky because the driver doesn't perform. If Wilson put the same amount of resources as they did in a TV show into a dedicated R&D team who put as much research, development, and effort into their other clubs as they do their irons, they would be able to produce a quality product that performs as good as the best today. Wilson's irons are a good product and people know that and consider them a serious option and product, but all their other offerings are a joke. If Wilson wants "visibility" they will put up a product that compares to or beats your Taylormade, Callaway, or Titleist clubs. People will notice then.

I don’t think Wilson are back, but I do think they are coming back. They make some top quality irons no doubt and make a decent enough ball. If they would just focus their resources into serious, quality products across the board (drivers, woods, wedges, putters) instead of gimmicky, cheaper products, I think they could easily be a serious player in the equipment world again.

Yeah man, the 10 handicap comes from terrible inconsistency, which is really my primary focus this season (getting a consistent ballstrike and flight, hence trying to nail down a good ball to use consistently). Plus, like I said, the tees were a little forward and the wind was helping a bit, so I really got one out there on that hole. But yeah, I do have a higher swing speed and I really like a firmer ball and the TP5x has really been working for me and my game so far. I'm gonna continue to test the Srixon Z-Star XV because they are quality balls and a little cheaper. I've been looking at the Bridgestone Tour BX and really want to try it but can never really find them for a good price. I think the cheapest I found is on Amazon and I haven't gotten around to ordering any yet with all the sells going on at the moment with other balls. The only others I might try on the back end of the testing is the Maxfli Tours and Snell MTB-X because they seem to be working for some others here and are also some cheaper options.

Just a quick update on the ball testing: I'm really digging the TP5x at the moment. Drove a green with it (actually over the green as it was on the back fringe) on a 300+ par 4 (scorecard said it was 359 yards, but I think it was playing a little shorter that day with the wind helping a bit). I'm loving it off the driver and haven't had any complaints with it around the greens yet, so it's definitely proving to be a strong competitor in my tests so far! I'm curious to see if anything can beat it out as I test some of the Srixons further. I'm continuing to test a bit with the ProV1(x) and they're definitely good balls, but for me and my game I'm seeing similar or better performance from other, cheaper options (well pretty much everything is cheaper right?). I'm just not seeing a dramatic improvement in my game or the consistency or quality of the ball with the Titleist to justify the cost. I'll probably also be throwing in the Bridgestone Tour BXS in this test just to give it a try and possibly the standard TP5 as well as giving the Maxfli Tour balls a try. I want to make sure to give everything I can a decent test before I clean out the bag and settle on one as the definitive gamer for the next couple years. The next head to head review is on it's way!

I agree. I tried a few rounds using the line on the ball and my putts per round went up, not good. After lining the ball up (if I could get it lined up without the ball rolling over or shifting and moving the line), it always looked off after I stood over it. I was finding it hard to commit to the line and when I did, it definitely didn't help. I have much less putts per round when I don't use the line and when I do it just slows down my round and negatively affects my game. That's just me though. I feel like a lot of my green-reading comes from reading the green at a distance behind the ball and then confirmed once I set up to the ball and can feel the slope with my feet. Sometimes what I lined up with the line would disagree with what I was feeling/seeing once I was over the ball.

The T100 look an awful lot like the Ping i E1 set (if anyone remembers those) that I currently game.

Haotong Li -14

Golf Ball H2H #2: Srixon Z-Star vs. Z-Star XV Srixon is definitely a dark horse and generally underrated in terms of their premium golf ball offerings. As such, I was very excited for this test between the Z-Star and the Z-Star XV. Having never played a premium Srixon ball before, both of these balls were totally new to me. Let's see what they have to offer! Most Noticeable Differences: XV did seem to go a few yards longer on well-struck shots from the tee XV was a hair firmer on drives and putts Standard Z-Star did produce more spin into and around the greens Other Notes: As aforementioned, on well-struck shots, the Z-Star XV did seem to have a slight advantage in terms of distance, most notable on the driver with a good amount of roll-out. That being said, I was hitting the standard Z-Star extremely well so it was hard to see too much of an immediate difference between the distance of the two, and therefore I didn't feel like I was giving anything up by playing the Z-Star. When it comes to the ball flight, I actually think the standard Z-Star had a higher flight. Once again, this could just be due to the fact that I was hitting better shots with the Z-Star, but it was consistent throughout the 9 holes I played it and even compared to the good shots hit with the XV. On approach shots, the standard Z-Star definitely had more spin and consistently stopped on the pitch mark or even rolled back some. Perhaps the most noticeable difference between the two models was how they performed around the green in terms of chipping. The XV rolled out more on every shot compared to the Z-Star that produced more of a "bite" on the chips with it. Also the XV was a touch firmer on putts (which I actually preferred), however both of these were really soft balls. As far as quality is concerned, both of these balls are top-notch. They have perhaps the best durability of any of the balls I have tested so far. After 9 holes with each, they both legitimately still looked brand new. This definitely surprised me because I have played a couple of Srixon Soft Feel balls where the outer coating on each one starts to flake off after just a few holes. But both of the Z-Star models were impressive and exceptional in this regard. Both are definitely a high-quality product to be compared with industry leaders like Titleist. Also bonus points for the color of these balls. They are a really bright white which helps finding them and distinguishing them from others on the course. The bright color also had the effect for me of making these balls appear slightly larger than others (I compared them to a Titleist ProV1x). And extra bonus points for being available in yellow as well! Overall: To be honest, I am totally impressed with both of these offerings from Srixon. If you're looking for a new ball that is tour quality and cheaper than the competition, you definitely need to have these on your list to try. As far as my personal testing of these go, I wasn't playing all that great when I tested these, so I might have to revisit this test, but I did get to know these balls and was able to get some good results of their performance for my game. I think if you're a soft ball person, you could play either of these. If you are coming off of the Chrome Soft (maybe as a result of the MGS testing) and looking for a really soft ball that still performs exceptionally (as in won't rob you of 10 yards on every shot), then the standard Z-Star is for you. The bottom line here, though, is that the XV goes a hair farther for me, but does sacrifice some performance around the green, so it comes down to what you're looking for or what you're game needs. For me, out of the two, I have to go with the standard Z-Star! I was hitting this ball lights out when I tested it and I loved the performance on my approach shots (I hit 3 more GIR with this model compared to the XV). It gave me the distance I wanted coupled with the control I needed.

The seam on a golf ball is where the two halves of the cast meet in the production of the ball, and on a lot of cheaper balls is visible in the finished product as a circumference around the ball with no dimples. So yeah, in the picture there, it is the "gap" in the dimple pattern that goes all the way around the ball.

I totally agree with you. For all of the balls that I'm testing, I bought a dozen of each model, all on sale. I would've only bought a sleeve, but my club marks up the sleeves to a ridiculous price and I can't justify paying $12-13 for 3 balls. But at least this way with the dozen, I can give each a fair shake, in case I just might not have been hitting well or whatever on the round I initially test them. Good question though! I never understand why you would buy 3 dozen of a ball you've never played before.

Yeah, I've looked around at some of the DTC brands and the only one I'm really thinking of considering is Snell (MTB-X model). I think it's the only one that really comes close to matching the quality, consistency, and performance of a trusted/proven brand like a Titleist, Taylormade, or Bridgestone. But if someone wants to put some of their tests with the DTC models here, that is more than welcome and I'm definitely interested

Dude I'm not sure there's a single serious golfer on this site who's hasn't seen that test! But thanks anyways and maybe there will be some who come to this thread that may not have seen it yet. I did however use that test as a reference for the balls I will be considering in this post. Thanks!

Golf Ball H2H #1: TP5x vs. ProV1x To start off this series, I picked a battle of two giants! The Titleist ProV1x has long been recognized as the definitive "best ball in golf," however with the somewhat recent news of PGA Tour star Rickie Fowler making the shocking switch from the ProV1x to the Taylormade TP5x, there has been a spark in discussion on how good the TP5 really is. So what better way to begin? Let's jump into the test! Most Noticeable Differences: ProV1x seemed noticeably better into wind. TP5x definitely feels softer, but not too soft. Other Notes: As far as distance is concerned, TP5x definitely seemed longer on a number of shots (especially those less effected by the wind). I overshot a few greens with the TP5x and thought it might be club choice, however after testing other balls from the same spots, the TP5x was just longer. Also I had some monster drives with the TP5x. Around the green, in terms of approach shots and chipping, there really wasn't much difference when it came to the way the balls performed. I did seem to like the TP5x just a hair more. I seemed to hold the greens on a few shots I thought would roll off and I really liked the ball characteristics when chipping (almost had a few go in), but all that could just be attributed to better ball-striking (it was the 2nd 9) or personal preference/feel. I would guess they perform similarly in this category going off just data alone. On the greens, they both performed very similarly off the putter and I really couldn't tell a difference between the two. Both felt great! The TP5x might have just a touch softer feel (as aforementioned), but I really couldn't tell off the putter. Overall I think I sunk more putts with the TP5x, but again that's probably not the ball. Durability was definitely a tie! I was surprised to see a huge scuff mark on the ProV1x after about 8 holes of use, but it could have very well just been a freak thing. The TP5x help up surprisingly well (even after a direct hit off a tree that bounced back into the fairway) considering all the reviews and things I've read about it's durability issues. I had no problems at all with the TP5x in terms of durability! Overall: Both balls performed extremely well and there really wasn't a whole lot of stark contrasts between the two in this matchup. The ProV1x, as expected, was a super consistent ball that was playing well into the wind and had no real weakness to speak to. The TP5x actually surprised me in a lot of ways (as I have never played or tried a Taylormade ball before) with the only downside being what I saw of it struggling a little bit with the wind. Now on to which one I would choose between the two. Surprisingly, I would have to go with the TP5x! Like I've said, it does seem to struggle with the wind on occasion for me, however considering the distance gains, added feel around the green (for me), and the fact that they run around $5-10 less a dozen than the ProV1x, this ball is too good to ignore. The ProV1x is obviously still an excellent ball with top tier quality control, consistency, and performance. For me though, I believe, based on my personal experience with these two balls and the results from this first test, that my game would benefit more from what the TP5x has to offer.

This is a thread for those who are interested in reading or sharing golf ball comparisons! Personally, I am in the stage of personal ball testing to try to find my next gamer for the next season or two. As such, I have been and am in the process of testing a variety of premium golf balls to see which fits my game and personal preferences. My posts in this site will be coming from off my new website (linked here for those who might want to check it out: https://griffinc6.wixsite.com/golfreviews) and will be in the form of a head to head matchup between two of the balls I am considering. During my tests, I will be taking two different models to the course and playing 9 holes with each in the same round, same day, and same conditions. In my posts, there won't be much in the way of technical data other than distance (measured via Shot Scope) but will rather be how I experienced the balls in terms of distance, spin, flight characteristics, performance and fell around the green, putting, quality, durability, and consistency. Once again, for my posts here, these are by no means a scientific test, but rather what I prefer, what I see, and how the balls perform for me. Therefore whatever performs for me might not translate to your game or your experiences with these products. I also invite everyone to post your own comparisons, head-to-heads, and reviews here as well! Now that that is out of the way, let the discussion begin!

Just a heads up to those interested in picking some of the 2017 models: Dick's has a sale today where you can get 2 dozen for $50 of Z-Star/XV, 1 dozen TP5/x for $30 each, and 1 dozen ProV1/x for $40 each. FREE SHIPPING. Figured some might want to stock up on some quality balls for cheap! -CG

For you, I think it really comes down to just a a couple factors: 1) Do you like a soft or firm feel? 2) What does your swing speed and spin characteristics dictate? 3) You've already stated you want a budget ball. A couple of points on this factor. First off, at least according the ball test here (and apparently Mr. Snell as well), swing speed and compression have no real correlation, meaning compression isn't relevant whether you swing fast or slow, BUT generally higher compression (firmer) balls perform better in distance than softer (low compression) balls due to lower spin characteristics off the driver. Hence the mantra "soft is slow." However if you prefer the softer feel, it's best to use a soft ball that still has high performance characteristics (like your ProV1, TP5, Z-Star), which is part of the reason these balls cost so much. They are made with a urethane cover that is more durable and strong (as a material) so it can be crafted to feel soft whilst maintaining the highest performance characteristics. The reason why you don't see many soft ionomer balls is simply because the material becomes weak if it is soft and can't perform (which is why companies will drop the compression way down (I've seen as low as 55) on these "soft" ionomer balls to achieve a similar feel whilst keeping the cover still relatively hard and performing). The point being, if you prefer a softer ball, urethane is the way to go because you don't sacrifice performance for feel. If you're losing a lot of urethane balls off the tee, that is a pretty solid indicator that you produce a lot of spin with your driver. Typically, compared to an ionomer ball, a urethane ball will produce more spin (especially noticeable on the driver) and thus will contribute to more errant shots. As previously stated, ionomer balls will have a firmer feel (or should if you don't want to suffer from the ultra low compression balls) and thanks to that, they will spin slightly less off the tee, helping to reduce unwanted sidespin that can cause your hooks and slices. This is why you hit these straighter. Once again, if you wanted a urethane ball to perform similarly to this, you would have to fork over more money than you said you are comfortable with for the low spinning premium options like the ProV1x, TP5x, Z-Star XV. Factoring your preference on budget in, you are much better going with the low spinning ionomer ball for your driver characteristics to keep more balls in play since the urethane options for your swing would be far too pricey. Taking the above points into account, as long as 1) you aren't a die-hard soft feel guy 2) you don't care much about, or can't tell much difference with, touch around the greens and 3) committed to your sub-20 quid budget, then ionomer is definitely the best fit for you. Furthermore, once you are able to develop and improve your game and keep more balls in play to be able to justify the cost, I would definitely start looking at the low driver spin urethane options (ProV1x, TP5x, BX, Z-Star XV). Hope this helps and at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you play as long as you're having fun! -CG