Bohnson

I finished my initial observations from last week. On the back nine I played a match play event between the Srixon ZStar XV and the Gamer. Results: The Gamer won 3 holes (12, 15, 16) to the ZStar's 1 (18). I played well and no holes were given so this was a fun match. I was consistently longer off of the tee with the Srixon on this day. Observations from a 15MPH wind: The Srixon flew further on this day leading me to assume the Gamer may be effected by the wind more. The Gamer was shorter when the wind was hitting it compared to the first day I used it without wind and it seemed longer. Greenside spin was negligible as was putting firmness...I have an Odyssey #9 (soft insert). I think the Topflite reminds me of a Callaway chromesoft with the cover. Speaking of cover, it holds up really well as evidence from the attached pictures. The cover did not have any marks that would lead me to believe it would effect performance compared to a couple on the ZStar.

I think it is a Gamer! I have played two rounds with it and there is minimal difference between my normal gamer (Srixon). I think the cover is more durable on the Gamer, however the higher ball flight was getting hit by the wind during a couple of my tee shots.

My plan for testing include outdoor and indoor: 1) Get an initial feel for the ball putting, chipping, and then on the course. Playing two balls side by side for all shots. Record the outdoor observations. New Gamer ball 10 sand shots bunker - test cover Chip and putt to see feel and spin compared to XV. 2) Test the ball indoor using the GCQuad and a Foresight to get spin and ball speed. Hitting 6 shots with Srixon and 6 shots with the Gamer. I will throw out 1 shot for a total of 5 shots each. I will probably do this a couple of times. SW (full and partial), 8i, 4i, 3w, D New Gamer ball 10 wedge vs new Srixon to test cover

I was able to putt on the perfect practice matt, chip outside, and play 9 holes yesterday hitting two shots (1 with Srixon and 1 with gamer) to get an initial feel for the ball compared to my Srixon ZStar XV. Initial feel observations: maybe a little firmer feel on the putting, softer feel on driver and full shots, chipping was similar feel. Distance: The gamer flew further and higher than the XV the majority of the time (course was wet so no roll out). Short game Spin: the XV spun back on full wedges a bit more than the gamer. Overall it was quality and I definitely noticed a higher ball flight. I had one Gamer tee shot that kind of knuckle balled and did not carry as far as the Srixon. Cover seems durable, maybe more durable than the XV as the XV shows a little sign of the full wedge shots.

I received the Gamer Balls. Initial impressions Wins: cover feels good, color of the box, ball logo, performance characteristics Losses: I think the picture of the golfer playing the golf guitar is too much, I think the 11/10 for distance is overboard marketing... Needs: get rid of the guy on the box, add realistic performance characteristics...feel can’t be a 10/10 if it’s the firmest ball out there, use the side logo on the top of the box and the sleeves (that all black look would be saucy). Ah has: Interesting dimple pattern!

Intro Greetings from Ohio. Hi, I am a hockey player, but I here to talk about golf… I have played tournament golf from 2015-2019. Mostly spent this time in order to get ready for Active Duty Air Force golf. Which was a great experience where I was able to travel internationally to compete with other countries militaries. 2020 was a transition year where I did not play and practice as much as I normally do. I separated from the Air Force and started a new job/spent a significant amount of time volunteering as the State Director for the Veteran Golfers Association in Ohio. The Personal Questions Play out of Ohio – some great courses in this region How long have you been golfing? 23 years What do you NEED your ball to do for you? I need my golf ball to be consistent, feel right, and not over spin The Golf Questions What ball do you normally play and how did you choose it? Srixon ZStarXV (I choose this golf ball back in the day because the cover was more durable and it spun less than a ProV1) Currently a +0.4 Typical ball flight is high Typical miss is left Strengths: distance and short game Weaknesses: inconsistent First Impressions Please view the picture and packaging below! Initial impression of its feel was good, kind of a firmer feel on the cover, but the dimple pattern is unique. Initial impressions are that the box has good colors but the guitar guy is cheesy. Preconceived notions are that this ball is for higher handicappers who are looking for a bargain distance ball. Figure 1 Grizzly Adams playing in the guitar Wins: cover feels pretty good, box color is good, ball logo, performance characteristics, Interesting dimple pattern. Losses: I think the picture of the golfer playing the golf guitar is cheesy, I think the 11/10 for distance is overboard marketing... Needs: get rid of the guy on the box, add realistic performance characteristics...feel can’t be a 10/10 if it’s the firmest ball out there, use the side logo on the top of the box and the sleeves (that all black look would be better in my opinion). In playing around with the balls, the putting was a little “clicky” but the chipping was fine. The first time out on the course, I was surprised the golf ball performed well! ZStarXV spun back on full wedges a bit more than the gamer, gamer flew further and higher than the XV, maybe a little firmer feel on the putting, but softer feel on driver/full shots. I am looking for a golf ball to have consistent performance. I do not want my ball to get eaten up by the wind or spin too much. The ball needs to be more consistent earn a place in your bag or add significant distance My testing included outdoor and indoor: 1) Get an initial feel for the ball putting, chipping, and then on the course. Playing two balls side by side for all shots. Record the outdoor observations. New Gamer ball 10 sand shots bunker - test cover Chip and putt to see feel and spin compared to XV. 2) Test the ball indoor using the GCQuad get spin and ball speed. Hitting shots with Srixon ZStarXV and shots with the Gamer. SW (full and partial), 8i, 4i, D New Gamer ball 10 wedge vs new Srixon to test cover 3) I rolled putts every day and played 4 rounds with the Gamer, 1 launch monitor session to get numbers, and did some cover testing in the sand and played rounds where I played the two balls side by side. Figure 2 Gimmicky Guitar Guy Figure 3 could do without the 11/10 ranking Figure 4 Once again, the guy should probably go Figure 5 Balls are clean and the colors on the box are good! Figure 6 Unique dimple pattern Grading Looks & Durability (14 out of 15 points) Appearance/graphics/packaging can use some improvement Short term/long term durability was really good Dimple pattern was unique It has a different cover/dimple pattern & firmer short game feel to most premium As shown below the cover it holds up really well as evidence from the attached pictures. The cover did not have any marks that would lead me to believe it would affect performance compared to a couple on the ZStar. The Gamer did have a discoloration from a “woody”. I hit a tree, but it was not bad. Should be able to “game” the Gamer for multiple round. The individual ball below was a brand new pearly that I hit 15 full sand shots with to see if the cover would wear. It held up with barely any scuffs, Figure 7 More Wear on the XV after full rounds Figure 8 A little Woody Mark on the Gamer Figure 9 Small Scuff from Bunker Shots (minimal wear after 15 shots) Sound & Feel (11 out of 15 points) Describe how the product sounds and feels The Gamer is soft off the face and a little clicky off of the short game shots You can press a nail into the ball’s cover, however not as easily as the ZStarXV and definitely not as easy as a ProV. In your hand, it feels harder compared to other balls. The sound and feel did impact my performance in a noticeable way. I use an Odyssey White Hot putter so it has a soft insert. The sound could cause me react by easing up on putts The sound and feel for driver and irons was solid and not a noticeable difference between the ZStarVX. Putter was a little more firm feeling and sounding. On-Course Performance (35 out of 40 points) Off the Tee – The ball provided adequate distance (flew further than the XV) when it was not windy. The ball was fairly responsive, but not the most responsive ball I have ever used. Finding fairway was easier because it spun less as confirmed in the indoor testing. Approach – It adequately held the green under soft conditions. The ball launched and flew a little higher which I confirmed on the launch monitor. It is not the most workable ball for shot shaping. Ball Flight – The ball does fly! It stayed in the air forever which was good without wind. On the windy testing day, I lost distance shown below. I would say that my home course is fine with bigger fairways and not extreme winds because the ball flight is consistent. In general, the ball flight is predictable and consistent while chipping and pitching. Figure 10 The one time the Gamer got eaten up into the wind Around the Green – My confidence level in the Gamer was better than expected, but this ball is not going to “zip” if you want to hit a spinny hop and stop. It has some grab though so I would not be scared of it. This ball may be more of your “bump and runner”. I noticed that my partial wedge shots flew about the same distance and maybe a little bit higher flight and less spin. The higher ball flight resulted in the ball stopping in similar fashion to the ZStarXV. The greens were not firm and fast though. Would be interesting to test the ball on firm and fast greens. Chipping, the ball felt soft and spun similarly to the ZStarXV, I was pretty impressed with this chipping observation of the gamer! Putting – The Gamer came off a little hotter than the XV when putting so a little adjustment to my distance control is necessary. The markings on the ball are adequate to use for alignment, but not the best. Could use an extension on the side of the logo to make for a better alignment aid. The factors I am pleased with are the feel of the ball on most full shots, the increased launch height and decent full shot spin. I found the feel of putts to be a little lacking. Bottom line: it could help improve my scramble team’s scores on a downwind hole where I need to bomb it off of the tee! The dispersion of short game shots and partial wedge shots would keep me in my current ball. Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points) Packaging is gimmicky with the guy playing the driver guitar. Dimple pattern is different, but not terrible. I love the colors of the box and sleeves or balls. Wish they would have kept it simple. Maybe a name change too. Comments made by playing partners, “Top-Flite?” Game Bag or Shag Bag? (16 out of 20 points) I would put this product in play for a big tournament or money game. Does this product help you play your best? – I think you have to look to the PGA Tour. No one is playing a Gamer. The Gamer is it just nice to have for a scramble when you need to launch one and given the price it is pretty good! I think this product would best fit someone with a higher swing speed who plays in mild conditions. If you are playing firm and fast greens or windy/tough conditions this ball might hurt your game. Conclusion Bottom line up front is that the Gamer does not match my putter and wedges. It flew a little higher with the wedges and I want to hit my wedges a little lower. Putter felt a little firm. Distance and peak height off of the driver is good and I liked the feel of the Gamer. Durable cover with the Gamer. I am going to stick with the Srixon ZStarXV. I just lean towards the short game consistency and lower ball flight. The Gamer was probably better off of the tee in minimal wind conditions than my ball with the driver/irons, but it did not perform better with the wedges or have a soft feel coming off of the flat stick. Good looking box with a great coloring scheme! The guitar playing/Grizzly Adam’s bearded/flat brim sans logo bro on the front has to go! I think this is a downwind scramble driver ball. Tee it high and let it fly! Final Score: (84 out of 100) The ball performed better than expected! Assume a ProV1 is 100/100 and a feathery is 0/100. For your situational awareness I did a head to head match play round with both balls and the Gamer beat the ZStarXV J haha even though I am sticking with the Srixon based on my short game feels. Figure 11 Whiter cover than the XV Figure 12 Clean looking ball and logo Figure 13 Similar stopping distance on full wedges (soft greens)

How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? 23 years, +1 What do you love about golf? outside, the mental side of the game What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? unbiased information Where are you from? What is your home course? from MN, live in OH, Country Club of The North What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? It's affordable to play here compared to other states. The worst is the fact that we can only really play for 7 months of the year, or even less if you don't like the cold. What do you do for a living? Senior Cost Analyst for Foreign Military Sales How’d you pick your user name? College hockey nickname

Good morning from Dayton Ohio, How long have you been playing golf? 23 years What’s your handicap or normal score? +1.5 What do you love about golf? I like being out in nature and enjoying doing something athletic. I love playing in tournaments. Golf is incredibly challenging and I think that motivates me too. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? I like to learn and want the Inside scoop on products. Where are you from? What is your home course? Dayton Ohio, Country Club of The North What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? I would say that weather is the worst since we can’t play year round. The best is the abundance of courses in Ohio is the best. What do you do for a living? Government Cost Analyst How’d you pick your user name? First initial and part of my last name (was a nickname given to me while plying college hockey) I am originally from MN, the Air Force brought me to OH. I just separated from the Air Force in February. Still working for the Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB as a Senior Cost Analyst for Foreign Military Sales. I am also the State Director for the Veteran Golfers Association. We have 7 tournaments throughout the state, a regional championship, and a national championship (Trump Doral). The organization is open to Veterans, Active Duty, and family members (family members is loosely defined...if anyone has served in your extended family, you can sign up). I play in some local events around Dayton, the Golfweek Am Tour, and the Golf Channel Am Tour. Previously played golf for the Air Force and Armed Forces. -Brandon