2018 Official Forum Member Review - Snell MTB Black & Red

[kingcscott]

Nice review, Scott!

 

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thank you

 

 

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[ole gray]

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/22972-official-forum-member-review-snell-mtb-black-red/?p=386463

 

My Stage Two is up....

 

If I can offer a personal opinion that isn't already covered or answer any questions... Hit me up.

 

Great job Scott!     I picked up a dozen reds and I'm having good success with them.  Now I plan to try the blacks .

[kingcscott]

Yeah I want to give the Blacks a shot as well. But the Reds are pretty great for me.

I played them with a new Mizuno ST180 this week I borrowed from a friend who is a demo rep and was playing with me. The combo was perfect. Just perfect. I averaged 20 years longer with great dispersion over my 10+ year old Mizzy.

Damn, now I need a new long stick.

 

 

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[kingcscott]

i have one left from my sample I am playing today. I was playing so bad for a little bit I lost the others quick. Heartbroken

 

 

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lost it in the fourth hole, before I could give it a real test. Grrrr

 

 

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[dhartmann34]

Well the Black doesn't float! #FloodedBunker

 

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[tommc23]

Well the Black doesn't float! #FloodedBunkerIMG_20180513_093414.jpeg

 

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Wow the inflator must be broken on the core lol

 

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[MattF]

Yeah I want to give the Blacks a shot as well. But the Reds are pretty great for me.

I played them with a new Mizuno ST180 this week I borrowed from a friend who is a demo rep and was playing with me. The combo was perfect. Just perfect. I averaged 20 years longer with great dispersion over my 10+ year old Mizzy.

Damn, now I need a new long stick.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

 

How does that work? 

[dhartmann34]

How does that work?

Fountain of youth at that course!

 

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[kingcscott]

Fountain of a driver 10 years newer. I have an old Mizzy MX500. The St180 is just better for me.

 

 

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[MaxEntropy]

My Stage 2 is up. Please let me know if you have any questions/comments.

 

This has been a blast! I just hope I have done the process some justice.

[ole gray]

Snell MTB Red – Official MGS Forum Review by MaxEntropy

 

 

Conclusion

 

Overall, I was very pleased with the performance of the Snell MTB Red. It was every bit as long as the Titleist NXT Tour S, with initial results suggesting it might be even a few yards longer off the driver. I saw very little difference in the performance off full iron shots and with a putter. Where I believe the Snell performed extremely well was chipping and pitching. I was very impressed with the stopping ability of the Snell on these shots. Being a golfer who usually does not get much spin, I believe the ability to spin these short shots will help my game, in the long run, because I will have more shot options available to me. If you are the type of golfer that struggles to stop the ball in your short game, you need to try this ball. The only downside I found with this ball is the firm sound on short shots. I am still not quite used to the sound as it reminds me of historically low grade balls (Top Flite, Pinnacle, etc.). Due to the performance, I am willing to get used to the sound.

 

Final Score: 86.

 

Great job!  Very through and it's obvious you put a lot of effort into your review.  

[MaxEntropy]

Great job! Very through and it's obvious you put a lot of effort into your review.

Thanks, OG!

 

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[tommc23]

Nice stage 2s so far

 

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[MattF]

@MaxEntropy Nice stage 2 mate, was that at Mud Run by chance?

[MaxEntropy]

@MaxEntropy Nice stage 2 mate, was that at Mud Run by chance?

 

Yes it was. All my rounds were either Mud Run (18) or Raccoon Hills (27)

[dhartmann34]

Nice job on the Stage 2's so far guys! 

 

My Stage 2 coming in the next couple days. It's done, but I'm trying to get my videos and pictures situated :-)

[DPattGolf]

Great starts to Stage 2's guys! Like DHartmann34, my Stage 2 will be coming shortly!

[kingcscott]

So I spent the weekend at a member guest tournament playing my OG Snell MTB's (I mismanaged my stock of Reds). They were just as good as they used to be, but not as good as the Reds have been to me. The OG approach shots were not as sticky as I wanted them to be. They certainly stopped but didn't seem to have the few feet of draw back with a proper strike I had seen with the Reds. They also didn't seem to be as tough and showed a bit more wear than the Reds had.

I think I am gonna get a couple boxes of Blacks started this way and see how they treat me. I am tempted to just keep with Red, but I am going to give the Black Snells a proper go.

 

 

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[dhartmann34]

Alrighty....Stage 2 is up. Hope you guys enjoy it. I enjoyed putting it together. Don't mind the video work. I'm nowhere near a professional. Haha. Any questions...please ask away! :-) 

[STUDque]

Alrighty....Stage 2 is up. Hope you guys enjoy it. I enjoyed putting it together. Don't mind the video work. I'm nowhere near a professional. Haha. Any questions...please ask away! :-)

Great work pal. Thoroughly enjoyed the video content.

 

 

Everyone else, be on the lookout! The rest of the stage 2 reviews should be trickling in very soon.

 

This is a cool review because there's so many reviewers with different opinions on the balls. Add that to all the non-testers with personal experiences to share and this thread has some serious value for those in the ball market.

 

Thumbs up y'all

 

 

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[dhartmann34]

Great work pal. Thoroughly enjoyed the video content.

 

 

Everyone else, be on the lookout! The rest of the stage 2 reviews should be trickling in very soon.

 

This is a cool review because there's so many reviewers with different opinions on the balls. Add that to all the non-testers with personal experiences to share and this thread has some serious value for those in the ball market.

 

Thumbs up y'all

 

 

Sent from carrier pigeon using MyGolfSpy

Thank you sir! Really fun to do. Hope some folks hey some information from it.

 

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[03trdblack]

I have added my Stage 2 thoughts after a few months of testing.  LINK

[Sham]

Great reviews, can't say enough good things about Snell, played the OG MTB last year and have not found a better ball, ordered the sample pack a few weeks ago and the packing slip included a thank you note from Dean Snell, all class.

[PING Apologist #9]

Great reviews, can't say enough good things about Snell, played the OG MTB last year and have not found a better ball, ordered the sample pack a few weeks ago and the packing slip included a thank you note from Dean Snell, all class.

I received the same letter from Dean when I received my box of Blacks to try and was blown away! True class indeed!

[PING Apologist #9]

My Phase-2 has been posted. Please follow the link for the read and I hope you all enjoy it!

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/index.php?/topic/22972-Official-Forum-Member-Review---Snell-MTB-Black-%26-Red/page__view__findpost__p__386476

Thanks again MGS and a huge thank-you to Dean Snell! What a great journey and it was an honor to do this. I hope my eval helps shed some light on these golf balls for those who may be looking for something other than a PV1 with at a better $-point.

Any questions or comments out there Spies, I'll be glad to hear them

Cheers!

[kingcscott]

Stage Two-The Review

 

Snell MTB Red Golf Balls-Official MGS Forum Review by: PING Apologist #9

 

Greetings again my fellow Spies! Been hard at it gathering data on these little orbs and now is the time to give you the best report I can on them. I've played these in four full 18-hole rounds, hit a single sleeve of them over, and over again into my net here at home and had several practice sessions pitching/chipping and putting with them. However, I was unable to get the chance to gather launch monitor data…for that I humbly apologize. Without hard numbers from a “LM”, this review will be much more subjective than I had hoped, but really, that's how we play the game really, so onward.

Looks & Durability (12 out of 15 points)

The appearance of the packaging was nice, and certainly unique.

IMG_20180526_081408597.jpg

These would definitely stand out on a retail shelf if they were marketed that way, and there'd be no question as to what you are looking at. My only gig on the packaging as I stated in my Phase-1, was the lack of any outward verbiage stating point-of-manufacture. Well, I failed to notice (or bother to look) at the inside of the main box top, and there this was…

IMG_20180526_081509802_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg

For me not a show-stopper, but not a “plus” either as I would certainly be willing to even pay a little extra for a product made-in-the USA which I do for my current Bridgestone's.

IMG_20180526_084302435_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg

Anyhow, the pack of a dozen come in standard 3-ball sleeves and each sleeve has either 1, 2, 3 or 4 numbered balls. The graphic design on the ball is nice-I especially like the big S with the bit of red and the script used for the name Snell is unique also. I think these little attributes help make these stand out from many other balls which only use black lettering & graphics for everything except for maybe the number.

IMG_20180526_081658468.jpg

I'd rate durability of these babies on the high end the scale. After obliterating 3 of them over-and-over into my net with everything my bag had to offer, there was hardly a mark on them or any type of roughness on the shells.

IMG_20180526_082201298.jpg

Out on the course, a whole new level of brutality was undertaken from this “around” 30-handicapper. Indeed, while knocking them off of, trees, rocks and even center-punching the occasional house or two, I found that these spheres mostly just took it all in. Occasionally, a glancing “rub” off of a tree (or 6!) would give me a yellowish or even greenish blemish that your normal/standard course ball washer could not overcome.

IMG_20180526_082110847.jpg

Even a good scrubbing with a scratchpad at home deal with it either. But the covers were hardly scratched at all and proved to be very tough overall. Despite everything I threw at them, these proved to be very durable and will last a the better-than-average golfer a good deal of rounds (should you find them...!).

The alignment aid is “OK” and certainly functional but compared to my E6's very large and prominent arrow, it is a little small for these old eyes.

IMG_20180526_082420452.jpg

I also thought the alignment aid just looks too much like a PV1 with just a tick more boldness in comparison.

IMG_20180526_082927459_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg

I felt this too was worthy of a small deduction to my bottom line score and feel that Snell could do something more “Snell-like” to be a little more unique. Perhaps a little bolder and maybe with some color…like “Snell red”...?

Sound & Feel (13 out of 15 points)

The sound of these was certainly a departure for me from what I was used to. Having only really played the E6 Softs, I really didn't know what to expect for “sound”. Well, let me tell ya, indeed there is a sound difference between balls…Yes, the reports are true! E6's off the driver are a dull “thunk” where these go “thwack”! Though they compared very similar to both sound and feel off most clubs to the PV1, though these Reds felt slightly “softer” and maybe a smidge “quieter” than the “#1 lost ball on tour” …I liked them better than the PV1's mainly in this regard.

That said, I felt that overall, I was not getting the most out of these, and the sound was telling me so. My swing speed (moderate at best with driver at maybe 87-90-mph) was just not generating what even I could tell “full compression” on many shots. Sometimes I may center-punch a solid iron or wedge that gave a satisfying “tink” sound that I never get with my E6's but is was less often and most likely attributed to a swing that's still under construction. However, the few shots that I nailed were easily recognized as “pure” and generally resulted in a positive yield toward a decent score posting. The biggest difference for me on feel was definitely around the greens. I have great confidence in these that they'll stop sooner than my E6's given similar swings and I began counting on that fact not long after starting using them. Indeed, a golf balls construction will make a difference in performance and these live up to that claim.

On-Course performance (40 out of 50 points)

Off the tee, I noticed a definite difference in distance with these. They seemed to jump off the driver face and were…well… “livelier” than my E6's. My shot-shape (L-R) stayed the same overall but in the wind, I think they were somehow more susceptible to movement from the breezes, though I really only “felt” that way and have no real data to support this observation. The PV1's had similar feel and performance off the tee (even in the wind) but after playing both of those, it seemed that my E6's were a little more “forgiving” in general, though certainly shorter. It most likely has everything to do with spin I'm guessing. But, would I give up the extra distance over better accuracy? Likely not.

Approach shots were great and they actually held my current yardage/gap-chart to a “T” and I was confident that so long as I hit it correctly, they'd at least go as far as I expected it to and stop within reason. This was the case on more shots than I could count and it was a definite plus.

Around the greens, same thing. I had utmost confidence in these to do their job and they certainly lived up to the claim of a softer “feel”. In this regard-Job Done!

Putting was different in both sound and fell from the E6's. These have more of a solid feel off the putter face and a generally satisfying sound. They also seemed to roll fairly true as well. I really liked these on the green and they gave me a ton confidence-Heck, I even made my first & second solo birdies with a Snell MTB Red! You bet that I'm a fan!

IMG_20180422_142125358.jpg

Game Bag or Shag Bag? (5 out of 20 points)

I've had to think long and hard on what I would state in this section, but I think that for me, the MTB Reds simply do not fit my current game profile. While testing, they certainly opened my eyes that golf balls are full of technology, and that differing materials and or manufacturing processes certainly do have impact to a golfer's overall performance. These helped me wake up and notice that there may be some validity ball maker's claims of “feel” or “distance” after all. I certainly wouldn't take their word for it without a grain of salt, but as a golf ball purchaser, it is at least a starting point if you are looking for some special characteristic. Snell Golf makes these specific statements about the MTB Red on their website:

• 4-piece construction with 338 dimple patternü
• Urethane cover providing short game control, excellent feel and durabilityü
• NEW inner mantle layer increasing spin on short irons for approach shotsü
• Our Dual-Feel Technology, providing a bit firmer feel on longer shots while continuing MTB's soft feel on short shotsü

So, I'll take their word about the construction and dimple count, but the other 3 points claimed here have all been pretty much verified throughout my testing; short game control, feel & durability, higher spin (I held more greens), firm off driver and softer with short shots.

Indeed, the Reds nailed it on all counts of their claims, so why do I rate these as more of a wall hanger than gamer, you ask? Simple. My swing speed is far too slow to take full advantage of all the premium features this ball offers.

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RQC1rluH4KoYmvK52

 

I feel that a more advanced golfer with a driver swing speed higher than 95-mph would certainly benefit more from this product than I ever could. However, if handed a new box of them to try again, I'd hit ‘em in a heartbeat! Therefore, the score of 5.

Conclusion

Overall, the Snell MTB Red is a high-quality, durable, top-end golf ball that offers what I observed as “rival” performance to the premium offerings of top-tiered makers such as Titleist, Taylormade, Srixon, Bridgestone & Callaway. I believe it mostly resembles the Pro V1 in all aspects and gives that particular model a serious run for its money. If you currently use PV1's, this ball would perform as well or even better than those I believe, and especially so in the hands of a more skilled golfer than I. At roughly $17 less per dozen than PV1's, they are also very affordable. Packed with the same features and performance of the PV1 and at a lower price point, lower handicappers with high swing speeds (95 & above) should all give this Snell model a serious test drive-IMMEDIATELY!

For me...? Not so much. But Snell does offer the MTB Black which has characteristics that I believe may suit me better…but that little side test will just have to wait for a different day...Cheers all!

Final Score: 70/100

Nicely stated. I like your honesty

 

 

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[MaxEntropy]

Stage Two-The Review

 

Snell MTB Red Golf Balls-Official MGS Forum Review by: PING Apologist #9

 

Greetings again my fellow Spies! Been hard at it gathering data on these little orbs and now is the time to give you the best report I can on them. I've played these in four full 18-hole rounds, hit a single sleeve of them over, and over again into my net here at home and had several practice sessions pitching/chipping and putting with them. However, I was unable to get the chance to gather launch monitor data…for that I humbly apologize. Without hard numbers from a “LM”, this review will be much more subjective than I had hoped, but really, that's how we play the game really, so onward.

Looks & Durability (12 out of 15 points)

The appearance of the packaging was nice, and certainly unique.

IMG_20180526_081408597.jpg

These would definitely stand out on a retail shelf if they were marketed that way, and there'd be no question as to what you are looking at. My only gig on the packaging as I stated in my Phase-1, was the lack of any outward verbiage stating point-of-manufacture. Well, I failed to notice (or bother to look) at the inside of the main box top, and there this was…

IMG_20180526_081509802_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg

For me not a show-stopper, but not a “plus” either as I would certainly be willing to even pay a little extra for a product made-in-the USA which I do for my current Bridgestone's.

IMG_20180526_084302435_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg

Anyhow, the pack of a dozen come in standard 3-ball sleeves and each sleeve has either 1, 2, 3 or 4 numbered balls. The graphic design on the ball is nice-I especially like the big S with the bit of red and the script used for the name Snell is unique also. I think these little attributes help make these stand out from many other balls which only use black lettering & graphics for everything except for maybe the number.

IMG_20180526_081658468.jpg

I'd rate durability of these babies on the high end the scale. After obliterating 3 of them over-and-over into my net with everything my bag had to offer, there was hardly a mark on them or any type of roughness on the shells.

IMG_20180526_082201298.jpg

Out on the course, a whole new level of brutality was undertaken from this “around” 30-handicapper. Indeed, while knocking them off of, trees, rocks and even center-punching the occasional house or two, I found that these spheres mostly just took it all in. Occasionally, a glancing “rub” off of a tree (or 6!) would give me a yellowish or even greenish blemish that your normal/standard course ball washer could not overcome.

IMG_20180526_082110847.jpg

Even a good scrubbing with a scratchpad at home deal with it either. But the covers were hardly scratched at all and proved to be very tough overall. Despite everything I threw at them, these proved to be very durable and will last a the better-than-average golfer a good deal of rounds (should you find them...!).

The alignment aid is “OK” and certainly functional but compared to my E6's very large and prominent arrow, it is a little small for these old eyes.

IMG_20180526_082420452.jpg

I also thought the alignment aid just looks too much like a PV1 with just a tick more boldness in comparison.

IMG_20180526_082927459_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg

I felt this too was worthy of a small deduction to my bottom line score and feel that Snell could do something more “Snell-like” to be a little more unique. Perhaps a little bolder and maybe with some color…like “Snell red”...?

Sound & Feel (13 out of 15 points)

The sound of these was certainly a departure for me from what I was used to. Having only really played the E6 Softs, I really didn't know what to expect for “sound”. Well, let me tell ya, indeed there is a sound difference between balls…Yes, the reports are true! E6's off the driver are a dull “thunk” where these go “thwack”! Though they compared very similar to both sound and feel off most clubs to the PV1, though these Reds felt slightly “softer” and maybe a smidge “quieter” than the “#1 lost ball on tour” …I liked them better than the PV1's mainly in this regard.

That said, I felt that overall, I was not getting the most out of these, and the sound was telling me so. My swing speed (moderate at best with driver at maybe 87-90-mph) was just not generating what even I could tell “full compression” on many shots. Sometimes I may center-punch a solid iron or wedge that gave a satisfying “tink” sound that I never get with my E6's but is was less often and most likely attributed to a swing that's still under construction. However, the few shots that I nailed were easily recognized as “pure” and generally resulted in a positive yield toward a decent score posting. The biggest difference for me on feel was definitely around the greens. I have great confidence in these that they'll stop sooner than my E6's given similar swings and I began counting on that fact not long after starting using them. Indeed, a golf balls construction will make a difference in performance and these live up to that claim.

On-Course performance (40 out of 50 points)

Off the tee, I noticed a definite difference in distance with these. They seemed to jump off the driver face and were…well… “livelier” than my E6's. My shot-shape (L-R) stayed the same overall but in the wind, I think they were somehow more susceptible to movement from the breezes, though I really only “felt” that way and have no real data to support this observation. The PV1's had similar feel and performance off the tee (even in the wind) but after playing both of those, it seemed that my E6's were a little more “forgiving” in general, though certainly shorter. It most likely has everything to do with spin I'm guessing. But, would I give up the extra distance over better accuracy? Likely not.

Approach shots were great and they actually held my current yardage/gap-chart to a “T” and I was confident that so long as I hit it correctly, they'd at least go as far as I expected it to and stop within reason. This was the case on more shots than I could count and it was a definite plus.

Around the greens, same thing. I had utmost confidence in these to do their job and they certainly lived up to the claim of a softer “feel”. In this regard-Job Done!

Putting was different in both sound and fell from the E6's. These have more of a solid feel off the putter face and a generally satisfying sound. They also seemed to roll fairly true as well. I really liked these on the green and they gave me a ton confidence-Heck, I even made my first & second solo birdies with a Snell MTB Red! You bet that I'm a fan!

IMG_20180422_142125358.jpg

Game Bag or Shag Bag? (5 out of 20 points)

I've had to think long and hard on what I would state in this section, but I think that for me, the MTB Reds simply do not fit my current game profile. While testing, they certainly opened my eyes that golf balls are full of technology, and that differing materials and or manufacturing processes certainly do have impact to a golfer's overall performance. These helped me wake up and notice that there may be some validity ball maker's claims of “feel” or “distance” after all. I certainly wouldn't take their word for it without a grain of salt, but as a golf ball purchaser, it is at least a starting point if you are looking for some special characteristic. Snell Golf makes these specific statements about the MTB Red on their website:

• 4-piece construction with 338 dimple patternü
• Urethane cover providing short game control, excellent feel and durabilityü
• NEW inner mantle layer increasing spin on short irons for approach shotsü
• Our Dual-Feel Technology, providing a bit firmer feel on longer shots while continuing MTB's soft feel on short shotsü

So, I'll take their word about the construction and dimple count, but the other 3 points claimed here have all been pretty much verified throughout my testing; short game control, feel & durability, higher spin (I held more greens), firm off driver and softer with short shots.

Indeed, the Reds nailed it on all counts of their claims, so why do I rate these as more of a wall hanger than gamer, you ask? Simple. My swing speed is far too slow to take full advantage of all the premium features this ball offers.

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RQC1rluH4KoYmvK52

 

I feel that a more advanced golfer with a driver swing speed higher than 95-mph would certainly benefit more from this product than I ever could. However, if handed a new box of them to try again, I'd hit ‘em in a heartbeat! Therefore, the score of 5.

Conclusion

Overall, the Snell MTB Red is a high-quality, durable, top-end golf ball that offers what I observed as “rival” performance to the premium offerings of top-tiered makers such as Titleist, Taylormade, Srixon, Bridgestone & Callaway. I believe it mostly resembles the Pro V1 in all aspects and gives that particular model a serious run for its money. If you currently use PV1's, this ball would perform as well or even better than those I believe, and especially so in the hands of a more skilled golfer than I. At roughly $17 less per dozen than PV1's, they are also very affordable. Packed with the same features and performance of the PV1 and at a lower price point, lower handicappers with high swing speeds (95 & above) should all give this Snell model a serious test drive-IMMEDIATELY!

For me...? Not so much. But Snell does offer the MTB Black which has characteristics that I believe may suit me better…but that little side test will just have to wait for a different day...Cheers all!

Final Score: 70/100

Great review!

 

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk

[PING Apologist #9]

Nicely stated. I like your honesty

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Appreciate that, thanks!

[PING Apologist #9]

Great review!

 

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk

Thank-you, that means a lot!

[STUDque]

I find it interesting that the testers are noting that they think the opposite ball might've been a better fit for them. Maybe we don't know ourselves as well as we think?

 

Perfect segway to remind everyone that Snell sells combo packs so you can truly decide for yourself. When Dean Snell was on the GU podcast, he noted that the sample packs (6 red - 6 black) was the #1 seller. I love this idea and wish more companies would take this approach.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy