2019 Official Forum Member Review - Snell MTBx Golf Balls

[KevinE]

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.

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, KevinE said:

. 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.

I think the tests on MGS have shown that softer balls are slower off the clubface, at all swing speeds.  Distance isn't only ball speed, but its pretty important.  But a big part of golf is confidence and feel, its hard to completely discount "soft feel". 

[edingc]

1 hour ago, KevinE said:

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.

Basic physics, in my mind. More energy absorbed by a softer ball, means less energy is going to ball speed. I'm sure it's not quite that simple, but it's a start. As @DaveP043 points out, however, some people are totally willing to trade some ball speed for increased feel. 

I have not played a ProV1 in quite some time so I can't comment on those directly. But, I can say, I prefer the MTB-X to the MTB Black. Even if the MTB-X does feel more firm off of the club.

 

 

[KevinE]

1 hour ago, DaveP043 said:

I think the tests on MGS have shown that softer balls are slower off the clubface, at all swing speeds.  Distance isn't only ball speed, but its pretty important.  But a big part of golf is confidence and feel, its hard to completely discount "soft feel". 

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.

 

[DaveP043]

41 minutes ago, KevinE said:

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.

In my opinion, yes.  I'm 63, and can't compete with the swing speed of younger players, but my driver occasionally touches 100 mph, so I'm probably not in the "slower swing speed" category.  I'm playing the MTB Black, comparable to the ProV1, and I think  I do OK at a 5 handicap.  

I have to admit, I've never tried balls that are much different, so I don't really know whether a "different" ball would help.  My best guess is that once you get used to a different ball, your play will be about the same.  You might see a stroke or two change, but I don't believe a ball change can turn a 15 handicap into a 10.  With the focus we all give on equipment at MGS, that might be an unpopular opinion (or maybe uncommon is a better word).  We might find a few examples to prove me wrong (like Bubba's Volvik experiment), but I just don't think a ball change would make a huge difference for most of us.

[jatnip_golf]

Great reviews. Based off the balls that everyone played prior and that actually enjoyed the Snell, I’ll have to give it a try.


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[stantheman]

Everyone needs to try this ball. Not only a fantastic value, the performance is superior to the Pro V1/X. I've seen a bit a durability issue on some occasions but it's been my go to since it's release. Again, in comparison with the Titleist product, I've seen better distance from the driver, tighter dispersion on irons and near the same spin on the lob wedge. Give 'em a try boys.

 

[DaveP043]

On 6/21/2019 at 4:44 PM, DaveP043 said:

Here we are about 5 weeks down the road, and its time to draw some conclusions. During most of this period, I've been working away from home Monday to Friday, getting back for weekend golf, but weekday golf and practice were really limited. Consequently testing has been limited primarily simply playing the ball, along with some specific short game and putting practice.

Just to recap, I've been a fan of Snell golf balls since I was first given the opportunity to review the original MTB in 2016. My conclusion at that time was that the Snell MTB gave me the performance on a level even with the ProV1 that I was currently playing, at a greatly reduced price. I've continued to play the Snell ever since then. When the Black and Red became available last spring, I chose the Black, although I did trade a few of those with a buddy so I could try the Red. In my very limmited trials, I decided that the Red spun more than I liked, and have been playing MTB Black ever since.

So the MTB Black has become the baseline for my review here. My goal was to answer two basic questions.:

1. Did Snell achieve its goals with this ball? Based on the Snell website, They wanted to produce a ball with low spin and good distance off the tee, but higher spin with mid and short iron approaches. The dimple pattern is intended to produce low lift and drag, resulting in a “controlled” ball flight and good performance in the wind. They say the X has a firmer feel than the Back, with excellent short game control and feel.
2. Did Snell produce a ball I want to switch to?

At the end of my Phase 1 Review, I mentioned that I had played just one 18-hole round. At this stage, I've played about 10 rounds with the MTB-X. Its been good and hot here through most of that time, which has led to some variable conditions. At times it has been critical to keep things moist, to make sure the grass survives the 90+ degree days, so things have sometimes been a bit soft. When temperatures have cooled off a bit, its been safe to let the course dry out a bit, so we've had some days with very firm conditions. Consequently, I've had a chance to try the ball in differing conditions.

As I mentioned in my Phase 1, my first few shots with the X were a putting and chipping session. I alternated balls, trying to duplicate shot types, trying to feel a difference between the two. In spite of the claims by Snell that the X would be firmer, I really couldn't feel any difference. The response off wedges was very similar, enough spin to control, and consistent, so I didn't unexpectedly come up way short with a random spinny chip. Putting feel seemed nearly identical, distance control was good with either ball. These impressions held true through my playing time with the Snell, I had no problem controlling distance and trajectory (beyond my own lack of talent). So for Snell's claims, YES to very good short game control, NO to the firmer feel.

I wasn't able to do a lot of head-to-head testing during my playing, so the remainder of my comparisons are based on over a year's experience playing my home golf course with the MTB Black. Since I've talked about the short game stuff already, I'll break this into tee shots, irons, and wedges.

Tee shots with the X were very solid. I'm using a new driver this year, a Callaway Rogue SubZero. I changed drivers specifically to reduce spin and improve distance (or maintain distance as I grow older and more feeble). The sound of the ball is just what I like, sharp and satisfying. The ball flight is solid, medium launch, no hint of excess spin, a nice flat penetrating flight. Distance was good too, I saw no loss as compared to the MTB Black. I wouldn't say it was longer, either, although I did hit my longest drive ever on our 14^th hole a week ago. Per Snell's claim, YES to low spin and good distance with the driver.

Iron shots are where I noticed a real difference. Long irons were good, controlled ball flight, no ballooning, and reasonable stopping power on the greens. But getting into the shorter irons, 7 and 8 and 9, the stopping power was significantly fgreater in the MTB-X as compared to the Black. I'm not a high spin player, I don't have the kind of clubhead speed needed to reliably do that, and my irons are 6 or 7 years old, so the grooves aren't what they once were. Yet on numerous occasions I saw iron shots stop dead, or take one forward bounce and spin back. The combination of penetrating flight combined with good spin surprised me most going into the wind. I hit a number of shots that flew further than I expected, landed right at the back edge of the green, and stopped dead or spun back a bit. Once again, a big YES to Snell's claim of low-drag aerodynamics combined with increased spin with irons.

Full wedges are to me an extension of iron play, and the MTB-X behaved similarly well with full wedges as with short irons, a quick stop or spin-back. I was really impressed with the performance with partial wedges. I've changes my normal decision-making over the past few years, getting as close to the green as possible whenever I can, leaving partial-swing wedge shots much more often than I used to. This is where I saw the greatest benefit from the X. A case in point, I had a 75-yard wedge with a good 2-club helping wind. I chose my 60* wedge, with a full-swing distance of about 90 yards, and hit a gentle “half-swing” shot. There was no way to hit the shot and get normal full spin. The ball was less than 6 feet past its mark on the green, really remarkable to me. This happened regularly during the trial period, very impressive to me.

Looks & Durability (15 out of 15 points)

I showed some photos in my Phase 1, I like the packaging. Its simple and clean. I like the look of the ball. The logo isn't flashy, but its distinctive. The alignment aid isn't excessive. Others have mentioned the seam, and there IS a noticeable seam but that doesn't bother me at all. As for durability, I haven't voluntarily taken a ball out of play due to normal wear. I've played at least one or two of the MTB-Xs for 36 holes or more before they liberated themselves, and they were still very playable.

This photo shows a brand new ball next to one with about 18 holes of experience. You can see a small scrape next to the number, and I'd say the white isn't quite as white as the brand new one. In my experience, this is exactly the same type of “wear” I'd expect for any good golf ball.

Sound & Feel (15 out of 15 points)

I used the word “sharp” to describe the sound of a driver on the X, and I think its accurate. There's no hint of softness, no dull thud, its a solid “Thwak!” The feel on short shots is also firm, but not rock-like, thre's a feeling of control. The golf balls are solid feeling to the touch. I don't know that sound has any impact on me while playing, but I like the kind of contradictory combination of firm yet controllable feeling with the Snell.

On-Course Performance (38 out of 40 points)

s I've said before, the MTB-X lives up to just about every claim that Snell makes. Its solid off the tee, relatively low spin and pretty long. Progressing into shorter irons, the spin characteristics become more evident, with really good stopping power, while the dimples seem to limit the aerodynamic effects of the increased spin. Its a good ball with partial wedges, with chipping and pitching. The feel is really good for me when putting. I can't say this ball improved my scoring, but it certainly didn't hurt it. I was a 3.8 handicap when I started the trial, and I'm a 3.8 now, I got as low as 3.4, and I'll drop to 3.5 in a couple of days, so maybe there's a tiny incremental improvement, but that also might be just normal human variability.

The question I would have, if deciding between this ball and my current MTB Black, is do I really want as much spin as the MTB-X produces. The Black still stops pretty well, but it doesn't spin back for me. Its not that one is better than the other, but the way I picture and plan shots might make me more comfortable with one or the other. That's my only reason for giving less than full marks here.

Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)

I think Snell does a lot of things right. Golf balls are shipped quickly, and you get an email that contains a tracking number, so you can know when your shipment is going to arrive. A nice touch I've had on my larger orders, the packing slip is signed by Dean himself. At least I think it is, its an original signature, not done by machine, but I wouldn't know Dean's handwriting, but even so its a nice touch. The pricing is good, and they've instituted more “steps” in the pricing structure. Along with that, you now get the lowest price when you order 5 dozen, where previously you had to order six dozen.

Game Bag or Shag Bag? (15 out of 20 points)

I would have no problem using the MTB-X as my only golf ball going forward. The decision for me will be based on what I really want from my golf ball, more spin or slightly less. It might be a case where I'll keep both. The Black might be right for softer greens, the X when I expect firmer and faster.  This is definitely NOT a shag bag all, but its not quite in my bag full-time, at least not yet.

Conclusion

Simply put, Snell makes two really fine golf balls, and sells them at really good prices. I don't think you can go wrong with the MTB-X. It seems to me to be the perfect choice for anyone who wants a little more spin, maybe your swing speed is a little lower, maybe your ball flight is naturally lower, maybe you play really firm greens, or maybe you just really enjoy watching a ball spin back towards you. For those situations, its a great ball to provide increased spin for irons and short game without sacrificing anything in the longer game.

Final Score: (93 out of 100)

So here I am, reporting back just about a year later.  I've been using the MTB-Black most of the time since the review, and overall have been pretty happy.  However, this Spring our course has played pretty firm, and iron shots haven't been stopping on the greens as quickly as I'd like them to.  So I just ordered 5 dozen of the MTB-X, and am already seeing the (expected) difference in stopping power with wedges.

As an aside, Snell was (is?) offering a half-price deal on its golf gloves when I placed my order, so I got a couple to try.  I haven't put one into play yet, but I'll try to remember to comment when I do.

[storm319]

11 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

So here I am, reporting back just about a year later.  I've been using the MTB-Black most of the time since the review, and overall have been pretty happy.  However, this Spring our course has played pretty firm, and iron shots haven't been stopping on the greens as quickly as I'd like them to.  So I just ordered 5 dozen of the MTB-X, and am already seeing the (expected) difference in stopping power with wedges.

As an aside, Snell was (is?) offering a half-price deal on its golf gloves when I placed my order, so I got a couple to try.  I haven't put one into play yet, but I'll try to remember to comment when I do.

I found the same when I played both side by side last year. Indistinguishable off the tee but noticeably more spin off the mid irons down especially on low aggressive spinners.