Best value golf ball?

[chisag]

32 minutes ago, Ben Joest said:

Hopefully the picture does it justice. In comparing the finish of the ball with a ProV1, it’s stated target competition , the finish of the ball is very similar. I would not characterize it as glossy or shiny. 

 

... Thanks. Yea maybe just the pictures but the Sugar looks ultra white and shiny to me.  That said, I am very picky about my clubs and balls. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

15 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... You are talking about the V2, not the V3. 

After having played the V3 for awhile now, Sam, what are you seeing out of it comparative to the Maxfli Tour? I feel I've asked you this question before, but value your insight and I think others will as well in this thread. I know that a ball will react different dependent on the swing of the individual. The V2 was way too spinny off the driver for me, but V3 I am curious about trying and will be needing to pick up some more balls in the next couple months.

[chisag]

6 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

After having played the V3 for awhile now, Sam, what are you seeing out of it comparative to the Maxfli Tour? I feel I've asked you this question before, but value your insight and I think others will as well in this thread. I know that a ball will react different dependent on the swing of the individual. The V2 was way too spinny off the driver for me, but V3 I am curious about trying and will be needing to pick up some more balls in the next couple months.

 

... The V2 spun too much for me as well. To be clear I have not done a direct ball to ball test with the Maxfli Tour and V3 but I have not had any problems with ballooning or the V3 coming up short or excessive short game spin. I have hit second tee shots with the Maxfli and itseems pretty equal in distance to the V3. When I get a chance to do a more in depth comparison, I may find the Maxfli is a little longer but I imagine no more than a few yards, if that. If they were the same price I wouldn't even consider the V3 but at less than 1/2 the price of the Maxfli and 4 dozen V3's for the price of 1 dozen ProV1's, playing about 250 rounds a year the savings is significant. 

... Here is what I consider the no brainer. For $28 you get 2 dozen V3's. If they don't work for you, they make a great practice ball or a gift for a friend or a premium ball for your kids. I mean really ... it's $28. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

7 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... The V2 spun too much for me as well. To be clear I have not done a direct ball to ball test with the Maxfli Tour and V3 but I have not had any problems with ballooning or the V3 coming up short or excessive short game spin. I have hit second tee shots with the Maxfli and itseems pretty equal in distance to the V3. When I get a chance to do a more in depth comparison, I may find the Maxfli is a little longer but I imagine no more than a few yards, if that. If they were the same price I wouldn't even consider the V3 but at less than 1/2 the price of the Maxfli and 4 dozen V3's for the price of 1 dozen ProV1's, playing about 250 rounds a year the savings is significant. 

... Here is what I consider the no brainer. For $28 you get 2 dozen V3's. If they don't work for you, they make a great practice ball or a gift for a friend or a premium ball for your kids. I mean really ... it's $28. 

The value is for sure exceptional. Next time I'm at Coscto I'm gonna pick up a box just for the heck of it. It's good to hear you haven't seen ballooning with the V3..that is the biggest issue I had with the V2 with driver. Everything else I actually liked pretty well.

[elight]

FINAL RESULTS

Top Flite Hammer Control
Price: $1.00/ball

Maxfli StraightFli
Price: $1.25/ball

Srixon Soft Feel
Price: $1.27/ball 

Snell Get Sum
Price: $1.33/ball

Srixon Q-Star
Price: $1.61/ball

MaxFli TriFli
Price: $1.67/ball

Maxfli Tour
Price: $2.50/ball

Price: We have four balls toward the bottom of the range (Hammer Control, StraightFli, Soft Feel, Get Sum), two in the middle (TriFli and Q Star), and then the MaxFli Tour at a higher price point for comparison. The delta from super-cheap to tour-level is $1.50/ball. Subtract the price of your preferred ball from $2.50, then multiply that by the number of balls you lose or damage in an average round less one. That’s what you’re saving each round by playing this ball compared to a tour-level ball. All of these appear to still be available at these prices, except for the Srixon balls which I got on a Father’s Day buy-2-get-1-free sale.

Performance: The Get Sum was the worst of both worlds, being spinny off the tee, yet lacking any sort of greenside performance. The Hammer Control was significantly longer than any other ball I played, yet offered greenside performance similar to the Soft Feel and StraightFli balls. The Soft Feel was a jack of all trades, master of none. The StraightFli really did feel straighter than any other ball while not lacking distance; this is a really good option for major slicers. The Q-Star and the TriFli were priced similarly and performed similarly, with tee performance similar to the lower priced balls but noticeably improved greenside spin; I wouldn’t hesitate to play either if I wanted a non-urethane option for whatever reason, with the only real differentiator for me being the finish (TriFli is matte).

Summary: I would recommend all of these balls except the Get Sum for folks who want to save 35-60% on the cost of balls. I could see myself playing a lower cost ball on courses where losing many balls (due to OB/penalty areas/etc.) is a possibility, or when I’m going through swing issues, or when I’m playing more for fun and less for a score. I think that the difference between these balls for a bogey golfer on up is maybe a couple strokes per round. How much money is one or two strokes worth for you? Only you can answer that question. One ball versus another could cost you $6/round, which could increase the cost of your round by 10% or more depending on where you play. Elasticity of demand exists; to what extent, I don’t know. I would also consider hitting the Hammer Control balls off the tee in a scramble. Otherwise, I will probably use the Maxfli Tours as my gamers once I work through the mountain of balls I’ve assembled.

I hope that this has been helpful to someone!

[GolfSpy_APH]

Srixon TRI speed here are only 14 a dozen, but you have to buy 10 dozen. 

[chisag]

13 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Srixon TRI speed here are only 14 a dozen, but you have to buy 10 dozen. 

 

.... Same price as the Kirkland V3's and you only have to buy 2 dozen and it's a urethane cover. But you better order or pick them up today because I have a feeling Tony will be poo-pooing them tomorrow. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

.... Same price as the Kirkland V3's and you only have to buy 2 dozen and it's a urethane cover. But you better order or pick them up today because I have a feeling Tony will be poo-pooing them tomorrow. 

Unfortunately Kirkland golf balls not a thing here in Switzerland. 

Pretty sure the cost of golf balls here would make most all of you sick to your stomachs.

Looking forward to the results tomorrow! Should be a fun read.

[KC Golf]

My thought in premium balls is the Z Star Diamond. I started playing it earlier this year and it’s a really nice ball.  The cover lasts too but still spins very well on Wedges.  I also like the feel of it putting. It’s a great Pro V1 equivalent at a cheaper price.  If you find it on sale it’s a real deal.

[Moz]

Srixon ZStar XV hands down best value for premium ball, imo.

[RockerFCC]

I find a ton of the Kirkland balls when I play LOL, so I have tried them exclusively a couple rounds, I am actually pretty impressed, they feel great both off the driver and with irons, seem to perform well around the green, I really kind of like them. I normally use a Titleist NXT Tour, but these compare favorably I think.

[ZackS]

3 hours ago, KC Golf said:

My thought in premium balls is the Z Star Diamond. I started playing it earlier this year and it’s a really nice ball.  The cover lasts too but still spins very well on Wedges.  I also like the feel of it putting. It’s a great Pro V1 equivalent at a cheaper price.  If you find it on sale it’s a real deal.

I started using the Diamond as well and loving it. Snagged some in the buy 2 get 1 free sale around fathers day. I am getting more ball speed and spin then I had with the Pro V1 on the irons and yet the driver spin still stays pretty low. 

3 hours ago, Moz said:

Srixon ZStar XV hands down best value for premium ball, imo.

I got 1 dozen of these with the 2 dozen of the Diamond's. I keep these for really windy or softer conditions as it is a little lower spinning on the irons. 

[Fongle]

I just really like the SuperSofts. I'm aware they're a cheap ball, and don't have the best quality control etc, but the feel of them just works for me, and I tend to spin my shots a bit much off the tee normally, and they definitely seem to help with that. 

I did get sent some ERC Softs by the Callaway Aus team recently, and have been using them, but they feel a bit more 'clicky' off the face than I typically like.

[elight]

I didn't include the Supersofts because my personal preference was not to use anything too soft. The Soft Feel was the softest, I think. I would say that the Soft Feel, e6 and Supersoft perform similarly in my experience, so it's a matter of preference for feel. 

Anyway, hoping tomorrow's ball test results are more interesting than mine! 

[Shlax]

Echoing a lot of comments here, but Srixon Z-Star (all models) and Srixon Q-Star Tour.

Srixon is one of the only brand of premium balls that comes to mind that has 40-50% off sales regularly, at least in my area, so that I can stack up for a very good price.

Kirkland V2 balls offer an impossible-to-beat price but to me, they are very clicky and rock hard. I can use them with irons and wedges but they almost feel like they’re going to cave in my driver’s face, not to mention that they spin like crazy off the tee, especially with 3W and 2i.

Edited August 28, 2023 by Shlax
Kirkland

[ctg44]

It has to be the QStar Tour now at $35 per dozen. The balls seems to fit many swing types. We're likely going to see a big bump in the newest gen when it arrives. Add their buy two and get the 3rd free occasionally, it's been a good value.

I tend to play a lot of afternoon golf on my own, so in addition to the setting sun blinding me, I have to follow my own ball at decently high ball speeds most days. It's always a challenge, especially if I'm experiencing the driver yips, which for me is a hard draw when I am very much set up for my standard cut (think John Rahm recently, but 40ish yards shorter). The Q-Star Tour Divide balls have been amazing in these conditions, because of the changing colors during rotation making it easier for my eyes to detect it when dealing with the bright sun (which in Texas, AKA Hell North) this summer has been pretty much every time I have played. On top of that, I don't have the dead pulls at often and find it's MUCH easier to get a consistent cut with those than any other balls I've hit recently.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[Stuka44]

On 5/30/2023 at 9:39 PM, elight said:

"Value" means different things to different people. I am specifically looking for an inexpensive ball that will suit a high-handicapper

Elight I just saw this ongoing post.  To be fair I did not read each and every post. It really doesn't matter that you are a high handicap.   It really only matters how much you spend on green fees in a year, and or new equipment on any regular basis, and  how many balls you ACTUALLY LOSE in a year.  I am not trying to be "smart" but when you say "value" there are costs that some people don't consider, and they will skimp on good balls, when it really doesn't change the cost of a round too awful much.

If you are playing 10 times a year or less, and spending $350-500, and actually losing 20-30 balls in those 10 rounds  then I would say simply purchase the cheapest ball you can find.  

THIS IS THE MATH ON MY SITUATION, AND YOU CAN USE THE MATH TO FIGURE OUT YOUR OWN VALUE!

Again the main considerations must be HOW MUCH YOU SPEND YEARLY and HOW MANY BALLS YOU ARE  ACTUALLY LOSING IN A YEAR.

For round numbers I play 40 times a year and spend $1200, and lose  right around 5 dozen balls.

I use the Srixon Z-Star XV Tour Yellow, which for the last 5 years, and I don't know why it would stop, I can purchase at the end of the year on sale or special offer and get them for $35/dozen.

$1200 + $175(5dozen 35$ balls)= 1375  /(divided by 40 rounds)= $34.38 per round.

$1200+ $125(5dozen 25$ balls) = $1325/(divided by 40 rounds)= $33.13 per round.   $1.25 less per round

$1200+ $100(5dozen 20$ balls)= $1300/(divided by 40 rounds)=$32.50 per round.    $1.88 less per round

Here is some other food for thought.  My $300  driver 70 rounds ago + $4.29 per round.

New Irons $1800,  145 rounds ago to date + $12.41 per round.

So my overall point is this.  Depending on what your aim is with the game of golf, and how much you are, or are going to play  the savings on golf balls may not be the windfall you think it is.  Now to be clear, I have not had a golf ball fitting, and have never evaluated my swing on a Trackman.  But if the Z-Star is more likely to stop dead (on the very rare occasions when my ball does hit close to the hole), and be less likely to take a 10 foot bounce and then stop, then that is something I am willing to pay $1.88 for.  This is just my perspective on the whole "VALUE GOLF BALL DISCUSSION"!!!

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Stuka44

[elight]

Stuka, I think you're on the right track.

I will say that I think your math is off with your driver and irons. For one, that only takes into account prior usage, not future. It also doesn't take into account the residual value if you plan to sell it when you replace it. So if your $300 driver lasts another 70 rounds, and then you sell it for $100 (just guessing round numbers), it actually costs you $1.42/round, not $4.29/round. Now, you chose at some point to buy a $300 driver and not a $600 driver. If you had bought the $600 driver, played it for the same 140 rounds, and then sold it for $150, it would have cost you $3.21/round. Yet you went for the $300 choice, even though the $600 choice would have almost certainly been better in terms of performance. So for $1.79/round, you made the decision to go for less performance. This is the same type of decision that I am suggesting many golfers make in regards to their balls.

If you choose a Maxfli StraightFli over a Maxfli Tour, and you use on average 5 balls per round, that's a $6.25/round difference. So if someone wouldn't upgrade their driver for $1.79/round, should they upgrade their ball for $6.25/round?

You could say that you only use your driver at most 14 times per round, but you use your ball on every stroke. But I would also suggest that for high handicappers (and probably upper-mid-handicappers), the differences between a Tour-quality ball and a cheaper ball probably only come into play on a similar number--or fewer number--of strokes per round (i.e., greenside or pitch shots).

In the end, as I've said, everyone needs to decide what has value to them. It will be different for different people. But we should consider this math to help inform those decisions. Some people go to Starbucks everyday to get a coffee, but I make mine at home. The one at Starbucks is better, but I decided that the cost isn't worth it for me. I'd rather save the $4/day, $20/week, $1000/year and spend it on something else. But that's me, and to each their own! I'm glad that we're having the conversation. With that said, I'm looking forward to more discussion about the official ball test results as well. As someone said, we need to, at some point, see the intersection of quality scores and performance scores.