Vice Golf Balls - 2024 Forum Review

[3Putt4Double]

2 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

Said exactly that. Firmer durable cover, 95 compression , for slow to medium swing speed 

Didn't realize it had a 95 compression rate either.. Y'all gonna make me buy this ball for driver and 3 wood purposes 

[Rob Person]

2 minutes ago, Bubba1985 said:

Didn't realize it had a 95 compression rate either.. Y'all gonna make me buy this ball for driver and 3 wood purposes 

For the price you get a name brand ball at a really a great price.  As a quick Google search reveals many balls with the same attributes .

[3Putt4Double]

15 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

For the price you get a name brand ball at a really a great price.  As a quick Google search reveals many balls with the same attributes .

Just bought a dozen of the blue Vice drive.. Just a heads up, 1 dozen after shipping and taxes is $28 on the Vice website

 

Edited June 14 by Bubba1985

[buckpillar]

So, I haven’t tried this brand yet, is it worth me giving it a shot?
 

I’m taking the Chrome RX out the bag, I have a gain of 10+ yards with the Chrome Soft.

[buckpillar]

On 6/12/2024 at 11:39 AM, Lefty11 said:

@Rob Personn  I'm not sure of my swing speed, but why don't you try the Vice Pro Air?  I've gained a few yards by using this ball.

@Rob Person Try the Callaway Supersoft, you’ll get some distance still able to stop on the green.

[3Putt4Double]

12 minutes ago, buckpillar said:

So, I haven’t tried this brand yet, is it worth me giving it a shot?
 

I’m taking the Chrome RX out the bag, I have a gain of 10+ yards with the Chrome Soft.

Chrome soft is a great ball! I played side by side with a golf buddy that plays the chrome tours.. He normally out drives myself by 10+ yards but I normally catch him with iron or wood play.. Honestly didn't have to play much catch up and the approach was amazing.. That was with the Vice Pro.. I'm a believer in it but... Without buying 5 packs it's $40 a dozen + $7 shipping and after taxes I'm sure it comes out to $50+.. If u find the 2024 model Vice Pro on the shelf, I'd say get it! But would hold off from buying on the website.. It does bite better on the greens than a chrome soft imo and drives better than my maxfli

Edited June 14 by Bubba1985

[buckpillar]

5 minutes ago, Bubba1985 said:

Chrome soft is a great ball! I played side by side with a golf buddy that plays the chrome tours.. He normally out drives myself by 10+ yards but I normally catch him with iron or wood play.. Honestly didn't have to play much catch up and the approach was amazing.. That was with the Vice Pro.. I'm a believer in it but... Without buying 5 packs it's $40 a dozen + $7 shipping and after taxes I'm sure it comes out to $50+.. If u find the 2024 model Vice Pro on the shelf, I'd say get it! But would hold off from buying on the website.. It does bite better on the greens than a chrome soft imo and drives better than my maxfli

Great info, I’ve been a titleist man for over 40 yrs now I’m searching for a good replacement. Since I fell a few yrs ago me distance is lacking, I can still stop them on the greens without any problems and get some backup when needed. Play Maxfli also but taking the chrome tour out and putting back in the supersoft for now

[Rob Person]

16 minutes ago, buckpillar said:

@Rob Person Try the Callaway Supersoft, you’ll get some distance still able to stop on the green.

I loved the last model CS triple track. But having the opportunity to try so many different ball varieties is enlightening to me. I havent tried the supersofts much. Are they the ones that have an almost rubbery feel to the cover?

Nor have I got into the 2024 Callaway model balls.... yet. Or the new maxfli ones 

[buckpillar]

6 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

I loved the last model CS triple track. But having the opportunity to try so many different ball varieties is enlightening to me. I havent tried the supersofts much. Are they the ones that have an almost rubbery feel to the cover?

Nor have I got into the 2024 Callaway model balls.... yet. Or the new maxfli ones 

I just took the chrome tour 2024 model out the bag, wasn’t helping me at all 

[3Putt4Double]

8 minutes ago, buckpillar said:

Great info, I’ve been a titleist man for over 40 yrs now I’m searching for a good replacement. Since I fell a few yrs ago me distance is lacking, I can still stop them on the greens without any problems and get some backup when needed. Play Maxfli also but taking the chrome tour out and putting back in the supersoft for now

Supersoft is my favorite all time ball! I do play a high performance ball for a little more distance in tournament/money play but ALWAYS have a couple sleeves of supersofts in the bag!

[3Putt4Double]

7 minutes ago, buckpillar said:

I just took the chrome tour 2024 model out the bag, wasn’t helping me at all 

Just out of curiosity, have you tried the AVX?

[Green4Spinach]

6 hours ago, Bubba1985 said:

Interesting, knew it was 2 piece, didn't realize it was surlyn.. I'm assuming for durability reasons.. so would that still make the ball firm with a lower compression?

My (limited) understanding is that a Surlyn ball is an ionomer ball, and all 2 piece balls are basically ionomer balls where the outer covering is the ionomer. Surlyn just happens to be the brand name of ionomer from a particular chemicals supplier. The Vice Drive is an ionomer ball as are almost all the budget balls on the market. Adding a third or fourth layer - this is the realm of urethane balls - provides extra layers where the opportunity arises for the control element to shine through, rather than the distance story of an ionomer. 

What I have found interesting is comparing the Vice Drive to my regular gamer Mizuno RB566. The Mizuno has an ionomer cover as well, but it has nearly double the number of dimples (566, hence the name of the ball) compared to regular balls. Mizuno's argument is that the higher number of dimples and the way they are arranged give the ball its flight characteristic of extra hang time. I wonder if the extra hang time means that the Mizuno (despite being an ionomer just like the Vice) ends up not bouncing as much. This would explain what I am finding that the Vice travels further, but the Mizuno seems more likely to end up closer to where it lands. Of course, not having any test equipment, I can neither verify or disprove my hypothesis. 

[Green4Spinach]

I played another round of nine holes, with the first five using the Vice Drives and the second half with the Mizuno RB566. I can now say this with confidence - do not mix your golf balls. I enjoyed the drives with the Vice but struggled with distance control on my putts, since they travel further with the Vice compared to the Mizuno. By the time I swapped to the Mizuno, my putting was shot because I found it difficult to adjust back to the softer feel of the Mizuno, which seemed to need a firmer push than the Vice. 

I have friends who play any ball that comes out of their bag, including balls they have found on the golf course. My experience of being a ball tester makes me think it would be difficult to have consistency without using the same ball. As a relatively new golfer, I would not have thought that the ball made this much of a difference, but it seems to. I don't have the experience of consistent use of a premium ball to contrast the value of playing a urethane ball versus an ionomer ball. But I am pretty confident that using the same ball - whatever it is - would be an excellent starting point for consistent golf. 

[Lefty11]

6 hours ago, Rob Person said:

I loved the last model CS triple track. But having the opportunity to try so many different ball varieties is enlightening to me. I havent tried the supersofts much. Are they the ones that have an almost rubbery feel to the cover?

Nor have I got into the 2024 Callaway model balls.... yet. Or the new maxfli ones 

If you’re looking for distance and bite on the green, the Vice Air delivers. 

[Rob Person]

2 hours ago, Green4Spinach said:

I played another round of nine holes, with the first five using the Vice Drives and the second half with the Mizuno RB566. I can now say this with confidence - do not mix your golf balls. I enjoyed the drives with the Vice but struggled with distance control on my putts, since they travel further with the Vice compared to the Mizuno. By the time I swapped to the Mizuno, my putting was shot because I found it difficult to adjust back to the softer feel of the Mizuno, which seemed to need a firmer push than the Vice. 

I have friends who play any ball that comes out of their bag, including balls they have found on the golf course. My experience of being a ball tester makes me think it would be difficult to have consistency without using the same ball. As a relatively new golfer, I would not have thought that the ball made this much of a difference, but it seems to. I don't have the experience of consistent use of a premium ball to contrast the value of playing a urethane ball versus an ionomer ball. But I am pretty confident that using the same ball - whatever it is - would be an excellent starting point for consistent golf. 

Great point about consistency between balls. When I have played 2 balls at the same time, I try to strike them as close to the same speed, direction,  etc, as possible.  The only place that will hurt you the most is on the greens, as you mentioned they roll at different levels.

[hands39]

2 hours ago, Green4Spinach said:

As a relatively new golfer, I would not have thought that the ball made this much of a difference, but it seems to. I don't have the experience of consistent use of a premium ball to contrast the value of playing a urethane ball versus an ionomer ball. But I am pretty confident that using the same ball - whatever it is - would be an excellent starting point for consistent golf. 

I agree, with that statement of playing one ball consistently makes a difference. Ideally you would test and find the perfect ball, but if that's not an option, sticking to one option and knowing the characteristics will go a long way.

The one benefit for me with Vice is that the pricing model is consistent. I can find other premium balls at the same price as Vice or less, but can't consistently find them at that price. Bought 2 packs of Bridgestone BX for 35 euro each, while I can get Vice for 34 euro each (with purchasing 5 packs). However, those Bridgestone are back up to 45 euros.

[3Putt4Double]

3 hours ago, Green4Spinach said:

I played another round of nine holes, with the first five using the Vice Drives and the second half with the Mizuno RB566. I can now say this with confidence - do not mix your golf balls. I enjoyed the drives with the Vice but struggled with distance control on my putts, since they travel further with the Vice compared to the Mizuno. By the time I swapped to the Mizuno, my putting was shot because I found it difficult to adjust back to the softer feel of the Mizuno, which seemed to need a firmer push than the Vice. 

I have friends who play any ball that comes out of their bag, including balls they have found on the golf course. My experience of being a ball tester makes me think it would be difficult to have consistency without using the same ball. As a relatively new golfer, I would not have thought that the ball made this much of a difference, but it seems to. I don't have the experience of consistent use of a premium ball to contrast the value of playing a urethane ball versus an ionomer ball. But I am pretty confident that using the same ball - whatever it is - would be an excellent starting point for consistent golf. 

100% agree, especially when starting out..something about that feel and even the logo gives you confidence when ur use to playing the same ball over and over. Ur not guessing what's it's going to do when u play a ball your familiar with

[Green4Spinach]

3 hours ago, hands39 said:

The one benefit for me with Vice is that the pricing model is consistent. I can find other premium balls at the same price as Vice or less, but can't consistently find them at that price. Bought 2 packs of Bridgestone BX for 35 euro each, while I can get Vice for 34 euro each (with purchasing 5 packs). However, those Bridgestone are back up to 45 euros.

One of the main reasons why I picked the Mizuno RB566 in the first place was pricing. As a new golfer spraying the ball to all parts of the course (and beyond...), I did not want to be buying expensive balls and playing them for a shot or two before losing them. I found it interesting to read that Callaway's biggest revenue-generating product line, of all the stuff they sell, is balls. It seems golfers need loads of balls, and buy them all the time. So unless an expensive urethane model is not going to hurt your pocketbook, pricing and the pricing model need to be  key components in ball selection if you want to play consistent golf. 

[Lefty11]

I was well aware that the Vice Drive was their entry-level ball. If your swing isn’t cooperating on a particular day, it might be a wise investment to keep some in your golf bag.  Just an idea.

[3Putt4Double]

7 hours ago, Green4Spinach said:

One of the main reasons why I picked the Mizuno RB566 in the first place was pricing. As a new golfer spraying the ball to all parts of the course (and beyond...), I did not want to be buying expensive balls and playing them for a shot or two before losing them. I found it interesting to read that Callaway's biggest revenue-generating product line, of all the stuff they sell, is balls. It seems golfers need loads of balls, and buy them all the time. So unless an expensive urethane model is not going to hurt your pocketbook, pricing and the pricing model need to be  key components in ball selection if you want to play consistent golf. 

Agree to an extent..I know ur new and I imagine carry at least a dozen like the rest of us did when we were new.. After 1000's of swings u will start controlling your ball and know exactly where it should end up 98% of the time.. When u go from carrying a dozen + to just a sleeve and bring a couple of them home, that's when the ball and performance of what it does really starts to matter.. Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses and need a ball to play to that.. Guess what I'm saying is $50-$60 a dozen isn't horrible if u get 10 rounds out of that dozen and it performed how u want

Edited June 14 by Bubba1985

[Rob Person]

47 minutes ago, Bubba1985 said:

Agree to an extent..I know ur new and I imagine carry at least a dozen like the rest of us did when we were new.. After 1000's of swings u will start controlling your ball and know exactly where it should end up 98% of the time.. When u go from carrying a dozen + to just a sleeve and bring a couple of them home, that's when the ball and performance of what it does really starts to matter.. Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses and need a ball to play to that.. Guess what I'm saying is $50-$60 a dozen isn't horrible if u get 10 rounds out of that dozen and it performed how u want

Good perspective Bubba. 

[storm319]

On 6/13/2024 at 8:42 PM, Bubba1985 said:

100% agree but u have to compare it to a supersoft or srixon soft feel that are $20 and buy 2 get 1 free all the time.. That's why I'm waiting on final review before I buy a few dozen bc I like to play a soft ball from time to time

To be fair, the Vice website has the compression for the Drive listed at 95 (prior compression figures for the Pro models were within a few points of the Ball Lab average with the last generation so that appears to be overall compression on an ATTI tester of some kind). Most 2-piece ionomer offerings on the market are below 80 compression overall and generally come with a speed penalty (even at low speeds). Even though I found the cover on the previous generation to be pretty hard and poor from a durability perspective, the fact that there are not many high compression 2-piece ionomer options make this an intriguing option for those only concerned with maximizing distance off the tee.  

[TheSudds]

UPDATE VICE TOUR DURABILITY

Check out this short 1 min vid of the durability of Vice Tour after 100 shots! 

I can tell this ball is durable. Hardly any dings or scratches across the cover after 100 shots with every club in my bag. I have seen with other balls where they can tear easily depending on the cover and the inside materials. 
 

BEFORE

AFTER

[Mulligan09]

Was able to get in 9 yesterday. Over all hit the little white one pretty good . I feel I’m getting move distance on my drives. Irons were a little off but more my faults. Shot a 49 mostly due to my putting. On a side note, played with a single who used a set of of 100 yr old hickory shafted clubs. Had a great time

[Lefty11]

Happy Father’s Day!  Sudds beat me to the punch, but I’m playing a round today and will share my thoughts on the durability of the Vice Pro Air. Keep it in the fairway!

[hands39]

Played our club championship this weekend and used the Vice Pro Plus for round 1. This round was very windy (30kmph/18.6mph sustained winds) and my biggest concern was the consistency of flight in the wind. I didn't need the ball to cut through the wind necessarily, but I wanted the ball to react the same way each time. 

What I noticed is that the ball did react really consistently with the wind. Was not cutting through the wind, which is okay, I could club up as needed. This was both for with and into wind shots. My guess is this is related to consistency of spin characteristics of the ball.

Day 2 I switched to a Wilson Triad and played better. Not sure if this was the ball or not. I am realizing that the Vice Pro Plus might be a bit firm for my preference. The Pro might have been a better option after some time comparing. 

[Green4Spinach]

On 6/14/2024 at 11:39 PM, 3Putt4Double said:

Agree to an extent..I know ur new and I imagine carry at least a dozen like the rest of us did when we were new.. After 1000's of swings u will start controlling your ball and know exactly where it should end up 98% of the time.. When u go from carrying a dozen + to just a sleeve and bring a couple of them home, that's when the ball and performance of what it does really starts to matter.. Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses and need a ball to play to that.. Guess what I'm saying is $50-$60 a dozen isn't horrible if u get 10 rounds out of that dozen and it performed how u want

Hi there @3Putt4Double - I really like your perspective and live in hope that one day I too can land 98% of my shots where I intend them to go. I was watching the US Open last night and realised that even some of the best players on the planet cannot be sure where they are going to land the ball. But they did have a large crowd and dozens of TV cameras to help them find their balls when they went off-course. The crowds or the TV cameras have not (yet) shown up to watch me play golf. So I am happy to buy cheaper balls that I am prepared to lose on a regular basis. On a slightly more serious note, what this test has shown me is that the ball I play matters. And I am going to do some work to find out which ball is going to be the best match for me. 

[3Putt4Double]

1 hour ago, Green4Spinach said:

Hi there @3Putt4Double - I really like your perspective and live in hope that one day I too can land 98% of my shots where I intend them to go. I was watching the US Open last night and realised that even some of the best players on the planet cannot be sure where they are going to land the ball. But they did have a large crowd and dozens of TV cameras to help them find their balls when they went off-course. The crowds or the TV cameras have not (yet) shown up to watch me play golf. So I am happy to buy cheaper balls that I am prepared to lose on a regular basis. On a slightly more serious note, what this test has shown me is that the ball I play matters. And I am going to do some work to find out which ball is going to be the best match for me. 

Difference between us and the pros is we play the same courses over and over.. That's why we can control the ball and know where to hit.. They play somewhere different every week.. Most of them, like Ricky Fowler have the club records shooting low 60s consistently at there home courses

[Lefty11]

Durability 

 

After several rounds with the Vice Pro Air here is a brief video on how they look

.  

Next up is the Vice Pro Air Drip.  

I’ve been fortunate to play the same two balls for all of my outings.  I haven’t been in the beach or hit any trees at all. Nor would  I want to be in those places.  I have hit the Vice Pro Air with every club in my bag.

The durability is fantastic!  There is no scuffs or marks to be seen.  Nor can I feel anything on the surface of either the lime green or drip ball.  

Nicely done Vice!

Edited June 19 by Lefty11
Spelling

[Skrizan]

Congrats @Lefty11 for avoiding the trees and cart paths and any other hard obstacles!

I have also been impressed with durability, but I have hit trees and gravel cart path a few times.  I've posted the discoloration from hitting trees previously, but this does not affect play in my opinion.  The first two times I hit the cart path I did not find any damage.  Last night I hit the path on the last hole and finally got a good scrape.

I would expect this to happen with any ball.

This was my tee shot on the par three 18th and I chipped to 3 feet and made par to finish with 37, my lowest 9 hole round of the year so far!   

Was a decent breeze last night (Thankfully, it was 94 degrees when we started league.) and I hit some drives to distances I have not seen in a long while, and into the wind.  I missed 5 greens and was able to chip and par them all.  I can't say enough about how much I love the feel of this golf ball from tee to green. My only bogey was a 3 putt from 60 feet.  (Brain fart on iron selection, pin was in the front barely on the green and I hit to back edge.)

Reviews will be coming before long, but I think you can tell the way I am leaning