Vice Golf Balls - 2024 Forum Review

[3Putt4Double]

On 6/26/2024 at 10:32 AM, 3Putt4Double said:

Well, it's day 3 of battling with Vice and FedEx.. Vice says call FedEx, FedEx says tell Vice to call FedEx economy, and I'm still waiting on something to get done and don't think I'm even one step closer

Day 5, no more emails or contact from Vice golf about the missing package..I let them know FedEx told me to have them contact FedEx economy since they were the sender and not heard a word since.. just emailed back and asked them if they could just cancel order and resend what I paid for.. We will see if it works and how far they will go to satisfy a customer

P.S.  I am blaming this on FedEx bc they actually lost the package, but customer service is very important, and so far Vice hasn't been impressive.. Hoping that changes soon!

Edited June 29 by 3Putt4Double

[3Putt4Double]

1 hour ago, 3Putt4Double said:

Day 5, no more emails or contact from Vice golf about the missing package..I let them know FedEx told me to have them contact FedEx economy since they were the sender and not heard a word since.. just emailed back and asked them if they could just cancel order and resend what I paid for.. We will see if it works and how far they will go to satisfy a customer

P.S.  I am blaming this on FedEx bc they actually lost the package, but customer service is very important, and so far Vice hasn't been impressive.. Hoping that changes soon!

Update: after I sent the email this evening they did get right back to me! That's a great sign!

[Michael.Sandoval33]

3 minutes ago, 3Putt4Double said:

Update: after I sent the email this evening they did get right back to me! That's a great sign!

I know it's not fun having to send those email correspondences only for them to fall on deaf ears. Hopefully they find the right solution for you. 

[3Putt4Double]

9 hours ago, Michael.Sandoval33 said:

I know it's not fun having to send those email correspondences only for them to fall on deaf ears. Hopefully they find the right solution for you. 

Hopefully so, but not so worried about the golf balls at this point as I am about a company stepping up..I'm extremely interested in the Vice Pro staying in my bag but won't be ordering from Vice website if this doesn't get fixed soon.. Shelf stock only

Edited June 29 by 3Putt4Double

[Lefty11]

1 hour ago, 3Putt4Double said:

Hopefully so, but not so worried about the golf balls at this point as I am about a company stepping up..I'm extremely interested in the Vice Pro staying in my bag but won't be ordering from Vice website if this doesn't get fixed soon.. Shelf stock only

I understand that Vice is primarily a DTC company.  I don't blame Vice, having worked in a DTC (in shipping) company before, I know that once the product leaves the warehouse, they are at the mercy of the shipping company.  Hopefully, they can resolve your issue quickly.  I'd love to see Vice products in stores here in Canada to avoid problems like this.  

[3Putt4Double]

3 hours ago, Lefty11 said:

I understand that Vice is primarily a DTC company.  I don't blame Vice, having worked in a DTC (in shipping) company before, I know that once the product leaves the warehouse, they are at the mercy of the shipping company.  Hopefully, they can resolve your issue quickly.  I'd love to see Vice products in stores here in Canada to avoid problems like this.  

I hear ya and I agree.. Just wondering if Vice would resend and make the lost balls there problem and not the customers problem.. In my mind, that's a company going above and beyond to make the customer happy and coming back..I do hate it for Vice but 90% of ppl remember the company they ordered from and not the company that delivers

[Lefty11]

I played 18 holes with the Vice Pro Air today. Once again, the results were consistent with my previous outings.

High and long ball flight.  Soft feel off all the clubs.

However, today I couldn’t escape the wrath of the cart path and a few vengeful trees. I think they were making up for the times I missed them in my previous outings.  I’ve used the same balls in all my previous rounds.

I guess I was overdue. Let's not forget about the beach—I spent some time there as well. After several rounds and hitting various obstacles, the Vice Pro Air has shown some battle wounds. While that's to be expected, the durability of this ball is impressive.

I was paired up with two random players who asked about the ball I was playing. One of them, Wayne, was particularly interested in the Vice Pro Air. He liked the price point and the colors of the Drip and Neon Lime Green balls. He asked to hit a lime green one, and afterward, he said he would order some from the website. He was a fan of the distance and feel of the balls as well. I'll take irons as payment, Vice.

Until next time, keep it in the short stuff. 

Edited July 1 by Lefty11

[3Putt4Double]

Well, it was a long, hard battle but it's over now.. Vice refunded my money after they contacted FedEx and FedEx verified the package was lost.. can't say customer service stayed in constant contact but they did get back to me a couple times so there's that.. Not exceptional service but not bad either..all in all I think I would feel comfy enough to order from them again.. 3/5 stars

[Lefty11]

8 hours ago, 3Putt4Double said:

Well, it was a long, hard battle but it's over now.. Vice refunded my money after they contacted FedEx and FedEx verified the package was lost.. can't say customer service stayed in constant contact but they did get back to me a couple times so there's that.. Not exceptional service but not bad either..all in all I think I would feel comfy enough to order from them again.. 3/5 stars

Well played Vice!  Good form!

[Prodigal Duffer]

I've enjoyed following this test and am a big fan of Vice golf balls. I was in need of some balls and on the fence between a few models. I used to play the Pro Plus, but the Vice fitting tool suggests the Pro for me. Comparing the compression of the new Pro to the old Pro Plus, this is a pretty close match.

For those testing the Pro and Pro Plus - how would you describe the launch and stopping power? I

Edited July 3 by Prodigal Duffer

[3Putt4Double]

3 hours ago, Prodigal Duffer said:

I've enjoyed following this test and am a big fan of Vice golf balls. I was in need of some balls and on the fence between a few models. I used to play the Pro Plus, but the Vice fitting tool suggests the Pro for me. Comparing the compression of the new Pro to the old Pro Plus, this is a pretty close match.

For those testing the Pro and Pro Plus - how would you describe the launch and stopping power? I

Vice Pro: Nice mid-high launch coming off the driver (which is normal for my swing) with a firm feel.. I have found the iron shots has a little higher apex than normal which is resulting in great stopping power on the greens! I would go to the practice putting green before hitting the course though to get the feel down..seems to roll a tad bit slower than most premium balls, which could be a good thing or bad things depending on your putting style

[Lefty11]

Thank you for this opportunity My Golf Spy and Vice!

[Lefty11]

My final review is up.  The link is below.  

 

[3Putt4Double]

@Lefty11 great review! Have had a great time conversing with you about these Vice balls over the past month or so

[Michael.Sandoval33]

Awesome final reviews @3Putt4Double and @Lefty11. Great job taking in all factors when deciding if the ball was right for you. I know Vice has their ball fitting tool, but you never really know until you take them out and roll them. 

[hands39]

Final review is out. 

 

Edited July 5 by hands39

[3Putt4Double]

46 minutes ago, hands39 said:

Final Review is out!

DM me ur address and I'll send u a sleeve of the Vice Pro if u want to check them out..think I have a few sleeves left

[Lefty11]

9 hours ago, 3Putt4Double said:

@Lefty11 great review! Have had a great time conversing with you about these Vice balls over the past month or so

Thank you @3Putt4Double!  It has been a good time messaging back and forth.  

9 hours ago, Michael.Sandoval33 said:

Awesome final reviews @3Putt4Double and @Lefty11. Great job taking in all factors when deciding if the ball was right for you. I know Vice has their ball fitting tool, but you never really know until you take them out and roll them. 

So true @Michael.Sandoval33!  You need to roll them.  

[Lefty11]

Thank you, My Golf Spy and Vice! I’ve had fun during the testing process and I look forward to future opportunities.

[Rob Person]

Those were some fantastic final reviews. I guess I will just have to play a couple of Different types to determine which one would be for me if I decide to go that route.

[Lefty11]

48 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

Those were some fantastic final reviews. I guess I will just have to play a couple of Different types to determine which one would be for me if I decide to go that route.

I can send you a sleeve @Rob Person if you like.  Drip or Lime?

[Lefty11]

9 minutes ago, Lefty11 said:

Thank you! I can send you a sleeve @Rob Person if you like.  Drip or Lime?

 

[Rob Person]

I couldn't possibly ask anybody to spend money to send me some balls. I appreciate the offer and those limes look really good

[3Putt4Double]

3 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

I couldn't possibly ask anybody to spend money to send me some balls. I appreciate the offer and those limes look really good

That's one way to look at it.. Another way to look at it is us testers got blessed to try these vice balls.. Got 2 dozen for free and we would like to pass that blessing on in a small way to another spy so they can try them out

[Lefty11]

8 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

I couldn't possibly ask anybody to spend money to send me some balls. I appreciate the offer and those limes look really good

@Rob Person I’ve got your addy anyway. When I return from vacation I’ll send you a sleeve of lime. 

[Rob Person]

2 hours ago, 3Putt4Double said:

That's one way to look at it.. Another way to look at it is us testers got blessed to try these vice balls.. Got 2 dozen for free and we would like to pass that blessing on in a small way to another spy so they can try them out

Oh i understand completely!

Before the mindset test, I was blessed with Bridgestone sending a dozen of each 2024 Tour B RX and RXS balls to test out In decemer/January.   I passed a sleeve of each on to several members as an unofficial mgs test. 

2 hours ago, Lefty11 said:

@Rob Person I’ve got your addy anyway. When I return from vacation I’ll send you a sleeve of lime. 

Thank you

[Lefty11]

2 hours ago, Rob Person said:

Oh i understand completely!

Before the mindset test, I was blessed with Bridgestone sending a dozen of each 2024 Tour B RX and RXS balls to test out In decemer/January.   I passed a sleeve of each on to several members as an unofficial mgs test. 

Thank you

You’re welcome!

[Green4Spinach]

On 5/27/2024 at 9:35 AM, Green4Spinach said:

Performance

I don’t have access to a launch monitor – so my Shot Scope GPS watch with tracking tags is the only way to provide you with empirical data. My P-average for driver (Shot Scope language for my typical driving distance on a good shot) was 216 yards with the Mizuno. Now Shot Scope has upped my driver number to 233 yards, as the Drive starts impacting my driver data.

Is the Drive a long ball? Well, it is longer than the RB566. My long drives with the RB566 would cross 235 yards. But the Vice Drive crosses 250 yards on a regular basis, and my longest drive was last weekend when my ten year old Titleist hand-me-down driver hit a 271 yarder. Not bad for a 61 year old with 8 months of golfing experience - at least that's what I say to my son.

Of course, the courses in June are drier and drives are bouncing further. And I might - I live in hope here - I just might be getting better with my swing. So I pulled out an RB566 to compare. My longest drive over the last weekend was 261 yards with the RB566. But the Drive produced three drives in the same round that were longer.

So, the Vice Drive is great as a driving ball. What about its short game aptitude, I hear you ask?

Right up front let me say I am less happy here. The Drive was completely different from the Mizuno in my ability to control how it landed on the green and where it ended up after landing. The Drive is a firm ball, and is about as different from the Mizuno as it is possible to be. The RB566 is a soft compression ball, and performs decently with wedges, despite an unpromising ionomer cover. The Drive matches exactly what you expect from an ionomer cloak – less than sparkling wedge performance.

My putting is pretty poor – Shot Scope identifies it as my weakest skill. I have put very little time into putting practice compared to the three other skills, and I find I have not yet learned to aim properly.  I was surprised how much harder I found it was to adjust to the Drive’s putting speed. The firmness of the ball made it a different proposition to the Mizuno.

I want to be clear on this. It’s not that the Vice is wrong and Mizuno is right. It’s just that I had no understanding that one ball could be so different from another. I am clear on one thing as a result of this test: get to know one ball. Play with that ball. Practice with that ball. Don’t mess around with multiple balls if you care about improving your golf game. Yes, it’s a bit rich getting golfing advice from a newbie, but this one fact about golf balls just sticks out a country mile.

Does this ball work?

Vice Drive - is this the ball for me? Yes, and no. I did not like how I felt about my short game with the Drive. Perhaps it is just a matter of time before I learn how to play wedges with the Drive.

Or maybe the urethane Vice Pro Air, which promises a spinny, touchy-feely upgrade to the ionomer Drive, could be the ball for me.

But the bottom line has to be overall performance. Here I want to show you my Shot Scope metrics for Strokes Gained. As I don’t have a handicap yet, I have been comparing my strokes to 25 handicappers. Prior to the arrival of the Drives, here’s how I fared across three months of play.

My short game holds up my game, and my putting is poor poor poor. The net effect is that I am 3.78 strokes down from a 25 handicapper. 

And here’s how I fared in the four weeks after the Vice Drive became my golf ball. I am now 1.61 strokes ahead of a 25 handicapper.

In effect, I gained 5.3 strokes, just playing Vice Drive for a month. Every metric is better. Except for short game, which is still better than a typical 25 handicapper, but not as good as with the Mizuno. 

I can now see why Shot Scope is such a fan of distance. Longer distance translates to lower scores. The further you are along the fairway, the easier it is to get to the green. Bottom line, the Vice Drive has demonstrably improved my golf play. Even though I still don’t know how to putt – but getting better at putting is what I am targeting as my summer objective.

My short game is what I currently do best. So I don’t want to lose that for the sake of distance. What I want is a ball that gives me distance and gives me control. At the same time. Perhaps I need to upgrade from ionomer balls to urethane balls? The Vice Drive has allowed me to spy my future. I now know where I want to go.

First impressions: 20/20 – Vice seems like a company that wants its customers to have fun. Somehow that message comes across loud and clear.

Aesthetics: 9 /10 – attractive packaging and brightly coloured balls which seem really durable. But I have taken a mark down for the shiny finish on the ball. I prefer a matte finish, which seems easier to find, especially when the grass is glistening in sunlight.

Performance: 9/10 – what is there not to like about a ball that takes my Strokes Gained metric from –3.78 to +1.61 in one month? I wish, though, that the short game performance was better.

On the course: 18/20 – if you are looking for a distance ball, this is such a good ball. But I have deducted a couple of points for the firmness of feel.

The good, bad and ugly: 19/20 – the Drive is a value ball. Vice’s DTC model seems to work just fine and is delivering a high quality product, for around £1.60 a ball. If you order five dozen at a time, the price is down to just over £1 per ball. No complaints there. But some of the colours are sold out on the website. To me, that makes no sense in the DTC business.

Play it or trade it? 16/20 – Did I play my best golf? In terms of strokes, I did better than I have ever done before. Do I want more from a ball? Astonishingly, yes. I want distance AND control. And the £1 price point too. Pretty please. With cherries on top…

Conclusion

Tiger’s advice when choosing a ball: go for “a more forgiving golf ball with a softer compression that fits your swing speed. Forgiveness is your friend, use it to your advantage.” Is the Vice Drive a softer compression ball? Only if your current gamer is Bryson’s ball. Or a small rock you found on the golf course. But the Drive’s firmness gives it distance. And distance might be the single most important shot tracking metric that improves your scores. Hesitate to pull out your credit card for this ball only if you also want top short game performance. But remember, your credit card will love the price – this Distance ball is also a Value ball.

As auditions go, I loved my time with the Vice Drive.

Final Score (91 out of 100)

My review of the Vice Drive is now complete. The full text is here: 

Please do ask any questions, or provide any feedback. It's my first review and I am keen to learn. 

[Rob Person]

6 hours ago, Green4Spinach said:

My review of the Vice Drive is now complete. The full text is here: 

Please do ask any questions, or provide any feedback. It's my first review and I am keen to learn. 

Excellent job! Glad you enjoyed your first testing opportunity!!!

[storm319]

Final Review updated in my OP: