Volvik Golf Balls - 2024 Forum Review

[MichaelC_81]

2 hours ago, Splatt said:

Congrats everyone 

@MichaelC_81 I'm looking forward to watching you lose a couple during the testing period

That just hurts my feelings... but knowing you'll be there to take some action shots means I can submit some nice photos.

[MDGolfHacker]

11 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

About Volvik

Volvik is a Korean company founded in 1980. “Volvik” stands for "Fly to Victory," with "Vol" in "volare" meaning "to fly" in Italian, taking "Vi" from "victory" and then combining that with the "K" from Korea to create the mashup name Volvik. They own their own R&D center and two golf ball manufacturing facilities, where they make ionomer-covered golf balls and, soon, urethane balls. It wasn’t until 2012 that Volvik expanded into the U.S. market through a joint venture. 

Now they have a wholly owned U.S. division which could be considered a relaunch of the brand in the U.S. Volvik has the second-largest golf ball market share in Korea and exports to more than 50 countries. They hope to gain further traction in the U.S. market with their new balls and matte finish technology.

The Testing Opportunity

We are looking for nine golfers to test, review and keep two dozen golf balls from Volvik's lineup. We will select three golfers each to test the Condor X, Condor and XT Soft golf balls.

The Volvik Condor is a three-piece, urethane-covered ball that Volvik classifies as high speed and low spin with softer feel and longer distance.

The Volvik Condor X is a four-piece ball with a Dual White Carbon urethane cover which they say offers enhanced feel, high speed, high rebound and maximum distance.

Both Condor balls are available only in white.

The Volvik XT Soft is a three-piece urethane ball. The XT Soft claims softer feel and longer distance along with maximum short game spin, control, and durability. It features the V-Focus alignment and is available in white or yellow.

We want our selected testers to see how these stack up against their current golf balls and provide feedback on their performance on the course.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

Volvik Condor - @jayyarr @MichaelC_81 and @Zman56

Volvik Condor X - @TK_ @JackBurtonsPorkchopExpress and @Sharp.shell

Volvik XT Soft - @archship @MajorCavalry and @RajMahal

Congratulations testers!

[MichaelC_81]

11 hours ago, MichaelC_81 said:

Placeholder 2

Cheers gang, looking forward to testing these bads boys out and seeing how they go against my current Taylormades.

[RajMahal]

2 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

Congratulations spies!  Great seeing lots of new members getting into the product tests. 

 

I have an ND stamp I'll be throwing on my balls after unpacking them. You'll appreciate it. 

[MizzyV1]

Congrats testers! Curious to see how well this ball performs.

[Albatrossing]

Congratulations testers!

I hope you enjoy a round and look forward to hearing your feedback. 

[Rob Person]

Good luck to the testers!  I've never played a volvik ball, and this has my curiosity!

[archship]

I’m so excited to finally test something!  I’ve found a few Volvik balls in the past, but never played one, so this will be an experience on several levels. I can’t wait until they arrive. 

[Sharp.shell]

Hey all my intro is up. 

[jayyarr]

Really excited for these to come in. I was able to go out to play today and swapped out the provs I've been running lately to try the new snell primes and was honestly a little disappointed.  I ran a couple balls today and the casing didn’t really feel like it held up at all.  After a couple wedge shots was starting to show some heavier signs of scuffing. It was a pretty wet day with just kind of a consistent drizzle so hoping that was the root cause and they hold up better in dryer conditions but ive always felt thats where the big difference is between running something like provs compared to some of the more affordable brands like vice.  Spin and distance is easier to match but that casing lacks. 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Looks like we got some intros up from some newer members. Check them out!

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_BNG said:

Looks like we got some intros up from some newer members. Check them out!

Been enjoying these tests with all new testers!

[GolfSpy_BNG]

20 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Been enjoying these tests with all new testers!

Me too.  Been a blast watching a lot of new faces really get involved here on MGS

[Coulter]

Really looking forward to the reviews! I’ve come to really like the “DTC” golf world! Always a good deal to find and plenty of great options. Hopefully these balls are as good as advertised and I’ll give them a shot next.

[archship]

I started asking various golfing partners (some friends, some strangers) about their experiences with Volvik.  Most were like me in that they had found a few, maybe hit one once or twice, and/or gave it to a lady golfer in their life. A few knew Volvik was used in the world long drive championship.  I am bursting with curiosity to see these new tour level XT Soft balls and see how they play!

[MajorCavalry]

Good morning all,

I am looking forward to testing the Volvik XT Soft golf ball. I am still testing the Bridgestone Tour B RX Mindset with subjective and objective ShotScope data.

I have used Volvik golf balls in the past and have been less than impressed, but I come to this testing with an open mind.

Subjectively, I want to see how they feel when hit off the driver, long and short irons.  I will be comparing it to my current gamer the Oncor Elixr and my other tester, the Bridgestone.

I will attempt to use my ShotScope watch to add data.

I would encourage all of you interested in this evaluation to give me input into things I haven’t thought of.  I will try to add these.

Thanks!

[RajMahal]

Just dropped my intro. Pumped to receive these balls and hopefully not lose all of them in one round. 

[Tim Start]

On 6/4/2024 at 8:14 PM, MDGolfHacker said:

Congratulations testers! Excited to see the results !! LETS GO!!! ️ ✌ 

[archship]

I just added the following to my original review post.

The Golf Questions

I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about how I want to test the product. I plan to compare the Volvik XT Soft to the Callaway Chrome Soft, which I currently play about half the year. I live only 50 feet from the middle of the 7th fairway at Wild Wing Avocet, so getting out on the course to hit them side-by-side for subjective assessments will be fairly easy.   I will also look into getting data from a premium launch monitor, but my back-up plan will be to at least use my Garmin G80 to get the Distance and Ball Speed numbers.  

In order to get this product into my bag after testing, it really only has to do one thing… help me shoot better rounds.  That doesn’t mean I have to shoot a personal best round with them, just that the average round with the XT Soft is better than the average round I am getting at this time and location with my current ball.  

I am excited to test the product because it slots into the type of ball I should be playing with my handicap and swing speed.  I’ve been debating whether to permanently switch to a softer ball, even in the summer, for a few years now, so if the XT Soft ends up being that ball at a lower price point, great! 

I did some quick research on the XT Soft through the Volvik website and a few other review sites before I was even selected by MGS to do this.  The first two things that caught my eye were the mid-level compression and that it was a three piece ball with a Urethane cover. Generally, those are the two most important features for me to choose a ball, my winter Supersoft choice notwithstanding.

My expectations for this test are very high.  Not only do I hope the ball performs as well or better than my current one for personal reasons, but I also want to do a good enough review that those of you reading this will be able to make a well informed decision on whether or not to spend your hard earned cash on a box of them.  I would say the ultimate validation would be if the MGS public tends to agree with whatever my final assessment is. 

Edited June 11 by archship

[MajorCavalry]

I will be testing the Volvik XT Soft against the Bridgestone Mindset Tour B RX and the Oncor Elixr. All three are of similar compression (I think) and are meant for slower swing players.  My drive swing is consistently in the 92 mph range. I plan on adding my own “mindset” graphic as shown on the Oncor.  I have come to believe in the value.

[archship]

On 6/4/2024 at 9:11 AM, GolfSpy_APH said:

The Testing Opportunity

We are looking for nine golfers to test, review and keep two dozen golf balls from Volvik's lineup.

I received the first dozen balls today. I’m assuming the other dozen is on the way as well. I took photos as I unboxed them. I’ll do a formal posting about that with more pics tomorrow after I fire up the laptop to type faster. 

[Zman56]

They have arrived!  I received my Volvik Condor golf balls yesterday!  I agree with Archship as I thought I read we would receive 2 dozen?  The other dozen must be on the way.

The packaging of the balls are what I would expect, very appealing to the eye and descriptive of the balls.  I like the straight line of the words “Volvik” & “Condor” as I will use it to line up my tee shot and putting.  As a side note, I do not play with Calloway balls due to the curvature of the name, it’s a personal thing.

I found the meaning of the name Volvik - It is actually a combination of the Italian word Volare, which means to fly, and then Victory, so Fly to Victory.  So far, everything looks great!  Can’t wait to get out and play and test out these Volvik balls and watch them fly to victory!  

Have a great weekend!

[archship]

I just added the following to my original review post.

First Impressions (10 out of 10)

When I got the delivery late last night, I couldn’t wait to open it.  It was so well wrapped, I had to cut it all the way open with scissors.  The First Impression was great!  The box itself looks very nice with features listed on the back for Swing Speed, Construction, Driver Spin, Trajectory, Finish, Shot Type, Wedge Spin, and Feel.  There was an added product catalog which includes all of their ball offerings (much more than I realized), including special orders for logos and personalization.  There are also Volvik branded golf bags, hats, junior clubs, and (oddly) Marvel branded balls, travel covers, hats, and headcovers. The sleeves again were well done, and the balls themselves look first rate.  I especially liked the V-Focus Line as it is similar to the TripleTrack on the ChromeSoft, and won’t have to draw them in with a template like I do for other balls.  

Aesthetics (10 out of 10) 

The appearance, graphics, and packaging were great.  I played my first round with them this morning (more to come on that) and the short and long term durability seems to be top of the line, especially for a urethane covered ball.  I don’t really have much to say about dimple patterns as that isn’t something that gets my attention except when it goes to an extreme like a Bridgestone E12 Contact.  I did love the V-Focus alignment aid as a triple line is what I’m used to from ChromeSoft or adding one myself to other balls.  The shade of white seems a bit brighter than most, except maybe Srixon’s offerings.  The condition of the ball seems almost out-of-the-box new after the first nine holes, which did not include any major scuff potential (trees, cartpaths) other than one sand trap.  

The Feel is also very good, and the Sound was uneventful, which in some ways might be a great compliment over many cheaper alternatives.   I was directly comparing it to a ChromeSoft today, and would say that the Volvik held its own in both categories, especially when using irons.  The Volvik actually felt and sounded more like a lower compression ball (think Supersoft at 40 or Noodle at 35) than the 70 compression ball that it is. Once I started to reflect on my round, I began to realize that the closest competitor to it would actually be the Taylormade Tour Response, which I played a few sleeves of about a year ago, and recently discussed with my league partner who was trying them over his last few rounds. They are both 3-piece, 70 compression balls with an alignment aid and are priced within a few dollars of each other.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 12:06 PM by archship

[jayyarr]

On 6/6/2024 at 6:29 PM, jayyarr said:

Really excited for these to come in. I was able to go out to play today and swapped out the provs I've been running lately to try the new snell primes and was honestly a little disappointed.  I ran a couple balls today and the casing didn’t really feel like it held up at all.  After a couple wedge shots was starting to show some heavier signs of scuffing. It was a pretty wet day with just kind of a consistent drizzle so hoping that was the root cause and they hold up better in dryer conditions but ive always felt thats where the big difference is between running something like provs compared to some of the more affordable brands like vice.  Spin and distance is easier to match but that casing lacks. 

Seems like the balls should be coming in soon.  Had a chance to play another round today and noticed the same coating issues on the snell primes wanted to make sure i took a picture this time  coating really looks like its just rubbing away around the dimples only after a couple holes with it. 

[MajorCavalry]

First round with the Volvik XT Soft balls.

First impression is that they feel softer off the face than the Oncor Elixr and Bridgestone Tour B RX.  Not better or worse, just slightly softer.

Driver/fairway woods/long irons: Distance averages are unchanged. Accuracy is excellent! This ball just wants to go straight. Might be a problem with those that want to work the ball left or right.

Short irons/wedges: Great distance control. Spin excellent.  One hop and stop.

Putter: Soft off the face. Good distance control. Alignment aid was helpful.  Matched nicely with my LAB putter.

Graphics: Alignment aid works well without being distracting. Focusing point keeps me in the shot, like the Mindset but is more subtle.

Durability: Up to the 15th hole, I would say excellent. The cover looked brand new. An errant 5 iron with a cart path landing left a scuff. Played the ball for the rest of the round, with no effect on ball flight.

 

 

[TK_]

On 6/4/2024 at 9:13 AM, TK_ said:

Introduction:

I am Tom, a late 20’s golfer with a very modern outlook on the game. I have naturally high swings speeds from my baseball background, and I have been playing golf for nearly 6-years. I also benefit mightily from being long off the tee and have driven/over-driven multiple greens in my short playing career. I have a long driving distance of 387yds and a short driving distance of about 2ft… can’t get em all. I have struggled from time to time to get off the tee with driver and will opt for a 3-wood which I can consistently hit 240yds (sometimes longer, but that comes down to if I am trying to give it more). With my modern approach I tend to go with the bomb and gouge option more often than anything else. Though, if I am playing poorly, tighter fairways, or if I think I need to play within myself, I will start taking irons off the tee and play with more course management.

Current Gaming:

I currently use the Srixon Z-Star XV because it gives me the length off the tee I typically have, and it has cut down on how many I tend to randomly mishit. Understand I am newer and have only taken a few lessons. I chose the Srixon’s over the Bridgestone’s I was gaming because it cut down on spin, steadied out my tee shots, and was cheaper. At the time, the Srixon Z-Star XV’s were $27.99/dozen. Last season they nearly doubled due to being the official ball sponsor of the PGA instead of Titleist. I believe it has recently changed back to the ProV1’s as the official ball of the PGA, but the price never came back down unfortunately. These Srixon’s provide less frequent mishits, more fairways hit, and have helped me hit the same amount of greens as Bridgestone’s provided.

What to Expect:

I have said multiple times over to my friends I play with, I have no issue sacrificing distance for controllability. What matters more to me, the score on the card versus the length of the drive. I am looking for the Condor X to be placed in the bag as long as it helps me stick more greens. If I can use this ball and not sacrifice how many fairways I hit, I will make the change no problem. I am hoping I can help give a clear and concise rating on the Volvik Condor X balls for the entire community to understand or relate with. 

Volvik Condor X Unboxing/First Impression:

Upon their arrival I was very excited to get my hands on these golf balls. If you have seen anyone’s photo’s of how they arrived, you’d know it was an absolute fight to get them out of their packaging. Volvik took their time ensuring these were packed safely and securely that’s for sure. I needed some range work for my league round this weekend so I took them to my nearest grass range in the area. 

The packaging was very attractive, but it did remind me of a more casual mix of Bridgestone Tour B XS and Srixon Z-Star XV’s due to their color combinations (blue, silver, unique design, and shelf appeal). Maybe that’s just me, maybe not.

The blue design on the outside of the box is shown on the individual sleeve’s as well. It looks like a rendition of a bird in the color blue. There is also a bird hidden in the R of Condor. Since this is a Republic of Korean based company, I found it necessary to mention the significance of blue in their culture. It is one of the colors in their flag, and their President’s main residence is dubbed “The Blue House” due to the blue roofing. The Blue House represents unwavering bravery that instills the persistence of facing all fears head on.

The side profile of the sleeve shows a much more in detail bird leaving a trail of smoke behind it and it is easily the most attractive portion of the packaging. Here’s to hoping these blue bird’s give me the strength to fly all hazard’s and leave my competition in the dust.

The balls themselves are very plain and have red numbering on them. They do have a putting alignment with Condor X and arrows as seen on the middle ball which is a plus for nearly every golfer. The writing of the company “Volvik”, is very thin and it almost looks like a knock-off because of its lack of boldness.

Something I really want to point out, these are not their matte golf balls that you normally find on a golf course while looking for your buddies ball (definitely not yours). These have a nice finish on them that makes them look even nicer. However, when I took them out of the box, these balls almost felt sticky. I am anticipating the opportunity to bust these out and see how they respond around the greens. I have a feeling they will provide the stopping power I have been searching for. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my assessment of their appearance and packaging. 

Overall Rating: 8/10

Packaging: 4/5

As much as I like the packaging, they hid their best rendition of the bird for the sleeves, and I don’t think it has enough appeal to the amateur golfer that it would increase sales in any way.

Shelf Appeal: 3/5

Since Volvik’s are not seen to be a premier ball, I do not think their casual packaging will do enough to differentiate themselves from the pack, nor will it appeal to the casual golfer. This will drastically effect their sales in the long run without a large marketing campaign to help.

Ball: 5/5

I am overlooking the thin writing because I think that is a personal issue, but the ball looks like a premier ball and when it is in your hand it feels like it will respond well around the greens. Something I haven’t been able to accomplish in my game yet.

 

TLDR:

I am late 20’s with high swing speeds. My distance off the tee doesn’t reflect my handicap. I live in the Greater Philadelphia area and play a few times a month. I am looking for more controllability and am willing to sacrifice distance to do so. The Condor X’s are nice, clean, and grippy. The packaging color pattern is significant to their South Korean culture (Blue House = American White House) and represents unwavering bravery in the face of all of life’s trials and tribulations. Rating 8/10.

Updated with my unboxing/first impressions. This is solely an appearance update, but I look forward to testing these out consistently over the next couple weeks to give everyone some great feed back. Hope you enjoy!

[TK_]

Volvik Condor X Unboxing/First Impression:

Upon their arrival I was very excited to get my hands on these golf balls. If you have seen anyone’s photo’s of how they arrived, you’d know it was an absolute fight to get them out of their packaging. Volvik took their time ensuring these were packed safely and securely that’s for sure. I needed some range work for my league round this weekend so I took them to my nearest grass range in the area. 

The packaging was very attractive, but it did remind me of a more casual mix of Bridgestone Tour B XS and Srixon Z-Star XV’s due to their color combinations (blue, silver, unique design, and shelf appeal). Maybe that’s just me, maybe not.

The blue design on the outside of the box is shown on the individual sleeve’s as well. It looks like a rendition of a bird in the color blue. There is also a bird hidden in the R of Condor. Since this is a Republic of Korean based company, I found it necessary to mention the significance of blue in their culture. It is one of the colors in their flag, and their President’s main residence is dubbed “The Blue House” due to the blue roofing. The Blue House representsunwavering bravery that instills the persistence of facing all fears head on.

The side profile of the sleeve shows a much more in detail bird leaving a trail of smoke behind it and it is easily the most attractive portion of the packaging. Here’s to hoping these blue bird’s give me the strength to fly all hazard’s and leave my competition in the dust.

The balls themselves are very plain and have red numbering on them. They do have a putting alignment with Condor X and arrows as seen on the middle ball which is a plus for nearly every golfer. The writing of the company “Volvik”, is very thin and it almost looks like a knock-off because of its lack of boldness.

Something I really want to point out, these are not their matte golf balls that you normally find on a golf course while looking for your buddies ball (definitely not yours). These have a nice finish on them that makes them look even nicer. However, when I took them out of the box, these balls almost felt sticky. I am anticipating the opportunity to bust these out and see how they respond around the greens. I have a feeling they will provide the stopping power I have been searching for. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my assessment of their appearance and packaging. 

Overall Rating: 8/10

Packaging: 4/5

As much as I like the packaging, they hid their best rendition of the bird for the sleeves, and I don’t think it has enough appeal to the amateur golfer that it would increase sales in any way.

Shelf Appeal: 3/5

Since Volvik’s are not seen to be a premier ball, I do not think their casual packaging will do enough to differentiate themselves from the pack, nor will it appeal to the casual golfer. This will drastically effect their sales in the long run without a large marketing campaign to help.

Ball: 5/5

I am overlooking the thin writing because I think that is a personal issue, but the ball looks like a premier ball and when it is in your hand it feels like it will respond well around the greens. Something I haven’t been able to accomplish in my game yet.

TLDR:

I am late 20’s with high swing speeds. My distance off the tee doesn’t reflect my handicap. I live in the Greater Philadelphia area and play a few times a month. I am looking for more controllability and am willing to sacrifice distance to do so. The Condor X’s are nice, clean, and grippy. The packaging color pattern is significant to their South Korean culture (Blue House = American White House) and represents unwavering bravery in the face of all of life’s trials and tribulations. Rating 8/10.