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Volvik Golf Balls - 2024 Forum Review


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I've played a couple rounds and I've really enjoyed them thus far — I get a little more depressed than normal when I send one into the woods. I typically play a Vice Pro Plus, so the softer ball has been an interesting change for me. I haven't noticed a difference in distance, but have been a bit more precise in keeping my approach shots on the green. 

I've set aside the last three balls for Trackman data and comparison to my regular balls so I'm down to my last few on-course testers. But I've been impressed thus far. 

Unboxing and First Impressions post to follow shortly! 

WITB

Callaway Mavrik Iron Set 5-PW,AW W/ Elevate 95 R-Flex Steel Shafts

Callaway Epic Max Star 10.5* Driver HZRDUS Smoke

Cleveland Golf 58-degree wedge

Kirkland Signature KS1 Putter

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I had the chance to play 2x 9 hole rounds this weekend. The ball is definitely not lacking in distance and seems to come off the club face pretty hot. I had ~235 yds in on a par 5 and decided to go for it with my 7w (typically my 220-ish club). The shot was hit pretty well and I figured it was about 10 yards short & left of the green. I searched everywhere and couldn't find it. I didn't think it would be close to pin high. Finally found the ball about even with the pin (a nice surprise). The downside of this is when I'm chipping around the green I am consistently hitting it long. I'm not a wonderful chipper by any means, but the ball comes off a little hotter than expected.

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Shep

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I've played about ten rounds with them now (four 18-hole and six 9-hole) and have a pretty good idea how they play.  I've also hit them off a mat into a net with the G80 checking carry, total distance, and ball speed. I have a friend with a SkyTrack, and he is going to let me use it to finish off "The Numbers" section, which I will soon be able to add to the rest of the review.

Driver, 5W, 4H, 5H, 6I - 9I, PW, AW:  Callaway Rogue ST Max

Wedges:  Cleveland RTX Zipcore 58* Satin Low, 54* Black High, 50* Raw Mid

Putter:  Odyssey White Hot OG 7S 

Balls:  Pro-V1 from March - October

           Supersoft from November - February

Cart: Sun Mountain Speed Cart circa 2004

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On 6/17/2024 at 5:05 PM, MajorCavalry said:

This ball just wants to go straight. Might be a problem with those that want to work the ball left or right.

I would definitely agree with this.  I don't try to work the ball much, so this is a plus for me and my boring, target style of golf. 

Edited by archship

Driver, 5W, 4H, 5H, 6I - 9I, PW, AW:  Callaway Rogue ST Max

Wedges:  Cleveland RTX Zipcore 58* Satin Low, 54* Black High, 50* Raw Mid

Putter:  Odyssey White Hot OG 7S 

Balls:  Pro-V1 from March - October

           Supersoft from November - February

Cart: Sun Mountain Speed Cart circa 2004

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On 6/24/2024 at 11:05 AM, JackBurtonsPorkchopExpress said:

when I'm chipping around the green I am consistently hitting it long. I'm not a wonderful chipper by any means, but the ball comes off a little hotter than expected.

I found this to be the case as well.  When I was chipping head-to-head with Chrome Soft, the XT Soft would almost always seem be an equal distance to the far side of the pin as the Chrome Soft was to the short side.  There wasn't anything particularly wrong with that, as it was very consistently that way.  

Edited by archship

Driver, 5W, 4H, 5H, 6I - 9I, PW, AW:  Callaway Rogue ST Max

Wedges:  Cleveland RTX Zipcore 58* Satin Low, 54* Black High, 50* Raw Mid

Putter:  Odyssey White Hot OG 7S 

Balls:  Pro-V1 from March - October

           Supersoft from November - February

Cart: Sun Mountain Speed Cart circa 2004

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I just added the following to my original review post.

The Numbers (17 out of 20)

So, I played and hit the Volvik for 10 rounds over the last two weeks, including a head-to-head scramble with a Chrome Soft, several each of 9 and 18-hole rounds by itself, and using my G80 into a net.  How did the XT Soft compare? Across the spectrum of golf shots: driver, irons, wedges, and putter, it performed very well and was extremely straight, but it had one major flaw… distance off the tee.  Accuracy was never a problem with any club and distance was as good or even better with irons and wedges, especially into the wind (more on that later).  Chips and pitches were solid, if longer than expected, and putting was excellent.  However, I was definitely losing double-digit yards on the driver.  For the last two years I’ve lived at sea-level in Myrtle Beach, I’ve averaged around 225-230 off the tee. With the XT Soft, I was struggling to get 210-215 out of it and only two or three drives out of roughly 100 were in my average range. Ironically, this didn’t affect my scores much.  Most of my rounds were solidly in the range of my averages (low 40’s and 80’s), with two rounds being particular outliers: a 77 (very low) and a 46 (somewhat high).

I got some hard data with my Garmin G80 and a SkyTrak IMG_2717.jpg.7832049d162812a2e8fd026761f30c16.jpgowned by a friend, Craig Zyr, to see if the numbers were matching what I was seeing on the course.  I directly compared the XT Soft to the Chrome Soft with driver and 7-iron.  While using my G80, as I mentioned before, the XT Soft does well with an iron in hand.  I ended with a 147.1 average for the Callaway and a 145.7 average for the Volvik (spot on with my Arccos numbers from last fall).   SkyTrak had me at 149 for the Volvik and 151 for the Callaway with significantly higher spin on the Chrome Soft than the XT Soft.  IMG_2721.jpg.4b9277946d153559dc86a1c8c168bcfe.jpg I did the same routine with the driver and confirmed the problem I had been seeing on the course with the XT Soft.  My G80 driver averages were 228.3 with the Callaway(agreeing again with Arccos, but dropped significantly to 218.8 with the Volvik XT Soft.  When I used the SkyTrak, the numbers were slightly closer, but showed a similar pattern.  SkyTrak had me at 209 yards of carry for 232 total yards  at 2653 rpm with the Chrome Soft.  It had me at 201 yards of carry for 225 total yards at 2486 rpm with the XT Soft. IMG_2710.jpg.a2b06f25d6c067a90131fbbeb7ad518d.jpg Now, I do think launch monitors get total distance correct most of the time, but the percentage of real carry vs roll-out is so different depending on the turf and the altitude that it is difficult for me to believe those numbers over what I am seeing on a real course.  

While there was a noticeable difference between the Volvik XT Soft and the Callaway Chrome Soft in relation to the driver, I’m not sure if Volvik is positioning the XT Soft to take on that particular ball.  I would guess that matchup is more for the Condor and that the XT Soft is being positioned to duke it out with the Taylormade Tour Response and the Titleist Tour Soft.  I’ve tried both of those before, and really think they have the same overall strengths but driver-weakness that the XT Soft does.  

One final thought I had concerning the performance of the ball isn’t really a “data point”, but I did notice a huge strength of the XT Soft seemed to be its trajectory and distance while hitting into the wind.  On the day I did the head-to-head scramble, the Volvik actually outperformed the Chrome Soft by a few inches with the driver and a few yards with the irons into a strong headwind.  Obviously this can’t be quantified in the same way as a test with perfect conditions or a robot swing machine, but I did get the feeling that something about the Volvik (dimples maybe) helps it to bore into the wind well. 

Edited by archship

Driver, 5W, 4H, 5H, 6I - 9I, PW, AW:  Callaway Rogue ST Max

Wedges:  Cleveland RTX Zipcore 58* Satin Low, 54* Black High, 50* Raw Mid

Putter:  Odyssey White Hot OG 7S 

Balls:  Pro-V1 from March - October

           Supersoft from November - February

Cart: Sun Mountain Speed Cart circa 2004

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Played another round with the Volvik XT Soft.  I continue to be impressed.  Despite having significantly lower compression than the Bridgestone Tour B RX and Oncor Elixr 2022 (70 versus 79 and 83) distance did not suffer.

The ball is very consistent shot to shot. Cover durability is outstanding (unless one hits a cart path LOL).  The weakest point is the focus point.  I know they don’t tout the focal point like Bridgestone Mindset does, but I have come to depend upon it to maintain my focus. I decided to create my own.  Works quite well.

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Edited by MajorCavalry

Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D Graphite Design Tour AD CQ 6s

3 wood:  Callaway Paradym  Ai Smoke Max D Graphite Design Tour AD CQ 6s

5 and 7 wood Paradym Ai Smoke Max D Project X Hzrdus Gen 4 Silver

Irons: 5-PW Miura CB 57 with Accra iSeries 70i 

Wedges: 51, 55, 59 Edison gen2 

Putter: L.A.B. custom fitted

All woods and irons/wedges Best Grips leather grips

Oncore Elixer

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Placeholder 6

Ok Testers, my Condor X’s arrived the other day and have not been able to unbox them until now.

PACKAGING

I though the outer box looks very crips and clean, not too much advertising bling which I like. I do like the blue detail on the right side of the box, looking like a beak/wings of the Condor.

On the back of the box, I like the exploded view of the ball itself with the details of the individual layers of the ball.

The key with the details of the Condor and Condor X showing flight, feel etc I would have like to see what swing speed is recommended for each of the Volvik balls. I did notice that the XT Soft was missing.

I was impressed with the individual sleeves; I loved the blue condor image on the sleeve as well as the feel and performance detail on the back of the sleeve.

BALL

Plain but nice. Looks and feels like it will be very responsive in and around the greens, which I need.

It is basic in its signage per say, which I don’t mind, I usually add a thick black line on all the balls I use as a putting aid. That is something that I would have like to have seen, but just a single thick line, not like the Calloway red/blue lines. or something similar to whats on the the XT Soft. 

I hope to get out on my local course in the next day or two to have a hit, then get into a simulator to get some number happening.

 

I like the look of the box and individual sleeves, the look and feel of the ball itself and can’t wait to put them to the test, firstly in our weekday social 9 hole comps and then on the weekend competition.

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Edited by Sharp.shell

Hi all so in my bag I'm carrying!

Driver Taylormade Sim 2 max 9deg

3wood Titleist TS 2

Fairway Sim 2 Max 3 Rescue 19deg

IRONS Taylormade DHY 2 iron and Taylormade Stealth 4 to AW

Putter Odyssey White hot #9

Balls Srixon Z Star / Titleist 

GPS Bushnell Phantom II

Rangefinder Mileseey PF260

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Yesterday, I found a Volvik XT Soft on the course and started playing it. I was pleasantly surprised with it, hitting it very straight, and close to my normal distance. Unfortunately, that ride came to end when I flipped my hands and launched it into the trees on hole 17.

Looking forward to reading about the testers' experiences.

2023 MGS tester: OnCore VERO X1 ball

2024 MGS tester: Edel Array putter

Driver: Callaway Epic Max 9*

3W: Ping G425 max

Irons: Srixon JX5-MKII (5-PW)

48* Titleist Vokey SM9

52* Cleveland RTX Zipcore

56* Titleist Vokey SM8

Putter: Edel Array B-1

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21 hours ago, MajorCavalry said:

Played another round with the Volvik XT Soft.  I continue to be impressed.  Despite having significantly lower compression than the Bridgestone Tour B RX and Oncor Elixr 2022 (70 versus 79 and 83) distance did not suffer.

The ball is very consistent shot to shot. Cover durability is outstanding (unless one hits a cart path LOL).  The weakest point is the focus point.  I know they don’t tout the focal point like Bridgestone Mindset does, but I have come to depend upon it to maintain my focus. I decided to create my own.  Works quite well.

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Yeah, I am kind of torn on this... Parts of me thinks the Mindset (focus point) is awesome and makes me more aware of my pre-shot routine, but the other part of me likes how simple these Volviks are and they reduce the thoughts in my head. #yaygolf

Shep

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Had the ability to play another round again today. Was using a rotation between these and the Snell prime 3.0 which is the other ball i picked up a the start of this year to try out. For the purpose of this i was just going to do a 1-1 comparison of my round. 

Distance: on average the Snell was longer by about 5-10 yards. So not quite a club difference but close.

Feel: the Condor was much softer feeling. This is a feeling I do tend to like when chipping but that's really about it. 

Durability: the performance was pretty similar here. clipped cart path with both balls during the round and they got decently scuffed but actually good shots did not do any damage to them. 

Ball flight: the condor had a higher ball flight and felt like it was landing a little softer on what was really firm greens but it also led to me getting a little but more affected by the wind when it picked up. 

Spin: the condor was definitely spinning more. I didn't really feel like I had spin issues with either ball but I had some wedge shots check back a bit more/ stop sooner with the Condor vs Snell. 

 

 

Driver:   G425 Max w/Hzardous im10
Fairway:  M4 3 wood w/fujikura atmos Cobra LTDx 5 wood w/hzrdous im10 shaft
Hybrids:  G425  max 3 hybrid w/alta cb      
Irons:      P790 4-pw  w/ dynamic gold 95
Wedge:   50 degree MG4 54/58 degree MG3 w/dynamic gold r300
Putter:   white hot versa double bend seven 

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Completed another round today.  Alternated the following balls. Volvik XT Soft, Bridgestone Tour B RX Mindset, Oncor Elixr (my normal go to) and a Callaway Chrome Tour (found one on the course recently). All marked with my own “mindset” markings.

Volvik XT Soft: Does everything I could hope for. Long and straight off the tee and long irons, nice spin on short irons, good distance control and feel of the putter. 

Bridgestone, Oncor: exactly the same as the the Volvik with one exception. Not quite as soft of off the face. A bit of a click.  Not a hard feel but not soft like the Volvik.  Makes sense considering the compression difference. 

Callaway Chrome Tour:  This was a surprise. I would never have purchased this ball. Just a lucky find.  With my driver swing speed of 90-95 mph, I would have thought this ball was not a good fit.  Same harder, but not harsh feel off the face. Ball has a bit more spin off the tee with a slight draw.  Something I never have. Distance was consistently longer  by 4-5 yards.  

Bottom line: I would be happy to use any of these balls on a daily basis.  Although the Chrome Tour gave a bit more distance I don’t think it is worth the cost. Same for the Bridgestone.  The Oncor can be had for 20-25 dollars a dozen when on sale.  Recently noticed that the Volvik was on sale for $29.95. For this price it is really a viable option.

Good balls, all!

Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D Graphite Design Tour AD CQ 6s

3 wood:  Callaway Paradym  Ai Smoke Max D Graphite Design Tour AD CQ 6s

5 and 7 wood Paradym Ai Smoke Max D Project X Hzrdus Gen 4 Silver

Irons: 5-PW Miura CB 57 with Accra iSeries 70i 

Wedges: 51, 55, 59 Edison gen2 

Putter: L.A.B. custom fitted

All woods and irons/wedges Best Grips leather grips

Oncore Elixer

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Testing the Condor X.
Slipped out yesterday morning for a quick 9 holes and was quite impressed so far. Distance off the tee and long/mid irons I don’t was any issues or that much different to my Srixon Z Stars. 
Short irons on par 3’s plus mid/short irons into the greens I  was impressed even with 1/2 frozen greens from an over night frost and a few obstacles throughout my round. They pitched and either 1 hop and stop or hop and spin back. Soon back was anywhere from 2 to 4 yards. 
Putting with the ball marked up with a black texts line, the roll was good and I felt it was true if that makes sense. 
Can’t wait to get out for a full round and then into a simulator to grab some numbers. 
 

 

 

 

 

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Edited by Sharp.shell

Hi all so in my bag I'm carrying!

Driver Taylormade Sim 2 max 9deg

3wood Titleist TS 2

Fairway Sim 2 Max 3 Rescue 19deg

IRONS Taylormade DHY 2 iron and Taylormade Stealth 4 to AW

Putter Odyssey White hot #9

Balls Srixon Z Star / Titleist 

GPS Bushnell Phantom II

Rangefinder Mileseey PF260

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When it comes to spin numbers, what other golf balls would you compare it to?

⛳🛄 as of Nov 6, 2023 (Past WITB
Driver:  :callaway-small: Paradym TD w/ GD ADDI 6X Driver Shootout! 

Wood:    :cobra-small: F7 3 wood 14.5* w/ Motore F1 Shaft

Irons:   :titleist-small: T Series - T200 5 Iron
                                          T150 6-9 Iron
                                          T100 PW/GW

Wedge:  Toura Golf - A Spec 53,37,61 degree 

Putter:  Screenshot 2023-06-02 13.10.30.png Mezz Max!

Balls:     Vice Pro Plus Drip (Blue/Orange)

 

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How come some of my pics don’t show 

Edited by Sharp.shell

Hi all so in my bag I'm carrying!

Driver Taylormade Sim 2 max 9deg

3wood Titleist TS 2

Fairway Sim 2 Max 3 Rescue 19deg

IRONS Taylormade DHY 2 iron and Taylormade Stealth 4 to AW

Putter Odyssey White hot #9

Balls Srixon Z Star / Titleist 

GPS Bushnell Phantom II

Rangefinder Mileseey PF260

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Happy Monday! I got out again this weekend with the Condors. I am getting very consistent results from them. They are long off the tee, but come off my wedges hot. I put them against my normal Maxfli Tour X to do a side by side comparison. Off the tee there is no real difference in distance (when struck appropriately). However, I feel the Maxfli's tend to stay a little bit straighter for me. This is where one of those dispersion charts would be nice to back up what I'm seeing.
One other observation is that when I hit the Maxfli flush, I immediately know it by the way it feels coming off the club. The Volviks don't give me that same haptic response when I flush them. Not a knock on them, but something I've noticed. It's just a funny observation that I'm telling the Volviks to "get up" and the Maxflis to "get down" when they are in the air and they go the same distance.

I am really enjoying testing these balls and love the subtle differences between balls. 

Shep

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Posted (edited)

I’ve been out 6 times over the last 3 weeks testing the Volvik Condor.  I first noticed the good feel off the putter on the practice green.  Off the tee, no difference than other balls I play, flight, distance and direction.  They are very comparable to the Taylormade Tour Response and the Srixon Soft.  Off the driver distance and direction very similar.  I actually hit a Pro V1 and minimal distance difference.

One of the things I did find is that I use 3, 5, 7 & 11 woods and I was getting more distance off all of these clubs and no real direction issues with my Condor!  I’m very pleased with this outcome.

Last Thursday, I let each of my 3 playing partners play a Condor on a Par 5 pretty open hole except trees.  Comments they made - I like the feel off the club; comparable to my Pro V 1; I’d consider purchasing at $43 for a dozen.

My only complaint would be they don’t float.  😎  Played 6 times and have lost 5 balls…  I may need that 2nd dozen before to long.  😎

Overall, I have been very pleased with these Condors and will recommend them to others!  Thanks again for giving me the opportunity!

 

Edited by Zman56

Zgolfen

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On 6/4/2024 at 9:12 PM, MichaelC_81 said:

Placeholder 2

Introduction

Hi all, Michael here all the way from Perth, Western Australia. I'm a 43yo golf... enthusiast you could say. Love to play, watch, and talk about golf, but seeing as I only play 1-2 times a month and don't get lessons probably explains the higher than I like handicap. Currently playing a couple different Taylormade balls (Distance+, Speedsoft, and TP5X), but depending on the day and how the swing is going, it makes it hard to determine if the ball is helping out not... however, I do feel the softer balls tend to suit me better. 

Trying to do a bit of research prior to receiving them just to get an idea of what to expect, and apparently these balls are meant to deliver a bit of extra spin around the greens which I'm really interested in. As well as offering a bit more stability in the air which is never a bad thing.

Fingers crossed I can deliver a solid review!!

First impressions/ unboxing

I actually don't mind the packaging at all. The sort of minimalist detailing appeals to me, and it's something I'd definitely have a look at if I saw them in the shop. 

The ball itself is fairly plain with just the Volvik logo and a Condor aim line, which again, I actually like. I usually make the line bolder with a marker for putting assistance, but I'll just leave these as is for testing purposes. 

Planning to get to the range on the weekend seeing as the weather is looking favourable (it's the middle of winter, so touch wood it stays clear), to see how they go with some putting and chipping, and then seriously looking forward to my next game on the 7th.

 

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FIRST HIT (finally)

Managed to get to the range late yesterday after work to have a putt and chip with the Condors. 

I spent about 20 minutes aiming and putting at different holes with half a dozen of the Volviks, and I was actually pretty surprised they were fairly consistent. They had a nice feel off the putter, and they seemed to all hold their lines and go the same distance. Usually you get 1 or 2 that might roll that extra meter or so, but these guys grouped nicely. 

I also had a sleeve of Taylormade TP5x and Srixon AD333, which I used as a comparison. All balls were brand new and unmarked. Straight away the TP5x felt more "solid" off the face and I had to adjust my action a bit to get the same distance/line as the Condors. The Srixons however were very similar. They are a soft feel ball and you could definitely tell. 

Around the chipping green it was a different story. The Condors felt good off the face and had a good lift on to the green, where I managed to get them to stop or even razz back as soon as they hit the green. The TP5x seemed to get the best height out of the 3 and very similar stopping distance as the Condors. The Srixons in my opinion were the best feeling ball and had the best overall performance, which was surprising as I don't usually use them and tend to favour the Taylormades.

HOWEVER, first impressions were good. I'm playing 18 this weekend and looking forward to how they go off the driver and long irons. Plenty pictures to come for sure. 

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FINALLY had a hit of the Volvik Condors and can report they do the job! Pretty happy with how they operate on and around the greens.

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Just added my Unboxing to the main post. 

These balls are soft. Maybe it's because I haven't played with softer balls in the past, but they feel soft in the hand and off the club face. It's almost jarring how soft they are — at first I wondered if they'd even go anywhere. But there's been no degradation in distance for me. 

Big fan of the alignment aid too. When I make the effort to line up my putts using it, I've noticed an improved performance. It's funny that the aid is called "V-Focus" because that's exactly what it's forcing me to do: Focus. 

WITB

Callaway Mavrik Iron Set 5-PW,AW W/ Elevate 95 R-Flex Steel Shafts

Callaway Epic Max Star 10.5* Driver HZRDUS Smoke

Cleveland Golf 58-degree wedge

Kirkland Signature KS1 Putter

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Range/Practice Area Wedge Work:
I just got out yesterday and worked primarily on wedge shots from 60 yards in and putting. I used a sleeve of the Condor X’s to test if there is any difference from my current gaming Srixon Z-Star XV’s. When I last played, I mentioned how distance off the tee was no change. When I used them I nearly drove 2 greens through just one set of 9-holes (which is common for my length off the tee). The main concern I noticed, was durability. Now, if you keep up with My Golf Spy’s articles, you will know the Srixon Z-Star XV’s were tested to be the longest ball. Longer than Titleist ProV1’s (and all their iterations), Taylormade TP5x, and Vice Pro Plus (which was surprisingly in the top-5 as well). Volvik Condor X was not mentioned. Though, from my testing, these balls can fly. Anyway, back to what I wanted to test yesterday which was stopping power. My shot has a high trajectory and I usually look to shoot the number. If it is too firm for me to stick, I will run it up. Yesterday, while testing the Volvik Condor X’s, I noticed them doing pretty much what I wanted out of them. More times than not were they stopping/slowing when needed, and running when trying to make them run. The real test will be when I take them on the course to play a whole round, and when I hit the simulator with them for comparison sake. 

- TK

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Placeholder 6

Had another opportunity to duck out for another 9 holes this afternoon, and again the course had an influx of kangaroos. 
Course is still showing signs of being waterlogged but greens weren’t to bad, they were soft but not too soft but still had good run on them.  
Again distance was not a problem even though not much run due to soft fairways but still getting about 260/270m off the tee. 
I’ve noticed that ball flight is about medium to high which is not too bad, I think I would rather a bit lower to keep them out of wind. 
Still really happy with mid to short irons into the greens with the ball holding the surface and rolling back after pitching. 
I think they will be a great ball in the dry. 

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Hi all so in my bag I'm carrying!

Driver Taylormade Sim 2 max 9deg

3wood Titleist TS 2

Fairway Sim 2 Max 3 Rescue 19deg

IRONS Taylormade DHY 2 iron and Taylormade Stealth 4 to AW

Putter Odyssey White hot #9

Balls Srixon Z Star / Titleist 

GPS Bushnell Phantom II

Rangefinder Mileseey PF260

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I just added the following to my original review post.

On The Course (17 out of 20)

Off the Tee, the Volvik XT Soft isn’t the longest ball you could buy, but it definitely provides adequate distance.  It is also certainly a fairway finder as it is perhaps the straightest ball I’ve ever played.

Approach – It definitely excels on approach shots.  It is so straight, though, a player that wants to work the ball might not be able to do so. 

The ball flight is mid, very piercing, and great in the wind. Chipping and pitching are consistent, if a bit longer than expected.

Around the Green, I had confidence playing bump and runs and flops.  I don’t really do a lot of hop-and-stops with any ball, but I feel like the XT Soft could if required.. 

Putting was very good, very consistent.  The alignment aid is top notch.

I was especially pleased with how straight this ball is.  That is my game and this ball accentuates it.  The main piece lacking is still distance off the tee. 

Bottom line: While it did not help improve my scores, they also did not drop.  This means someone could score the same and potentially pay less.  That’s a win for the XT Soft and the player. 

Driver, 5W, 4H, 5H, 6I - 9I, PW, AW:  Callaway Rogue ST Max

Wedges:  Cleveland RTX Zipcore 58* Satin Low, 54* Black High, 50* Raw Mid

Putter:  Odyssey White Hot OG 7S 

Balls:  Pro-V1 from March - October

           Supersoft from November - February

Cart: Sun Mountain Speed Cart circa 2004

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I just added the following to my original review post.

The Good, the bad, the inbetween (17 out of 20)

The Good: This is the straightest ball I’ve ever seen: Full Stop! It is extremely durable. I could not put a dent in the cover.  Most players will certainly lose these (also difficult due to the straightness) before they ruin them.  This combination could definitely save money!  

The Bad: the distance off the tee could improve, but is definitely adequate, especially when the longer distances with irons are combined.  

 The In-Between: Chips and Pitches are long.  Nothing terrible about that, you just have to plan for it.
 

Play it or Trade it? (17 out of 20)

All things being equal, would I put this ball in play for a tournament or similarly important game?  Yes.  I actually did use it on a league night .  Did they help me play my best? Yes and No. I’ve shot both a very low score and a fairly high score with them, but my average scores didn’t really budge.  I definitely feel the asking price for them is more than fair.  Keep in mind that the XT Soft should be compared to something like a Tour Response, not a ProV1 or Chrome Soft in price (and performance).  The type of golfer that would fit the XT Soft best is a mid swing-speed (75-95 mph) player  that wants to play a very straight ball and save a bit of money doing so.   This is definitely right up my alley as I am not someone that wants to shape the ball much.  

 

Conclusion

My final conclusion is that the Volvik XT Soft is a wonderful ball for its target market of mid swing-speed players looking for a ball that performs well without breaking the bank.  It absolutely excels at being straight, has adequate distance off the tee, is phenomenal on approaches, does what it needs to do around the greens, and will still look brand-new after several rounds.  I would have absolutely no reservations recommending it to my friends or to the MyGolfSpy community at large. I do sincerely believe that this ball would help a lot of golfers play between the lines a bit more and therefore lower their scores. 
 

Final Score (88 out of 100)
I’m a high school English teacher, so I am very happy to see the Volvik XT Soft get a high B+ on this test!  Well done!. 

Driver, 5W, 4H, 5H, 6I - 9I, PW, AW:  Callaway Rogue ST Max

Wedges:  Cleveland RTX Zipcore 58* Satin Low, 54* Black High, 50* Raw Mid

Putter:  Odyssey White Hot OG 7S 

Balls:  Pro-V1 from March - October

           Supersoft from November - February

Cart: Sun Mountain Speed Cart circa 2004

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On 6/4/2024 at 9:12 PM, MichaelC_81 said:

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Introduction

Hi all, Michael here all the way from Perth, Western Australia. I'm a 43yo golf... enthusiast you could say. Love to play, watch, and talk about golf, but seeing as I only play 1-2 times a month and don't get lessons probably explains the higher than I like handicap. Currently playing a couple different Taylormade balls (Distance+, Speedsoft, and TP5X), but depending on the day and how the swing is going, it makes it hard to determine if the ball is helping out not... however, I do feel the softer balls tend to suit me better. 

Trying to do a bit of research prior to receiving them just to get an idea of what to expect, and apparently these balls are meant to deliver a bit of extra spin around the greens which I'm really interested in. As well as offering a bit more stability in the air which is never a bad thing.

Fingers crossed I can deliver a solid review!!

First impressions/ unboxing

I actually don't mind the packaging at all. The sort of minimalist detailing appeals to me, and it's something I'd definitely have a look at if I saw them in the shop. 

The ball itself is fairly plain with just the Volvik logo and a Condor aim line, which again, I actually like. I usually make the line bolder with a marker for putting assistance, but I'll just leave these as is for testing purposes. 

Planning to get to the range on the weekend seeing as the weather is looking favourable (it's the middle of winter, so touch wood it stays clear), to see how they go with some putting and chipping, and then seriously looking forward to my next game on the 7th.

 

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FIRST HIT (finally)

Managed to get to the range late yesterday after work to have a putt and chip with the Condors. 

I spent about 20 minutes aiming and putting at different holes with half a dozen of the Volviks, and I was actually pretty surprised they were fairly consistent. They had a nice feel off the putter, and they seemed to all hold their lines and go the same distance. Usually you get 1 or 2 that might roll that extra meter or so, but these guys grouped nicely. 

I also had a sleeve of Taylormade TP5x and Srixon AD333, which I used as a comparison. All balls were brand new and unmarked. Straight away the TP5x felt more "solid" off the face and I had to adjust my action a bit to get the same distance/line as the Condors. The Srixons however were very similar. They are a soft feel ball and you could definitely tell. 

Around the chipping green it was a different story. The Condors felt good off the face and had a good lift on to the green, where I managed to get them to stop or even razz back as soon as they hit the green. The TP5x seemed to get the best height out of the 3 and very similar stopping distance as the Condors. The Srixons in my opinion were the best feeling ball and had the best overall performance, which was surprising as I don't usually use them and tend to favour the Taylormades.

HOWEVER, first impressions were good. I'm playing 18 this weekend and looking forward to how they go off the driver and long irons. Plenty pictures to come for sure. 

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FIRST FULL GAME

On the weekend had my first full 18 holes with the Volvik Condors and was pretty impressed. The weather was wet, windy, and overall not pleasant, and I almost managed to get through the whole round without losing a ball but thought I'd send one into the water to see how it traveled off a snap hook away from the fairway... it looked good but did not return...
Due to the wet conditions it made it really hard to gauge distances, however the feel and flight of the ball of both the driver and irons was really nice. Later in the round the weather started to dry up a little and absolutely smoked a drive 265m (290 yards), which sounded AMAZING!

Around the greens, much like the practice range, the Volvik had no problem getting in the air and trying to stop on the greens. While the rain did not stop for 15 holes, the greens were still extremely quick and hard to judge, but I really enjoyed putting with this ball. It was easy to pick up distances (even in these conditions), and how it felt off the putter face was comfortable.

Overall, could not fault the ball at all. Ideally if I could get out on a dry day to provide a comparison I think I'd be able to provide a bit more details, but due to work commitments and the weather I'm a little strapped for time. Whenever I can get out I will continue to add more feedback.

 

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First game review and snaps are up!!

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Ok final post here until I do my full and final post with my review on the Volvik Condor X. 
Tomorrow I’ve booked into a nearby golf shop, Drummond Penrith, that has a stimulator to get some accurate numbers.  I’ve marked up my 2 go to balls being Titleist Pro V1 and the Srixon Z Star as well as the Condor X and looking forward to see what performs better for me. 
Hopefully I’ll get some pics of shot shaping etc to show you guys  as well as comparison table. 
I am also looking forward to reading other reviews of the other testers for the Condor X as well as the other Volvik balls.  

Hi all so in my bag I'm carrying!

Driver Taylormade Sim 2 max 9deg

3wood Titleist TS 2

Fairway Sim 2 Max 3 Rescue 19deg

IRONS Taylormade DHY 2 iron and Taylormade Stealth 4 to AW

Putter Odyssey White hot #9

Balls Srixon Z Star / Titleist 

GPS Bushnell Phantom II

Rangefinder Mileseey PF260

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Final review is up! I had a great time using the Volvik XTSoft golf balls. I'm no golf ball expert, but I hope this review is helpful to folks! Maybe that perspective will help folks similar to me. 

WITB

Callaway Mavrik Iron Set 5-PW,AW W/ Elevate 95 R-Flex Steel Shafts

Callaway Epic Max Star 10.5* Driver HZRDUS Smoke

Cleveland Golf 58-degree wedge

Kirkland Signature KS1 Putter

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Good timing on the review deadline: I just lost the last of my Volvik XTSoft dozen today. 😢

WITB

Callaway Mavrik Iron Set 5-PW,AW W/ Elevate 95 R-Flex Steel Shafts

Callaway Epic Max Star 10.5* Driver HZRDUS Smoke

Cleveland Golf 58-degree wedge

Kirkland Signature KS1 Putter

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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’ve been out 6 times over the last 3 weeks testing the Volcik Condor.  They are very comparable to 

Zgolfen

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I have added my conclusion for testing the Volvik Condor.  Thank you for the opportunity.  As someone else mentioned it must be time for the conclusion as I have 1 ball left.  😎

 

Zgolfen

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Is this where we post our final reviews

 

Hi all so in my bag I'm carrying!

Driver Taylormade Sim 2 max 9deg

3wood Titleist TS 2

Fairway Sim 2 Max 3 Rescue 19deg

IRONS Taylormade DHY 2 iron and Taylormade Stealth 4 to AW

Putter Odyssey White hot #9

Balls Srixon Z Star / Titleist 

GPS Bushnell Phantom II

Rangefinder Mileseey PF260

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