Volvik Vivid Golf Balls: 2024 Forum Review

[SDunne]

Congrats team - given the recent article about how matte balls don't perform as well, very interested in how you find them as have always enjoyed them myself (Srixon and Callaway do some nice matte coloured balls imho).

Go well!

[Josh Parker]

Congrats testers!  I actually found a Volvik Crystal 3 piece about a week ago and played about 6 holes with it.  Actually, performed pretty well so I will be following along on this test.  

[fourwaymiss]

Congratulations, testers! 

I had a bad experience with these balls in my tropical environment here. I bought a box for myself and my buddy back in 2019, just before covid lockdowns started. Long story short, it was almost 2 years before we could play again. And in those 2 years, the matte covering oxidised and turned into this weird sticky goo that was really hard to wash off my hands and clothes and stuff. That turned me off these matte coloured balls, even though I love how easy it is to spot them on the course. 

Look forward to hearing the testers feedback on these balls!

[jlofgren22]

3 hours ago, Paco Chan said:

Congratulations, testers! 

I had a bad experience with these balls in my tropical environment here. I bought a box for myself and my buddy back in 2019, just before covid lockdowns started. Long story short, it was almost 2 years before we could play again. And in those 2 years, the matte covering oxidised and turned into this weird sticky goo that was really hard to wash off my hands and clothes and stuff. That turned me off these matte coloured balls, even though I love how easy it is to spot them on the course. 

Look forward to hearing the testers feedback on these balls!

That's really interesting! How were they stored when during those two years that they weren't in use? I've never really thought about how the matte material would hold up over a long period of time, but it's definitely something to think about for players who tend to bulk up on large quantities of balls at one time.

[MNUte]

5 hours ago, Paco Chan said:

Congratulations, testers! 

I had a bad experience with these balls in my tropical environment here. I bought a box for myself and my buddy back in 2019, just before covid lockdowns started. Long story short, it was almost 2 years before we could play again. And in those 2 years, the matte covering oxidised and turned into this weird sticky goo that was really hard to wash off my hands and clothes and stuff. That turned me off these matte coloured balls, even though I love how easy it is to spot them on the course. 

Look forward to hearing the testers feedback on these balls!

Thanks for the insight! Honestly, I'm already curious to see if these balls end up in kind of a caveat category where they're great balls and highly recommended IF you play in dry conditions and IF you recognize that this ball might then only be a summer ball as opposed to an all-seasons one. 

I live in a dry state, so I probably can't accurately test the impacts of high humidity. But with how hot August can get in Utah, maybe I should leave a sleeve of these on a shelf in the garage during the testing period just to see if there's any impact to surface quality. If that ends up being the case, that might be another caveat to the recommendation, where they're great and highly recommended IF you're able to store them in cooler or drier conditions. 

[schooner44]

5 hours ago, MNUte said:

Thanks for the insight! Honestly, I'm already curious to see if these balls end up in kind of a caveat category where they're great balls and highly recommended IF you play in dry conditions and IF you recognize that this ball might then only be a summer ball as opposed to an all-seasons one. 

I live in a dry state, so I probably can't accurately test the impacts of high humidity. But with how hot August can get in Utah, maybe I should leave a sleeve of these on a shelf in the garage during the testing period just to see if there's any impact to surface quality. If that ends up being the case, that might be another caveat to the recommendation, where they're great and highly recommended IF you're able to store them in cooler or drier conditions. 

I live in New Mexico so humidity isn't really an option as far as storing them. I might be able to put a couple in my humidor which is usually around 80% humidity and see what happens though.

[MNUte]

On 7/22/2024 at 3:31 PM, MNUte said:

Hi!

I’m Brian, an early-thirties attorney based in Salt Lake City, Utah. A native Minnesotan, I moved out here for college, outkicked my coverage with my amazing wife, and together we do our best to contain our son (2), pomsky (3) and heeler (2).

While my dad tried to get me into golf growing up, it never quite stuck and I quickly traded my clubs in for a baseball bat. In the four years since getting back into the game, I’ve become a fairly consistent high 80s to low 90s golfer. I tend to struggle with consistency off the tee, flashing the occasional 270-yard drive on a perfect strike but more often than not fighting a slice and averaging closer to 240. My strength lies 125 yards and in, where my putting, wedge game and spinny Kirkland Signature V3s are at their best.

I’ll occasionally play colored and matte golf balls to help track and find my ball, especially on days where the inversion, changing seasons, or conditions of the rough make visibility a challenge.

But the matte offerings have often struggled around the greens and undermined the strongest parts of my game. With some of the bold claims being made about these Vivids, I’m excited to see if that’s no longer the case and if these can justify a place in my bag. As a member of Stonebridge Golf Club and its sister course, I have 45 unique holes to test balls out on in addition to several nearby ranges, practice bunkers and putting greens.

My Testing Wish List:

• Visibility –I need to be able to track this ball in the air and spot it in the rough more easily than a glossy white ball. At the same time, I don’t want to end up like a SpongeBob character.

• Durability – with Volvik specifically claiming improved durability, I want to see how long a single ball can last on the course and out of the practice bunkers. The downside of the Kirkland’s are their durability, so Volvik needs to run away with this testing.
• Predictable/consistent workability around the greens – we all know claimed issues with matte golf balls when they get wet. Whether I’m able to get these out on a dewy morning or if I have to bring a bucket of water with me, these have to consistently perform on and around the greens.
• Extra credit – bonus points will come down to performance off the tee. Extra distance is nice, sure. But if it really can reduce side spin and set me up for good second shots, that will be a massive boost to its overall grade.

 

Updated to introduce myself, show you why colored and matt golf balls are quite important in Salt Lake, and lay out my testing wish list. 

 

If you have any particular questions or requests, please don't hesitate to ask!

[fourwaymiss]

23 hours ago, jlofgren22 said:

That's really interesting! How were they stored when during those two years that they weren't in use? I've never really thought about how the matte material would hold up over a long period of time, but it's definitely something to think about for players who tend to bulk up on large quantities of balls at one time.

I stored them in a closet that has no airflow, but also is completely internal (no adjacent external walls), so any temperature fluctuations would have been minimal. They stayed in their original packaging (3 balls to a sleeve, 4 sleeves in the box), and the box had the normal cut-outs, so the balls were "exposed" to the air and weren't inside shrink-wrap or anything like that. However, I'm a bulk buyer, and I don't remember how it was sitting amongst all my other boxes of balls.

When I finally pulled them out to bring to the course with me, I opened one sleeve to check the condition of the ball, only to find nothing wanted to roll out. It was stuck to the other ball, as well as to the cardboard sides of the sleeve. It was not a pleasant feeling/experience.

Edited July 25 by Paco Chan

[jlofgren22]

21 hours ago, MNUte said:

Thanks for the insight! Honestly, I'm already curious to see if these balls end up in kind of a caveat category where they're great balls and highly recommended IF you play in dry conditions and IF you recognize that this ball might then only be a summer ball as opposed to an all-seasons one. 

I live in a dry state, so I probably can't accurately test the impacts of high humidity. But with how hot August can get in Utah, maybe I should leave a sleeve of these on a shelf in the garage during the testing period just to see if there's any impact to surface quality. If that ends up being the case, that might be another caveat to the recommendation, where they're great and highly recommended IF you're able to store them in cooler or drier conditions. 

Living in MN, we get very humid summers, so I can plan to leave some in my garage to see if there's any impact.

[jlofgren22]

30 minutes ago, Paco Chan said:

I stored them in a closet that has no airflow, but also is completely internal (no adjacent external walls), so any temperature fluctuations would have been minimal. They stayed in their original packaging (3 balls to a sleeve, 4 sleeves in the box), and the box had the normal cut-outs, so the balls were "exposed" to the air and weren't inside shrink-wrap or anything like that. However, I'm a bulk buyer, and I don't remember how it was sitting amongst all my other boxes of balls.

When I finally pulled them out to bring to the course with me, I opened one sleeve to check the condition of the ball, only to find nothing wanted to roll out. It was stuck to the other ball, as well as to the cardboard sides of the sleeve. It was not a pleasant feeling/experience.

That's really crazy to think that they would melt like that from being inside a closet! I know some closets can get pretty warm, but to the point where the balls exterior would melt is not something I would ever expect. I'll potentially play around with ways to test this out and see if I get any results during the testing period.

[schooner44]

On 7/25/2024 at 7:29 AM, jlofgren22 said:

That's really crazy to think that they would melt like that from being inside a closet! I know some closets can get pretty warm, but to the point where the balls exterior would melt is not something I would ever expect. I'll potentially play around with ways to test this out and see if I get any results during the testing period.

I just got back from a trip to see my dad in Buffalo NY where humidity is pretty high. He plays good a lot and is always bringing home bunches of golf balls that he finds. So I could compare some older versions of the Volvik Vivid during the test, I asked if he had any and he did. He gave me 6 of them. 3 of them were the 2022 release (I believe the first ones with the triple alignment lines) and 3 were the original ones with only one alignment lines. 2 of the 3 original ones were as described above with the ball having a very sticky layer on the outside of the ball. Even after washing them in warm soapy water, they were still extremely sticky. All of the 2022 models were free from this effect so maybe it's something that Volvik has already corrected.

[MNUte]

I just played 9 holes yesterday at Stonebridge's Sunrise Course and shot a +6 42. I bought a few Srixon Q-Star Tour Divides (red/yellow split) for the round to try and give myself a reference point for another matte 3-piece ball in a similar price range ($35/dozen for the Q-Star Tours vs. $27 for the Vivids). Between the Q-Star Tour on the high end of the three-piece price range and my normal Kirkland on the low end, I think that might add an interesting value discussion to the conversation. 

TL;dr: the Divide played great. I traded a few yards off the tee from my Kirklands for a much better feel. The colors and flickering effect of the Divide w were easy to track. Soft off the putter and wedges, and while a little bit slower on the putting greens, that was easily fixed with 15 minutes of practice. The lack of an alignment line made putting more mentally taxing. I genuinely don't know if they're worth double my Kirklands, but they're definitely ahead of a lot of the other matte offerings out there that I've played (e.g., the Titleist Velocity, Callaway Supersoft and Srixon Soft Feel). With the Volvik's being in the middle price and compression-wise, plus having a nice alignment marker, I'm really hoping they can be the best of both worlds. 

 

 

Unofficial Q-Star Tour Divide mini-review

Off the tee: With its lower compression (74 vs. the Volvik's 85 vs. my Kirkland's 93) I figured I'd be trading in some speed off the tee as opposed to my Kirkland's for feel. And while I did, it was only about 5 yards shorter on average than I normally would expect from my Kirklands on the same type of strikes, mainly thanks to a bit lower and more penetrating flight. And honestly, the tradeoff in softer feel off the face really has me hoping the Vivids end up in a sweet spot/middle ground of keeping the distance the same while still feeling just a bit softer than the Kirklands. 

It was also the perfect day for testing visibility, with rolling storms in the valley creating a lot of gray or inconsistent views. While my partners struggled tracking their white balls, I had no issue with the Srixons. The colors were bright enough (without being overly so) that even alone they contrasted against the sky very well. Together, they created a flickering effect while they spun in the air that was easy to track. If I end up loving the Vivids, I might have to look into the Combis, their version of the split ball. 

 

Around the greens: The Srixons were easy to work in and around the green. They felt really soft and nice off my Odyssey's putter face, though I still got a noticeable click on the one mishit I had. They were a little bit slower than I expected, but after about 15 minutes on the practice green, I'd gotten used to it and had no issues with pace control (no three-putts and multiple 20+ foot lag putts to within an easy tap-in). That feel also translated to bump and runs and short little chips with my wedges. I don't get balls to spin back too much if at all, but these were actually pretty responsive and checked up nicely when I was getting out of two bunkers and on a little 30 yard shot. It was hot and dry, so I wasn't able to get any damp testing, but given the conditions, they performed great. 

The one issue I will say is that I actually found myself having to mentally work pretty hard to line up the ball. The divide by it's nature is a very thin line, so it wasn't as easy as the normal alignment aids I see. That has be even more excited for the Vivid's lines, which look really appealing to me from a putting perspective. 

 

[jlofgren22]

On 7/28/2024 at 4:10 PM, MNUte said:

I just played 9 holes yesterday at Stonebridge's Sunrise Course and shot a +6 42. I bought a few Srixon Q-Star Tour Divides (red/yellow split) for the round to try and give myself a reference point for another matte 3-piece ball in a similar price range ($35/dozen for the Q-Star Tours vs. $27 for the Vivids). Between the Q-Star Tour on the high end of the three-piece price range and my normal Kirkland on the low end, I think that might add an interesting value discussion to the conversation. 

TL;dr: the Divide played great. I traded a few yards off the tee from my Kirklands for a much better feel. The colors and flickering effect of the Divide w were easy to track. Soft off the putter and wedges, and while a little bit slower on the putting greens, that was easily fixed with 15 minutes of practice. The lack of an alignment line made putting more mentally taxing. I genuinely don't know if they're worth double my Kirklands, but they're definitely ahead of a lot of the other matte offerings out there that I've played (e.g., the Titleist Velocity, Callaway Supersoft and Srixon Soft Feel). With the Volvik's being in the middle price and compression-wise, plus having a nice alignment marker, I'm really hoping they can be the best of both worlds. 

 

 

Unofficial Q-Star Tour Divide mini-review

Off the tee: With its lower compression (74 vs. the Volvik's 85 vs. my Kirkland's 93) I figured I'd be trading in some speed off the tee as opposed to my Kirkland's for feel. And while I did, it was only about 5 yards shorter on average than I normally would expect from my Kirklands on the same type of strikes, mainly thanks to a bit lower and more penetrating flight. And honestly, the tradeoff in softer feel off the face really has me hoping the Vivids end up in a sweet spot/middle ground of keeping the distance the same while still feeling just a bit softer than the Kirklands. 

It was also the perfect day for testing visibility, with rolling storms in the valley creating a lot of gray or inconsistent views. While my partners struggled tracking their white balls, I had no issue with the Srixons. The colors were bright enough (without being overly so) that even alone they contrasted against the sky very well. Together, they created a flickering effect while they spun in the air that was easy to track. If I end up loving the Vivids, I might have to look into the Combis, their version of the split ball. 

 

Around the greens: The Srixons were easy to work in and around the green. They felt really soft and nice off my Odyssey's putter face, though I still got a noticeable click on the one mishit I had. They were a little bit slower than I expected, but after about 15 minutes on the practice green, I'd gotten used to it and had no issues with pace control (no three-putts and multiple 20+ foot lag putts to within an easy tap-in). That feel also translated to bump and runs and short little chips with my wedges. I don't get balls to spin back too much if at all, but these were actually pretty responsive and checked up nicely when I was getting out of two bunkers and on a little 30 yard shot. It was hot and dry, so I wasn't able to get any damp testing, but given the conditions, they performed great. 

The one issue I will say is that I actually found myself having to mentally work pretty hard to line up the ball. The divide by it's nature is a very thin line, so it wasn't as easy as the normal alignment aids I see. That has be even more excited for the Vivid's lines, which look really appealing to me from a putting perspective. 

 

This is a great comp and will be super valuable for when you're testing out the VVs! I haven't played with the Divides before, but I do carry and play with Callaway Supersoft Matte in red from time to time, so I'm interested to see how the VVs stack up against the SS Matte.

[MNUte]

7 minutes ago, jlofgren22 said:

This is a great comp and will be super valuable for when you're testing out the VVs! I haven't played with the Divides before, but I do carry and play with Callaway Supersoft Matte in red from time to time, so I'm interested to see how the VVs stack up against the SS Matte.

I think that should be a fun comparison as well since the Supersofts are in the same price range as the Vivids.

With the Vivids having nearly double the compression of the Supersofts, something tells me you might be picking up a bit of distance off the driver. I think spin around the green will be really interesting given that's an area where the Super Soft's have been called out as lacking in the past compared to premium balls and where Volvik is making some of their claims. 

[jlofgren22]

11 minutes ago, MNUte said:

I think that should be a fun comparison as well since the Supersofts are in the same price range as the Vivids.

With the Vivids having nearly double the compression of the Supersofts, something tells me you might be picking up a bit of distance off the driver. I think spin around the green will be really interesting given that's an area where the Super Soft's have been called out as lacking in the past compared to premium balls and where Volvik is making some of their claims. 

My exact thoughts. Even though the price points are close-ish on the VVs and SS Mattes, the three-piece vs two-piece construction makeup and performance will be something I try to key in on. 

[MNUte]

On 7/22/2024 at 3:31 PM, MNUte said:

INTRODUCTION

Hi!

I’m Brian, an early-thirties attorney based in Salt Lake City, Utah. A native Minnesotan, I moved out here for college, outkicked my coverage with my amazing wife, and together we do our best to contain our son (2), pomsky (3) and heeler (2).

While my dad tried to get me into golf growing up, it never quite stuck and I quickly traded my clubs in for a baseball bat. In the four years since getting back into the game, I’ve become a fairly consistent high 80s to low 90s golfer. I tend to struggle with consistency off the tee, flashing the occasional 270-yard drive on a perfect strike but more often than not fighting a slice and averaging closer to 240. My strength lies 125 yards and in, where my putting, wedge game and spinny Kirkland Signature V3s are at their best.

I’ll occasionally play colored and matte golf balls to help track and find my ball, especially on days where the inversion, changing seasons, or conditions of the rough make visibility a challenge.

But the matte offerings have often struggled around the greens and undermined the strongest parts of my game. With some of the bold claims being made about these Vivids, I’m excited to see if that’s no longer the case and if these can justify a place in my bag. As a member of Stonebridge Golf Club and its sister course, I have 45 unique holes to test balls out on in addition to several nearby ranges, practice bunkers and putting greens.

My Testing Wish List:

• Visibility –I need to be able to track this ball in the air and spot it in the rough more easily than a glossy white ball. At the same time, I don’t want to end up like a SpongeBob character.

• Durability – with Volvik specifically claiming improved durability, I want to see how long a single ball can last on the course and out of the practice bunkers. The downside of the Kirkland’s are their durability, so Volvik needs to run away with this testing.
• Predictable/consistent workability around the greens – we all know claimed issues with matte golf balls when they get wet. Whether I’m able to get these out on a dewy morning or if I have to bring a bucket of water with me, these have to consistently perform on and around the greens.
• Extra credit – bonus points will come down to performance off the tee. Extra distance is nice, sure. But if it really can reduce side spin and set me up for good second shots, that will be a massive boost to its overall grade.

 

Unboxing & First Impressions (8/10)

They’re here! And they’re gorgeous…mostly.

 

The padded FedEx envelope they arrived in unfortunately didn’t protect the boxes from some rips and dents. While none of the balls were damaged, this raises some concerns about whether Volvik is more focused on cutting costs with these balls than caring about the little details like a shipping box. #InexpensiveNotCheap. Minus one point.

The packaging is great. It has just enough color and texture to catch your eye, but is otherwise clean and lets the balls be the focus. As a result, the balls don’t appear gimmicky or non-premium. They’re just…colorful.

 

Speaking of the colors, Volvik absolutely killed it. The packaging claims a “Unique Brighter Matte Finish Color for Improved Visibility,” and that appears to be entirely accurate. Ranging from a more muted white to a much brighter red, each ball is comfortably vibrant and high-contrast without being irritating.

 

The alignment system is brilliant. The two dotted outside lines are patterned in a way where they’re darker the lower you are to the ground and lighter as you stand over the ball. That design should allow you to use all three lines to line up a putt and then easily focus on the single center line during the putt itself.

The matte coating feels quite grippy when you pick up and hold the balls. Not quite sticky, or even unpleasant, but enough to provide some confidence that the balls are going to bite on wedge shots and maybe roll somewhat slower on putts. The question (as with all matte golf balls) is whether that's false confidence and how they’ll act in wet conditions.

 

Wrapping up, there are two claims on the box that seem like a stretch, one slight and the other more blatant. Combined, they lose these balls a point.

First, the “Mid Soft” feel. While these balls have the same 85 compression as the Maxfli Tour and Titleist Tour Soft balls, the fact that they also have an ionomer cover will likely make them a bit too firm to be considered even “Mid Soft.”

Second, the wedge spin. Without going into the impacts of Bismuth nanoparticles (the Nano-Bi in the ball’s core) on energy transfer, these balls appear to be designed with the driver in mind. And that matches the “Explosive Distance”, high launch, and low spin claims. In contrast, there’s no real explanation on where the “Great” wedge spin for these balls is supposedly coming from. An ionomer covered golf ball is going to have a hard time matching the greenside spin of a urethane covered ball, plain and simple. So unless Volvik is claiming they've cracked the code around that, their great is probably not quite urethane great.

 

Now let the testing begin!

The balls arrived! My original post has been updated to show the unboxing and initial impressions.

[fourwaymiss]

On 7/28/2024 at 12:03 PM, schooner44 said:

I just got back from a trip to see my dad in Buffalo NY where humidity is pretty high. He plays good a lot and is always bringing home bunches of golf balls that he finds. So I could compare some older versions of the Volvik Vivid during the test, I asked if he had any and he did. He gave me 6 of them. 3 of them were the 2022 release (I believe the first ones with the triple alignment lines) and 3 were the original ones with only one alignment lines. 2 of the 3 original ones were as described above with the ball having a very sticky layer on the outside of the ball. Even after washing them in warm soapy water, they were still extremely sticky. All of the 2022 models were free from this effect so maybe it's something that Volvik has already corrected.

It would be awesome if Volvik has figured out how to get rid of this issue of the outer layer "oxidising" to a point where it's all sticky and gross. I've generally found these matte vivid balls to be easier to spot in the bright tropical sun here on the equator. Or maybe I just need to buy and use immediately, rather than buy and store for another day.

[MNUte]

2 hours ago, fourwaymiss said:

It would be awesome if Volvik has figured out how to get rid of this issue of the outer layer "oxidising" to a point where it's all sticky and gross. I've generally found these matte vivid balls to be easier to spot in the bright tropical sun here on the equator. Or maybe I just need to buy and use immediately, rather than buy and store for another day.

I mean, I WAS very impressed with their delivery times for the testing balls 

But looking at the picture of the box I have in my unboxing review, it looks like Volvik is focusing on the core and cover as their newest tech,  not necessarily the matte finish. So if they've fixed the oxidising issue, they're not openly discussing it. 

[jlofgren22]

6 hours ago, fourwaymiss said:

It would be awesome if Volvik has figured out how to get rid of this issue of the outer layer "oxidising" to a point where it's all sticky and gross. I've generally found these matte vivid balls to be easier to spot in the bright tropical sun here on the equator. Or maybe I just need to buy and use immediately, rather than buy and store for another day.

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned that older versions of the Vivid ball had this issue but noticed that they didn't have this issue with the 2022 version. Maybe this is something that Volvik has already addressed?

[schooner44]

41 minutes ago, jlofgren22 said:

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned that older versions of the Vivid ball had this issue but noticed that they didn't have this issue with the 2022 version. Maybe this is something that Volvik has already addressed?

I was the one who mentioned it. What I have is a small sample size so it's only a theory but I c have to imagine enough people complained about it to get them to do something to correct it.

[MNUte]

On 7/22/2024 at 3:32 PM, schooner44 said:

Introduction:

Hi, my name is Tracy and I've been playing golf for about 10 years but before last year I never really played with any seriousness or very often (usually 5 times it less per year at scramble tournaments through work or charities). I currently have a 24 handicap although that's been steadily improving. I'm 49 years old with a slow swing speed for my age and just recently switched to senior shafts. I live in New Mexico which is very dry and high altitude.

Current ball:

My current ball is the Srixon Q Star Divide. I'm pretty anal about stuff so I really try to have everything consistent as I believe that golf is more a mental game than anything else. I also will play Srixon Softfeel or Callaway Supersoft. I always play colored balls as I can never track white golf balls in the air. I use the lines on a golf ball for lining up tee shots and putting so I'm very intrigued by the 3 lines the Vivid balls have on them vs a single line like anything I currently use.

Things I'll be focusing on:

1. Visibility - I've never really been able to track white golf balls in the air which is why I always plays colors. On the course, I will compare these to the other I normally play (Srixon SoftFeel, Srixon Divide & Callaway Supersoft) in terms of tracking in the air and finding them in less than ideal lies.
2. Feel - I love a golf ball that feels good coming off the face which is why, as a slow swinger, I gravitate towards softer balls.
3. Durability - EVERY golf ball should have the ability to withstand a certain amount of wear and tear. None of use get brand new balls all the time so getting your money's worth is important.

First Impressions (9/10):

Arrival/Unboxing - I was pretty impressed with how fast I received the shipment. The balls came packed in a bubble mailer envelope inside of another bubble mailer envelope. I would imagine most companies would ship in actual boxes but the golf balls are inside boxes which are inside of other boxes already. If a golf ball gets damaged through those 4 layers, either Fedex or Volvik has something bigger going on. Minus -1/2 for not shipping in a proper box. SCORE (9.5/10)

The balls came in their boxes in a very aesthetically pleasing presentation that matched the "Vivid" ideal. I know its just packaging but it matters to me and a lot of other people. Good packaging tells me that a company cares about people's first impressions of their products. SCORE (10/10)

Appearance/Colors:

Up to this point, I really only had one complaint and it was about the colors. I requested some "assorted" colors which they did send however I was disappointed that one of the assorted "colors" was white. I would assume that a company promoting vivid colored golf balls would be just that. Also, the yellow golf balls are not as nearly fluorescent as many other yellow golf balls are. They seem to be more pale by comparison. I would be remiss if I didn't mention how fantastic and brilliant the colors of the orange, red and green balls are. Minus -1 for the yellow and minus -2 for the white but plus 1 for the other colors. SCORE (8/10)

Alignment:

This is what I was most excited to see and it DID NOT disappoint! I immediately fell in love with the 3 line alignment these balls have. Extremely easy to see and use. Just looking down the line, I feel like there's no way I could miss a putt! I will follow up more on this once I get into the performance portion of the review but right now, this portion is getting a definite SCORE (10/10).

Overall first impressions are that while some of the colors leave something to be desired, I am very impressed and pleased with them overall. I'm looking forward to hitting them in my simulator and on the course.

To be fair, it seems like they swapped in a white sleeve into the variety pack in place of orange since you'd gotten another box of all orange. They did the same with me, swapping white for red. Their website says that their normal assorted is Yellow, Red, Green and Orange, so it seems like they were just trying to give us a freebie extra color. 

 

 

[MNUte]

Something worth keeping in mind for these tests are sales. Volvik currently has a deal going on where a dozen Vivids are on sale for $19.99. 

If they even come close to the claims they're making, that's suddenly getting into insane value territory. 

If they're only okay, that price point may make them more palatable for some who want a bit of fun. 

And if they stink, the XT Softs are down to what the Vivids normally go for. 

[schooner44]

8 hours ago, MNUte said:

To be fair, it seems like they swapped in a white sleeve into the variety pack in place of orange since you'd gotten another box of all orange. They did the same with me, swapping white for red. Their website says that their normal assorted is Yellow, Red, Green and Orange, so it seems like they were just trying to give us a freebie extra color. 

 

 

That makes sense especially since we were both missing the color we got as our other dozen. I was under the impression that Volvik didn't know what these being ordered for so I never even considered that.

[schooner44]

8 hours ago, MNUte said:

Something worth keeping in mind for these tests are sales. Volvik currently has a deal going on where a dozen Vivids are on sale for $19.99. 

If they even come close to the claims they're making, that's suddenly getting into insane value territory. 

If they're only okay, that price point may make them more palatable for some who want a bit of fun. 

And if they stink, the XT Softs are down to what the Vivids normally go for.

Those are very good prices. I usually buy my Srixon Divides around Father's Day or Christmas because they always run a buy 2 get 1 free sale. This pricing puts them right in the same range. I also saw that they have a new Vista3 Prism 360 ball. Now they have direct competitors to the Srixon Q-Star Divide (Combi) and the TaylorMade Tour Response (Vista3). Big kudos to their marketing folks and if these Vivids hold up well, I may be switching brands when I run out of my current stock.

[MNUte]

3 hours ago, schooner44 said:

That makes sense especially since we were both missing the color we got as our other dozen. I was under the impression that Volvik didn't know what these being ordered for so I never even considered that.

At least on my Fedex packages delivery tag, it says Marketing (Sponsorship). 

As for the colors themselves,  I know you aren't the biggest fan of the white and yellow balls, but I actually like that there's the range of brightness.  Some probably aren't going to like how bright the red balls are, whereas a still bright but more muted ball like the yellows might be more to their taste.

[schooner44]

On 8/3/2024 at 10:13 AM, MNUte said:

At least on my Fedex packages delivery tag, it says Marketing (Sponsorship). 

As for the colors themselves,  I know you aren't the biggest fan of the white and yellow balls, but I actually like that there's the range of brightness.  Some probably aren't going to like how bright the red balls are, whereas a still bright but more muted ball like the yellows might be more to their taste.

Agreed on the variety of colors. I play with plenty of people who always say that they can't see my colored balls but they play white and I can see them to save my life.

When I post the next part of my review, I'll modify the ding in the score for white balls. I'm using them and the yellow in my simulator so I can still give them a fair shake but I will eventually play them on the course for a fair comparison.

[schooner44]

Haven't done the next official write up section of the review (want to have a couple rounds under my belt with them) but I played a round last Friday with these. Even though I played terrible (no fault of the ball), I really like them. Here's a quick rundown of what I found...

• I found no loss of distance and was pretty impressed with the spin around the greens
• I played 18 holes and didn't lose any golf balls which is very rare for me...I played red on the front 9 and orange on the back 9. I usually play Srixon soft feels, Srixon Divides and Callaway Supersoft but these ones really seemed to stand out in the grass.
• The triple alignment lines really seemed to help. I only 3 putted one time (usually I'm around 4-5 per round) and there were about 4 putts that were within 2" of going in from 15'+ away.

[jlofgren22]

On 7/22/2024 at 4:31 PM, jlofgren22 said:

Introduction:

Hi, MGS! I'm Jordan, a 36-year-old brand marketing professional from Chaska, MN, home of the 2016 and 2029 Ryder Cup. I live with my wife, two young kids (4 and 2), and our chocolate lab (9). I started golfing when I was 23 but did not really take to it. I golfed three-four rounds a year max for the next five years and then didn't pick up a club for almost eight years... until this spring. I was looking to take on a new hobby that got me outside of my house more regularly that also allowed for some "me" time away from my lovely wife and young toddlers. Having some good friends who golfed regularly, I decided to give it another go and am happy to say that I've fallen completely in love with the game! 

Being in MN, I've been trying to get out every week at least once while the weather is nice while mixing in some range sessions every week or two. I am slowly chipping away at lowering my handicap, typically shooting between the low-to-high 90s. The strength of my game is putting while I have opportunities to improve my approach shot accuracy along with my consistency off the tee with my driver. At my best, I play a slight fade with my driver, but dealing with my consistency issue, I often am fighting a slice that goes 220-240. 

Current Ball:

I've been switching between four different options this year: Vice Tour, Vice Drive, Kirkland Signature v3, and Callaway Supersoft Matte. I want to be a player who only plays one or two different balls at most, but have not found one that works for me a majority of the time (mainly because of user error). Because of my tendency to slice my driver, I've been leaning on the Vice Drive more often lately to try and limit the spin. When hit correctly, both the Vice Tour and Kirkland Sigs give me extra distance and I actually enjoy the Kirkland Sigs the most from 100 yards in because of the spin. However, all three of those balls cause me troubles tracking the ball flight at times. That's why I started mixing in the Callaway Supersoft Matte balls in red. I can see those suckers with no issues, even in the early morning rounds with less than full daylight. The reason I haven't just stuck with the SS Mattes fully is that I've found that I don't get as much distance with any of my clubs and I feel like I need to hit my putts harder. The SS Mattes do not seem to roll as well on greens, especially when the greens are still a bit dewy and damp. 

Things I'll be looking at during testing:

• Visibility: How well can I track the ball flight from tee to green using different clubs? Can I find it quicker/easier in the rough than my traditional white balls?

• Durability: How does the matte cover hold up? Are they scuffing and scrapping more or less? Do they hold up better or worse than Callaway Supersoft Mattes like Volvik claims?

• Playability: Do I notice any differences in performance compared to the Callaway Supersoft Mattes or some of the traditional white balls I play? How does the distance stack up? How about the spin? Control with wedges? Putting on the greens?

Unboxing & First Impressions: (8.5/10)

The day we (okay, fine… maybe only me and my fellow testers) have been waiting for – the arrival of the balls is here!

They showed up extremely quick in a padded envelope which was slightly surprising to me as an avid online shopper. I can’t recall ever getting any type of sporting goods equipment in anything other than a box. I understand companies trying to “be smart” about their expenses where they can be, but because of this shipping method, the boxes of balls showed up a little dinged up. No damage to the actual balls, which is clearly the main part that matters, but the first moment of truth as a consumer seeing the two boxes bent and bashed a bit wasn’t ideal. For that, I’ll subtract one-half point.

Even with the dinged-up boxes, the packaging design is definitely working for the brand. Huge, bright, multicolored V logo on the front instantly tells you what brand and subline the ball is without even reading the box. The opening at the bottom works great, too, because it shows the consumer exactly what the color of the ball is and what the matte finish looks and even feels like. This is all great for their on-shelf presence.

Upon opening up the box, the colors of the ball instantly pop and catch the eye thanks to a large opening on the sleeves. You don’t even have to take the balls out of the sleeve to tell that Volvik’s claim on providing “a unique brighter matte finish color for improved visibility” is at the forefront. I personally appreciated the assortment of colors that they sent because it offers up a range from extremely vivid and bright in the red and orange to a more muted and soft white, with yellow and green falling somewhere in the middle. This offers up a variety of options for consumers who are looking for a matte finish ball. They don’t necessarily have to play a neon bright color to get the performance experience they’re looking for.

The alignment aid was another claim the Volvik makes that should differentiate these balls. Their claim, “designed for easier alignment establishing the perfect impact position”, is shown by the three-line visual aid that gives the player a clear path to line up their shot. The middle line is thick and bold which can be seen easily when standing over the ball. The two outside dotted lines aren’t as visible from your stance which helps you focus on one clear line, but when crouched down to set your line with your ball, the dotted lines help create added visual cues to better line up your putt. I feel like Volvik definitely succeeded in their claim.

The matte finish feels similar to the Callaway Supersoft Matte balls I’ve played, so nothing sets themselves apart from the competitor as far as physical feel goes, but more to come on how the cover holds up once I play them more.

The sun poked out for a hot second so you can really see the colors pop!

The only other area that I’m deducting any points from the first impressions is on the difference in claims on this ball providing “low driver spin” and “great wedge spin”. On the back of the box, Volvik highlights both of those claims right next to each other. Higher up on the box, they make a couple of points that relate to the low driver spin claim by talking about “explosive distance” and the new cover “increases spin control”. This seems to be how they justify the low driver spin claim. However, there are no attempts made to tell the consumer what justifies “great” wedge spin. Is that in comparison to other matte balls? Or all balls with different covers? That is a bold claim to make without justifying it. In my experience, balls typically are one or the other, not both. When I think of great wedge spin, I instantly think of urethane tour balls that allow players much more skilled than myself to utilize spin in their game. I’ll be shocked if these compete to a “great wedge spin” level that they claim on pack to be. Minus one for that claim.

Off to some local spots to begin the performance testing portion!

 

My balls showed up last week and I just posted my unboxing and first impressions to my pinned post. Hope you all enjoy!

Edited August 5 by jlofgren22

[jlofgren22]

10 minutes ago, schooner44 said:

Haven't done the next official write up section of the review (want to have a couple rounds under my belt with them) but I played a round last Friday with these. Even though I played terrible (no fault of the ball), I really like them. Here's a quick rundown of what I found...

• I found no loss of distance and was pretty impressed with the spin around the greens
• I played 18 holes and didn't lose any golf balls which is very rare for me...I played red on the front 9 and orange on the back 9. I usually play Srixon soft feels, Srixon Divides and Callaway Supersoft but these ones really seemed to stand out in the grass.
• The triple alignment lines really seemed to help. I only 3 putted one time (usually I'm around 4-5 per round) and there were about 4 putts that were within 2" of going in from 15'+ away.

Glad to hear that your first round with them went well! Sounds like an awesome day putting for sure!

Just curious, but do you ever play any urethane or surlyn covered balls? I'd be curious to hear how your distance changes, if at all, from the matte covers.

[schooner44]

7 hours ago, jlofgren22 said:

Glad to hear that your first round with them went well! Sounds like an awesome day putting for sure!

Just curious, but do you ever play any urethane or surlyn covered balls? I'd be curious to hear how your distance changes, if at all, from the matte covers.

I really like the matte balls so that's typically what I play. If I do play any others, it's not enough to notice a difference. 

Edit: After I responded, I realized that I use Callaway Chromesoft Truvis (soccer ball style) balls in my simulator. I believe those are urethane covers. I'll be posting some comparison numbers within the next couple days comparing those vs the Vivids.

Edited August 6 by schooner44