Volvik Vivid Golf Balls: 2024 Forum Review

[GolfSpy_APH]

Volvik makes the best, highest-performing golf balls with a matte finish. Or at least, this is what they claim. We are already in the process of having the tour-level Volvik Condor and Condor X golf balls tested, but not all golfers want or need a tour-level golf ball. This is where the Volvik Vivid golf ball enters the market.

The newest version of the Vivid series was released in February of this year and is available in seven colors, all of which are sure to catch the attention of playing partners.

The Volvik Vivid golf ball is a 3-piece golf ball designed to be longer and more accurate with better visibility. It features a patented Nano Bi Core blend that adjusts in different temperatures to provide maximum energy transfer. The mid-layer is made of ionomer construction to further enhance ball speeds and reduce side spin. Then there is the infamous cover: a patented SF Matte surface finish that is highly visible and offers improved spin and durability. The last feature on these golf balls is their V-Focus alignment aid. Featuring a triple-line design, Volvik states the narrow line works as a multidirectional visual key system to better help golfers with alignment.

The Testing Opportunity 

We are looking for four golfers to test, review, and keep two dozen Volvik Vivid golf balls in a color of their choice. Are you a golfer who uses matte or colored golf balls? We want to see how these compare to others in the same market space to determine if these are really the best-performing golf balls with a matte or colored finish.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@MNUte 

@jlofgren22 

@Hindsy1987 

@schooner44

[MNUte]

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!

 

FINAL REVIEW

Aesthetics (8.5 / 10) 

Looks:

Like I mentioned during the unboxing, these are fun, colorful and fairly clean balls. The matte coating camouflages shallower dimples and highlights crisp black alignment and lettering.

The varying shades/brightnesses let each color thrive in different conditions and lighting, with the red and orange balls being the best “all around” performers.

Being nitpicky, the three different fonts on the front is the one thing that looks sloppy on an otherwise clean ball. -.5

 

Sound & Feel:

With an 85 compression, these are the firmest matte balls I’m aware of, and they’d be the second firmest ionomer balls in the MGS database. So, if you love a softer feel, I’d look elsewhere.

BUT, these sound and feel great if you like reasonably firm balls, and are just slightly firmer/louder than the Vice Pros (86-90) or Kirkland Signature V3s (93). They have a confident crack to them on good iron and long-club strikes which becomes more muted on chips and putts. There is definitely a higher-pitched click on poor strikes, but I enjoyed that extra feedback.

Miscellaneous

I love how durable these are. None of the balls I played became scuffed or damaged to the point of being unusable. I was honestly more prone to losing balls than having to retire them. My current ball has survived multiple rounds and bunker sessions with only minor fading on the alignment aid.

However, they are dirt magnets, so be aware if you’re considering playing conditions where they’d be getting dirty quickly. -1

The Numbers (19 / 20)

Without a sim, I performed on-course comparisons against the Srixon Q-Star Tour Divides, Vice Pros, and Kirkland Signatures.

The Vivids and Vice Pros were both consistently 5-10 yards longer on drives than the Kirklands and Srixons, though that gap shrank to the point of being inconsequential as I went down the bag. With short irons and wedges, the Kirklands checked up easily, the Vice Pros and Vivids were “good enough,” and the Srixons were noticeably behind. The Vivids slot in as a slightly firmer Vice Pro or a longer, lower spinning Kirkland alternative. However, those balls are able to get that performance with a softer feel. -1

 

On The Course (17 / 20)

Ball Flight: I’m a lower launching hitter, but these flew consistently higher into that mid-launching range. While I did have two shots balloon on me one round, I’ll give them a pass and blame the 15+ mph gusts.

Tee: Love these off the tee! They’re more than long enough and actually seemed to reduce side spin, letting me hit comfortable fades over multiple rounds without ever fighting a slice.

Approach: “Good enough.” While I got one ball to spin back (and in wet conditions!), most of my approach shots consistently rolled out. As long as I adjusted my target accordingly, this didn’t impact my play. But for tighter greens, it could. -1

Short Game: These are great for putting and bump and runs. The matte coating took a while to adjust to, but after that the extra tack gave me confidence to be more aggressive. They’re firm and reactive off the face without being unpleasantly hard. And like I thought during the unboxing, the alignment system is easy to line up, focus on, and the combination of the colors and lines just makes putting easier for me.

However, these do not easily generate greenside spin. You can absolutely flop these or manufacture shots/spin. But if you’re not confident in your technique, these will punish you. -2

 

Bottom line, golf is a game of tradeoffs. If these could maintain their flight and distance while spinning just a bit more, I’d be thrilled. Regardless, these helped me be a LOT safer and more confident off the tee without undermining my short game.

 

The Good, Bad, & In Between (19 / 20)

I will say, these balls are conversation starters. Sure, practically speaking, the colors are easier to track in the air and find in the rough.

But I had several people come up and ask me what I was using. When I showed them, a few recognized them as the balls Volvik’s stamping Marvel icons onto. It’s awesome seeing Volvik embracing the idea that FUN golf balls can still perform well.

Like any matte ball, these did lose a lot of spin when wet. However, I was pleasantly surprised that they were at least consistent when wet and the drop-off matched that of gloss balls. You can absolutely play these in wet conditions (like the rainstorm below), but it takes a deliberate mental adjustment. -1.

 

Play it or Trade it? (17 / 20)

            This comes down to price. At $2.50 per ball, they’re fairly priced for the performance, sitting just under the Vice Pros. But at that point, shouldn’t I just pay the extra $.25 for the softer Pros? Now, if they go on sale fairly regularly (currently $1.67 per ball), they become an absolute steal. From there, I think I’d use these on longer, more tee-oriented courses and my Kirklands on shorter courses that emphasize stopping power on approach shots.

While these seem to be ideally directed towards golfers who struggle with too much spin or want a bit more distance, they’re really a reasonably priced, well-performing 3-piece ball with a fun variety of options. These should absolutely work for most golfers who just want to add a bit of fun to their bag without sacrificing too much performance. 

 

Conclusion – Final Score: 88.5 / 100

These are a firm, mid-launching and spinning 3-piece ionomer ball. They’re long and lower side-spinning off the tee, still good enough around the greens and on approach shots to be workable, and have a 3-line alignment aid that makes putting simpler. While wet conditions significantly reduce spin, it’s a consistent drop-off similar to glossy/urethane balls. The colorful matte coating makes them easily visible in the air and the rough. Overall, their feel, sound, price and performance are comparable to a slightly firmer Vice Pro.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28 by MNUte
Updating to add Final Review

[jlofgren22]

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!

 

Here is a link to my post with some quick observations after my first round using the balls. LINK

 

FINAL REVIEW

Aesthetics: (8/10)

Looks: Like I talked about in the unboxing, the first thing everyone notices are the bright, neon colors of the red and orange balls. The instantly scream out their purpose. While not as bright as the red and orange, both the green and the yellow were easier to see both in air and in the grass for me. While the white didn’t offer up any visual tracking difference when compared to traditional shiny white balls, I did feel like the matte finish made the black print pop a bit more on the white ball, specifically on the alignment aid. I did notice that dirt seemed to stick to these much more than traditional balls. They became dirty very quickly. The white specifically had a green tint to it only after a couple of holes, and that was just from normal shots from the tee box, fairways, and putting. Nothing irregular at all. I’ll subtract half a point for that.

Sound: I did feel like sound of these balls in longer clubs, specifically longer irons, had a much louder cracking sound when flushed. The pitch was almost like a high-pitched knock on a wooden door. I would get the same tone in shorter irons, but not nearly as loud. This was a definite change from my usual balls which caused a slight adjustment on what to expect from a good shot, but nothing to the point of annoyance. The first few times it happened, I’ll admit that because of the sound, I was unsure if I hit it well or not. Once I learned what to expect, it was fine. I’ll deduct half a point simply because I know that sound impacts some players, and this was one that took some adjustment. Again, it wasn’t bad in my opinion, just… different.

Feel: With the much firmer compression (85) than the other matte ball I’ve used before (Callaway Supersoft Matte – 35), these Vivids felt a bit different from what I’ve previously played. Volvik claims on the back of their box that the Vivids are a “Mid Soft” feel. I’ll get into the performance feel a bit more in my review, but to me, these were not what I would consider “soft” in any way. For that, I’ll deduct a point because I feel like the claim just flat out isn’t true. I even tested that a bit unconventionally by taking a normal nail and seeing how easily I could push it into the cover of the ball. The Vivid to no surprise was much more difficult to do than the Callaway. If a softer ball is what you’re looking for, this is not the ball to go with.

Miscellaneous: Due to the firmness of the ball, I found these to be very durable, especially for a matte finish. I was able to use the balls with little-to-no scuffing. I even yanked a drive directly into the trunk of a tree about 150 yards off the tee box and you couldn’t have known it from looking at the ball at all. Not a single mark!

The Numbers: (19/20)

I tried to get to a local clubhouse with a sim to get some “real” numbers on spin and distance, but unfortunately it was down for maintenance on the day I tried to go use it. Thankfully, I usually do track distances through the app I use while I play, so I do have some directional distance data to use.

I compared my shots with the Vivids to Vice Tours, Kirkland Signatures, and Callaway Supersoft Mattes. The Vivids performed on par with distance as the Vice Tours, consistently 5ish yards further than the K-Sigs, and between 5-10 yards further than the Callaways. However, the distance gap decreased to almost no difference by the time I dropped down to my 8 iron.

I’ll say that the Vivids definitely deliver on the distance in the longer clubs, likely due to their lower spin rate. I’ll get into this more in the next section, but I enjoyed these off the tee much more than I did on greenside chipping. Minus one point because Volvik does make a claim on the back of the box about wedge spin being “great”.

On The Course: (14/20)

Ball Flight: I’m typically a low-mid launching hitter and found these to definitely fit into what I’d consider mid-launching range more times than not, so I’ll give them a pass for their claim on ball flight trajectory being “high”. Also, as no surprise, the colors in the air were incredibly easy to track the entire path. As someone who often struggles tracking a traditional white ball in the air, these definitely checked all the boxes for visibility.

Tee: Like I said earlier, these were consistently 5+ yards further off the tee for me compared to the other balls (outside of the Vice Tour) I typically play with. I did notice that I had fewer big slices and many more nice, easy fades that found the fairways. My FIRs increased 15-25% in the few rounds I used them which is huge for a high HCPer like myself. The reduced side spin was much appreciated!

Approach: As a player who hits most clubs “average” distance for my age and ability (8 iron is my 150-yard club, everything else goes up or down 10-15 yards from there accordingly), this is where I started seeing a difference in the Vivids’ performance vs my usual balls. The lack of spin on the Vivids made it difficult for me to consistently hold greens on my approach shots on par 4s and 5s. In the four rounds I played using the Vivids, I only got them to spin back one time from <100 yards distance.

• 90 yards out, spun backwards 1-1.5ft

I often would hit a shot that would roll out and I wouldn’t expect too far of a roll out based on what I’m used to with the other balls I play, only to arrive at the green finding my Vivid ball much deeper back or even completely off the back of the green. I’m subtracting two points here for that performance.

• 115 yards out, large ball mark on the green, still ran out 15+ feet

Around the Greens: To further emphasize the lack of spin, I often found it difficult to execute different types of shots around the greens. At first, I would try some hop and stop shots and other longer flight chips as that is what I can do decently with my usual balls. However, more times than not, the Vivids would not spin enough and stop, but would keep running much further than what I wanted. I then started to just play bump and runs around the greens because I had no confidence in where the Vivids would stop. Taking some of my typical shots out of play was a tough pill to swallow, so I’m subtracting four full points here, one for taking shots out of my already limited arsenal, another point for their lack of spin performance compared to my typical balls, and two full points for making the claim on pack that the wedge spin is “great”.

Putting: Since I’ve putt with a matte ball many times before, the Vivids were what I expected upon using them. Yes, I found the matte finish to grip the greens a bit more than urethane or surlyn balls. Once you get used to needing to hit your putts with a bit more power, it worked out fine. Also, the alignment aid is much more extensive than any ball I’ve used before, so this was the first time I really paid attention to utilizing the aid on my putts. I appreciated the three lines up close when setting my guiding line and enjoyed how the two outside dotted lines became less visible when I would stand up over my putts, allowing me to focus on the more prominent middle black line. Great job by Volvik for delivering on this aid without it being too gaudy or distracting on other areas of the ball. I feel like they delivered the best of both worlds – a highly useful alignment aid that could be flipped over and hidden completely if you didn’t want to be distracted by all the noise on tee shots.

The Good, The Bad, & The In Between: (18/20)

I played four full 18-hole rounds and one 9-hole executive round with the Vivids and at times loved the balls and other times was frustrated. So, I guess you could say that these perfectly emulated the sport of golf!

The good on these balls for me was the main reason I even started playing with bright colored matte balls previously, for the ability to better track my balls in flight. After seeing these colors pop just as much as the Callaway Supersoft Matte balls I had in my bag but then travel consistently further off the tee and with my long clubs, I was elated. After all, everyone wants more distance, right?

The bad for me was with the frustrations around the lack of spin with short scoring clubs. As a high HCPer, I’m not one to often stick it to 4ft, so I must rely on my chipping around the greens. Not being able to use all the shots I’m capable of making was a big blow and my lack of confidence in where my chips were going to stop drove me bonkers. Some of this could be corrected with more time using the Vivids as well as eliminating some of my own flaws as a golfer who still has a lot to improve on in my own game. However, confidence is everything and without it around the greens, it’s a hard sell for me, especially after Volvik flat out making the claim that these balls perform “great” in these situations. I’m dinging them two full points again for this. Don’t make the claim just because seemingly every other OEM make this claim about their balls. Hype up and expand on your truths!

Play It or Trade It?: (14/20)

Again, I started using bright matte balls to help myself track balls better in flight. However, the full ability of the ball needs to be considered when using a non-traditional ball. Using the scope of “Would I put this golf ball in play for a big tournament or money game?”, I would say no, I would not consistently play this ball. Sure, getting off the tee in the fairway a couple more times per round is a great perk, but not being able to utilize the best part of my game in my approach shots and short game around the greens is something I can’t ignore.

These are also slightly more expensive than the Callaway Supersoft Matte balls ($29.99/dozen vs $24.99/dozen, or ~40 cents per ball), so that could be taken into consideration. I don’t feel like the Vivids are overpriced, especially considering you’re getting a three-piece ball vs a two-piece in the Callaways, but absolute price is a thing many golfers take into consideration and every dollar spent does add up over a golf season.

I would recommend these balls to the golfer who isn’t as concerned about their short game and is instead looking for better control and a moderate increase in distance off the tee. While I personally will sacrifice 5-10 yards and 1-2 less FIRs off the tee to ensure that I’m more confident from <100 yards in and around the green, that isn’t what others may want. If you’re already a great short game player, this ball certainly can help your long game.

Conclusion (TL;DR): Final Score (81.5/100)

The Volvik Vivids are a long, low-spinning 3-piece matte ball that can help enhance distance and side spin control in long clubs, especially off the tee. The lack of spin on approach shots and control of wedge shots around the green make it difficult for this ball to be considered a “great” tee-to-green ball like Volvik claims. The alignment aid for putting is truly great without being distracting. The Vivid name stands true proven by the bright neon colors that help enhance visibility in the air and on the course.

 

Edited September 1 by jlofgren22
added Fianl Review

[Hindsy1987]

Introduction : 

Hello there my fellow Golf spies, My Name is Ryan and i have been playing golf on and off since i was a teenager, i was lucky enough to have golf as and elective at my high school. The high school i attended was in Australia's Pilbara region so i didn't see my fist grass green until i was an adult, to say it was a learning curve is an understatement. More recently i was living in Margaret River a region known for its extensive wineries, it plays as a very difficult course and there was a lot of trial and error finding the right equipment, i have recently had two years off due to shoulder condition so i'm currently not handicapped, i have/had a relatively fast swing speed so normally will play a regular flex, this test something i'm looking forward to with my recent forays into Sim golf.

 

Current Ball:

I tend to swap between two different balls depending on the days playing conditions, on a normal clear sky day i will play the Callaway Supersoft for its feel mainly off the face and the control i feel when i'm on the greens, if i'm playing through any inclement weather i tend to play the Callaway Supersoft Matt. I find this covering gives me better control off the face especially in bunkers or high wet grass, i also have issues tracking a white ball in a grey sky so bright reds and oranges are my go to for contrast, falling into autumn i will change to colours again to greens and purples. i think this is the thing im most excited for in this test is to see how the Volvik offerings compare, i've always been a fan of the graphic designs (marvel heroes etc) they bring out with their balls so it will be interesting to see how they hold up after a round or two i find other matt balls can get torn up quite easily.

The things I'll be looking at will be:

Longevity - how long will these balls last in a variety of playing conditions out of bunkers or the cart path(hopefully not)

Visibility - how easy is it to find these balls on the course through trees and thick rough, how visible are they off the tee box ? lets find out !

Feel/Play -  How to these balls play and how do they feel, testing the metrics in the sim and the actuals on the course. do they feel like hitting stones or marshmallows, how do they play on the greens, how do the distances compare with my usual ball ? lets break it down 

Edited July 26 by Hindsy1987

[schooner44]

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.

Things to take note of:

1. I'm not a great golfer...heck, I don't even consider myself an average golfer
2. I've been taking lessons and really trying to improve my consistency so this should be taken into account for some of the performance ratings

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 -2 for not shipping in a proper box. SCORE (8/10)

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 (9/10)

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 (edited to remove the ding for white as mentioned by another tester this is likely that the whites were swapped out in place of the orange in the assorted pack because the other dozen was all orange) but plus 1 for the other colors. SCORE (10/10)

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.

THE NUMBERS (Skytrak Data) (10/20):

I want to wait until I have more than just one round on the course before posting my thoughts from that aspect however I did want to show some data from my home simulator. My launch monitor is a Skytrak (not a Skytrak+).  There's a couple claims that Volvik makes but they never say what these claims are compared to...older Vivid models, competitor matte balls, non-matte/urethane balls? Golf ball claims in general seem ambiguous and these seem no different. Volvik claims "straight ball flight, higher trajectory, low driver spin and great wedge spin".

I normally hit Callaway Chromesoft Truvis golf balls (urethane cover, 75 compression) in my simulator because the soccer ball style pattern gets picked up well by the Skytrak.  I hit about 30 shots with the Callaways and the same with the Vovlik Vivids (85 compression) and picked the 10 best shots. These are with my 8 iron and keep in mind that I don't swing fast nor hit far but I like to think I'm fairly consistent.

Callaway Chromesoft:

Volvik Vivid:

Conclusion:

The averages are the bottom line on each picture and as far as I'm concerned, there is basically no difference in the numbers between these golf balls. Maybe someone who hits a lot further might see a little more discrepancy but even then I think it would be minimal. I will say that the Volvik Vivid balls sounded weird (almost hollow sounding) when hitting in my garage but when on the course I didn't notice it. This may be a deterrent for some as I know the sound is a big deal to some golfers. Also, someone with a higher swing speed may get better distance from the Vivids simply due to the slightly higher compression. Weird sound but otherwise no real difference for better or worse. Average rating here. (10/20)

ON THE COURSE (13/20):

First time out on a course, the pro shop actually had a display of these. A little ironic lol.

Visibility (14/20):

I typically gravitate towards orange golf balls however I absolutely fell in love with the red balls. The pop on the course! I really do like the orange and green but conversely I dislike the yellow even more than expected. Since the only reason I got whites in the assorted box was because I had already gotten an entire box of oranges. My regular partner is a retired guy who's 69 and he always says that he has a hard time seeing the colored balls but he was able to spot these as often as I could which says a lot. Of the four colors, I am going to award the following scores purely based on visibility...

orange - 4/5

red - 5/5

green -  4/5

yellow - 1/5

average - 3.5/5

The red is so bright, it almost looks like its glowing in the picture!

The orange, red & green really pop in direct sunlight

Pretty easy to spot in some rough lies

Distance (5/20):

I did not see any improvement in the distance of any shots while using these golf balls. Since this is one of Volvik's biggest claims, I have to ding this one fairly big. I also didn't notice them going any shorter either (some credit there) but I'm looking at this more from the standpoint that they did NOT live up to the claim at all. (5/20)

Accuracy (18/20):

I did see an improvement in the number of fairways hit by a decent margin. I struggle off the tee with accuracy and I would say I came close to almost doubling the number of fairways hit while using these balls. Considering I usually only hit 35-40% of fairways, doubling that number is quite significant for me. I have been working a lot on my driver swing so this may have helped out but I feel like a lot of the credit goes to the ball. (18/20)

This is the 18th hole and I usually struggle with my driver the last few holes of a round from being a bit tired. I typically never hit this fairway but as you can see, I had probably my best tee shot ever. This duck came out of a pond as soon as my ball landed and walked right up to it...bonus points for appearing to be a tasty treat lol!

Another nice fairway tee shot

Spin(3/20):

I don't feel like I'm a good enough or consistent enough player to gauge spin on a drive so I'm not going to include that in my scoring but I will focus on the spin around the green. As pictured below, the ball does have some very nice bite on high wedge shots coming onto the green. The big downfall came when using a bump n' run shot. I felt like there was no consistency or control in these shots and more often than not, the ball slid across the green like it was an air hockey puck covered in baby oil. While half the shots performed as Volvik claims the other half were dreadfully bad. I have to consider that the inability to at least perform at an average level on both is a huge letdown as the ability of your ball shouldn't dictate what kind of shots you can take while playing. (3/20)

This was from 73 yards out with a nice, easy gap wedge shot

Durability:

I usually don't use balls long enough to see any durability issues. I did have one bad shot that caused a scuff but that was at no fault of the ball. It did get a little scuff on it but I think any ball would've had the same. My last round, I managed to hit 2 consecutive shots into a tree. These were not glancing blows but rather direct shots that went smack into the trunk of the tree and actually bounced back towards the direction the came from. I checked the ball and saw no indication of any marks or imperfections which was not only a surprise but also impressive. (17/20) 

Putting/Alignment:

I always line up my ball using some sort of line on the ball (I never draw lines on them as I find that distracting). Having the triple alignment lines was a game changer. I gained a lot of confidence in my putting while using these golf balls and the misses were far more often speed control issues than poorly aligned putts. I also really reduced my number of triple putts. (20/20)

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE INBETEEEN (12/20):

I really liked the orange and red colors but disliked the yellow which is no different than my typical preferences for ball colors but I LOVED the red. The triple alignment lines were everything i hoped for and I felt that they improved my putting aim. I didn't believe that the 2 big claims of distance and spin help up but I do feel like the accuracy was a nice improvement. I also noticed that the balls not only got dirty easy but weren't the easiest to clean by won't them off. I do like the balls but I don't think it's enough to replace my normal balls. I also feel I should mention that even though these are a slightly higher compression than I normally play, I did like the feel of the ball coming off the club.

PLAY IT OR TRADE IT (15/20):

When I find a product I like, I'm pretty loyal to it. While I do like the Vivids, I didn't think I like them quite enough to replace my typical Srixon Q-Star Divides. That being said, I think they're a close 2nd and considering they are a better value I will likely pick some up and use them to rotate in and out of my bag. I didn't know if they help my game better but I can say that they are not going to hurt it.

CONCLUSION (TL;DR) (69/100):

I have to admit that coming into this, I thought very little of Volvik golf balls and would've never bought them. I was extremely impressed with the first impressions and while the performance I experienced during using them did tamper my excitement a bit, I still came away with a much improved opinion of them. I will say that I like much more about them than I dislike and some of the biggest things I dinged them for in the rating were things that I don't really think any ball would really make a difference with but I had to be objective in what Volvik claimed vs what I found. In just looking at the ratings I have, someone would guess that I didn't like these balls very much but that's not true. The biggest knocks on these were the fact that some of the claims didn't pan out.

Q&A:

• Am I going to change my regular balls to these?
  • Probably not but I will consider them the next time I need to buy golf balls
• Will I continue to use the balls I have or give them away?
  • I will definitely use them until I lose them
• What was my biggest disappointment?
  • The sound coming off the club and the yellow color
• What was I most impressed with?
  • Accuracy and the red & orange colors

Scoring:

• First Impressions (19/20)
• The Numbers (10/20)
• On the Course (13/20)
• The Good, the bad and the InBetween (12/20)
• Play it or trade it (15/20)
• Total (69/100)

I am grateful for the opportunity to have been able to test these out and hope folks can gain something from my review and perspective. I would like to thank MyGolfSpy for the opportunity and Volvik for sending these out for me to try.

Edited September 1 by schooner44

[TSauer]

Congrats, testers!

[rkj427]

Congratulations to this group of testers.

Looking forward to seeing how these stack-up to others in the marketplace.

[MNUte]

Let's go!! Absolutely thrilled to be testing these out and helping to provide some insight into some very bold claims Volvik is making with these. 

I'm here for all of you with this test, so please let me know what questions you have and I'll do my best to try and find answers along the way. 

[TJ Hall]

Congratulations testers…enjoy this test!

[ParFore74x]

Congratulations testers! This should be a fun one. 

[Splatt]

Congrats testers!!

@Hindsy1987 should be easier to spot in the trees

[Mike10487]

Congratulations to the testers!

[Hindsy1987]

1 minute ago, Splatt said:

Congrats testers!!

@Hindsy1987 should be easier to spot in the trees

I knew you'd be lurking

[Splatt]

1 minute ago, Hindsy1987 said:

I knew you'd be lurking

[nvizble1]

Good luck....and NO lost ball excuses anymore!

[JAYER38]

If yall cant see these things on the ground ya probably should be there anyway haha. Goodluck testers and cant wait to hear the feedback

[TAGolf13]

Volvik Crystal used to be my ball about a decade ago. I'm interested in hearing how these balls perform. Congrats to the chosen testers

[Yorkie07]

Congrats Testers. Always looking for insight into different balls. I will definitely be following this one. 

[MNUte]

1 hour ago, nvizble1 said:

Good luck....and NO lost ball excuses anymore!

Whoa there, excuses are an absolute sacred right. Just because they're not GOOD or VALID excuses have never stopped us before, so why should they now? 

[Jean D]

Congratulations to everyone.  Looking forward to reading your comments- not a super popular ball brand here in Canada, perhaps this will change things!?

[jlofgren22]

Super pumped to get the opportunity to test out these balls and share my findings with this group! Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you have and I'll make sure to do my best to answer them based on my experience or dig into them further if needed. 

[jlofgren22]

1 hour ago, nvizble1 said:

Good luck....and NO lost ball excuses anymore!

Knowing how I play, I'm sure I'll still find a way. Or perhaps I'll just get a better view of the entire flight path into the water 

[Shrek74]

16 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@MNUte 

@jlofgren22 

@Hindsy1987 

@schooner44

Congrats testers!! Get those sunglasses out to cut down on the brightness of the balls!!  Good luck!!

[Jean D]

56 minutes ago, jlofgren22 said:

Knowing how I play, I'm sure I'll still find a way. Or perhaps I'll just get a better view of the entire flight path into the water 

Don't think of it as "losing balls on the course...", instead think of it as "maximizing your green fees to enjoy more of the course!"  

[frazzman80]

I see the results of this one being BRIGHT!

All kidding aside, I'm intrigued most about the performance of the matte golf ball versus urethane or non-matte surlyn. Hopefully y'all can give us a side-by-side comparison of these 3 to see if spin degrades in wet conditions as MGS has noted. 

[Docdent]

Congratulations to the testers. It will be interesting to see how these compare to your normal balls

[MattWillGolf]

Congratulations testers. Looking forward to seeing this latest iteration from Volvik. I can only think of the pink Bubba ball.

[GolferXY]

Too bad no Matt's were selected !

Congrats all!

[David Leighton Reid]

Congratulations testers!  I look forward to your reviews.

[MNUte]

6 hours ago, frazzman80 said:

I see the results of this one being BRIGHT!

All kidding aside, I'm intrigued most about the performance of the matte golf ball versus urethane or non-matte surlyn. Hopefully y'all can give us a side-by-side comparison of these 3 to see if spin degrades in wet conditions as MGS has noted. 

That's one of the things I'm thinking about how to test. Currently we're going through Utah's "I told you I'm a desert" phase of the year, where even in the morning it's hot and dry. Depending on when the balls arrive, I might be taking a bucket of water to the chipping and putting greens near my house.