Short-listing a non-tour urethane ball

[Green4Spinach]

I am on the hunt for a ball that I can grow with. I welcome advice on what balls I should be focusing on. The non-tour urethanes are the ones that are in my sights.

I am looking for a ball I can learn to be a better golfer with. Everything points to a urethane ball. But I still lose too many balls to simply shift to a premium ball. I'd like a ball that flies high - my shot trajectory looks lower than nearly all my friends. But I would like more short game control than I get from an ionomer ball. And my driver swing speed is relatively slow at 90mph.

So here's my exploratory list of non-tour urethane balls I can bulk buy {3-5 dozen at a time} for half the price of, say, a Pro V1.

Bridgestone Tour B RXS

Srixon Q Star Tour

Vice Pro Air

Wilson Triad

Any others I should be considering, people? Appreciate your help on this.

Here's the context for this search.

I started playing golf ten months ago and am playing off a handicap of 28. I took up the game as a recommendation from my adult son for a game we could both learn and play together. Neither of us played golf before.

For most of the last ten months, I have played a Mizuno RB566 ionomer ball. I chose it because reviews said its high dimple count helped the ball fly higher - something I really welcomed as I started out. Plus, it was available from a local supplier - I live in the UK - on a bulk purchase at just over £1 a ball.

So why do I want to change?

The main push for change came from being a tester on the 2024 Vice Golf Ball Forum Review. The ball selected for me was the Vice Drive, in a distinctive red livery. I found the Vice simply flew further than the Mizuno. My Shot Scope data reported that my performance average with driver moved from 211 yards to 233 yards from the time I started using the Vice. Some of that uplift came from my driving getting better as I learned the game, and some of it came from firmer summer surfaces bouncing my drives further.

But a straight comparison where I played 9 holes with one ball and 9 with the other showed one instance of the Mizuno crossing 250 yards with driver and four such with the Vice, including one that launched 271 yards down the fairway. The added distance went a long way to improve my Strokes Gained performance by multiple strokes.

So that sounds like an easy win for Vice, right? Not quite. Shot Scope estimates my short game is the best part of my play, currently around 6 shots better than a 20 handicap benchmark. My short game suffers with the Vice Drive in a way the Mizuno never penalised me: wedge shots continue to bounce on after landing, and distance control with putting (the weakest part of my game) is even harder with the firm Vice ball. 

I now realise that my choice of ball is possibly one of the most significant decisions I can make as a golfer. It's the only bit of kit I use on every hole. Each ball is different in its playing characteristics. I want to get to know a ball, and really make it work for my game. The Vice review really opened my eyes to how my game can change with a different ball. 

My son, by the way, swears by his Pro V1, describing it as the 15th club in his bag. It's my turn to find my perfect playing partner. 

Edited August 20 by Green4Spinach
Adding link

[JAYER38]

For me I've played the Bridgestone Tour B RXS & Srixon Q Star Tour(Divide). I very much enjoyed the Q Star as it was easy to see, plenty of color options to please and putting alignment made into the ball... Performance was awesome off the Tee and even those pesky 30 yard pitch shots that never want to stop haha. 

The Bridgestone RXS Mindset was not the best ball for me. It performed just as well as the Q Star just was not my favorite feeling off the club face.. Any of them actually. 

I'm interest in the Vice Pro Air so will keep an eye on this to see people opinions on them. Im loaded up on my favorite Callaway ERC Softs right now so no plans to get anything else right now.

[Green4Spinach]

6 minutes ago, JAYER38 said:

For me I've played the Bridgestone Tour B RXS & Srixon Q Star Tour(Divide). I very much enjoyed the Q Star as it was easy to see, plenty of color options to please and putting alignment made into the ball... Performance was awesome off the Tee and even those pesky 30 yard pitch shots that never want to stop haha. 

The Bridgestone RXS Mindset was not the best ball for me. It performed just as well as the Q Star just was not my favorite feeling off the club face.. Any of them actually. 

I'm interest in the Vice Pro Air so will keep an eye on this to see people opinions on them. Im loaded up on my favorite Callaway ERC Softs right now so no plans to get anything else right now.

Thanks @JAYER38. Very helpful. Is the Callaway one I should add to my exploration?

[JAYER38]

9 minutes ago, Green4Spinach said:

Thanks @JAYER38. Very helpful. Is the Callaway one I should add to my exploration?

My personal opinion is yes! The ERC Soft as of recent is a "GRIP urethane coated" Ionomer cover ball with around mid 70's compression. It has a very different feel(to me) than other balls specially off the putter face. I really enjoy playing it and they offer high vis or white. I'm not the largest fan of the 3 alignment lines but give and take as always...  Honestly try a few sleeve of everything, I'm not against finding a ball on course and putting it in play just to see if I like it....

Personally I try to play..

Callaway SuperSofts in the winter only because they are cheap, conditions usually suck, and it keeps some distance as colder weather sucks it away haha...

Callaway ERC Softs & Q Star Divide for all other times of the year.

[Green4Spinach]

1 hour ago, JAYER38 said:

My personal opinion is yes! The ERC Soft as of recent is a "GRIP urethane coated" Ionomer cover ball with around mid 70's compression. It has a very different feel(to me) than other balls specially off the putter face. I really enjoy playing it and they offer high vis or white. I'm not the largest fan of the 3 alignment lines but give and take as always...  Honestly try a few sleeve of everything, I'm not against finding a ball on course and putting it in play just to see if I like it....

Personally I try to play..

Callaway SuperSofts in the winter only because they are cheap, conditions usually suck, and it keeps some distance as colder weather sucks it away haha...

Callaway ERC Softs & Q Star Divide for all other times of the year.

@JAYER38 I was trying to work out whether the ERC Soft was an ionomer ball or a urethane ball. I found Tony Covey's article on the ball: https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/callaway-erc-soft-golf-ball-2023/. It helpfully distinguishes between a urethane coating from a urethane layer. This does introduce a whole new ingredient to my thinking about non-tour urethane. Will seek out some ERC Softs on your recommendation. Interestingly, they are closer in price to a Pro V1 than the Srixon Q Star Tour, which seems to be the cheapest of my exploratory list on bulk buy.

[Larryw]

Maxfli Tour and Tour S are great balls as well as the Vice Pro (little higher launching ball than the Pro Air - my experience). 

[russtopherb]

Given your location, I'm not sure if you can get the Maxfli Tour balls. If not, I'm a huge proponent of the Q-Star Tour as an overall great value. It's not tops in any one category, but it also won't let you down in any category either. 

I know others swear by the ProV1... but I have never, ever gotten along with it over multiple tries. It's not for me, and I know some other golfers who are in the same boat.

[Berg Ryman]

If you're willing to live in a slightly pricier price point I'd recommend the TM Tour Response as well and being in the UK I'm sure you know about Seed which could be another recommendation, looks like they even have a subscription service

[TJ Hall]

As @Berg Ryman mentions, the TM Tour Response is good, using that currently and really like it.  

[Green4Spinach]

3 hours ago, russtopherb said:

Given your location, I'm not sure if you can get the Maxfli Tour balls. If not, I'm a huge proponent of the Q-Star Tour as an overall great value. It's not tops in any one category, but it also won't let you down in any category either. 

I know others swear by the ProV1... but I have never, ever gotten along with it over multiple tries. It's not for me, and I know some other golfers who are in the same boat.

@russtopherb I believe you are correct that Maxfli is not sold in the UK. Your recommendation of the Sri on gives it another notch on the recommended list.

[Berg Ryman]

So just plugged into Ball Lab and such, @Green4Spinach, and I think I have a solution. My guess is that you saw the distance increase due to the firmness of compression in the Drive compared to the Mizuno, the RB566 measures compression around 60ish, the Drive likely in the neighborhood of 90ish.

I'm guessing though based on the short list of balls you're considering, you do like stuff on the softer side of feel so I'd say we're looking for something a touch firmer than your RB but not super crazy. so looking at the 70-80 range of compression it's stuff like Seed SD-01, Oncore Elixr or Vero X1, Vice Pro Soft (likely close to Air's compression) Bridgestone BRX, TM Tour Response. Go firmer yet to find your Wilson Triad at 86 compression, on par with Pro V1, sub 70 you're in with Q Star Tour right around your RB, or B-RXS

I think that 75 compression could be the right spot for you to maybe see some distance gains from something firmer than your RB, while still giving you a softer feel with spin. So yeah, Seed, BRX, Vice Pro Air, or Oncore seem to be the best options for bulkier buys with either the DTC style pricing or the 3/120 packs for BStone right now

[Shrek74]

@Green4Spinach is there a reason it has to be urethane? Is it purely because you think that all non-urethane balls are just 2-piece and thus don't spin? I think that a 3-piece non-urethane ball might be a nice progression/option as well. Vice Tour is actually a really nice ball. I played a few rounds with them earlier this year and was very pleased with their performance. I don't recall what was said about them in the Vice review, so that might be something to go review.

https://www.vicegolf.com/golf-balls/vice-golf-tour-white ($27.99 for 1dzn, $21.99 per for 5 dzn)

"It is comparable to the Vice Pro and produces a great mix of distance and greenside control. Compared to the Vice Drive, it generates more backspin and allows slightly more control. Compared to the models in our Pro Lineup, the spin around the green will be slightly lower."

For urethane options: Vice Pro line, OnCore Elixr, OnCore Vero X1, TaylorMade Tour Response, and maybe Wilson Triad. Not sure I'd look anywhere else.

[chisag]

... My high index friend tends to lose lots of balls and I turned him on to the Tri Speed Tours. They don't do anything great but they do everything well and are very durable.  He buys the 3 for $60 deal:


https://www.worldwidegolfshops.com/srixon-trispeed-tour-golf-balls-500001908/p

Edited August 21 by chisag

[Green4Spinach]

10 hours ago, Berg Ryman said:

So just plugged into Ball Lab and such, @Green4Spinach, and I think I have a solution. My guess is that you saw the distance increase due to the firmness of compression in the Drive compared to the Mizuno, the RB566 measures compression around 60ish, the Drive likely in the neighborhood of 90ish.

I'm guessing though based on the short list of balls you're considering, you do like stuff on the softer side of feel so I'd say we're looking for something a touch firmer than your RB but not super crazy. so looking at the 70-80 range of compression it's stuff like Seed SD-01, Oncore Elixr or Vero X1, Vice Pro Soft (likely close to Air's compression) Bridgestone BRX, TM Tour Response. Go firmer yet to find your Wilson Triad at 86 compression, on par with Pro V1, sub 70 you're in with Q Star Tour right around your RB, or B-RXS

I think that 75 compression could be the right spot for you to maybe see some distance gains from something firmer than your RB, while still giving you a softer feel with spin. So yeah, Seed, BRX, Vice Pro Air, or Oncore seem to be the best options for bulkier buys with either the DTC style pricing or the 3/120 packs for BStone right now

Your analysis is spot on. Tony Covey's 2023 Ball Test article was interesting when I first read it but I had no context for understanding some of its implications. After doing the Vice ball test, I re-read the Ball Test article and realised that I wanted the higher compression driving performance that the Vice Drive delivered, but I much preferred the feel of the Mizuno. So my search could be characterised by speed / distance off driver and feel / spin in the short game. I figured that the speed sacrificed on a lower compression ball might not be as significant at my 90mph swing speed. Hence, my exploratory list of balls firmer than the Mizuno but with good greenside performance. Not having experienced any of the balls on my list for myself, I was hoping to draw on the wisdom of the MGS crowd. Your insights have been valuable in moving me from an exploration list to a trial list.

Edited August 21 by Green4Spinach

[Green4Spinach]

9 hours ago, Shrek74 said:

@Green4Spinach is there a reason it has to be urethane? Is it purely because you think that all non-urethane balls are just 2-piece and thus don't spin? I think that a 3-piece non-urethane ball might be a nice progression/option as well. Vice Tour is actually a really nice ball. I played a few rounds with them earlier this year and was very pleased with their performance. I don't recall what was said about them in the Vice review, so that might be something to go review.

https://www.vicegolf.com/golf-balls/vice-golf-tour-white ($27.99 for 1dzn, $21.99 per for 5 dzn)

"It is comparable to the Vice Pro and produces a great mix of distance and greenside control. Compared to the Vice Drive, it generates more backspin and allows slightly more control. Compared to the models in our Pro Lineup, the spin around the green will be slightly lower."

For urethane options: Vice Pro line, OnCore Elixr, OnCore Vero X1, TaylorMade Tour Response, and maybe Wilson Triad. Not sure I'd look anywhere else.

Does the ball need to be urethane? Very good question, @Shrek74. It does not need to be but I am drawn to the way firm balls can still offer control in the short game when urethane is part of the mix. Appreciate your suggestions. Thanks.

[Rob Person]

I was impressed with the vice pro air and the Bridgestone B RxS .

have you tried last years vice balls? I've seen them at $20 dozen on several sites

[Coulter]

A pretty cheap option to get your toes wet may be cut golf balls. I’ve played them a couple of times and thought they would be just fine if I didn’t already have my heart set on Maxfli and I needed to save a little more money.

[Green4Spinach]

Really appreciate all this feedback. Thanks, people.

A number of you have referenced Seed. Although I live in the UK, I only heard about Seed for the first time a few days ago, on the Kickpoint podcast from Golf Monthly. Their verdict was the ball is a half-price Pro V1 but with a cover that degrades faster than the Titleist. The subscription model looks interesting too. Have any of you actually used a Seed?

[Green4Spinach]

Based on all your feedback and comparing the prices available to me (and local availability), I am going to buy a selection to try.

However...

Yesterday, I played a Pro V1 for the first time. My round on our local 9 hole came in at 42, a personal best. Five pars were the highlight.

Should I just quit the exploration?

[Berg Ryman]

55 minutes ago, Green4Spinach said:

Based on all your feedback and comparing the prices available to me (and local availability), I am going to buy a selection to try.

However...

Yesterday, I played a Pro V1 for the first time. My round on our local 9 hole came in at 42, a personal best. Five pars were the highlight.

Should I just quit the exploration?

So my opinion is that players should play whatever ball they feel ok in losing for the price that best benefits their game. If that's the Pro V1, great... if that's a Pinnacle Gold, also fine.

Again, going by the playing characteristics, if you want to go cheaper than Pro V1, you're looking at Vice Pro, Triad, Srixon Z-Star and ironically, maybe Mizuno RB Tour. 

I think Green that what you need to do is maybe take 4 balls and perhaps using the Pro v1 as a control against the other three out on course and see which one gives you the performance you're chasing, and then if they're similar to you, maybe then focus on the price points.

[Shrek74]

1 hour ago, Green4Spinach said:

Based on all your feedback and comparing the prices available to me (and local availability), I am going to buy a selection to try.

However...

Yesterday, I played a Pro V1 for the first time. My round on our local 9 hole came in at 42, a personal best. Five pars were the highlight.

Should I just quit the exploration?

That depends. At $55/dzn ($4.60/ball without tax/ship), how many do you lose per round/week/month? There are plenty of options that give you 95%+ of what a ProV1 does at a fraction of the price. You just need to be willing to play something other than Titleist. I've played Maxfli Tour for years now, which has proven to be almost exactly equal to a ProV1, but can be gotten for $25 or less a dozen. The MGS ball tests the last 6 years proves it's quality, as does it's Ball Lab scores. So it comes down to what's most important to you and what you're willing to pay for. I don't lose as many balls as I used to, so I could play ProV1. But I won't pay that much extra just to say I play a ProV1. Not worth it for me.

Edited August 21 by Shrek74

[TJ Hall]

8 minutes ago, Berg Ryman said:

So my opinion is that players should play whatever ball they feel ok in losing for the price that best benefits their game. If that's the Pro V1, great... if that's a Pinnacle Gold, also fine.

Again, going by the playing characteristics, if you want to go cheaper than Pro V1, you're looking at Vice Pro, Triad, Srixon Z-Star and ironically, maybe Mizuno RB Tour. 

I think Green that what you need to do is maybe take 4 balls and perhaps using the Pro v1 as a control against the other three out on course and see which one gives you the performance you're chasing, and then if they're similar to you, maybe then focus on the price points.

I hate losing any golf ball…no matter the cost!

[Green4Spinach]

7 hours ago, Shrek74 said:

That depends. At $55/dzn ($4.60/ball without tax/ship), how many do you lose per round/week/month?

Hey @Shrek74 my typical answer would be 2-3 lost balls per round. Today I am feeling just that bit raw and sensitive. I lost (whisper it gently) seven balls in today's round. Ouch. So the 82 strokes I actually hit ended up being a score of 103.

As I said, ouch.

[Wolfstrum]

I can’t give you a comparison of all the balls on your list.

I went thru a similar realization as you this year when I got serious about my golf game. I ended up opting for the Wilson Triad based upon a ton of positive reviews. The robot test results from Today’s Golfer rated the Triad as the most accurate ball. I let that be my deciding factor.

Edited August 22 by Wolfstrum

[TAGolf13]

14 hours ago, Green4Spinach said:

Hey @Shrek74 my typical answer would be 2-3 lost balls per round. Today I am feeling just that bit raw and sensitive. I lost (whisper it gently) seven balls in today's round. Ouch. So the 82 strokes I actually hit ended up being a score of 103.

As I said, ouch.

Ouch indeed! Lost 7 or 8 myself a couple days ago. No expensive balls for me until my swing becomes more reliable.

[TJ Hall]

22 minutes ago, TAGolf13 said:

Ouch indeed! Lost 7 or 8 myself a couple days ago. No expensive balls for me until my swing becomes more reliable.

I have a pocket of “good” balls that I start with, if the round goes sideways I will go into my stock of “ok” balls.  Still hate losing any ball, just trying to limit the damage!

[Green4Spinach]

4 hours ago, TJ Hall said:

I have a pocket of “good” balls that I start with, if the round goes sideways I will go into my stock of “ok” balls.  Still hate losing any ball, just trying to limit the damage!

Makes good sense as a strategy @TJ Hall. Consider it adopted by me immediately. 

[Green4Spinach]

So, it begins. I wandered across to the local pro shop to see what balls they carried from my initial list. They had two: the Srixon Q Star Tour and the TaylorMade Tour Response. So I immediately bought a dozen of the Srixons and will progress to the Tour Response after. At the rate I lost balls yesterday, the Srixons should be gone by next week. But now that I am adopting @TJ Hall's strategy of committing three good balls to a round, I might hang on to them for a whole fortnight. Wish me luck.  

You guys have all been so good and helpful with your advice and insights. Thank you, thank you. 

[TAGolf13]

5 hours ago, TJ Hall said:

I have a pocket of “good” balls that I start with, if the round goes sideways I will go into my stock of “ok” balls.  Still hate losing any ball, just trying to limit the damage!

I do something similar, but I stay with the good balls unless I'm on a hole with lost-ball potential, then I tee up the secondary ball. Couple of those I lost on Tuesday I thought I knew where they were but tough to find in the thick rough, especially when you have mounds to deal with. 

[TJ Hall]

7 minutes ago, TAGolf13 said:

I do something similar, but I stay with the good balls unless I'm on a hole with lost-ball potential, then I tee up the secondary ball. Couple of those I lost on Tuesday I thought I knew where they were but tough to find in the thick rough, especially when you have mounds to deal with. 

With my swing right now, every ball has lost ball potential!!!

I’ll pull a different ball if I’m hitting a “stupid” shot…240 carry over water on a par 5.

Otherwise, play the normal ball just for the mental game.  But I also have lost balls that I thought were in the middle of the fairway with some blind shots.