Popping out of our latest ball check, we discovered that lots of the traditional suspects carried out precisely as anticipated. Professional V1 and Professional V1x delivered the efficiency we’ve come to know over a number of generations of testing. Most ionomer balls fell into predictable patterns. Chrome Smooth carried out like Chrome Smooth.
That’s not dangerous, it’s simply, properly … predictable. The balls on this record aren’t essentially one of the best we examined however they’re a few of the extra fascinating ones—six balls that made us take discover as a result of they defied typical knowledge, solved issues in surprising methods or just carried out higher than we anticipated.
Mizuno Professional S
Mizuno isn’t a dominant drive within the ball market however its choices are steadily bettering with out resorting to creating carbon copies of extra standard balls.
Due to that, Professional S confirmed as arguably probably the most distinctive providing within the check. For probably the most half, it held its personal off the tee. What stood out extra, nonetheless, was what occurred down the bag. Professional S was among the many highest-spinning balls we examined on full wedge pictures whereas nonetheless managing to maintain launch and spin at playable ranges with the irons.
At decrease speeds, we noticed added spin with the motive force and higher-launching irons. One may argue that Mizuno has stumbled right into a recipe that helps slower gamers get the ball up within the air with out giving up an excessive amount of elsewhere.
Whereas it makes loads of sense, it’s not a recipe that we see fairly often, which can be purpose sufficient to present the Mizuno Professional S a attempt.
PXG Xtreme Tour and Xtreme Tour X
There’s not one factor I can level to as the rationale to think about PXG’s Xtreme Tour or Tour X. Each are well-balanced choices with well-differentiated efficiency traits. Each are lengthy off the tee, whereas the X tends to spin a bit extra on full pictures with irons and wedges.
As with others on the record, we didn’t see something within the ball flight to present us pause.
Reality be instructed, we noticed encouraging indicators with the unique however there have been some early high quality points that made us apprehensive. In keeping with PXG, they’ve pushed its manufacturing unit to tighten up high quality management and finally produce a greater product.
Our check outcomes recommend that not solely is it working for PXG however seemingly working to the advantage of the subsequent ball on this record that occurs to be made on the similar manufacturing unit.
Kirkland Efficiency+
Whether or not you need to name it the Efficiency+ 3.5 or the one within the field with the crimson stripe, it doesn’t matter a lot. The purpose is that the most recent Kirkland is essentially a greater golf ball.
Earlier iterations of Kirkland’s 3-piece balls had been spinny … excessively spinny … and, fairly frankly, made any comparisons to the Professional V1 laughable.
This new model gives rather more balanced efficiency and performs significantly better to the center a part of the becoming bell curve. The brand new mannequin is longer off the tee and has introduced vital spin discount via the remainder of the bag.
If there’s a knock, it’s that Costco could have sacrificed a bit an excessive amount of greenside spin the place the Efficiency+ has moved from prime of the desk in earlier exams to close the underside.
It’s nonetheless not a Professional V1, but when your golf ball funds is lower than $25, I don’t see a smart approach you are able to do higher.
Callaway Chrome Tour Triple Diamond
We had each expectation that Chrome Tour Triple Diamond was going to be quick and lengthy. That is sensible given how Callaway outlined the aggressive set (a direct Professional V1x Left Sprint competitor) and what we’ve seen prior to now from Callaway’s Chrome Smooth X (now Chrome Tour X). In that respect, Triple Diamond completely delivered—particularly at excessive pace the place, by the numbers, it was the longest ball within the check.
That mentioned, what stunned us had been the spin charges. By no affordable measure can we are saying Triple Diamond spins as a lot as Chrome Tour X, nevertheless it does spin appreciably extra off the irons than Left Sprint. I’ve come to think about it as Left Sprint for golfers who want a bit extra spin.
Maybe extra compellingly, there have been no observable flight points throughout testing and, frankly, like Chrome Tour X, Triple Diamond appears to be one other Callaway providing the market isn’t giving the credit score it deserves.
Titleist Tour Smooth
In each check, there’s one ball that raises eyebrows to the extent that we’re fairly positive it’s going to make readers assume we did one thing improper.
Thanks, Tour Smooth.
For what it’s value, Titleist has been telling anybody that might hear that Tour Smooth is one of the best ionomer ball available on the market and, tee to nearly the inexperienced, our testing helps their case.
At roughly 90 compression, Tour Smooth maybe isn’t as tender as its title implies, however that’s no small a part of the rationale it greater than held its personal for distance off the tee whereas providing loads of stopping energy (excessive flight, good spin charges) into the inexperienced.
Full disclosure: like each different ionomer ball we examined, Tour Smooth’s spin charges dropped dramatically on our 35-yard “greenside” pictures however, in any other case, one may argue that the one factor separating Tour Smooth from Professional V1 is the quilt.
I’d be hard-pressed to advocate that lots of it’s best to pay $40 for an ionomer ball however in case you’re inclined to take action, there’s nothing higher within the class.
Bridgestone TOUR B RX
As we’ve mentioned, from one technology of golf balls to the subsequent, issues can change dramatically. Whereas it’s arduous to say precisely what’s occurring with Bridgestone’s TOUR B RX, the samples we measured on our gauges had been appreciably firmer than prior generations—leaping from 75 to 90 compression (give or take).
That will surely clarify why RX was longer and quicker this time round and, not for nothing, if our check is indicative of the course Bridgestone is taking with RX, I kinda prefer it. It creates extra separation between RX and RXS whereas giving Bridgestone one thing extra akin to a direct Professional V1 competitor. Even when Matt Kuchar’s dad could not find it irresistible, a quicker RX is a greater RX.
The takeaway
What strikes me about this assortment of balls is that every represents a distinct method to fixing golfer issues. PXG prioritized high quality enhancements. Kirkland discovered higher steadiness. Callaway created a distinct segment product that truly works (whereas not being the identical as its opponents). Titleist proved ionomer balls don’t should suck. Bridgestone made a obligatory evolution, and Mizuno made maybe probably the most fascinating ball within the check.
Not one of the above represents something totally revolutionary however typically probably the most fascinating developments occur on the margins. Typically the shock isn’t what a ball does otherwise—it’s that it does precisely what it’s speculated to do, simply higher than you anticipated it might.
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