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Today we are finishing off Part 2 of our two-part series on helping you find the best golf ball for your game. This week, we will be diving into the best golf ball for low handicap & scratch golfers.
Premium golf balls are used on the PGA Tour for a reason. The top-tier golf balls are made to spin less off the tee, optimize distance on longer shots, provide control on shorter shots, and spin more around the greens for greater control. They have high-compression cores, multi-layer constructions, and they have urethane covers. Today’s golf balls all have similar appearances on the outside, however, different brands and their designs and innovation are growing apart. This year has brought some drastic re-designs and innovative new technology.
Titleist’s popular Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls received an update in 2019. However, just how do you improve the #1 ball in golf? Titleist went to their Tour staff players for feedback on previous models, which they hit the mark…again.
The Pro V1 is a three-piece design which revolutionized the golf ball game. Of the two options here, the Pro V1 is lower compression, and touts lower long iron spin as well as a flatter trajectory than its sibling.
The Pro V1x is the four-piece offering here and while having the higher compression of the two golf balls, it also has a higher flight than its sibling and spins more on iron shots.
The Pro V1 and Pro V1x are as advertised, a premium ball that produces consistent flight with superior feel. Depending on your ball flight characteristics and what fits your eye best, you’ll find an amazing golf ball going with the Pro V1 or Pro V1x. These are Tour-Level balls that can still be played by a wide range of skill levels. If you’ve played Pro V1s before, you know what I mean. Yes, they carry a premium price tag, but you know when you put a ball down on the tee that features the Titleist name you’re going to get a ball that is top of the game. As you would expect one of the best golf balls you can buy will come at a premium at cost $52 per dozen.
The TOUR B XS golf ball is a collaboration between Bridgestone Golf and Tiger Woods to allow golfers to play the exact ball Tiger uses in competition. Bridgestone reinvented the TOUR B XS to feature their new REACTIV cover technology. Until now you had to choose more distance or more spin. With REACTIV you can now get more distance and more spin out of the same golf ball. Designed to fit golfers with tour fast swing speeds of over 105mph, the new TOUR B XS has softer feel and maximum greenside spin, allowing you to stop approach and pitch shots on a dime. Higher initial ball speed and lower side spin from the Gradational Compression core, and aerodynamic balance comes from a manufacturing process that creates a perfectly balanced dimple pattern that helps to create one of the best golf balls money can buy. The Bridgestone Tour B XS will cost you $45.00 per dozen.
Rickie Fowler teamed up with TaylorMade over the past year to help develop the new golf balls for 2020. Based on Fowler’s feedback, TaylorMade redesigned and reformatted the pixelated markings. The Strategically placed graphics frame the TaylorMade logo to form ClearPath Alignment™ and provide immediate feedback once the ball is rolling. The only way to see it is to play it.
Now, not only do the markings help enhance visibility in the air, according to TaylorMade, but they really help with alignment & feedback on the greens. The ball is constructed with 5 layers: The extra large, low compression core increases launch angle and reduces drag. Four increasingly stiff layers deliver higher ball speed and greater rebound at impact. The new Soft-Tough Cover features an improved urethane compound and paint formulation for added durability. It comes in a 322 seamless dimple pattern. The TP5 Pix and TP5x Pix come in at $45.00 per dozen.
Callaway Chrome Soft X w/ Triple Track Technology:
The new Chrome Soft X Triple Track is the modern Tour Ball, and Callaway re-engineered every aspect of the design to deliver maximum distance for the elite player. Now with Triple Track Technology for improved alignment. The high speed core design is significantly larger for increased ball speed and distance. This core also works with the mantle system to deliver the highest resilience and speed. The extremely durable, resilient, and thinner cover material increases ball speed and creates lower spin on full shots, while maintaining high spin and control around the green.
Reduced drag for increased overall distance, with a consistent, penetrating ball flight for optimum trajectory. Finally the prominently featured Triple Track lines on the ball for improved putting accuracy. Triple Track uses sharp lines to improve alignment compared to a regular side stamp alignment aid. Phil Mickelson has won with this golf ball, and the ball comes in at a $48.00 price point per dozen.
We also wanted to provide a few options that are a bit of a lower price point, but offers most of the same technology and functionality as the options already mentioned.
For those of you who don’t recognize the name, Dean Snell who founded the company is an absolute golf ball engineering legend. With 29 years in the industry and over 40 patents to his name, and was the co-inventor of the Titleist Pro-V1 golf ball. You can trust Snell knows a thing or two about Golf ball construction. Compared to the Pro V1, the award winning 3 piece Snell MTB black comes in at a much lower price point of $33.00 per dozen. The core helps provide low spin and long distance, while the refined aerodynamics provide low lift, low drag for controlled ball flight. Finally the MTB BLACK features a CAST urethane cover for excellent control, feel, & durability. At about $20.00 per dozen cheaper than the Pro-V1, you would be hard pressed to find a better value for the technology.
Vice Pro Plus from Vice Golf:
The German Direct to Consumer Golf ball manufacturer prides themselves on cutting out all the middlemen who markup golf ball prices and provide a great golf ball at an affordable price. Their 4-piece Vice Pro Plus comes in at just $25.00 per dozen and is actually a premium golf ball. The Pro Plus is aimed for advanced players with high swing speeds (110+ mph driver swing speed). The ball offers a lower launch and lower spin for extraordinary, penetrating distance. It has excellent green-grabbing control thanks to stick to the green (S2TG) technology. Finally, improved construction and compression distribution for more distance and soft feel.
If you have any questions about any of these golf about any of the options we reviewed today or others we have talked about in the past, leave us a question in the comments below.