Hi Rick, I think it would be interesting if you left 5 balls in a bucket of water, 5 balls buried underground, and 5 balls just left outside in the elements. All for a few months and then compare them all to brand new Pro V1s.
He doesn’t appear to produce videos so you’re asking him to do something he probably doesn’t have the resources to do and would not make any money on it
Can you do a video showing scuffed/damaged golf balls to see how much worse they perform versus fresh out the box balls? You always say you'd stop using a ball if it has too much scuffing, but I'd like to see if there's anything to that beyond psychology
it’s very hard to test something like that, just because of how small the difference would be. it might be 5 yards and like 5 feet less spin but it doesn’t make a HUGE difference unless you’re a pro
I use the srixon soft feel balls. They're 20 a box and they feel quite nice off the face, also not that bothered losing one on the course. They do exactly what I need at a great price
It would be interesting to cut them open after testing them and see what the differences were between the ones that felt similar and the ones that felt worse.
^THIS! - I was hoping he would try to identify the balls he felt were close to the new Pro V one performance, then cut them all open and see if age corresponded with the performance.
I was thinking the same thing - If I did this I would first play with each of the balls and make a note as to how close they seemed to be to a new pro v1. After rating each ball and weighing each one then cut them in half and see if the worst ones were just really old.
I'm also wondering if the refurbished balls are a mix of ProV1's and ProV1 X's. Also, throughout the 20+ years of the ProV1 evolving, weren't there years where the "X" was the firmer feeling ball and other years where it was the softer, spinnier ball?
The Pro-v1's from say, 2007, that came in those boxes, are going to feel much firmer than the newer iterations. They got softer over time. Also being that old you can expect them to be noticeably shorter off driver.
@@andrewstehura541 But that's the problem of buying the reclaimed ones. You don't know if they are 1 year old model or 15 years old. Being 10 yards short because you've got an old heavy ball you weren't expecting is the difference between being on the dance floor or in a greenside bunker. You can't trust the distance of any ball in the box to be consistent with the rest.
That is a false assumption. Urethane is inert in H2O, regardless of duration of exposure. It's fairly obvious that this manufacturer has a flawed quality control process. Some of those balls would immediately turn off any consumer and leave a bad taste in their mouth. Who would go back and buy another dozen of these balls with their appearance? Every new ball manufacturer changes their ball model print logo in order to track the versions that they have created. With each logo change, there has been a change to the makeup of the ball. Most refinishers are sorting the model years of the various balls and are printing the proper logo for that model so as not to confuse the end user. There are at least 9 different Pro V models, so there have been many changes during it's lifetime. For the presenter to not make this distinction in performance is disingenuous to his audience.@@adamjwhite50
Absolutely loving this video for moments like 5:01 where he just gets *so* amped up. Dig it, dude! Appreciate all the info/tips/content you provide us.
I almost strictly use, used golf balls. Not refurbished, but used in Mint condition. The price is right, and I can promise you, my miss hits have nothing to do with the ball and everything to do with me. I used Callaway chrome soft because I love how soft it feels around the greens.
The best ball for a golfer is not about the price. People like Rick Shills should know this, rather than constantly proclaiming the prov 1 to be the best ball around.
Hey Rick thanks for doing this test it has confirmed what I have thought for many years. Nice to see you back testing some equipment… How about a few more reviews and comparisons for an honest review on the new Titleist TSR line versus done if the big boys on the market in 2022? Always enjoy your golf club reviews!
As a senior I don't have the swing speed to compress the Pro V1 for max distance. I use Callaway Supersoft. If I have one complaint with them it that the cover seems to scuff easily.
Really found this insightful. A lot of pro vs that I find. Perform very similarly to new ones. The ones that I buy that have been refurbished don’t. Glad you have done a proper test to show this. I’ll keep buying calaway supersoft and finding pro vs
Watching this video is such a treat because it feels like we do not get as many of these types of videos these days; I imagine this feeling is what Guy gets when you let him drink a Monster from the can on the podcast.
There are a lot of indipendent companies that sell second had balls. I have bought a lot from ayershire golf balls, not from big companies like american golf. It would be interesting to compare different companies and how they prepare second chance balls similar to what you did here Another interesting video and results
I've purchased second hand balls from a company that does a good job organizing them by year and type. You can get a box of 50 balls from the previous year, but for good quality ones you don't save much money over buying them new. I've tried used, "mint condition" TP5 and Pro V1 and they seemed to perform okay, but I found I had to toss them every few holes because I kept ripping the covers. That actually made me hesitant to try new TP5s, but I've since bought a few new boxes of TP5s and haven't had that issue.
Rick … loved the review as always. Hope you still carry on doing more of them. One review that I’d love to see you do is golf gloves. I’ve played golf for 40 years mostly as a low single figure golfer. The best glove by a mile is the Costco Kirkland signature glove … better than any glove I’ve ever worn.
I bought a box of grade A refurbished Pro V 1's and some of them did feel fine or as good as the normal one's, but I also had more than one split in half on me off the tee. At least they were cheap.
Hi Rick! Always enjoy your content Rick and you helped me a lot with my golf game (just broke 80) so I'll try to help you by explaining why they perform and feel worse to the best of my knowledge. It's not necessarily the paint job, although it certainly doesn't help, it's the fact that they have been out in freezing temperatures. Especially balls over a decade old, you don't know where they have been, but very likely they've been in frozen water or out in the rough/woods over winter. The molecular structure of the inner core actually changes if you freeze or boil the ball, they tend to lose elasticity. You can easily test this by dropping a brand new ball and one of these on the asphalt from some height and confirm my hypothesis if the painted one bounces less. And also, like you were hinting at, the paint will reduce the aerodynamic point of the golf ball, especially if it's scratched up that easily after only a few bunker shots. Conclusion: Most likely they have been either washed in too hot water and lost their elasticity that way, or stayed outdoors over one or more winters and lost it that way. The molecular bond wont reattach after that has happened so you will easily lose 20-40 yards on a driver if you're an average golfer, and you and above-average golfers would probably lose even more. The paint job doesn't help, actually makes it even worse, especially after wearing of. This is the used-car-salesman version of having a rusty heap of metal and painting it up to look shiny and selling it as a functional vehicle when any person poor enough to buy it will face serious issues with it before reaching their home. A person with a sense of morality would just cut their losses and send it to a scrap yard, instead of trying to sell it off to some poor sob. The person or company that sells these should probably lower the cost to like £0.10 or else I would consider this actual fraud. Thanks for making videos, hope you never stop! Best regards
I love that you still check how they feel chipping when your chipping is going through issues. Good review though. Thanks for helping us make informed decisions on whether it is worth trying to save money.
I’m going to say it’s the age of the cover or the environment it was in before refinished. I would assume the cover is getting harder and more brittle like old plastic components do, and that’s why it’s getting harder and clickier sounding. Cutting them opening and identifying the year it was made versus how it felt might help with data.
Comment section help me out! I've been getting into golf this year, but don't have a ton of money. I know golf balls vary in performance based on ball speed, spin etc. What would be a good mid range price ball for me to buy knowing these stats I got at PGA store the other day (with driver): Ball Speed: 165mph Backspin: 2101 RPM Carry: 311 yards Total distance: 335 yards I tend to hit a fade. My wedge shots usually sit right where they land, don't spin backwards like 6 feet or anything. Any tips or recommendations would be appreciated.
Last Christmas my son got me a box of ProV1s, and I've been using them all season long. They are now my "forever" ball, I love the feel and the performance. A full box should last me all season long, and I'm down to my last 4 ProV1s. A dozen ProV1s go for $50, and if they last me all season long then it's money well spent for me.
I agree with you Rick. never would I ever buy a refurbished golf ball... now, a used, mint or near mint Pro-V1 I would definitely buy. I actually been playing with them and I'm very happy about the performance. Never buy refurbished or refinished golf balls .
Well done Rick. I prefer the Srixon zstar. It spins a little less off driver but bites a bit harder off the wedge with my swing. I don’t mind a harder feel while putting. They used to be a lot cheaper than pro v1, and are still $5 less online, but my local club is usually running a sale on them so still a “budget” ball for me.
Srixon usually runs a buy 2, get 1 free type of sale once or twice a year. Also, lots of places sell the previous year model for around $25/dz. I really love the Z-star, especially the Divide version.
👍 The conclusion you came to about refinished golf balls I came to many years ago. It’s really nice to have those conclusions confirmed by someone like yourself. Getting some consistency from a box of balls is really important. Heck I would be happy with any of the softer feeling more budget balls than a refinished ball.
If you just look around when you are playing you will find Pro-v1s all over the place. My son and I were scrounging around in the long grass on the cliffs between the fairway and ocean at Pebble beach and found many. No cost and really fun.
@@ihgufyrtdedftghuijkh I did not say I played it. I was enjoying the beautiful beach just below the course. Would love to play it but could never justify the cost.
G'day Rick ...Absolutely love your videos , watch them all ...In recent times I've rejoined the golf community .. I played from the time I was 14 to 52 probably non stop .. Then I got fed up with the game and stopped playing and got heavily involved in lawn bowls .. At a bit over 60 I started hitting balls again and would you believe fell in love with the game again . . Briefly got to 5 handicap at my best but mostly played between 7-10 range .. I'm left handed and still using 20 year old King irons and Nicklaus metals ..and a brand new 3 hybrid . I'm now off 13 and found my preferred brand of balls to be Srixon or Callaway .. Srixon mostly .. Never ever tried Titleist ProV balls . This was super interesting and informative. . . If you're ever in Australia again try and get to Tasmania .. Not only do we have Barnbougle , Lost Farm , Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes that get rave reviews but several other fun great courses and home to the oldest golf course in the world outside of Scotland ..It's Ratho Farm at Bothwell not too far from Hobart ...It was opened in 1822 by a Scottish immigrant Alexander Reid as is 200 years old this year . They have largely left it as it was and is still basically a sheep farm with an 18 hole golf course on it Now houses an Australian Golf Museum and has accommodation and functions facilities along with sheep .. Hope to meet you one day and please keep your wonderful vids coming . They're the best ..Sorry for the long comment .....Cheers ...
If you're looking for low price balls from major manufacturers, look for Used balls, never refurbished/refinished. They can have some minor scuffs, based on quality rating (Mint, Near Mint, AAA, etc.) but they will have the original covers - they are only cleaned and re-sold. It would be interesting to see a comparison of New, Used (Mint/Near Mint condition), and Refurbished.
Tour Soft, best combination of feel, control, and price for an almost-senior golfer (59 years old). Plus the T-marking helps me line up putts and square up the putter face more consistently.
I have been a die hard Titleist fan for over 30 years, going back to the Tour Balata 100 balls. I have almost exclusively played ProV1 and ProV1X for the past 10 to 15 years. I recently tried the Maxfli TourX and have to say that the playability and durability of the golf ball impressed me. For me, there was no noticeable difference in feel, distance and spin from the ProV1X. They have a Maxfli Tour and Maxfli TourX, similar to the ProV1 and ProV1X. Both have a urethane cover. The short game is the strength of my game, and the Maxfli performed impressively for wedge shots, chips and putts. I bought two dozen of the Maxfli TourX balls at Dick's Sporting Goods for $60. They also sell a four-dozen box for $108, making them only $27 per dozen. At this cost savings, I am going to evaluate these balls over time to see if my initial experiences prove true over the long term. I may have found my new go to ball.
To start by answering Rick's question, I use the Bridgestone Tour B RX or RXS. I don't have a generally fast club head speed and they are designed for driver swings of less than 105mph. Rick touched on the right thing; the cover. Paint is going to 1. add weight to the ball, 2. get in the grooves of the club and 3. flaw the dimple pattern. You could easily see this looking at the close up and saw it with the distance off the driver. I typically use a lot of recycled golf balls, not refurbished for this reason. I do believe Pro V1's are the best balls in golf, but not for all golfers. For low handicap players with higher swing speeds, they are the best. But a large number of us are not low handicap golfers and I'm included in this bunch. I can play my ball and get better performance because of my lower swing speed.
I use the Callaway Diablo Tour because i Drive it 20 meters further than a PROV1X or PROV1 golf ball...My irons also go 10 meters further per club. I have tested them against each other and the Diablo Tour always comes out on top for Distance, Feel and Spin...My handicap 6.8.....Perhaps you could do a comparison some time....Big thanks for this vid from Nick, Melville Glades Golf Club, Western Australia...
Rick, I challenge you to do some BLIND testing videos of comparable products. Would help to separate the intrinsic physical differences from the psychologically induced differences and could be damned good fun to watch, too🙏 I dare you!!😂
Thank you for this video. I've been using some refinished balls recently to get a fuel for the pro V1 and pro v1x and I definitely like them more than like the Costco balls as a cheaper alternative, but I think I'll look into ordering from like vice
Prov1/x are so expensive people buy them refurbished to save money. This is a good review so people will buy a new ball of a different brand saving money and getting a better ball. This is a good review
I never buy new Pro V I's. I get all mine from the tree lines and or weeds along fairways and shallow ponds. If i don't find at least a half dozen when I golf, I wasn't trying.
Depends on the course and conditions: Fast links - ProV1 Normal parkland - chromesoft Winter - Costco's finest! Don't get too hung up on it especially if you are new to the game or over 12 Handicap, look at the bridgestones with different swing speed options
I live on a golf course fairly quiet later in the day so I'm always out hitting balls and searching for balls , and I never buy balls.... but I always run balls thru my shag bag hitting them a few times before I actually use them in a game...the last two generation of ProV1's I usually find will be ok...older ones no...But Im also surprised at some balls that rise to the top of my shag bag...consistently have a great shot with them...and they go straight into by golf bag....and it is not always brand dependent...
I used to hit these balls often. I can attest that their problem is that you may have a range of ages in each box of balls. Older balls are going to have degraded/affected performance, and the consistency across the entire box is going to vary wildly. If you’re a novice who just wants to play with ProV1s on a budget: can’t go wrong with $20/dz refurbs. If you’re a more experienced player who wants the exact same feel and performance for every ball out of a box, spend the money on new.
Yeah my suggestion for even the novice is to buy another ball. They're going to be real confused when they lose ~10yards on their drive and then add ~15 with their next ball.
Good topic. I think this video proves my point in that most average golfers can't tell the difference between premium balls and middle of the road balls. Even if they hit those balls side by side, most average golfers are just incapable of telling the difference.
I had a great experience with Refinished Pro V1. Longer drives, great spin on the greens....and the best round at my home course just last Friday. $29.99.
Thanks, Rick! I have bought those balls a few times and never realized that they were that bad...I try to keep my expenses down and have been using the 3 piece balls from Crivit sold by Lidl. I've used new ProV1s in the past and the Crivit balls perform just as well in distance (driver) and spin for wedge shots. I think they're even better in terms of durability. Maybe you can do a feature on the Crivit balls one of these days if you fancy it.....
Did you measure the weight of the golf balls. Would be interesting to se weight diff compared to original prov1. Could account for the difference in flight.
This show hit home, Rick. As a gift, I got two dozen of the same balls from a non-golfer. On top of that my first and last name is on the ball and I play on many courses with homes along the fairways. I'll play them when I can feel safe. Thanks for the show!
I am 1:35 in...I've tried these refurbs, and they feel like rocks. Can't pull a ball that's been sitting at the bottom of a pond for 2 years, repaint it and call it good.
I remember the golf balls of the ‘50s wherein the interior was not a solid, but several meters of thin rubber bands that were wrapped around a small rubber ball that was filled with a rather obnoxious smelling liquid. Yet, these vintage balls did a good job. Now I used Titleists Pro V1x
Chemically urethane will get harder overtime, this would most definitely make the ball feel harder. The paint will add weight, along with effect the dimple pattern for airflow over the ball effecting the aerodynamics. And changing the performance.
I've been using Srixon Marathon soft and lately Taylor Made RBZ soft. They're really good. Although I'm a 23 handicap so you might have a different view. They feel nice when you hit them. They compress well with your irons and have a nice accurate flight with the driver.
I bought 100 refurbed Pro V1's for £40 and am still using the ones I have left. I don't have an official handicap and I don't play tournaments, but my stats on Shot Scope seem to suggest I'm about 12-15 hcp. If someone is a brand new golfer and they are looking to get sensible cost golf balls that they have no fear of losing, I would suggest buying these balls. Once they are better and/or have money to spend, by all means go buy the full price stuff if you want. I'll be excited to see how much better you score... Ultimately it all boils down to skill and pro's will still break par with these balls. I'm not claiming they are brilliant and perfect balls or that everyone should be using them, but I'm also not going to blame them when I hit a poor shot. In fact I love it when I see the reactions of some of my playing partners when they see how badly scuffed/beaten my golf ball is and I can still make pars and the odd birdie.
Pro V1. I am a golf ball snob LOL. I am a feel player and the Pro V1 just give me more reliable play and feel around the green. Great video and enjoy the honesty.
I used to get Korean titleist refinished balls from my local golf shop, they were cheaper than your second hand balls. Must be brutally honest, I loved them, I used to only play with refinished balls for a period of 2 years until the shop stopped bringing them in. I miss them as they were also so much cheaper.
Im so glad you did this video i got a box of these, they said refurbished, and thats printed on the box and the ball, is this the same type?? I wasn't impresed on the course
The negative reviews have now been DELETED! Shame on American Golf! Compare the current review page to the one in Rick’s video. ALL the AVERAGE and POOR ratings are gone. There’s now only 15 reviews in total compared to 41 in the video. A quick calculation shows they’ve also delete 11 of the 14 BAD reviews, leaving only 3 now. I wouldn’t buy refurb balls anyway, but this is enough for me to avoid American Golf ENTIRELY. Thanks for a great video Rick, and for inadvertently exposing this company’s dishonesty.
Hi Rick, really liked this video showing the pitfalls of buying refurbished, one idea I had, I would have liked to have seen even in a part 2 video or just by recommending a video of a previous ball review if neccessary is, a ball at the same price to show why you'd be better off with say 'titleist tru feel' which are around £23.
Never ever bought into the refurbished golf balls. I have bought a few dozen that the local ball hawk found though.$ 6.00 (us) for a dozen of found balls ain't to bad. Thanks Rick
I use Callaway and Srixon "found" golf balls. I have found that "mint"(58) or "pristine" (5A.) These are preferable to the refinished balls as they have the original "skin" rather than repainted. The refurbished balls seem to be more prone to scuffing than the cleaned and sorted 5A. When you are a high handicapper and lose an average of one ball per round, or more, the "servi ce life" for me is short and I typically do not show much scuffing or abrasions. Dropping down to "near mint" (4A) balls are those that have been lost in the sun or water for a longer period of time and already appear to be worn, discolored, and less consistent. Price wise, a dozen Callaway refinished cost about $4 to $5 USD less than Pristine (5A) For Pro V1 the difference is closer to $10 USD
When I was working in the testing industry, we use to bury plastic products in activated charcoal to accelerate aging. It would be interesting to do that with new golf balls to see how they age. A lot of the products we tested became brittle or at least less supple. I bet an old golf ball becomes less pliable with age. That would be a much bigger effect than cruddy paint.
I read an article that said many refurbished golf balls are found in water hazards. The article stated that over time a submerged ball will absorb water through small microscopic cracks on the surface. According to this article the longer a ball is submerged, the more dense the core becomes and it claimed you lose about 20yds on average as a result.
hi Rick I used pro v1 for years but now I'm using Bridgestone and it's purely done to price and i don't lose many balls in 4 round's I lose 1or 2 I got to a point where I wasn't taking on the riskier shots in case I lost a pro v so thought I would take that away by playing a cheaper ball great video keep up the good work
They spin way more than a ProV1 or any other ball for that matter. They're the spinniest, shortest ball on the market. Great value of course for a dollar but they're not remotely comparable to a premium ball. Feel like Vice Pros get a lot closer at ~$2.50 per.
Good review Rick. For us mere golfing mortals it's so very difficult to know what's a quality product and what's not. Given most of us would be easily seduced by the price of golfing equipment in general, it's really interesting to have it verified that more often than not, cheaper is not better.
I am a high handicap golfer(I chase breaking 100 when I go out...usually in the mid 90's) and I tried a box of these and noticed the considerable difference as well. There's no compare to refurb prov and nib prov. With that said, I don't play them because I'd lose half the box anyway 😂
Thanks for watching!
Q.) What golf ball do you use and why?
Whatever I can buy used for cheap, or whatever I can find!
Any that are $1 each. I lose too many to play Pro V1s🤷🏻♂️
Been using Callaway , Nike and Taylormade for years. Soft and Pro golf-balls.
I try to use a prov1 but so exspensive!
Maxfli Tour CG. It’s a good all around ball without the big $$$. ProV’s are just to over rated
Hi Rick, I think it would be interesting if you left 5 balls in a bucket of water, 5 balls buried underground, and 5 balls just left outside in the elements. All for a few months and then compare them all to brand new Pro V1s.
Make your own video on it.. I’d watch
@@chiefkeith5641 yeah but most would not, better to leave the important reviews to big channels
He doesn’t appear to produce videos so you’re asking him to do something he probably doesn’t have the resources to do and would not make any money on it
Can you do a video showing scuffed/damaged golf balls to see how much worse they perform versus fresh out the box balls? You always say you'd stop using a ball if it has too much scuffing, but I'd like to see if there's anything to that beyond psychology
I always felt if it has a blemish at the speeds it spins it has to have an effect.
it’s very hard to test something like that, just because of how small the difference would be. it might be 5 yards and like 5 feet less spin but it doesn’t make a HUGE difference unless you’re a pro
MyGolfSpy did a video on this I believe or at the very least did an article on this
Check out MyGolfSpy, they did some testing including scuffed balls and the performance was awful.
I stop using a ball when it gets a)
In a lake
Or b) in the woods
I use the srixon soft feel balls. They're 20 a box and they feel quite nice off the face, also not that bothered losing one on the course. They do exactly what I need at a great price
My ball of choice too for exactly those reasons.
They're good. I don't mind the srixon marathons either. I'd much rather play a new, inexpensive ball than a used, expensive one.
It would be interesting to cut them open after testing them and see what the differences were between the ones that felt similar and the ones that felt worse.
^THIS! - I was hoping he would try to identify the balls he felt were close to the new Pro V one performance, then cut them all open and see if age corresponded with the performance.
I second this, I think your hearing and feeling the difference in generations of the PROV1's.
I was thinking the same thing - If I did this I would first play with each of the balls and make a note as to how close they seemed to be to a new pro v1. After rating each ball and weighing each one then cut them in half and see if the worst ones were just really old.
I imagine it has to do with how long they sat at the bottom of a pond. More than a few weeks and it would be noticeable
I'm also wondering if the refurbished balls are a mix of ProV1's and ProV1 X's.
Also, throughout the 20+ years of the ProV1 evolving, weren't there years where the "X" was the firmer feeling ball and other years where it was the softer, spinnier ball?
The Pro-v1's from say, 2007, that came in those boxes, are going to feel much firmer than the newer iterations. They got softer over time. Also being that old you can expect them to be noticeably shorter off driver.
Just finished the review & yep my suspicions were correct; avoid them
yes he didn’t take into account that the older balls might be a bit harder and heavier
@@andrewstehura541 But that's the problem of buying the reclaimed ones. You don't know if they are 1 year old model or 15 years old. Being 10 yards short because you've got an old heavy ball you weren't expecting is the difference between being on the dance floor or in a greenside bunker. You can't trust the distance of any ball in the box to be consistent with the rest.
Would imagine the plastic to deteriorate after being in a lake for so long too
That is a false assumption. Urethane is inert in H2O, regardless of duration of exposure. It's fairly obvious that this manufacturer has a flawed quality control process. Some of those balls would immediately turn off any consumer and leave a bad taste in their mouth. Who would go back and buy another dozen of these balls with their appearance? Every new ball manufacturer changes their ball model print logo in order to track the versions that they have created. With each logo change, there has been a change to the makeup of the ball. Most refinishers are sorting the model years of the various balls and are printing the proper logo for that model so as not to confuse the end user. There are at least 9 different Pro V models, so there have been many changes during it's lifetime. For the presenter to not make this distinction in performance is disingenuous to his audience.@@adamjwhite50
Would be interested to see if the ones you didn’t like weighed more or were significantly different at least.
I was thinking the same thing. The extra layer of paint has to have added some weight.
Absolutely loving this video for moments like 5:01 where he just gets *so* amped up. Dig it, dude! Appreciate all the info/tips/content you provide us.
I almost strictly use, used golf balls. Not refurbished, but used in Mint condition. The price is right, and I can promise you, my miss hits have nothing to do with the ball and everything to do with me.
I used Callaway chrome soft because I love how soft it feels around the greens.
I’m still using balls I find on my two courses in my community!
@@richardjacobs7632 Same, I'm living off all the other golfers who buy ProV1s and TP5s etc and still hit them off the planet.
I would love to see you do this with a used driver vs a brand new driver that is the same. Not comparing the new model vs old model
This is the type of product evaluation that brings real value to your listeners. Thank you very much!
Prize scam?
Great video Rick, MyGolfSpy came to a similar conclusion, if you're on a budget, just get Kirkland Signatures.
Or just get them anyway. Been gaming much better this year with the Kirkland balls. But that might just be consistency in balls.
That's a great website with tons of useful information about everything golf related
If you're on a budget just get some decent recycled balls. Once you've hit a new ball once it's a used ball anyway...
@@alanpartridge1385 Aren't the balls featured in this video supposed to be "decent recycled balls" ?
Adding to this video Rick i think it would be good to do a video of what you would recommend as the best ball for a few different pricepoints
The best ball for a golfer is not about the price. People like Rick Shills should know this, rather than constantly proclaiming the prov 1 to be the best ball around.
This rating from Rick means a lot because he's a guy who always tries to find the positive.
Great review. I would add that most golfers only need a mid range ball anyway.
Hey Rick thanks for doing this test it has confirmed what I have thought for many years. Nice to see you back testing some equipment… How about a few more reviews and comparisons for an honest review on the new Titleist TSR line versus done if the big boys on the market in 2022? Always enjoy your golf club reviews!
As a senior I don't have the swing speed to compress the Pro V1 for max distance. I use Callaway Supersoft. If I have one complaint with them it that the cover seems to scuff easily.
Really found this insightful. A lot of pro vs that I find. Perform very similarly to new ones. The ones that I buy that have been refurbished don’t. Glad you have done a proper test to show this. I’ll keep buying calaway supersoft and finding pro vs
The ones you find are more likely to be new models. Lake balls could be any age. It's not that complicated.
Watching this video is such a treat because it feels like we do not get as many of these types of videos these days; I imagine this feeling is what Guy gets when you let him drink a Monster from the can on the podcast.
There are a lot of indipendent companies that sell second had balls. I have bought a lot from ayershire golf balls, not from big companies like american golf. It would be interesting to compare different companies and how they prepare second chance balls similar to what you did here
Another interesting video and results
I just bought 20 mint grade Kirkland performance + from ayershire and every ball is like brand new
I've purchased second hand balls from a company that does a good job organizing them by year and type. You can get a box of 50 balls from the previous year, but for good quality ones you don't save much money over buying them new. I've tried used, "mint condition" TP5 and Pro V1 and they seemed to perform okay, but I found I had to toss them every few holes because I kept ripping the covers. That actually made me hesitant to try new TP5s, but I've since bought a few new boxes of TP5s and haven't had that issue.
Rick … loved the review as always. Hope you still carry on doing more of them. One review that I’d love to see you do is golf gloves. I’ve played golf for 40 years mostly as a low single figure golfer. The best glove by a mile is the Costco Kirkland signature glove … better than any glove I’ve ever worn.
I bought a box of grade A refurbished Pro V 1's and some of them did feel fine or as good as the normal one's, but I also had more than one split in half on me off the tee. At least they were cheap.
Hi Rick! Always enjoy your content Rick and you helped me a lot with my golf game (just broke 80) so I'll try to help you by explaining why they perform and feel worse to the best of my knowledge. It's not necessarily the paint job, although it certainly doesn't help, it's the fact that they have been out in freezing temperatures. Especially balls over a decade old, you don't know where they have been, but very likely they've been in frozen water or out in the rough/woods over winter. The molecular structure of the inner core actually changes if you freeze or boil the ball, they tend to lose elasticity. You can easily test this by dropping a brand new ball and one of these on the asphalt from some height and confirm my hypothesis if the painted one bounces less.
And also, like you were hinting at, the paint will reduce the aerodynamic point of the golf ball, especially if it's scratched up that easily after only a few bunker shots.
Conclusion: Most likely they have been either washed in too hot water and lost their elasticity that way, or stayed outdoors over one or more winters and lost it that way. The molecular bond wont reattach after that has happened so you will easily lose 20-40 yards on a driver if you're an average golfer, and you and above-average golfers would probably lose even more. The paint job doesn't help, actually makes it even worse, especially after wearing of. This is the used-car-salesman version of having a rusty heap of metal and painting it up to look shiny and selling it as a functional vehicle when any person poor enough to buy it will face serious issues with it before reaching their home. A person with a sense of morality would just cut their losses and send it to a scrap yard, instead of trying to sell it off to some poor sob. The person or company that sells these should probably lower the cost to like £0.10 or else I would consider this actual fraud.
Thanks for making videos, hope you never stop! Best regards
It would be interesting to see what weight difference between the two would be
About tree fiddy
I love that you still check how they feel chipping when your chipping is going through issues. Good review though. Thanks for helping us make informed decisions on whether it is worth trying to save money.
I’m going to say it’s the age of the cover or the environment it was in before refinished. I would assume the cover is getting harder and more brittle like old plastic components do, and that’s why it’s getting harder and clickier sounding. Cutting them opening and identifying the year it was made versus how it felt might help with data.
Genius comment, I'd say it's exactly this. Who knows how long these were down the bottom of a lake or in a puddle mud.
Yup. Pointless video, without this info.
Comment section help me out! I've been getting into golf this year, but don't have a ton of money. I know golf balls vary in performance based on ball speed, spin etc.
What would be a good mid range price ball for me to buy knowing these stats I got at PGA store the other day (with driver):
Ball Speed: 165mph
Backspin: 2101 RPM
Carry: 311 yards
Total distance: 335 yards
I tend to hit a fade. My wedge shots usually sit right where they land, don't spin backwards like 6 feet or anything.
Any tips or recommendations would be appreciated.
Its not as much about the paint but more about the age of the ball. The components change over time as well as manufacture tweaks.
Last Christmas my son got me a box of ProV1s, and I've been using them all season long. They are now my "forever" ball, I love the feel and the performance. A full box should last me all season long, and I'm down to my last 4 ProV1s. A dozen ProV1s go for $50, and if they last me all season long then it's money well spent for me.
Love the channel always look forward to it
I agree with you Rick. never would I ever buy a refurbished golf ball... now, a used, mint or near mint Pro-V1 I would definitely buy. I actually been playing with them and I'm very happy about the performance. Never buy refurbished or refinished golf balls .
Rick should do an Andertons style blind test with the refinished and new ones mixed in and see if he can identify them.
Thanks for getting back to testing products. You’re the best tester on RUclips.
How? He basically blind tested a bunch of balls that were maybe 15 years apart in age. His 'tests' were close to meaningless.
Well done Rick. I prefer the Srixon zstar. It spins a little less off driver but bites a bit harder off the wedge with my swing. I don’t mind a harder feel while putting. They used to be a lot cheaper than pro v1, and are still $5 less online, but my local club is usually running a sale on them so still a “budget” ball for me.
Srixon usually runs a buy 2, get 1 free type of sale once or twice a year. Also, lots of places sell the previous year model for around $25/dz. I really love the Z-star, especially the Divide version.
@@erickorff1919 that’s usually when I stock up. Not sure if my club screwed up on the pricing, I actually got two for one this spring.
You would like Bridgestones
👍 The conclusion you came to about refinished golf balls I came to many years ago. It’s really nice to have those conclusions confirmed by someone like yourself.
Getting some consistency from a box of balls is really important.
Heck I would be happy with any of the softer feeling more budget balls than a refinished ball.
If you just look around when you are playing you will find Pro-v1s all over the place. My son and I were scrounging around in the long grass on the cliffs between the fairway and ocean at Pebble beach and found many. No cost and really fun.
Tbh if you play at pebble beach you can afford brand new prov1's
@@ihgufyrtdedftghuijkh I did not say I played it. I was enjoying the beautiful beach just below the course. Would love to play it but could never justify the cost.
G'day Rick ...Absolutely love your videos , watch them all ...In recent times I've rejoined the golf community .. I played from the time I was 14 to 52 probably non stop .. Then I got fed up with the game and stopped playing and got heavily involved in lawn bowls .. At a bit over 60 I started hitting balls again and would you believe fell in love with the game again .
. Briefly got to 5 handicap at my best but mostly played between 7-10 range .. I'm left handed and still using 20 year old King irons and Nicklaus metals ..and a brand new 3 hybrid . I'm now off 13 and found my preferred brand of balls to be Srixon or Callaway .. Srixon mostly .. Never ever tried Titleist ProV balls . This was super interesting and informative. .
. If you're ever in Australia again try and get to Tasmania .. Not only do we have Barnbougle , Lost Farm , Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes that get rave reviews but several other fun great courses and home to the oldest golf course in the world outside of Scotland ..It's Ratho Farm at Bothwell not too far from Hobart ...It was opened in 1822 by a Scottish immigrant Alexander Reid as is 200 years old this year . They have largely left it as it was and is still basically a sheep farm with an 18 hole golf course on it Now houses an Australian Golf Museum and has accommodation and functions facilities along with sheep .. Hope to meet you one day and please keep your wonderful vids coming . They're the best ..Sorry for the long comment .....Cheers ...
If you're looking for low price balls from major manufacturers, look for Used balls, never refurbished/refinished. They can have some minor scuffs, based on quality rating (Mint, Near Mint, AAA, etc.) but they will have the original covers - they are only cleaned and re-sold. It would be interesting to see a comparison of New, Used (Mint/Near Mint condition), and Refurbished.
Better off with slazenger v400 soft balls. 48 for £23 currently. Great for winter golf. Would love to see you review these.
I love Kirkland golf balls 24 for 28$ and they are the best feeling ones I’ve used,and I’ve tried Pro V1 and Callaway’s
Tour Soft, best combination of feel, control, and price for an almost-senior golfer (59 years old). Plus the T-marking helps me line up putts and square up the putter face more consistently.
Having only hit 'previously-forested' Pro V1's, I need Rick to explain the difference between old and new.
De forested?
I mainly use top flights because I hit them really well lmao , or Callaway ultra softs either the burnt orange or greenish/yellow color
I’ve never had a bad experience with refinished pro v1 balls
They did not come from this company though
I have been a die hard Titleist fan for over 30 years, going back to the Tour Balata 100 balls. I have almost exclusively played ProV1 and ProV1X for the past 10 to 15 years. I recently tried the Maxfli TourX and have to say that the playability and durability of the golf ball impressed me. For me, there was no noticeable difference in feel, distance and spin from the ProV1X. They have a Maxfli Tour and Maxfli TourX, similar to the ProV1 and ProV1X. Both have a urethane cover. The short game is the strength of my game, and the Maxfli performed impressively for wedge shots, chips and putts. I bought two dozen of the Maxfli TourX balls at Dick's Sporting Goods for $60. They also sell a four-dozen box for $108, making them only $27 per dozen. At this cost savings, I am going to evaluate these balls over time to see if my initial experiences prove true over the long term. I may have found my new go to ball.
My experience with refinished prov1s have been bad as well. They probably traveled 25-30 yards shorter off the tee
To start by answering Rick's question, I use the Bridgestone Tour B RX or RXS. I don't have a generally fast club head speed and they are designed for driver swings of less than 105mph.
Rick touched on the right thing; the cover. Paint is going to 1. add weight to the ball, 2. get in the grooves of the club and 3. flaw the dimple pattern. You could easily see this looking at the close up and saw it with the distance off the driver. I typically use a lot of recycled golf balls, not refurbished for this reason. I do believe Pro V1's are the best balls in golf, but not for all golfers. For low handicap players with higher swing speeds, they are the best. But a large number of us are not low handicap golfers and I'm included in this bunch. I can play my ball and get better performance because of my lower swing speed.
I use the 2022 Kirkland. The cover is much better than the 2021 and it feels like a pro v1. Great ball, GREAT PRICE
I use the Callaway Diablo Tour because i Drive it 20 meters further than a PROV1X or PROV1 golf ball...My irons also go 10 meters further per club. I have tested them against each other and the Diablo Tour always comes out on top for Distance, Feel and Spin...My handicap 6.8.....Perhaps you could do a comparison some time....Big thanks for this vid from Nick, Melville Glades Golf Club, Western Australia...
Rick, I challenge you to do some BLIND testing videos of comparable products. Would help to separate the intrinsic physical differences from the psychologically induced differences and could be damned good fun to watch, too🙏 I dare you!!😂
"Welcome to the blind test. I've painted these balls to make sure I can't tell what brands they are..."
Thank you for this video. I've been using some refinished balls recently to get a fuel for the pro V1 and pro v1x and I definitely like them more than like the Costco balls as a cheaper alternative, but I think I'll look into ordering from like vice
I closed the video as soon as he said these are refurbished.
That is the purpose of the whole video
Prov1/x are so expensive people buy them refurbished to save money. This is a good review so people will buy a new ball of a different brand saving money and getting a better ball. This is a good review
I never buy new Pro V I's. I get all mine from the tree lines and or weeds along fairways and shallow ponds. If i don't find at least a half dozen when I golf, I wasn't trying.
Depends on the course and conditions:
Fast links - ProV1
Normal parkland - chromesoft
Winter - Costco's finest!
Don't get too hung up on it especially if you are new to the game or over 12 Handicap, look at the bridgestones with different swing speed options
I live on a golf course fairly quiet later in the day so I'm always out hitting balls and searching for balls , and I never buy balls.... but I always run balls thru my shag bag hitting them a few times before I actually use them in a game...the last two generation of ProV1's I usually find will be ok...older ones no...But Im also surprised at some balls that rise to the top of my shag bag...consistently have a great shot with them...and they go straight into by golf bag....and it is not always brand dependent...
I used to hit these balls often. I can attest that their problem is that you may have a range of ages in each box of balls. Older balls are going to have degraded/affected performance, and the consistency across the entire box is going to vary wildly.
If you’re a novice who just wants to play with ProV1s on a budget: can’t go wrong with $20/dz refurbs.
If you’re a more experienced player who wants the exact same feel and performance for every ball out of a box, spend the money on new.
Yeah my suggestion for even the novice is to buy another ball. They're going to be real confused when they lose ~10yards on their drive and then add ~15 with their next ball.
Yay, finally a review video again. Always love these!😁👍🏻
Good topic. I think this video proves my point in that most average golfers can't tell the difference between premium balls and middle of the road balls. Even if they hit those balls side by side, most average golfers are just incapable of telling the difference.
I bought a couple dozen of these a few months ago .. I wish I would have seen this first. Thanks for the video..
I had a great experience with Refinished Pro V1. Longer drives, great spin on the greens....and the best round at my home course just last Friday. $29.99.
Thanks, Rick! I have bought those balls a few times and never realized that they were that bad...I try to keep my expenses down and have been using the 3 piece balls from Crivit sold by Lidl. I've used new ProV1s in the past and the Crivit balls perform just as well in distance (driver) and spin for wedge shots. I think they're even better in terms of durability. Maybe you can do a feature on the Crivit balls one of these days if you fancy it.....
Did you measure the weight of the golf balls. Would be interesting to se weight diff compared to original prov1. Could account for the difference in flight.
I will stick with Kirkland 2.0 Golf Balls. Consistent and great feel. Maybe 5% less distant than PRO V1 but at $1.00 a ball it great value
Change name to No V1's and problem solved..... Great Review Rick! keep em coming!
really good video Rick. Gets me thinking about the ball i use for sure
Thanks for review Rick, really helpful and also entertaining, definitely helped my buying decisions. 😎
Thanks again, Rick. You get what you pay for! I see they are "currently unavailable on Amazon" . I wonder why?
The age of the rubber based materials inside the ball are going to play a large role in the feel and compression of the ball.
This show hit home, Rick. As a gift, I got two dozen of the same balls from a non-golfer. On top of that my first and last name is on the ball and I play on many courses with homes along the fairways. I'll play them when I can feel safe. Thanks for the show!
I am 1:35 in...I've tried these refurbs, and they feel like rocks. Can't pull a ball that's been sitting at the bottom of a pond for 2 years, repaint it and call it good.
I remember the golf balls of the ‘50s wherein the interior was not a solid, but several meters of thin rubber bands that were wrapped around a small rubber ball that was filled with a rather obnoxious smelling liquid. Yet, these vintage balls did a good job. Now I used Titleists Pro V1x
Chemically urethane will get harder overtime, this would most definitely make the ball feel harder. The paint will add weight, along with effect the dimple pattern for airflow over the ball effecting the aerodynamics. And changing the performance.
I've been using Srixon Marathon soft and lately Taylor Made RBZ soft. They're really good. Although I'm a 23 handicap so you might have a different view. They feel nice when you hit them. They compress well with your irons and have a nice accurate flight with the driver.
I use the Wilson Triad golf balls and I love them.
Thanks Rick. I’ve come to buying cheaper balls then Pro V’s because I don’t play as much as I used to. Lose some lol but I buy new no matter what.
I bought 100 refurbed Pro V1's for £40 and am still using the ones I have left. I don't have an official handicap and I don't play tournaments, but my stats on Shot Scope seem to suggest I'm about 12-15 hcp. If someone is a brand new golfer and they are looking to get sensible cost golf balls that they have no fear of losing, I would suggest buying these balls. Once they are better and/or have money to spend, by all means go buy the full price stuff if you want. I'll be excited to see how much better you score... Ultimately it all boils down to skill and pro's will still break par with these balls. I'm not claiming they are brilliant and perfect balls or that everyone should be using them, but I'm also not going to blame them when I hit a poor shot. In fact I love it when I see the reactions of some of my playing partners when they see how badly scuffed/beaten my golf ball is and I can still make pars and the odd birdie.
Pro V1. I am a golf ball snob LOL. I am a feel player and the Pro V1 just give me more reliable play and feel around the green. Great video and enjoy the honesty.
Thanks for the review!
I used to get Korean titleist refinished balls from my local golf shop, they were cheaper than your second hand balls. Must be brutally honest, I loved them, I used to only play with refinished balls for a period of 2 years until the shop stopped bringing them in. I miss them as they were also so much cheaper.
Thanks for this, was just about to buy some.
Im so glad you did this video i got a box of these, they said refurbished, and thats printed on the box and the ball, is this the same type?? I wasn't impresed on the course
Nice job. Thanks!
The negative reviews have now been DELETED! Shame on American Golf! Compare the current review page to the one in Rick’s video. ALL the AVERAGE and POOR ratings are gone. There’s now only 15 reviews in total compared to 41 in the video. A quick calculation shows they’ve also delete 11 of the 14 BAD reviews, leaving only 3 now. I wouldn’t buy refurb balls anyway, but this is enough for me to avoid American Golf ENTIRELY. Thanks for a great video Rick, and for inadvertently exposing this company’s dishonesty.
Cool video! I would've cut a random selection from the two boxes, but that's just me
Hi Rick, really liked this video showing the pitfalls of buying refurbished, one idea I had, I would have liked to have seen even in a part 2 video or just by recommending a video of a previous ball review if neccessary is, a ball at the same price to show why you'd be better off with say 'titleist tru feel' which are around £23.
Awesome idea for a video, really interesting. You're the best Rick!
You need to go on the Titleist prov1 & prov1x ball making tour in New Bedford Ma. You will learn a lot and its free!
Never ever bought into the refurbished golf balls. I have bought a few dozen that the local ball hawk found though.$ 6.00 (us) for a dozen of found balls ain't to bad. Thanks Rick
I use Callaway and Srixon "found" golf balls. I have found that "mint"(58) or "pristine" (5A.) These are preferable to the refinished balls as they have the original "skin" rather than repainted. The refurbished balls seem to be more prone to scuffing than the cleaned and sorted 5A. When you are a high handicapper and lose an average of one ball per round, or more, the "servi ce life" for me is short and I typically do not show much scuffing or abrasions. Dropping down to "near mint" (4A) balls are those that have been lost in the sun or water for a longer period of time and already appear to be worn, discolored, and less consistent. Price wise, a dozen Callaway refinished cost about $4 to $5 USD less than Pristine (5A) For Pro V1 the difference is closer to $10 USD
Great Video!! I enjoy all the golf tec almost as much as I enjoy playing 18, love the content when you break it down for Us.
Great test Rick! Illuminating.
When I was working in the testing industry, we use to bury plastic products in activated charcoal to accelerate aging. It would be interesting to do that with new golf balls to see how they age. A lot of the products we tested became brittle or at least less supple. I bet an old golf ball becomes less pliable with age. That would be a much bigger effect than cruddy paint.
I read an article that said many refurbished golf balls are found in water hazards. The article stated that over time a submerged ball will absorb water through small microscopic cracks on the surface. According to this article the longer a ball is submerged, the more dense the core becomes and it claimed you lose about 20yds on average as a result.
hi Rick I used pro v1 for years but now I'm using Bridgestone and it's purely done to price and i don't lose many balls in 4 round's I lose 1or 2 I got to a point where I wasn't taking on the riskier shots in case I lost a pro v so thought I would take that away by playing a cheaper ball great video keep up the good work
Have to use the Kirkland three piece. They feel soft and spin like a ProV1. Around $1.50 a ball. Great price.
They spin way more than a ProV1 or any other ball for that matter. They're the spinniest, shortest ball on the market. Great value of course for a dollar but they're not remotely comparable to a premium ball. Feel like Vice Pros get a lot closer at ~$2.50 per.
They are the only ball I wouldn't play because of the crazy amount of spin, most of us need distance and they go backwards 🤣
@@lzls4379 That's a good point. My short game is where I excel, at least I believe so. I need one hop and stop with my wedges 😁
@@sausagembape677 LOL I need that spin for around the greens. I am not the longest hitter at all.
Good review Rick. For us mere golfing mortals it's so very difficult to know what's a quality product and what's not.
Given most of us would be easily seduced by the price of golfing equipment in general, it's really interesting to have it verified that more often than not, cheaper is not better.
I am a high handicap golfer(I chase breaking 100 when I go out...usually in the mid 90's) and I tried a box of these and noticed the considerable difference as well. There's no compare to refurb prov and nib prov. With that said, I don't play them because I'd lose half the box anyway 😂
Great video. Thanks!
superb video as all are. thank you.
Love you see you testing stuff again!
Great vid Rick. Thanks