I have followed the evolution of Matt’s swing and his work with Larry, and it is so impressive. Outside of pros this is the tightest golf swing I’ve ever seen. Well done man!
Great video lads. When I first started playing I gave no regard to the ball besides price. The cheaper the better. As I got better I looked for pure distance regardless of price and now that my game and knowledge has improved (thanks to videos like yours) I select my ball the way Titleist recommends, by working from the green backwards. It must feel good off the putter, spin correctly and consistently on wedges and irons and lastly perform for the driver. Interestingly when Nike announced they would stop making clubs Rory Mcilroy said he was sent dozens and dozens of drivers, irons, wedges etc by multiple manufacturers trying to win his allegiance. He said something interesting though regarding that, he chose his club manufacturer and sponsor based on the ball he liked most.
Hi , last year I played the Wilson Duo professional and found that to be a great ball for me, very underrated ball or maybe overlooked by many but as a 12 handicap preformed great!
Agree I've been gaming this for 2 yrs now and played pro v and cally chrome soft and I get better results with the wilson. I even use dx2 soft in the winter and again that is unbelievable for price and performance. I play off 6 and have no issues gaming cheaper balls. Egos get in the way when playing expensive balls and unless your a pro or low single handicap golfer you will not benefit from balls like the pro v, cally chrome, or tmade tp5
10 minutes into the video I was like "just gonna save money and play the velocity" till you mentioned the study... To be fair it was a study done by Titleist so there's a huge agenda to encourage the weekend golfer to buy their more expensive balls
If they played twice and the pro v1 was the second ball used, the high handicapper had more practice so obviously they would play better the second round
Yeah I have a hard time believing your average high handicapper would save 4 shots over 9 holes just by getting a little more green side spin. For starters players are generally swinging with such low swing speeds around the green(particularly high handicappers that don't play flop shots) that the differences in spin numbers would be very negligible, certainly not enough to make any massive difference. Maybe and I'm being extremely generous here maybe you might get 10 ft more roll out on a PROV1 vs. Velocity, but even if that were the case that doesn't mean that you are gonna be 10ft closer to the hole just cause you used a ProV1. There are times where hackers could've benefited by having the ball check up earlier but also times where they would've been better off if it rolled out more. Finally if you're a high handicapper chances are you aren't playing tour level courses with tour level pin locations, more than likely you are playing courses that have accessible pins that allow you to play for the ball to release a little bit so you can factor in the ball rolling out more and adjust accordingly.
Huge fan of the channel. I hope you don’t mind I used part of your video starting @11:20 for a hypothesis in a video that I recently uploaded. I found the talk about high handicappers strokes lost using a premium ball.
Great assessment. I know you get this a lot, but what is your take on the differences between the Velocity and Pro V1 with a player who has a driver swing speed of 90 MPH?
Exactly this. Isn't PROV1 (and other premiums for that matter) the kind of ball that performs optimal when the club head speed goes over a certain point? And the "distance" ball could actually be longer when hit around that 90MPH mark for example? That's how I've understood at least (read or heard somewhere). But that study result was interesting. I know I liked playing PROV1 (found one or two and bought the "practice" balls a couple of times) and I've been preferring softer balls otherwise too (Wilson DX2/Duo soft, e5 etc.) for the chipping feel. Less heartbreaking to lose a ball that cost 25$ a dozen than 50$ a dozen (and I tend to lose more than one per round).
I’m around there, and in my experience this carries over in general. Driver distance they’re similar, but spin and launch differences occur very much like TXG represents. Best idea is to test for yoursef though!
Great video. The ProV1 is the complete package. It sounded so much better on the partial wedge shots and that's listening to it on my laptop. If I'm going to put up a decent score, I need to scramble well. The premium balls really help with that. I switch back and forth between the Prov1, the Bridgestone tour BX and BXS. Looking forward to playing the new 2020 Bridgestone balls to see how the new cover performs.
I took a hard look at My Golf Spy ball test data. Pro V1x had the lowest spin axis tilt and the lowest standard deviation on spin axis tilt. Makes it the straightest ball in golf. No wonder I played 70 straight holes with same Pro V1x.
Great little nugget of information from Ian in the video on how higher HC players can benefit from a Tour-level performance golf ball! Great video and stay safe!
Noticed it while playing around the greens and in the bunkers, the pro v1 stops on the green where as distance balls just keep rolling, so instead of putting we're back to chipping around the green
Great video. I would love to see this experiment repeated for a slower swing speed. How many 12-18 hcps can drive 300+ like him? Maybe there's more of difference at lower swing speed?
Totally agree. With 119 mph swing speed you would expect the pro v to jump off the face. My other issue despite loving the video is that the velocity should be tested against a Titleist more in line with its price point, say the nxt or a ball tha claims to be softer
I've played the Velocity and ProV1 side by side a few times. The only real noticeable difference is the velocity was much higher off a wedge/partial wedge and the the ProV could save you a bit with spin if you slightly thined a wedge. Velocity is a good alternative for the price.
Good video, fellas! Another vote here to see the Titleist Trufeel tested. Maybe by Lindsey - someone with lower speed but a solid ball-striker. I've had really great results with that ball. There aren't many tests of it. "Feel" isn't a big concern for me. It's just not something I'm paying any attention to when playing. I can play just about anything except the "X" balls from every manufacturer. Those are just too firm for my game. They do let you know when you've hit the middle of the club, though. They're all soft from the sweet spot!
Brett Leisy 😂haha well you have a point. They would also have blown something up whilst wearing headgear and talking very American English. So I guess there are not many similarities 😉
Noticed the other day that softer covered / spinnier balls tend to follow club path more and harder covered balls are affected by face angle more on short chips and pitches. Noticed BXS consistently finishing left (RH) of the others I was playing with. Even more noticeable on open-faced shots! Makes sense on the same principle of spinnier covers launching lower as well
To clarify: just as a spinnier ball launches lower as a side effect of increased friction, on an open-faced shot, the same principle applies horizontally, where the spinnier ball launches more in line with the club path because of the friction pulling the ball that way. Harder covers get that “weak” flight that pops up and goes right with no spin on flops, softer covers allow you to aim a little straighter
I know this is an older video but it is BANG on! I was playing Velocity and decided to try a box of Tour Soft because I had a $10 off coupon. The feel is much better IMO and I’ve had more stopping power on the greens. Velocity is a good ball but being a high handicap player going with a more premium ball was positive change and worth the extra money.
I made a commitment to play Pro V1’s this year. I wanted a consistent golf ball that I will play all season long. For the past 2 years I played a different ball every Dozen. I started the year as a 22hcp and am now down to 16hcp within 5 months of playing 2-3 times a month.I think the key is being able to rely on knowing exactly what the ball is going to do from tee to green. The short game is key, I hope to be in the low teens by year end. Thanks for the content as always.
I was always under the assumption distance (2 piece balls) have a tendency to go a tad farther for slower swing speeds. For golfers that can generate enough speed, that's not the case.
Awesome video as always guys! Love this channel it's becoming one of my favourite YT golf channels! Quick question though...What's the fastest ball you've tested? Am I right in thinking it's the Tour B X?
Do you guys think the term distance ball is a bit out of date? To me it’s a term from 20 years back when a velocity type of ball which hasn’t really changed much was a lot longer than the old balata ball?
Oh - get a slow swinging mid/high capper in when all 'this' is over and have them do the same test. Perhaps that's when you will see the velocity have that low launch low land angle run on the fairway.
It's a law of physics: There is a reverse correlation between the price of a golf ball and the amount of playing time before you lose it. Speaking only for me, having played both balls, I have seen on difference whatsoever in my scores or level of play. There is certainly not enough difference to justify the price difference, given my meager skills. The ponds and woods are not impressed with the price of the golf balls I feed them. But, thanks, anyway.
Agreed. If I ever get good enough where I don't consistently lose the ball, I will definitely consider this research valuable, but until I can stop slicing and shanking the ball on every other shot, I will stick with the cheap ball.
I used to play basically whatever the cheapest ball I could get was. Sometimes I'd play a slightly better ball, but never even considered something like the ProV1 because "I'm not good enough to justify spending that kind of money for balls that will end up in the woods or water." I was consistently hitting scores near 100. At the time, 96 was my best EVER score on 18 holes. Then I got a special deal from an online retailer that made the ProV1's more affordable for me to "try." I'm not going to say it was an instant night and day improvement, but I've hit rounds in the low 80's and high 70's consistently since then. Also, and this is probably the biggest clear difference, more often than not I don't lose 4-6 golf balls during a round by hitting shots in places I don't want to. There does seem to be a much more predictable flight and feel to the ProV1 that helps in many, many ways. Mostly in peace of mind that if I swing the way I'm supposed to, it's gonna go where it should.
Hey you guys just wanted to let you know you guys are doing an awesome job testing golf equipment . Keep up the good work watch all your stuff do not shorten videos Lov every minute of it
Off my driver the Pro V & /VX spins off the course while the Velocity keeps me closer to the fairway. I'm also a ball retriever and find scores of Pro V's in the woods and hazards which suggests that I'm not the only one who sidewinds premium balls. Not knocking premium balls it's just that they're not for everybody. Sure they can help with short shots but if you're consistently chipping for par, or looking for stray shots maybe you should consider a 2-3 piece balls until you have more control.
@TXG Tour Experience Golf Please compare the Top Flite XL balls (the cheapest balls at Golf Galaxy and what I use) and a top ball (ProV1, TP5, Chrome Soft, etc).
I don’t mind cheap balls but the top flite XLs are so bad. Try picking up a box of cheap bridgestones and I think you will like them a lot better. I have no idea about the actual numbers but the feel of the Bridgestone is so much better.
Good video, so many guys think using a distance ball will give them yards and are willing to sacrifice a will spin on short game. This just shows that it's not the case
I'm a 15 handicap and I play a premium ball for that very reason. Being able to spin and stop a ball predictably saves me a lot of strokes, plus the consistency from ball to ball is a big factor. Look at My Golf Spy and their current consistency checks they just started doing and what they're finding in the cheaper ball lines. Balls out of round and even bigger issues. Thanks Ian and Matty!
On two occasions I've read test results showing the cheap Srixon AD333 with it's new cover get wedge spin numbers like the Pro V. That might be a more interesting comparison (if you didn't mind possibly upsetting Titleist).
Agree on the greenside spin. Played alternate shot with a high-capper and convinced them to use my ProV1 vs their top-flight rock that cost them .25 cents per ball. They were honestly surprised that they gained that much control around the greens, they played the best golf they ever had that round.
Ian what would you say if swing does not matter when chipping but would it be for driver for slower swing would you see a big change with distance with both balls
Based on Ian's comments about the Titleist test at Pinehurst, it sounds like the first factor consumers should look at when shopping for a ball is greenside spin?
Got a ball fitting with you guys and was fit for the ProV1x. Would love to see a test of the used golf ball market vrs the new ball. You can get ProV1x for around $25 - $35 a dozen.
Yesterday, as an experiment, I played 18 with several different balls. Hole 2 - Taylormade ball from a case of beer - 8 iron from 140 on fwy - hop 2 feet and stop. Hole 3 - Wilson Duo Soft + - GW from 105 on fwy - hop 1 foot and stop Hole 5 - ProV1 - 8 iron 138 from tee - hop 3 feet and stop Hole 9 - Taylormade beer ball - 9 iron from rough - hop 4 feet and stop Hole 12 - Duo Soft + - 6 hybrid from 162 in fairway - hop 7 feet and stop Hole 13 - ProV1 - PW from rough 122 - 6" from pitch mark Free Taylormades, Duo Soft were $1.75, ProV1 $5. IMO all the same performance on the course.
I think I’m going crazy but every close up of the shot on foresight I keep hearing an audio loop of Matt going “it’s nice” very faintly in the background lmao. Anyways good stuff as always
I always thought distance just meant you don't sacrifice distance , then the "soft" cheap balls didn't sacrifice spin. Premiums just keep both. Would be interesting to test the lower price balls against one another.
I really enjoyed this video. I play the Velocity and swear by it. For whatever reason, I don't do well with Pro Vs. Once I started playing the Velocity (switched from the Chrome Soft), my handicap dropped a stroke and a half. I did have to adjust my short game, though. I do more bump and runs when I can and added a 64 degree wedge to my bag. I feel the Velocity has really helped me with my iron game and has performed very well off the tee. It putts pretty well, but takes some time to adjust.
How do the pro’s pick the ball of a tee with their driver ( their tee normally doesn’t move) and still hit it high. When I do it, I can’t get the height that they do.
Does anyone have a link to the study Titleist did on the premium ball vs mid ball showing that various handicaps go from .5 shots to 4 shots over 9 holes? I would be really interested in seeing all of the data, 8 shots over 18 holes for a high handicap is amazing if the data is accurate and supports it statistically.
Another great video! What do you gentlemen think about "extreme distance" balls such as Nitros? Often see them being used off the tee in scrambles, etc. Aside from the extremely low cost per ball if you pump one into the woods trying to swing our of your shoes, are there any significant distance benefits in your experience?
Velocity is really impressive. That short shot is one that many ams don't know how to play so the spin difference may not even matter and while the premium ball "benefits" more the higher handicapper, they'll lose too many for it to make sense to buy Pro Vs. I'd be curious to see the Velocity vs the TM Tour Soft
Great video! Would love to see an accuracy and consistency video comparing any putter and premium ball to using the Odyssey triple track putter with a triple track ERC or Chrome Soft ball. The triple track putter paired with the ball has helped my putting a great deal.
If you have a high handicaper with considerably more side spin and slower club head speed, would the distance ball would be more beneficial while using driver? Matt’s spin axis/ side spin is probably close to 0 while a high handicap that unintentionally plays a slice might be closer to 1,000rpm’s. Would the distance ball reduce spin enough to help minimize the slice?
Solid video, as always. When did the idea of distance golf balls really take hold? I'm wondering if you were to rewind the clock to the late 2000's if you'd find the premium ball being quite soft and the distance ball quite hard, which could potentially offered more distance on driver swings.
Interesting video when doing these comparisons and you look at the data. I find the lower tier golf ball like velocity to be a big difference as well off the putter face compared to the premium balls. They tend to feel more “jumpy” and speed control is a bit of an issue. Keep up the great work!
As a 72 year old guy with a driver clubhead speed of 83mph I would be curious to know if a pinnacle distance ball or a titleist velocity ball would result in more distance off the tee.
NIcely done on the 50 yard shot - that is always the test that should be included Nothing beats a Titleist Professional from 120 yards and in. In my past life, I knew if I could just get the ball to one of my known 3 wedge distances, I would be within 2-5 yards of my # and putting inside 12 feet nearly every time. If somehow I ran out and had to hit some DT type ball, I had no idea where it would land.
Would the velocity perform better for driver distance with someone that has a sub 100mph driver swing? I have always thought the “distance” balls were made manly for slower swing speeds.
Just started playing again since lock down (uk). Tried the Velocity, (usual ball prov1) improved my game from the off, fairway finder. No problem stopping on greens. Disagree with titleist on the point that mid handicappers do a lot of chipping so require premium ball. Mid handicappers usually prefer and are better off chipping than pitching and the velocity is excellent get it on the green and run it to the hole.
Late to the party, just saw this video. As a 16 HCP, I don't always hit the ball straight. I have noticed that the velocity does not fade or draw as much. Just something to consider...
Playing the Pro v1x but tried the TP5x and liking it a lot vs the pro v, ball fittings on each site suggest the x for me in both brands. seems to be almost a mind over matter thing , i feel more confident playing the top end ball than the middle of the pack brand.
Would the ballspeed off the driver be different at slower swing speeds? If I'm not mistaken, these balls are marketed towards those with slower swings.
This is also what I'm wondering about ? I think the Velocity is designed to add distance for a higher handicapper and/or slower to mid swing speed player. So would be interesting to see same test with a 90 mph swing speed for example.
I was playing a matte ball once and a golf equipment rep in my group told me they were garbage. After hitting it well on the first 4 to 5 holes he asked to look at it. Seem to work just as well as regular.
I would say this video makes the case for cheaper balls. Most golfers are not throwing a wedge right on the pin and looking for stopping power. The majority land short of the pin and the extra rollout/lower spin would actually help them. If driver and mid to long iron performance is the same then go with the cheaper ball (or just buy the prior generation Srixon Z Stars for $30 or less and get a great ball at a great price).
You should repeat this test with a golfer that has a low swing speed. I have seen another test comparing a ball to the proV1 but they did it with two different golfers. A high club head speed and a low club head speed hitter. The higher speed hitter saw no difference in balls, but the lower swing speed golfer picked up 25-30 yards with the alternate ball. Most data indicates club head speed doesn’t matter, maybe true for most balls, but would always like to see for a ball advertised as a distance ball if it is a variable.
I find that the expensive balls hide better and get lost more often. How do the soft feel balls like the srixon soft feel with a 60 compression perform for a higher handicap swing speed?
Would love to see how the callaway superhot does compared to the chrome soft. They’re a great price point and actually feel grippy just as a non titleist test. Maybe a different company has varied results
I use the refurbished prov1’s to save on money. I really can’t tell a noticeable difference between performance. I rather spend 20 something bucks on some prov1s that have been hit a few times than spend 50 bucks on new ones.
The golf ball issue for a beginner is sort of the same thing learning to play golf at a cheap Pay and Play course where the green is so poor that the ball bounces back and forth. How to learn how to putt and read green if the green is really poor.
Without watching the video in full, I like to put in my 2cents of thoughts. Basic science of the golf ball, a round object with smooth, during its flight, a vacuum will be created behind it. This will result in what is known as "drag" force. This obviously will impede its forward momentum hence its travel distance. That is the reason for the dimples. The amount of air "trapped" in these dimples is enough to reduce the vacuum (the round ball rotates naturally during its flight). Now, let's jump back to playing golf. For amateur golfers as I am, we are less likely to have a perfect hit and will create more unintentional spin. e.g. the infamous slice and hook shots. If a golf ball spins less no matter how you hit it, it will less likely to "spin" out of the boundary of the particular golf hole in play. This, as I understand, is the key feature of all the distance golf ball. When I started playing some 30 years ago, like every human who has an ego, no matter how big or small will want to play like the pro. So, balata golf balls were the top choice in the golf bag for any competitions. Then 20 yrs after that, yes, it took that long to control the ego or man thing, I started to play with Wilson Titanium, which basically is a rock. Lo and behold, my handicap went down to 12 and I managed to have a decent drive and a draw as well. I couldn't, well, still can't stop the ball with check spin but by now, I developed a decent short game for my handicap. So, there you go. I strongly recommend playing with a distant ball for high and mid-handicap golfers. No need to play with all the premium golf balls like Pro-V1, choose the type of balls that suit your game and let the ego go. I know, it hurts to hear comments like, "why use a balata or Pro-V1 when you can't stop the ball on the green!". It took me, as I said earlier, 20 years of wasted money on premium golf balls lost on the golf courses without ever stopping a golf ball on the green.
You guys should do a ball bracket to figure out which ball Matt should play
we will do a comprehensive ball fitting for sure, won't be a bracket style though
I think they should just do a bracket for every club in the bag lol it’s just too entertaining 😂👍
Jared Votaw yeah, but using a bracket isn’t fair, the second best club/ball could be the one who lost in the first round against the best club/ball
Black our the brand and type ball with a sharpie and do a blind test on him!
I have followed the evolution of Matt’s swing and his work with Larry, and it is so impressive. Outside of pros this is the tightest golf swing I’ve ever seen. Well done man!
Great video lads. When I first started playing I gave no regard to the ball besides price. The cheaper the better. As I got better I looked for pure distance regardless of price and now that my game and knowledge has improved (thanks to videos like yours) I select my ball the way Titleist recommends, by working from the green backwards. It must feel good off the putter, spin correctly and consistently on wedges and irons and lastly perform for the driver.
Interestingly when Nike announced they would stop making clubs Rory Mcilroy said he was sent dozens and dozens of drivers, irons, wedges etc by multiple manufacturers trying to win his allegiance. He said something interesting though regarding that, he chose his club manufacturer and sponsor based on the ball he liked most.
Hi , last year I played the Wilson Duo professional and found that to be a great ball for me, very underrated ball or maybe overlooked by many but as a 12 handicap preformed great!
Totally agree
Agree I've been gaming this for 2 yrs now and played pro v and cally chrome soft and I get better results with the wilson. I even use dx2 soft in the winter and again that is unbelievable for price and performance. I play off 6 and have no issues gaming cheaper balls. Egos get in the way when playing expensive balls and unless your a pro or low single handicap golfer you will not benefit from balls like the pro v, cally chrome, or tmade tp5
10 minutes into the video I was like "just gonna save money and play the velocity" till you mentioned the study... To be fair it was a study done by Titleist so there's a huge agenda to encourage the weekend golfer to buy their more expensive balls
If they played twice and the pro v1 was the second ball used, the high handicapper had more practice so obviously they would play better the second round
The study is suspect TO SAY THE LEAST
Yeah I have a hard time believing your average high handicapper would save 4 shots over 9 holes just by getting a little more green side spin. For starters players are generally swinging with such low swing speeds around the green(particularly high handicappers that don't play flop shots) that the differences in spin numbers would be very negligible, certainly not enough to make any massive difference.
Maybe and I'm being extremely generous here maybe you might get 10 ft more roll out on a PROV1 vs. Velocity, but even if that were the case that doesn't mean that you are gonna be 10ft closer to the hole just cause you used a ProV1. There are times where hackers could've benefited by having the ball check up earlier but also times where they would've been better off if it rolled out more.
Finally if you're a high handicapper chances are you aren't playing tour level courses with tour level pin locations, more than likely you are playing courses that have accessible pins that allow you to play for the ball to release a little bit so you can factor in the ball rolling out more and adjust accordingly.
Switched to Titleist Tru Feel last year haven't looked back, for the price point it's a great all round performer, would love to know your thoughts.
Awesome info, proves why we all benefit from watching you guys
Huge fan of the channel. I hope you don’t mind I used part of your video starting @11:20 for a hypothesis in a video that I recently uploaded. I found the talk about high handicappers strokes lost using a premium ball.
No problem at all, glad it was helpful for you. 👍🏻
@@clubchampionmedia Thank you so much!!! Also thank you for everything you guys do!!!
Great assessment. I know you get this a lot, but what is your take on the differences between the Velocity and Pro V1 with a player who has a driver swing speed of 90 MPH?
Exactly this. Isn't PROV1 (and other premiums for that matter) the kind of ball that performs optimal when the club head speed goes over a certain point? And the "distance" ball could actually be longer when hit around that 90MPH mark for example? That's how I've understood at least (read or heard somewhere). But that study result was interesting. I know I liked playing PROV1 (found one or two and bought the "practice" balls a couple of times) and I've been preferring softer balls otherwise too (Wilson DX2/Duo soft, e5 etc.) for the chipping feel. Less heartbreaking to lose a ball that cost 25$ a dozen than 50$ a dozen (and I tend to lose more than one per round).
I’m around there, and in my experience this carries over in general. Driver distance they’re similar, but spin and launch differences occur very much like TXG represents. Best idea is to test for yoursef though!
Argus And also ask if the distance ball gives more help to someone whose strike is less than consistent
Great video. The ProV1 is the complete package. It sounded so much better on the partial wedge shots and that's listening to it on my laptop. If I'm going to put up a decent score, I need to scramble well. The premium balls really help with that. I switch back and forth between the Prov1, the Bridgestone tour BX and BXS. Looking forward to playing the new 2020 Bridgestone balls to see how the new cover performs.
Your content is on a ROLL!!
I took a hard look at My Golf Spy ball test data. Pro V1x had the lowest spin axis tilt and the lowest standard deviation on spin axis tilt. Makes it the straightest ball in golf. No wonder I played 70 straight holes with same Pro V1x.
interesting, also quite a nice high spinning ball so it makes sense with what we've seen in our testing
TXG Tour Experience Golf
Made first hole in one with Pro V1x yesterday. Never playing another ball.
Great little nugget of information from Ian in the video on how higher HC players can benefit from a Tour-level performance golf ball! Great video and stay safe!
Would the performance be difference with lower club head speed?
Noticed it while playing around the greens and in the bunkers, the pro v1 stops on the green where as distance balls just keep rolling, so instead of putting we're back to chipping around the green
Great video. I would love to see this experiment repeated for a slower swing speed. How many 12-18 hcps can drive 300+ like him? Maybe there's more of difference at lower swing speed?
Totally agree. With 119 mph swing speed you would expect the pro v to jump off the face. My other issue despite loving the video is that the velocity should be tested against a Titleist more in line with its price point, say the nxt or a ball tha claims to be softer
Can yall do a zstar/xv vs qstar tour video? They are the cheaper premium ball in the US.
I love z stars. I get tons of spin on them and feel great off the driver. and definitely a better price point than prov1s and such
I've played the Velocity and ProV1 side by side a few times. The only real noticeable difference is the velocity was much higher off a wedge/partial wedge and the the ProV could save you a bit with spin if you slightly thined a wedge. Velocity is a good alternative for the price.
my go to for scrambles. Would rather lose this than a Pro V
Makes sense
Good video, fellas! Another vote here to see the Titleist Trufeel tested. Maybe by Lindsey - someone with lower speed but a solid ball-striker. I've had really great results with that ball. There aren't many tests of it. "Feel" isn't a big concern for me. It's just not something I'm paying any attention to when playing. I can play just about anything except the "X" balls from every manufacturer. Those are just too firm for my game. They do let you know when you've hit the middle of the club, though. They're all soft from the sweet spot!
I can’t believe it... you are like myth busters for golf ❤️❤️❤️
naw mythbusters would have build a robotic arm to take the same swing every time and have tried it at many different swing speeds.
Brett Leisy 😂haha well you have a point. They would also have blown something up whilst wearing headgear and talking very American English. So I guess there are not many similarities 😉
Very interesting video, surprised to hear about the high handicap shot savings with a premium ball
Noticed the other day that softer covered / spinnier balls tend to follow club path more and harder covered balls are affected by face angle more on short chips and pitches. Noticed BXS consistently finishing left (RH) of the others I was playing with. Even more noticeable on open-faced shots! Makes sense on the same principle of spinnier covers launching lower as well
To clarify: just as a spinnier ball launches lower as a side effect of increased friction, on an open-faced shot, the same principle applies horizontally, where the spinnier ball launches more in line with the club path because of the friction pulling the ball that way. Harder covers get that “weak” flight that pops up and goes right with no spin on flops, softer covers allow you to aim a little straighter
I know this is an older video but it is BANG on! I was playing Velocity and decided to try a box of Tour Soft because I had a $10 off coupon. The feel is much better IMO and I’ve had more stopping power on the greens. Velocity is a good ball but being a high handicap player going with a more premium ball was positive change and worth the extra money.
I love to watch your guys videos. Thank you for making such high quality content at such a fast rate.
Id be interested to see if these results are consistent for slower swing speeds (95 and below)
I made a commitment to play Pro V1’s this year. I wanted a consistent golf ball that I will play all season long. For the past 2 years I played a different ball every Dozen. I started the year as a 22hcp and am now down to 16hcp within 5 months of playing 2-3 times a month.I think the key is being able to rely on knowing exactly what the ball is going to do from tee to green. The short game is key, I hope to be in the low teens by year end. Thanks for the content as always.
I was always under the assumption distance (2 piece balls) have a tendency to go a tad farther for slower swing speeds. For golfers that can generate enough speed, that's not the case.
Awesome video as always guys! Love this channel it's becoming one of my favourite YT golf channels!
Quick question though...What's the fastest ball you've tested? Am I right in thinking it's the Tour B X?
It’s a velocity issue... I see what you did there 😂🤣😆. Cool video.
Do you guys think the term distance ball is a bit out of date? To me it’s a term from 20 years back when a velocity type of ball which hasn’t really changed much was a lot longer than the old balata ball?
Ian B I definitely agree!!
Oh - get a slow swinging mid/high capper in when all 'this' is over and have them do the same test. Perhaps that's when you will see the velocity have that low launch low land angle run on the fairway.
It's a law of physics: There is a reverse correlation between the price of a golf ball and the amount of playing time before you lose it. Speaking only for me, having played both balls, I have seen on difference whatsoever in my scores or level of play. There is certainly not enough difference to justify the price difference, given my meager skills. The ponds and woods are not impressed with the price of the golf balls I feed them. But, thanks, anyway.
Agreed. If I ever get good enough where I don't consistently lose the ball, I will definitely consider this research valuable, but until I can stop slicing and shanking the ball on every other shot, I will stick with the cheap ball.
I used to play basically whatever the cheapest ball I could get was. Sometimes I'd play a slightly better ball, but never even considered something like the ProV1 because "I'm not good enough to justify spending that kind of money for balls that will end up in the woods or water." I was consistently hitting scores near 100. At the time, 96 was my best EVER score on 18 holes.
Then I got a special deal from an online retailer that made the ProV1's more affordable for me to "try." I'm not going to say it was an instant night and day improvement, but I've hit rounds in the low 80's and high 70's consistently since then. Also, and this is probably the biggest clear difference, more often than not I don't lose 4-6 golf balls during a round by hitting shots in places I don't want to. There does seem to be a much more predictable flight and feel to the ProV1 that helps in many, many ways. Mostly in peace of mind that if I swing the way I'm supposed to, it's gonna go where it should.
Interesting stuff. Thanks as always for the brilliant insight. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to more in this series. 👍
Hey you guys just wanted to let you know you guys are doing an awesome job testing golf equipment . Keep up the good work watch all your stuff do not shorten videos Lov every minute of it
Do you anticipate the difference being more significant with velocity being better for a slower swing speed on the driver. 95-100 mph drive?
Off my driver the Pro V & /VX spins off the course while the Velocity keeps me closer to the fairway. I'm also a ball retriever and find scores of Pro V's in the woods and hazards which suggests that I'm not the only one who sidewinds premium balls. Not knocking premium balls it's just that they're not for everybody. Sure they can help with short shots but if you're consistently chipping for par, or looking for stray shots maybe you should consider a 2-3 piece balls until you have more control.
Ian and Matt ...Thanks a lot for the x ray ...great review and insight
I’m glad Ian mentioned the AVX. I used to play that ball for the exact reason he gave until I learned how to control spin
@TXG Tour Experience Golf Please compare the Top Flite XL balls (the cheapest balls at Golf Galaxy and what I use) and a top ball (ProV1, TP5, Chrome Soft, etc).
I don’t mind cheap balls but the top flite XLs are so bad. Try picking up a box of cheap bridgestones and I think you will like them a lot better. I have no idea about the actual numbers but the feel of the Bridgestone is so much better.
Good video, so many guys think using a distance ball will give them yards and are willing to sacrifice a will spin on short game. This just shows that it's not the case
If you have swing speed of Matt that is. Most players have much, much slower swing speeds.
@@The_Osprey that's true. Would like to see the same test at same a "Normal" swing speed!
Your guys videos are the best going around, loving the content
I'm a 15 handicap and I play a premium ball for that very reason. Being able to spin and stop a ball predictably saves me a lot of strokes, plus the consistency from ball to ball is a big factor. Look at My Golf Spy and their current consistency checks they just started doing and what they're finding in the cheaper ball lines. Balls out of round and even bigger issues. Thanks Ian and Matty!
On two occasions I've read test results showing the cheap Srixon AD333 with it's new cover get wedge spin numbers like the Pro V. That might be a more interesting comparison (if you didn't mind possibly upsetting Titleist).
would be awesome if you tested out the volvik magma Ball against a pvo1 for distance
Agree on the greenside spin. Played alternate shot with a high-capper and convinced them to use my ProV1 vs their top-flight rock that cost them .25 cents per ball. They were honestly surprised that they gained that much control around the greens, they played the best golf they ever had that round.
Higher handicappers benefitting most out of premium golf balls around the green. Two shot benefit per round too?! Mind blown. Thanks guys.
Ian what would you say if swing does not matter when chipping but would it be for driver for slower swing would you see a big change with distance with both balls
Nice work again gents! Looking at the comments, we're bound for a youtube world renowned TXG Ball Bracket soon. Should be a good one.
Based on Ian's comments about the Titleist test at Pinehurst, it sounds like the first factor consumers should look at when shopping for a ball is greenside spin?
Got a ball fitting with you guys and was fit for the ProV1x. Would love to see a test of the used golf ball market vrs the new ball. You can get ProV1x for around $25 - $35 a dozen.
Yesterday, as an experiment, I played 18 with several different balls.
Hole 2 - Taylormade ball from a case of beer - 8 iron from 140 on fwy - hop 2 feet and stop.
Hole 3 - Wilson Duo Soft + - GW from 105 on fwy - hop 1 foot and stop
Hole 5 - ProV1 - 8 iron 138 from tee - hop 3 feet and stop
Hole 9 - Taylormade beer ball - 9 iron from rough - hop 4 feet and stop
Hole 12 - Duo Soft + - 6 hybrid from 162 in fairway - hop 7 feet and stop
Hole 13 - ProV1 - PW from rough 122 - 6" from pitch mark
Free Taylormades, Duo Soft were $1.75, ProV1 $5. IMO all the same performance on the course.
Great vid as always gents. Would you have a few balls to recommend in the mid tier without too much of a performance sacrifice?
I think I’m going crazy but every close up of the shot on foresight I keep hearing an audio loop of Matt going “it’s nice” very faintly in the background lmao.
Anyways good stuff as always
What are your thoughts on the NIKE ball? NIKE ONE that tiger played. Apparently is was better the ProV1 when they came out. Test it ?
It would be great to see the volvik performance. This is the ball used in long drive championship
s4 seems like the real deal
I always thought distance just meant you don't sacrifice distance , then the "soft" cheap balls didn't sacrifice spin. Premiums just keep both. Would be interesting to test the lower price balls against one another.
I really enjoyed this video. I play the Velocity and swear by it. For whatever reason, I don't do well with Pro Vs. Once I started playing the Velocity (switched from the Chrome Soft), my handicap dropped a stroke and a half. I did have to adjust my short game, though. I do more bump and runs when I can and added a 64 degree wedge to my bag. I feel the Velocity has really helped me with my iron game and has performed very well off the tee. It putts pretty well, but takes some time to adjust.
Always look to TXG for trustworthy analysis and insight into clubs and balls. Thanks.
as usual, another informative video from the TXG lads 👍
How do the pro’s pick the ball of a tee with their driver ( their tee normally doesn’t move) and still hit it high. When I do it, I can’t get the height that they do.
Does anyone have a link to the study Titleist did on the premium ball vs mid ball showing that various handicaps go from .5 shots to 4 shots over 9 holes? I would be really interested in seeing all of the data, 8 shots over 18 holes for a high handicap is amazing if the data is accurate and supports it statistically.
Another great video! What do you gentlemen think about "extreme distance" balls such as Nitros? Often see them being used off the tee in scrambles, etc. Aside from the extremely low cost per ball if you pump one into the woods trying to swing our of your shoes, are there any significant distance benefits in your experience?
haven't tested but we'd like to maybe do a video on the Volvik ball used for long drive 👍
Best golf channel on RUclips
Velocity is really impressive. That short shot is one that many ams don't know how to play so the spin difference may not even matter and while the premium ball "benefits" more the higher handicapper, they'll lose too many for it to make sense to buy Pro Vs. I'd be curious to see the Velocity vs the TM Tour Soft
Would these results be replicated for a golfer with a lower swing speed and therefore lower ball compression?
Great video! Would love to see an accuracy and consistency video comparing any putter and premium ball to using the Odyssey triple track putter with a triple track ERC or Chrome Soft ball. The triple track putter paired with the ball has helped my putting a great deal.
If you have a high handicaper with considerably more side spin and slower club head speed, would the distance ball would be more beneficial while using driver? Matt’s spin axis/ side spin is probably close to 0 while a high handicap that unintentionally plays a slice might be closer to 1,000rpm’s. Would the distance ball reduce spin enough to help minimize the slice?
Have been playing their NXT Tour which is somewhere between Pro V1 and Velocity but may consider using the Pro V1 more after this video. Interesting.
Solid video, as always. When did the idea of distance golf balls really take hold? I'm wondering if you were to rewind the clock to the late 2000's if you'd find the premium ball being quite soft and the distance ball quite hard, which could potentially offered more distance on driver swings.
Great video and comparison. Any chance you can do this comparison with the other brands as well like Tm, callaway, srixon, Bridgestone etc.
Interesting video when doing these comparisons and you look at the data. I find the lower tier golf ball like velocity to be a big difference as well off the putter face compared to the premium balls. They tend to feel more “jumpy” and speed control is a bit of an issue. Keep up the great work!
As a 72 year old guy with a driver clubhead speed of 83mph I would be curious to know if a pinnacle distance ball or a titleist velocity ball would result in more distance off the tee.
NIcely done on the 50 yard shot - that is always the test that should be included
Nothing beats a Titleist Professional from 120 yards and in. In my past life, I knew if I could just get the ball to one of my known 3 wedge distances, I would be within 2-5 yards of my # and putting inside 12 feet nearly every time. If somehow I ran out and had to hit some DT type ball, I had no idea where it would land.
Would the velocity perform better for driver distance with someone that has a sub 100mph driver swing? I have always thought the “distance” balls were made manly for slower swing speeds.
I like the bridgstone b330 its nice of the tee and soft around the green and feels really good off the putter face
Would love to see you guys test some of the vice golf balls. Maybe the pro and pro plus...
Any chance you could compare the proV1 against the tour soft ?
Have you tested the new AVX? Played it in the wind last week and I was impressed by its stopping power.
yes we have, thought it was good also
Could the dynamic lift or strike have cause the higher launch and less spin In the velocity
Can you add the Your Soft to this side by side? I believe it fits right in between price-wise
Just started playing again since lock down (uk). Tried the Velocity, (usual ball prov1) improved my game from the off, fairway finder. No problem stopping on greens. Disagree with titleist on the point that mid handicappers do a lot of chipping so require premium ball. Mid handicappers usually prefer and are better off chipping than pitching and the velocity is excellent get it on the green and run it to the hole.
Love this would also like to see the Titleist tour soft tested!
One of the best deals is last year’s Bridgestone B series. Under 30 most places.
Ian, when can I buy that TXG golf shirt?
this summer we'll have shirts 👍
He charges a premium though for one preworn lol
Late to the party, just saw this video. As a 16 HCP, I don't always hit the ball straight. I have noticed that the velocity does not fade or draw as much. Just something to consider...
Playing the Pro v1x but tried the TP5x and liking it a lot vs the pro v, ball fittings on each site suggest the x for me in both brands. seems to be almost a mind over matter thing , i feel more confident playing the top end ball than the middle of the pack brand.
Would the ballspeed off the driver be different at slower swing speeds? If I'm not mistaken, these balls are marketed towards those with slower swings.
This is also what I'm wondering about ? I think the Velocity is designed to add distance for a higher handicapper and/or slower to mid swing speed player. So would be interesting to see same test with a 90 mph swing speed for example.
What if you compared the velocity to a more spinny ball for greenside performance. If high hcp. players need that more?
Would love to see a test between "regular" tour and distance balls vs Matte finish distance and tour balls.
I was playing a matte ball once and a golf equipment rep in my group told me they were garbage. After hitting it well on the first 4 to 5 holes he asked to look at it. Seem to work just as well as regular.
I would say this video makes the case for cheaper balls. Most golfers are not throwing a wedge right on the pin and looking for stopping power. The majority land short of the pin and the extra rollout/lower spin would actually help them. If driver and mid to long iron performance is the same then go with the cheaper ball (or just buy the prior generation Srixon Z Stars for $30 or less and get a great ball at a great price).
You should repeat this test with a golfer that has a low swing speed.
I have seen another test comparing a ball to the proV1 but they did it with two different golfers. A high club head speed and a low club head speed hitter. The higher speed hitter saw no difference in balls, but the lower swing speed golfer picked up 25-30 yards with the alternate ball. Most data indicates club head speed doesn’t matter, maybe true for most balls, but would always like to see for a ball advertised as a distance ball if it is a variable.
I find that the expensive balls hide better and get lost more often. How do the soft feel balls like the srixon soft feel with a 60 compression perform for a higher handicap swing speed?
Would love to see how the callaway superhot does compared to the chrome soft. They’re a great price point and actually feel grippy just as a non titleist test. Maybe a different company has varied results
Can you combine this test with the tee height test, maybe the distance ball would be better for high spin players?
I use the refurbished prov1’s to save on money. I really can’t tell a noticeable difference between performance. I rather spend 20 something bucks on some prov1s that have been hit a few times than spend 50 bucks on new ones.
Next test on fsx: 9 holes with a distance ball, finish with a proV.
Great video mates! Going to keep playing srixion soft feels, three dozen for forty bucks. I’m a 14 handicap and feel better saving the money
The golf ball issue for a beginner is sort of the same thing learning to play golf at a cheap Pay and Play course where the green is so poor that the ball bounces back and forth. How to learn how to putt and read green if the green is really poor.
But what about side spin on slice/hook shots. The higher handicapper will typically have a big miss, would a velocity fly straighter??
Without watching the video in full, I like to put in my 2cents of thoughts. Basic science of the golf ball, a round object with smooth, during its flight, a vacuum will be created behind it. This will result in what is known as "drag" force. This obviously will impede its forward momentum hence its travel distance. That is the reason for the dimples. The amount of air "trapped" in these dimples is enough to reduce the vacuum (the round ball rotates naturally during its flight). Now, let's jump back to playing golf. For amateur golfers as I am, we are less likely to have a perfect hit and will create more unintentional spin. e.g. the infamous slice and hook shots. If a golf ball spins less no matter how you hit it, it will less likely to "spin" out of the boundary of the particular golf hole in play. This, as I understand, is the key feature of all the distance golf ball. When I started playing some 30 years ago, like every human who has an ego, no matter how big or small will want to play like the pro. So, balata golf balls were the top choice in the golf bag for any competitions. Then 20 yrs after that, yes, it took that long to control the ego or man thing, I started to play with Wilson Titanium, which basically is a rock. Lo and behold, my handicap went down to 12 and I managed to have a decent drive and a draw as well. I couldn't, well, still can't stop the ball with check spin but by now, I developed a decent short game for my handicap. So, there you go. I strongly recommend playing with a distant ball for high and mid-handicap golfers. No need to play with all the premium golf balls like Pro-V1, choose the type of balls that suit your game and let the ego go. I know, it hurts to hear comments like, "why use a balata or Pro-V1 when you can't stop the ball on the green!". It took me, as I said earlier, 20 years of wasted money on premium golf balls lost on the golf courses without ever stopping a golf ball on the green.