Srixon has really stepped up its game in recent years with its Star line of golf balls, with the Z-Star being highly popular among golfers of practically all handicaps.  2013 presents a brand new version for the Star line, this time with the Q-Star.

The Q-Star golf ball is designed specifically for average golfers (handicaps between 6 and 18) in mind, with more accuracy and distance to help them improve their scores tremendously.  It basically features two technologies that helps set it apart from the competition.  The first is a STAR Performance inner core that adds not only distance but playability as well both off the tee and around the green.  The second is spin skin technology that improves greenside spin without sacrificing distance by improving friction between the golf ball and the golf club surface.  What follows is an overall review of the Srixon Q-Star golf ball.

Positive

There are many different positives when it comes to the Srixon Q-Star, as it really lives up to its hype.  The distance on both tee shots and approach shots is above average and can compare to practically any golf ball out on the market today, including well-known brands such as the Titleist Pro V1.  When it comes to tee shots in particular with either a driver or fairway woods, the Srixon Q-Star golf ball is very straight with a penetrating ball flight and very low side spin as well, which can really benefit golfers struggling with hooks or slices.  The golf ball very good overall feel to it no matter which club in the bag is used, and feels very soft especially around the greens; combined with this softness is a great amount of durability as well, as golfers will find that it is difficult to scuff the ball up after playing it for quite a few holes.  Lastly, another positive associated with the Srixon Q-Star golf ball is that iron shots generally have a good amount of spin on them and checkup when they are supposed to.

Negative

There are really only two negatives when it comes to the Srixon Q-Star golf ball.  The first is that while the ball flight can be a bit high at times, especially when it comes to the short irons, and this may be a disadvantage for those who naturally hit the ball high and are looking for a ball with a normal or low trajectory to it.  Another negative is that the ball doesn’t seem to really spin that great when coming out of the bunker or rough around the greens.

Overall

Overall the Srixon Q-Star golf ball is another winner put out by the golf company and should greatly benefit average golfers.  It doesn’t really excel in any particular area but is above average in all of them, with good distance, accuracy, and feel.  The ball flight may be a bit high and times and may not generate a great amount of spin around the greens in particular, but if one is willing to overlook these they will find a great golf ball that should shave a few strokes off their next golf round.

Titleist may have the number one ball in golf as it stands right now, but the competition is getting more and stiff as the years progress, and Taylormade is certainly giving them a run for their money with their newest line of golf balls known as Lethal.  Lethal is basically a redesigned PENTA with great new features.  It is a premium five piece multilayered golf ball comprised of a 322 low drag performance dimple pattern that is supposed to provide added performance in windy conditions, along with progressive velocity, in which the faster layers are located on the outer part of the golf ball to create additional ball speed for more distance and accuracy.  With that said, how does it stack up to the Pro V1?  What follows is an overall review of the Taylormade Lethal golf ball.

Long Game

When it comes to distance off the tee, the Taylormade Lethal golf ball is certainly comparable to the Titleist ProV1.  What was great about the golf ball was the penetrating ball flight that just cut right through the wind; the low drag performance dimple pattern really sets the golf ball apart from the competition and should really benefit golfers who struggle getting good distance in windy conditions.  The playability of the golf ball is above average as well; one can hit fades or draws with the golf ball fairly easily.

When it came to irons and woods, the Taylormade Lethal golf ball actually out-performed the Titleist ProV1 when it came to getting the ball to stop on the green along with distance as well.  We all hate it when our long iron shots hit close to the pin and then keep rolling another 30 feet or so, but with the Taylormade Lethal golf ball the ball had really good spin on it even for high iron and wood shots, along with the distance being about 3-5 yards further as well.

Short Game

Chipping and putting are really the two most important aspects of the game when it comes to shooting lower scores, as chipping allows one minimize mistakes while putting helps to maximize great shots, and the Taylormade Lethal golf ball performs well above average in both of these categories.  Whether it is a bump and run, pitch, flop, or just a normal chip, the ball has exceptional spin and just stops on a dime.  It doesn’t matter whether it is off of the fringe or out of the bunker, the golf ball does exactly what you would expect it to every single time, and it is hard finding very many golf balls that can do that these days.  As far as putting, the ball feels great coming off of the putter head and it takes little to no time at all to get the distance control down.

Overall

Overall Taylormade has created a fantastic golf ball that can help practically any golfer shave a few strokes off their game, especially when it comes to distance and approach shots.  Low handicap golfers can certainly benefit from the tremendous amount of spin that the ball offers along with its penetrating ball flight in windy conditions, and high handicap golfers should be able to find a few extra yards off the tee and into the green at the very least.

Maxfli U/4 Golf Ball Review

Let’s face it, when it comes to tour-performance golf balls, one of the last places we would think about getting them from is Maxfli.  No offense to them but their golf balls have mostly been geared to those who are mid-handicappers.  However, that may have changed with the new golf balls that Maxfli has rolled out recently.  They are called the U Series golf balls, and start from U/2 all the way up to U/4, with the latter one being the best that they have to offer.  Here is a description of the new U/4 golf ball:

“The right golf ball for you is the one that will help lower your score. The new U/4 and U/4x are engineered with 4 layers to lower scores through providing the perfect combination of distance, spin and feel. The U/4 provides increased short game spin, a softer feel and excellent distance. The U/4x spins less, has a slightly firmer feel and launches lower for longer overall distance. With the Maxfli U/4 and U/4x, we’ve got U covered for lower scores.”

Golf companies always seem to over-hype their products, so are these new golf balls worth getting or should one just stick to the Titleist/Taylormade/Callaway/Bridgestone balls that are known for giving great performance?  What follows is my overall review after having played a few rounds with them.

Positive

One of the things about the ball that first caught my attention came at the first hole that I played them on.  It was a short par 4 and after a good tee shot I had a wedge shot in.  I usually put a lot of spin on the ball with my wedges and get a decent amount of spin out of a Pro V1, but I was pleasantly surprised with the spin I got out of the Maxfli U/4 golf ball.  I watched the golf ball go past the hole and then spin back about 10 inches, and that’s when I knew that this ball was the real deal.  It wasn’t just wedge shots either.  I was able to get a good amount of spin with my irons as well, and even fairway wood shots landed softly on the green and didn’t roll out as much as I thought they would have.

When it came to the short game, I found the Maxfli U/4 to be very comparable with the Pro V1 when it came to chipping and putting.  The ball has a great feel to it when putting on the green and the ball itself features a helpful line on it to help line putts up.  The ball checked up when I wanted it to when chipping as well, which is surprising given that I usually was never able to get a Maxfli golf ball to do so in the past.

Negative

It is not really a huge negative or anything, but I found that I got less distance with both the driver and the irons with these golf balls as opposed to ones in a similar price range such as the Pro V1 and Hex Tour.  Generally it was between 5-10 yards with the driver and just under five yards approximately with the irons.

Overall

Overall I was very surprised with how well the Maxfli U/4 golf ball played.  Both the spin and feel are great, with only a minor issue in regards to distance.  It is a golf ball that definitely puts the company back on the map as far as I’m concerned, and if you are one of those golfers who is looking for something new I would certainly recommend giving this ball a try.

Taylormade Rocketballz Golf Ball Review

I am sure most of us have seen the commercial with PGA Tour players wondering what Rocketballz were and then hitting the fairway wood a gazillion yards in order to impress us enough to buy them.  However, there haven’t been any commercials as far as I’ve seen about the actual balls themselves, and this article will provide a review of them.

Taylormade gives the following description of the golf balls: “A soft and fast REACT™ core formulation and new SPEEDMANTLE™ produces insane velocity and added irons spin for all swings. The RocketBallz golf ball has a thin and soft Lothane cover for great feel and added spin around the greens.”  Does it add up to all that has been said about it?  Yes and no.

Positive

One thing that it does have going for it is distance.  For less than $30 a dozen at most major retail outlets this ball gets a lot of distance both off the tee and in the fairway.  It is not as long as the more expensive Titleist Pro V1 or Bridgestone B330 are, but for its price you really beat what it has to offer.  I would say that it is very similar to the Callaway Warbird and Titleist NXT golf balls, in that they offer good distance for the price.

Another positive I found in regards to this golf ball is the feel that they have around and on the green, especially when it came to faster greens.  There are quite a few course where I live that have greens that are around 11 or 12 on the stimp meter, and it is important to get the right speed on each putt to avoid three putting all day.  What I liked about the Taylormade Rocketballz was that I could get a better feel for the greens and was a lot closer with my putts than I normally was with using say a Titleist NXT or something.  When it came to bump and run chips as well the ball was pretty much spot on every time, landing exactly where I wanted it to and rolling right up near the pin every time.

Negative

The first negative comes in regards to the spin that the Taylormade Rocketballz golf ball advertises for irons.  While I did get some spin with the wedges out on the course there was little to no spin at all when it came to the mid or high irons or even fairway woods into greens.  Maybe it is because I don’t have the most up-to-date clubs, I don’t know, but they did not have very much spin on them at all when I played a few rounds with these golf balls.  Also, I expected to have at least a decent amount of spin when it came to the 50 yard knockdown shots but I was disappointed when they didn’t really spin back all that much.

Overall

Overall the Taylormade Rocketballz golf ball offers good distance and average spin for its price.  If you like playing with the Callaway Warbird, Titleist NXT, or Bridgestone E6 I would recommend trying this golf ball for a round or two to see if it can improve your game.  Unless you have brand new golf clubs I wouldn’t expect to get too much spin on the greens, especially with the mid irons going up.  I believe the greatest benefit of this golf ball has to do with putting, as it provides a great feel and will certainly help with distance control.  Most of us could use all the help we can get with the putter, and the Taylormade Rocketballz golf ball offers a good solution.

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Product Review: Top Flite Gamer V2 Golf Balls

Having tried the first version of the Top Flite Gamer golf balls and really liking them, I was excited to learn that Callaway (which owns Top Flite) had decided to come out with a new version of the golf ball.  The Gamer V2 still features dimple in dimple aerodynamics and is a three piece golf ball.  The changes that were made to the ball include a new DuPont mantle layer to increase distance and add greater feel.  Changes were also made to the core and outer layer to increase feel and durability, which were severely lacking in their first version of the Top Flite Gamer golf balls.  Here is my review of the new Top Flite Gamer V2 golf balls.

Positive

Similar to the first version, the second version of these golf balls have fantastic distance.  The distance is actually comparable to golf balls that are more than twice the price of these, and that is really something remarkable.  I couldn’t believe the distance I was getting out of the golf balls, especially off the tee.  For the woods and irons as well from the fairway, the distance was still very close to that of a Pro V1 Tour iS golf balls.

Another positive came in regards to the short game.  Much emphasis was made upon improving the feel of the golf ball to make it softer for the second version, and one can truly notice the difference when trying out the two versions side by side.  When it came to chipping the ball would check up nicely on practically every shot.  One almost never sees an inexpensive golf ball checking up like it is supposed to on the green, and it is truly refreshing to find one that does.  Whether it was a lob, flop, bump and run, you name it, the golf ball would come to a rest quickly every time.  I also noticed that the golf ball had a very soft feel coming off the putter, and it really inspired confidence when it came to the shorter putts.

Negative

One of the main negatives I found when reviewing the first version of the Top Flite Gamer golf ball was that it did not have sufficient spin for mid or long iron shots.  Unfortunately the same can be said of the second version as well.  When it came to shots with a 4 iron one should expect that the golf ball should stop fairly quickly and not keep rolling on the green.  There were quite a few shots on the golf course where I would hit the high iron and when the ball hit the green it just kept rolling and rolling.  It was truly frustrating watching the ball roll of the green many times after hitting a shot that landed near the flag.  When it came to the short irons the golf ball would simply stop wherever it hit, which can be a good or bad thing depending on one’s particular golf game.  My golf game revolves around getting a good amount of spin for these types of shots, so the golf ball performed below average in this area as well.

Overall

Overall the Top Flite Gamer V2 golf ball is one of the best low price golf ball alternatives out there on the market today.  They have made many positive improvements with the golf ball since version one, especially ramping up the soft feel of the ball when it comes to the short game.  The golf ball still performed below average when it came to spin for short and long iron shots, but that is what one should expect from low priced golf balls.  The Top Flite Gamer V2 golf ball is certainly one of the best bang for your buck options out there when it comes to golf balls.

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Golf Product Review: Bridgestone Tour B330 RXS Golf Ball Review

Bridgestone has been quietly jumping up the ladder as far as the golf ball market is concerned.  One of the areas in which they have strived to match their competition in is tour-level golf balls, known as the Tour B330 line.  The first two balls that Bridgestone came out with, the Tour B330 and B330S, were a huge success and are currently used by PGA Tour players such as Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker, and Davis Love III.  Since then Bridgestone has come out with a new type of golf ball, one that provides tour level performance for amateur players, known as the RX line.  The RX line includes the B330 RX, which is more geared for players looking for distance, and the B330 RXS, which is geared for players looking for more short iron spin.  I decided to give the Bridgestone B330 RXS golf ball a try to see if it can really provide tour performance for amateur golfers (those with swing speeds less than 105 miles per hour).

Positives

Even through the B330 RX is supposed to offer more distance as opposed to the RXS, I found the RXS to have great distance both off the tee and in the fairway.  The distance was certainly comparable to that of a Pro V1 or a Callaway Tour golf ball.  On average I was getting about 3 to five yards extra distance on both my iron and wood shots, which is certainly surprising to find in a golf ball.  If anything it proves that in order to increase distance one of the first things to try out is better golf equipment such as new clubs or balls such as the B330 RXS.

When it came to the short game, I was also pleasantly surprised to find out how well it performed.  There wasn’t very much backspin on say 75 yard pitch shots, but how many amateur golfers are really looking for that to happen when hitting a pitch shot from that distance?  In either case, the ball did stop quickly whenever I wanted it to, not only on pitch shots but also when it came to chipping.  Whenever I needed to hit a bump and run chip the ball would always check up.  The Bridgestone B330 RXS golf ball also feels great when putting.  There is a very useful putting alignment on it that makes it easier to line up putts where you want them to go.

Negatives

As far as negatives, the only major one that I found came in regards to shots into the green using mid to high irons.  The golf ball just would not stay on the green no matter what I tried; it would hit the green and then just keep rolling.  How can a supposed tour-level performance golf ball not provide decent spin for mid and long iron shots?  Also, I found it a bit harder to shape shots with as opposed to similar balls such as the Pro V1.  The ball is fine if trying to hit low or high shots, but it seemed to exaggerate fades and draws, making them instead slices and hooks.

Overall

Overall it is a very solid golf ball for amateurs looking for a high performance golf ball.  It provides distance comparable to any other golf ball on the market today and could even add a few extra yards to your iron and wood shots.  It is also great for the short game as well, but one should be a little cautious when it comes to mid to long irons shots when hitting into the green.

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Callaway Tour iS Golf Ball Review

Over the past few years Callaway has been making great strides in the golf ball market. It now offers golf balls for practically any handicap imaginable, and has great quality golf balls that are played by the likes of Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els on the PGA Tour as well. One of the more recent high-end golf balls that has come out is the Callaway Tour iS golf ball. It has received a lot of hype since it has come out, being featured on Golf Digest’s Hot List for 2011 for instance.

The Callaway Tour iS is technologically advanced as a four piece golf ball (I guess three isn’t good enough these days or something) and its main purpose is to help golfers with their short games. Along with most of their other golf balls the Callaway Tour iS has HEX Aerodynamics; this means that when you look at the golf ball the dimples are hexagons instead of regular circles. This supposedly makes the ball better able to get good ball flight in practically any weather condition imaginable. Another feature concerning the Callaway Tour iS is its dual core technology, which is pretty self explanatory in which the golf ball has two cores (hence being a four piece golf ball instead of three piece), and it supposedly help in getting maximum distance along with great short game feel. With all of that said, does all of this technology in a golf ball really help your game? I decided to give the Callaway Tour iS a try over a few rounds to see if it can really live up to its hype. What follows is my review of the golf ball.

Short Game

As far as the short game, the ball lives up to its hype; it is truly a great short game ball that can rival any other brand on the market today. Especially from 100 yards and in the golf ball checks up beautifully and provides a good amount of backspin when needed. When it came to chipping bump and runs were very easy to execute and the Callaway Tour iS checks up every time. It was even great out of bunkers too. As anyone knows it can be quite difficult getting a golf ball to stop on the green when hitting a greenside bunker shot, but I was able to consistently get the ball to stop on the green; the same applied to fairway bunker shots as well. When it came to putting the golf ball felt great and rolled true every time. It certainly provides added confidence when putting on the green.

Long Game

The Callaway Tour iS is a really great ball to shape shots with, whether it is a fade, a hook, or even a riser (where the ball starts low and increases height). I just used the appropriate swing for each shot and the golf ball did the rest for me. I got some pretty good distance out of the fairway woods and driver, and I would it was comparable to similar golf balls. The major downside for the Callaway Tour iS came in regards to long iron shots (5 iron to 3 iron). The distance that I got for this kind of shot was well below average (about 5 yards shorter than a Pro V1). I play from the back tees and 5 yards means a lot, so I pleasantly surprised to find this out.

Conclusion

The Callaway Tour iS certainly lives up to its hype as a great short game ball. I would say that it is a great fit for someone who already gets good distance and is looking to improve their short game stats. The only downside that I found when using the ball was long iron shots, but other than the Callaway Tour iS performed very well.

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