We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Lightning Golf Balls Review Thread

SuperStroke
GolferGal

GolferGal

Chick Norris
Boss Albatross 2024 Club
Staff member
Joined
Oct 15, 2008
Messages
45,371
Reaction score
34,090
Location
Florida
Handicap
Golf
​10 THP members were given a dozen golf balls from Lightning Golf to test over the next few months. This thread will be used for them to report back on their thoughts and feedback and to answer any questions you all might have regarding these golf balls.

They are all testing the HL3 from Lightning Golf. These golf balls feature a unique marking system to identify your ball quickly and easily. They feature a 318 dimple pattern they say will help you keep the ball up in the air longer. In turn making you hit it further.

These are the testers who will be updating this thread:
Hoosier Golfer
Coers
Maddog701
Shakey
Pureliquidhell
Miller Time
Intimidator2007
twentytwomonk
jeanthemachine
pumbaa
 
Very cool...looking forward to their thoughts.
 
Let's keep this clear until the boys start logging their thoughts :act-up:
 
Balls arrived in the mail today - in a bag which I found a little unusual. A few drops on the ceramic tile floor delivered a softish sound and I hope to get to the practice area tomorrow.
 
GolferGal said:
Thats how they sent them to us. No boxes just ziplocks.
Click to expand...

Got mine today. I'm looking them over now. Hope I can get out soon, but our weather is all rain right now and going to get cold towards the weekend. Really looking forward to working with these.

I thinking of doing something like I did during the Heavy Driver testing some time ago, where I put my wife to work on the range to begin with. Thinking of a plan right now. Of course I will also use on the course as well.

Should be fun. I located their Facebook page as well; https://www.facebook.com/lightninggolfusa?fref=ts
 
First off, thanks again to the THP Team and Lightning Golf for another awesome opportunity to do some in-hand testing!

A little about me; I've been playing golf after a long hiatus for just about 2 years now, and here in Augusta, the weather stays pretty mild, so we do get to play 12 months out of the year. I'm playing to about a 23 handicap right now, with my low round being a 94. I can swing the driver about 95 and not feel like I'm losing control, and my 7-iron swing is just shy of 80. I feel like I've got a decent hand on my driver and irons, with some issues with consistency, but my real weak spot in my game is 100 yards and into the green. So I'm going to use this test as as opportunity to use a ball built for spin to really work on my game.

Now, on to the ball!

photo%201.jpg


photo%202.jpg


The balls come packaged in a ziplock bag. I appreciate the effort to keep cost to the consumer down. The balls looks like they all still arrived in great shape. At first glance, the Lightning logo really catches your eye, and I know there aren't a lot of these out there yet, so I love that it's gonna be really hard to get these confused with anyone else's. Still, the unique marking system saves the artistically challenged, like myself, from having to doodle on the ball, and makes it easy to come up with any number of options to make your ball your own. The alignment is nice and long, and will definitely make it easy for those who appreciate help on the greens to get their putts lined up.

The first thing I noticed pulling a ball out of the bag is the feel. I'm accustomed to the Bridgestone e6, which has been my go-to ball for a long time, as well as balls like the Nike RSN Red, and Titleist Velocity. This ball feels different than anything I've experienced. It feels much softer, and definitely a lot tackier. I can definitely see how this ball would be an asset around the green.

I'll get the ball out as soon as I can. Master's week is next week, so there'll be no getting a round in around here, but I'll try and get some initial impressions carpet putting. The one thing I'm intrigued to see is the ball flight with the driver. A lot of the reviews I've read indicate the this ball has a tendancy to fly higher than many other balls on the market, with my XHot, even in a 9.5 with the Diamana 'ahina 65 in stiff, I still drive the ball fairly high, so I'll be looking to see if this ball will want to balloon on me and sap some distance, or if it'll perform farly close to what I'm use to!
 
Nice start 22 and thanks for the in hand pics.
 
I got to the short game area today so I have some impressions to share.

B aware that I am having problems with my keyboard so there may be typos/misspellings stc.

To introduce myself, I ama senior with a slow swing so I don't hit the ball long or highh and I rely on short game skills to save my scores. My current average game is right around 80 with an occasional dip into the mid-70's

I tested the Lightning along with a ProV1 and a Bridgestone B330RX. These other 2 balls are my standards and can use them interchangebly.

When looking at the balls on the green, if all logos are hidden, I can't distinguish between them. None are spectacularly white like a few of the harder balls I have played. I do not use any alighnment aids so I will not comment on them.

Striking each of the balls on short and long putts gives me a muted "click" and again I cannot really distinguish among them from a sound/feel perspective.

I then took all three balls to a chipping area. I chipped long, short, high and low shots using a 56* wedge and also with an 8 iron. I honestly can't say i detected any difference.

Now I have long been a "ball snob" believing that my game was enhanced by using pro-type balls which allowed me to control the ball around the green and that a "distance ball" would not provide enough added yardage to allow me to hit shorter clubs into greens.

Yes, I have only about 90 minutes into this testing and I have not taken even a half swing at the Lightning but, so far, I am impressed.

I will have a few more short game sessions before I get to the course but I'll continue to let you know how it is going.
 
I had a chance to look the balls over and do some inside carpet putting with them, and they look really good and sound good off the putter. Right now, our season is just starting, and I played the Callaway Super Soft most of last year as well as the Bridgestone e6 which I really like, so I will be doing most of my comparison testing with the e6 as I know there are a lot of people using them here.

If the weather is good, I hope to get out Sunday, but I'm in no big hurry here in Indiana. It is pretty wet, I would rather wait and see how the ball plays under "normal" conditions, which is not too far off.

I can see this testing lasting for a couple of months for me. I'm good with the packaging. Keeping cost down is good and the balls arrived just fine.
 
I received my package of the Lightning "Smack Daddy" golf balls today. After the first look of the balls and I like what I see . The dimple pattern is not far off the ProV1 that I usually play , The ball does feel stickier than a ProV1 and is very white. The only drawback for me would be the thickness of the Lightning logo.Maybe a little thinner lettering , but that's no biggie. The sight line will come in handy with putting, I tend to use those lines on all putts. Overall I am impressed with the looks and feel of the ball and can't wait to put them in play .

Thanks again Lightning and THP for the opportunity to put these thru an on the course testing .
 
I look forward to reading everyone's feedback. I believe by today everyone should have their golf balls.
 
Heading out to the course in just a few minutes. Full review should be up tonight.
 
db9aa1c48981c7fa9517b5b45db19e56.jpg


Marked up and ready to go. Gave my partner a couple to try as well.
 
Nice Jean, thank you for sharing.
Jeanthemachine said:
I got to the short game area today so I have some impressions to share.

B aware that I am having problems with my keyboard so there may be typos/misspellings stc.

To introduce myself, I ama senior with a slow swing so I don't hit the ball long or highh and I rely on short game skills to save my scores. My current average game is right around 80 with an occasional dip into the mid-70's

I tested the Lightning along with a ProV1 and a Bridgestone B330RX. These other 2 balls are my standards and can use them interchangebly.

When looking at the balls on the green, if all logos are hidden, I can't distinguish between them. None are spectacularly white like a few of the harder balls I have played. I do not use any alighnment aids so I will not comment on them.

Striking each of the balls on short and long putts gives me a muted "click" and again I cannot really distinguish among them from a sound/feel perspective.

I then took all three balls to a chipping area. I chipped long, short, high and low shots using a 56* wedge and also with an 8 iron. I honestly can't say i detected any difference.

Now I have long been a "ball snob" believing that my game was enhanced by using pro-type balls which allowed me to control the ball around the green and that a "distance ball" would not provide enough added yardage to allow me to hit shorter clubs into greens.

Yes, I have only about 90 minutes into this testing and I have not taken even a half swing at the Lightning but, so far, I am impressed.

I will have a few more short game sessions before I get to the course but I'll continue to let you know how it is going.
Click to expand...
 
f742e725c474091c0ad49a70ad93604d.jpg


7i into a par 3. Probably would've grabbed a little more but hit on the downslope. Solid ball flight.
 
Miller Time said:
7i into a par 3. Probably would've grabbed a little more but hit on the downslope. Solid ball flight.
Click to expand...

Did you make the putt? That's the next question.

How do you like or dislike this ball compared to the Callaway ball your usually play?
 
Agent Jay said:
Did you make the putt? That's the next question.

How do you like or dislike this ball compared to the Callaway ball your usually play?
Click to expand...

2-putt par. I've got to say I've been surprised at how well it performs. I don't spin it much around the green anyways, so it's about normal for me from the SR2 and the Chrome Soft.

Where this ball really shines is when it comes to ball flight. Launches nice and high, which I really enjoy.
 
If they're here when I get home from work ill head out to the range and get some chipping and putting done compared to the chrome soft and proV1.

Good feedback guys, I'm exited to add my thoughts.
 
Just got my lightning golf balls from the mail lady.
Balls came in a zip lock bag inside of a plastic shipping bag. Idk if that's how they always ship if you buy them online or not. But tomorrow I will give them a test at the golf course. I got some Callaway Chrome Softs, Monsta Golf Balls, and Bridgestone B330Rx I'll compare them to. Looking forward to give you all some great feedback that will be helpful for you.
507c36bfb70a54550445698b068fb167.jpg
 
131e2e60a37348936f6ac59424a9b563.jpg



Yay! They're here. First impressions are good, the balls are a nice bright white and seem to have a nice quality fit and finish. I like the marking system a lot too, it just makes scene. Now off to the range for some short game testing.
 
f43eb0c886401fca3ffe9f866a59c34e.jpg

Quick pic of the Lighting Smackdaddy....initial thoughts to follow
 
Alrighty, got some good time in and some good results on the chipping green. I tested various shots from pitches to flops to bump and runs against the Cally Chrome Soft.

76887a520b65d46a31e2a9940fa62bec.jpg


I found the Lightning to be quite competitive, in fact I really like the way it feels. There's something very Z star VX or Pro V1x about it. Its a step firmer and a step 'clickier' if you can say that compared to the CS. One thing I found where it shines is how well it checks up on pitch shots. It kept up with the CS every bit in that aspect.

Well so far so good for me. I'm looking forward to taking these balls to the course asap. And hopefully ill be getting better at this whole review stuff at the same time.
 
Last edited:
Maddog701 said:
f43eb0c886401fca3ffe9f866a59c34e.jpg

Quick pic of the Lighting Smackdaddy....initial thoughts to follow
Click to expand...

Some quick background about my game. I have played golf for about 42 years. (since i was 12 I have used different type of balls through out the years, Titlest,Maxfli,Topflite,Callaway,Taylor Made, Wilson, Bridgestone, just to name a few. My driver swing speed is approx. 95-97. I play Callaway Razor Tour irons, Callaway X-Hot Driver, Bridgestone j40 4 wood and a ben hogan 1415 putter that was a birthday gift in 1972. I play to about an 8 handicap right now.

Now for the interesting part. I received the balls yesterday. I had a simulator session tonight with six4three5. As you can see i personalized one of the balls (thanks to six4three5 for being my hand model). I had about 15 swings on the simulator with the Lightning Smackdaddy with my 7 iron. The ball had a nice feel to it. Very similar to the Bridgestone B330 rx. The sound for the B330 rx and the Lightning were very similar. The distance were almost identical. Between 160 and 163 yards for my 7 iron. I did not test against the proV1x with the Lightning because we were running out of time. I was not able to get spin rates for either of the 2 balls tested.

I did a putting test using the Lightning, B330 rx and the ProV1x. We were putting on the simulated putting green surface at Plum Creek Simulator from about 6'. I will quote six4three5 here, " it sure does not feel like a Topflite" lol. He was right, the Lightning had a very nice feel to it. Not to hard and not to soft. Had the same feel as the B330. Also the sound off my putter face was the same. The PorV1x had a deeper sound off the putter face and just a touch firmer feel than the Lightning. For those of you who know my putter, it has a distinctive "plink" sound when i hit a putt.

All in all, so far I like the feel and performance, but the real test will come when i can get out on the course and tee it up. Looking forward to that in about 9 days according to the weather man here in western ny.

One very interesting test i did tonight. I had six4three5 set up the 3 balls in a row so i could not read the name brand of the balls. He directed me to my set up and i putted the 3 balls with my eyes closed from six feet. I could tell one ball had the "heavier" sound was the ProV1x. I could not tell the difference between the Lightning and the B330rx . They felt the same and sounded the same All 3 putts went in the hole from about 6', with my eyes closed! A great putting test indeed! LOL
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top