musicmaster6921
hacking away everyday.
So far I am liking what I am hearing for the initial thoughts. I will ask is there anyone testing these that plays a Q-Star (my normal ball) and how do they compare??
Lightning Golf Balls Review Thread
Shakey
#TheGolfWhisperer
Was hoping my dozen would come in before I had to leave for the weekend, but no luck.
i'll have to wait several days now until I can contribute.
i'll have to wait several days now until I can contribute.
Got to practice on the short game area at the local course yesterday after work. Did some short chips, some sand shots, and some putting.
Short chips-
Thinking this is a distance ball I was not expecting as much spin as my Duo's. I had 3 of each Duo and Lightning. The duo did spin a touch more, but had a great feel and think for a distance ball the chipping was actually very good.
Sand shots-
I wanted to see how much they would roll and what they could do out of the bunkers. The lightning ball responded well out of the bunker, had a bit of roll after hitting the green but stopped fraily well. I did get 1 to land and check real quick and was surprised by that.
Putting-
Here is where I was most suprised. If I didn't look at the logo I could not tell the difference between the balls. Ball reacted nicely off the putter, had nice feel so I could control distance, and sounded almost identical to the Duo.
Hope I can get out this weekend and see what these can do off the tee and fairways. The construction, logo, color, and marking circles all point to a very quality product. One I get to play some full rounds with the Lightning Smack Daddy's I can comment on durability. So far I like what I have seen and again am thankful for the chance to review these.
Short chips-
Thinking this is a distance ball I was not expecting as much spin as my Duo's. I had 3 of each Duo and Lightning. The duo did spin a touch more, but had a great feel and think for a distance ball the chipping was actually very good.
Sand shots-
I wanted to see how much they would roll and what they could do out of the bunkers. The lightning ball responded well out of the bunker, had a bit of roll after hitting the green but stopped fraily well. I did get 1 to land and check real quick and was surprised by that.
Putting-
Here is where I was most suprised. If I didn't look at the logo I could not tell the difference between the balls. Ball reacted nicely off the putter, had nice feel so I could control distance, and sounded almost identical to the Duo.
Hope I can get out this weekend and see what these can do off the tee and fairways. The construction, logo, color, and marking circles all point to a very quality product. One I get to play some full rounds with the Lightning Smack Daddy's I can comment on durability. So far I like what I have seen and again am thankful for the chance to review these.
T2GRN18
Active member
Great thoughts MadDog. I like the putting test too. Interesting how similar you find these to the RX ball. Keep up the great work!
ps. Looks like jimmy has been doing dishes with those hands! I see the domestic training has been I full effect! Hahaha
ps. Looks like jimmy has been doing dishes with those hands! I see the domestic training has been I full effect! Hahaha
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Miller Time
Twitter - @joshmlr
Lightning Golf Balls Review Thread
Review #1: Twin City Country Club 4/3/15
We had absolutely perfect weather yesterday, so I took the day off and headed out to the course with a buddy. As we warmed up, I told him I had a ball I wanted him to try and so we stepped up to the first tee, a long par 5, and hit driver. He went first and the first thing we both said was "Wow." Higher ball flight than normal, so he took a breakfast ball and hit almost the same exact shot. Higher than normal, but the distance was similar to what he sees.
I've always fought getting the ball up in the air with almost every club, so I was encouraged by his tee shot. So I step up and hit driver and hit a nice high straight ball that missed the fairway just barely on the right. Way higher ball flight than I'm used to. I was concerned this would mean shorter distance, but we got down to our tee shots and I was at least 5 yards longer than normal. I say that because I usually can get my drive around the 250 yard marker in the fairway, but I had only 240-ish into the green. I was impressed.
On their website (http://lightninggolfball.com/pages/hl3-smack-daddy-golf-ball), Lightning boasts the following about the HL3 SmackDaddy: Great Distance, Tour-Quality Feel, Durability and the LightMark I.D. System. When it comes to a golf ball, I really look for two things: spin help and durability. I've gamed lots of different balls over the past year: B330-S, e5, SR2, Chrome Soft, just to name a few. So those are the balls I will be making comparisons to.
Ball Flight: The high ball flight was the one thing that stuck out the most to me all day. I've been making some grip changes, so that helped, but I definitely launched the ball higher with every club yesterday. Even when I dropped a Chrome Soft or a ProV1 that I had in the bag, I was hitting it high, but not as high as the HL3 SmackDaddy. I'd like to get some e5s to do some comparisons because I really enjoyed the ball fight from them last year. That's probably the closest comparison I could point to.
Durability: I had two in my pocket yesterday that I changed in and out during the round and I bounced one off a tree and bladed a full wedge with another, they both showed minimal wear after the round. Right on par with what I've seen from other balls. I will put the same balls in play next round and see if they last another full round. I expect a ball to last me at least two rounds as long as too many trees or cart paths get in my way. All things considered, the durability of the HL3 SmackDaddy is solid.
Distance: According to their website, Lightning says in their tests the HL3 SmackDaddy was 6 yards longer on average than the ProV1. Nothing outrageous to report here, solid distance. Comparable to most balls I've gamed over the last year. I don't think I lose any distance with the HL3 SmackDaddy in play, but if I am getting more distance, it's minimal.
Feel: Both my playing partner and I both enjoyed the feel of the HL3 SmackDaddy. If you were to take the logos off of the competition and put it in play next to the HL3 SmackDaddy, I think more would choose this ball than you would expect. It reminded me of the Chrome Soft in the feel department.
LightMark I.D. System: Lightning says "Rather than drawing all over your golf ball, use our unique LightMark system to identify your ball quickly and easily." Recently in one of my money games I play in, two guys played the same ball and it ended up causing an awkward rules conversation when they hit the wrong ball on an approach shot. I don't normally draw circles or write initials when I identify my ball, but I will normally put a dot or two around the logo somewhere. I think this identification system is a nice feature. For the first time ever, I thought maybe I could get some different colored markers and make my marks very unique. We are creative with just about every other part of our equipment: head covers, ball markers, grips, clothes, etc. and now we can do the same with our golf ball.
Spin/Tackiness: This was something my partner pointed out at the beginning of the round. This ball feels really tacky. Even after the round, the ball still has a tacky feel to it. If I ever speak with Lightning about the ball, I would ask if this is on purpose and what would the benefit be? Could it be to help with spin? This ball performed well around the greens. We both saw some balls grab and check with the wedges around the green. I don't think it's better than some of the other balls I've gamed, but I don't think it is a weakness, either. It did what about what I expect from my golf ball.
At the end of the round, my partner asked about where he could get some because he really enjoyed it. I tend to agree. I never once thought about changing to a different ball during the round today and that says a lot, in my opinion. I've started a round with a certain ball before, only to change it during the round at some point because I didn't like its performance. That did not happen with the HL3 SmackDaddy. Their subscription service is intriguing, but for now, I think the 12 I received for testing will last me a good while. If I continue to see the same ball flight and durability from the HL3 SmackDaddy, I could see it causing a WITB signature change.
Looking forward to any questions you guys have! Thanks again to THP and Lightning for this opportunity!
Review #1: Twin City Country Club 4/3/15
We had absolutely perfect weather yesterday, so I took the day off and headed out to the course with a buddy. As we warmed up, I told him I had a ball I wanted him to try and so we stepped up to the first tee, a long par 5, and hit driver. He went first and the first thing we both said was "Wow." Higher ball flight than normal, so he took a breakfast ball and hit almost the same exact shot. Higher than normal, but the distance was similar to what he sees.
I've always fought getting the ball up in the air with almost every club, so I was encouraged by his tee shot. So I step up and hit driver and hit a nice high straight ball that missed the fairway just barely on the right. Way higher ball flight than I'm used to. I was concerned this would mean shorter distance, but we got down to our tee shots and I was at least 5 yards longer than normal. I say that because I usually can get my drive around the 250 yard marker in the fairway, but I had only 240-ish into the green. I was impressed.
On their website (http://lightninggolfball.com/pages/hl3-smack-daddy-golf-ball), Lightning boasts the following about the HL3 SmackDaddy: Great Distance, Tour-Quality Feel, Durability and the LightMark I.D. System. When it comes to a golf ball, I really look for two things: spin help and durability. I've gamed lots of different balls over the past year: B330-S, e5, SR2, Chrome Soft, just to name a few. So those are the balls I will be making comparisons to.
Ball Flight: The high ball flight was the one thing that stuck out the most to me all day. I've been making some grip changes, so that helped, but I definitely launched the ball higher with every club yesterday. Even when I dropped a Chrome Soft or a ProV1 that I had in the bag, I was hitting it high, but not as high as the HL3 SmackDaddy. I'd like to get some e5s to do some comparisons because I really enjoyed the ball fight from them last year. That's probably the closest comparison I could point to.
Durability: I had two in my pocket yesterday that I changed in and out during the round and I bounced one off a tree and bladed a full wedge with another, they both showed minimal wear after the round. Right on par with what I've seen from other balls. I will put the same balls in play next round and see if they last another full round. I expect a ball to last me at least two rounds as long as too many trees or cart paths get in my way. All things considered, the durability of the HL3 SmackDaddy is solid.
Distance: According to their website, Lightning says in their tests the HL3 SmackDaddy was 6 yards longer on average than the ProV1. Nothing outrageous to report here, solid distance. Comparable to most balls I've gamed over the last year. I don't think I lose any distance with the HL3 SmackDaddy in play, but if I am getting more distance, it's minimal.
Feel: Both my playing partner and I both enjoyed the feel of the HL3 SmackDaddy. If you were to take the logos off of the competition and put it in play next to the HL3 SmackDaddy, I think more would choose this ball than you would expect. It reminded me of the Chrome Soft in the feel department.
LightMark I.D. System: Lightning says "Rather than drawing all over your golf ball, use our unique LightMark system to identify your ball quickly and easily." Recently in one of my money games I play in, two guys played the same ball and it ended up causing an awkward rules conversation when they hit the wrong ball on an approach shot. I don't normally draw circles or write initials when I identify my ball, but I will normally put a dot or two around the logo somewhere. I think this identification system is a nice feature. For the first time ever, I thought maybe I could get some different colored markers and make my marks very unique. We are creative with just about every other part of our equipment: head covers, ball markers, grips, clothes, etc. and now we can do the same with our golf ball.
Spin/Tackiness: This was something my partner pointed out at the beginning of the round. This ball feels really tacky. Even after the round, the ball still has a tacky feel to it. If I ever speak with Lightning about the ball, I would ask if this is on purpose and what would the benefit be? Could it be to help with spin? This ball performed well around the greens. We both saw some balls grab and check with the wedges around the green. I don't think it's better than some of the other balls I've gamed, but I don't think it is a weakness, either. It did what about what I expect from my golf ball.
At the end of the round, my partner asked about where he could get some because he really enjoyed it. I tend to agree. I never once thought about changing to a different ball during the round today and that says a lot, in my opinion. I've started a round with a certain ball before, only to change it during the round at some point because I didn't like its performance. That did not happen with the HL3 SmackDaddy. Their subscription service is intriguing, but for now, I think the 12 I received for testing will last me a good while. If I continue to see the same ball flight and durability from the HL3 SmackDaddy, I could see it causing a WITB signature change.
Looking forward to any questions you guys have! Thanks again to THP and Lightning for this opportunity!
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- Joined
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Great stuff so far guys!
#Team441 for the win in Legacy. #IAmWithHarry
#Team441 for the win in Legacy. #IAmWithHarry
Great stuff so far guys. I may have missed it, but these are urethane cover right?
Miller Time
Twitter - @joshmlr
Yessir. Urethane cover.
coers
@andrewcoers
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Well got out this morning and started with them on the putting green by putting and doing some chipping. I put the Lightning balls up against Callaway Chrome Soft, Monsta Golf Ball, and the Bridgestone B330RX. After that I put it in play for 18.
Putting- Feels great off the putter, thought it felt similar to the b330rx. I always mark my balls with a marker but the alignment marker on the ball is a nice feature and I actually just ended up using it. Today on the front nine I had a great putting game and just liked the feel off the putter.
Chipping- I didn't think the ball did to bad with chipping today. Not as much as check as the Monsta but thought it was similar to the b330rx and the chrome soft.
Pitch shots and shots into the greens- This is where the ball shined for me. I am a 16-18 handicap player and i never really see check or backspin with wedges and irons into the green. Today was about 75 yards out with my wedge and I had the ball coming in close to the pin, ended up with some backspin about 5 feet. Other shots with the 9/8/7 iron into the green, the ball was usually 3-6 feet around the ball mark.
Ball Flight- For me today the ball played more of a high flight mixed in with some mid flights. At times today we had wind gusts of maybe 20mph and I thought the ball handled pretty great into the wind.
Durability- Today I mainly played in the fairway, rough, sand and the green. No cart paths or tree's met this ball. But after the round the ball still looked good, just took the shine off.
Overall thoughts- Well today during the round shot pretty decent and had no OB's so only played with one Lightning ball the whole time. When I can do that I know that's a pretty legit ball. Another thing I liked about this ball is how you can easier just mark the ball with you sharpie so it's easy to see if it's yours. But this ball really felt tacky and could tell it is great around the green. Next week doesn't look good for weather with a lot of April showers coming but I'll get out there when I can for you guys. But overall I thought the ball was great and defiantly could see buying another dozen after these. Lightning has a great ball here and it showed today. So more testing to continue though for me.
Putting- Feels great off the putter, thought it felt similar to the b330rx. I always mark my balls with a marker but the alignment marker on the ball is a nice feature and I actually just ended up using it. Today on the front nine I had a great putting game and just liked the feel off the putter.
Chipping- I didn't think the ball did to bad with chipping today. Not as much as check as the Monsta but thought it was similar to the b330rx and the chrome soft.
Pitch shots and shots into the greens- This is where the ball shined for me. I am a 16-18 handicap player and i never really see check or backspin with wedges and irons into the green. Today was about 75 yards out with my wedge and I had the ball coming in close to the pin, ended up with some backspin about 5 feet. Other shots with the 9/8/7 iron into the green, the ball was usually 3-6 feet around the ball mark.
Ball Flight- For me today the ball played more of a high flight mixed in with some mid flights. At times today we had wind gusts of maybe 20mph and I thought the ball handled pretty great into the wind.
Durability- Today I mainly played in the fairway, rough, sand and the green. No cart paths or tree's met this ball. But after the round the ball still looked good, just took the shine off.
Overall thoughts- Well today during the round shot pretty decent and had no OB's so only played with one Lightning ball the whole time. When I can do that I know that's a pretty legit ball. Another thing I liked about this ball is how you can easier just mark the ball with you sharpie so it's easy to see if it's yours. But this ball really felt tacky and could tell it is great around the green. Next week doesn't look good for weather with a lot of April showers coming but I'll get out there when I can for you guys. But overall I thought the ball was great and defiantly could see buying another dozen after these. Lightning has a great ball here and it showed today. So more testing to continue though for me.
Miller Time
Twitter - @joshmlr
So I mentioned in my review that my buddy really enjoyed the HL3 SmackDaddy. He used to buy ProV1s all the time and I told him he should try other balls. He enjoyed it so much that I got this text a little earlier.
You really should give this ball a shot. I'm looking forward to my next round on Thursday to see if I get similar results.
You really should give this ball a shot. I'm looking forward to my next round on Thursday to see if I get similar results.
PureLiquidHell
New member
I wanted to play 18 today and put the Lightning to work there but I woke up to downpour. Maybe it will clear up later but my course is famous for poor drainage and I don't want to start plugging these balls. Ill see how today pans out.
Jeanthemachine
Earl of Limerick
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Its tough to get old.
This is actually my fourth installment but the first three were written to the original sign up thread. Now that I have found the right spot I will report my findings.
My first two sessions were at the putting and chipping practice areas. On both occasions and on the third visit today I hit short shots with the Lightning HL3, a ProV1 and a B330RX. I was very pleased with the HL3; it feels and sounds soft (due to the cover?) and reacts very much the same as the other balls. When properly struck with 60*, 56*, pitching wedge and 8 iron all three balls spin, check and release to very similar distances.
For short game results I don't think I could choose among them. In fact, if I placed the balls so I could not see the logos I really could not pick one form another.
Now, yesterday I put the HL3 to the test on the golf course. I did not hit a lot of high quality shots but right from the first tee shot to the last pitch to the 18th green I found the ball to "hard" to "harsh".
I am a slow swinger (85 mph) so I don't generate a lot of power but this ball actually felt heavy to me, especially on mis-hits. I did not notice any difference in trajectory but the ball did not seem to curve much. I am a straight hitter but even trying to hit a hard hook I did not put a lot of spin on the ball in spite of the soft cover.
I do not think there was any appreciable difference in distance; drives, hybrids and irons all traveled similar distances to my experiences with other balls.
I had several bladed shots and a couple of sand shots and the ball looked as good at the end as it did at the beginning.
My score was 83 with 2 doubles on the back nine so scoring was not compromised even though I did not like the feel.
I will continue to use and review these balls until I manage to loose or destroy them but my first on-course experience leads me to believe I will be back to Titleist and Bridgstone when that happens.
This is actually my fourth installment but the first three were written to the original sign up thread. Now that I have found the right spot I will report my findings.
My first two sessions were at the putting and chipping practice areas. On both occasions and on the third visit today I hit short shots with the Lightning HL3, a ProV1 and a B330RX. I was very pleased with the HL3; it feels and sounds soft (due to the cover?) and reacts very much the same as the other balls. When properly struck with 60*, 56*, pitching wedge and 8 iron all three balls spin, check and release to very similar distances.
For short game results I don't think I could choose among them. In fact, if I placed the balls so I could not see the logos I really could not pick one form another.
Now, yesterday I put the HL3 to the test on the golf course. I did not hit a lot of high quality shots but right from the first tee shot to the last pitch to the 18th green I found the ball to "hard" to "harsh".
I am a slow swinger (85 mph) so I don't generate a lot of power but this ball actually felt heavy to me, especially on mis-hits. I did not notice any difference in trajectory but the ball did not seem to curve much. I am a straight hitter but even trying to hit a hard hook I did not put a lot of spin on the ball in spite of the soft cover.
I do not think there was any appreciable difference in distance; drives, hybrids and irons all traveled similar distances to my experiences with other balls.
I had several bladed shots and a couple of sand shots and the ball looked as good at the end as it did at the beginning.
My score was 83 with 2 doubles on the back nine so scoring was not compromised even though I did not like the feel.
I will continue to use and review these balls until I manage to loose or destroy them but my first on-course experience leads me to believe I will be back to Titleist and Bridgstone when that happens.
coers
@andrewcoers
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Well got back out tonight to the course and just worked with the balls on the short game area and putting green. Other balls I was practicing were B330RX, Chrome Softs, and the Prov1.
Pitch shots- Worked on 20 yard pitch shots and the lightning balls seemed to get similar similar results to the B330RX for me. I was getting more spin more check with the Prov1's and less with the chrome softs. But with me playing B330RX I was liking what I was seeing.
Chip shots- This is where I really enjoyed these balls tonight. I was checking the balls pretty good tonight with the 9 iron. Even got one of the lightning balls in the hole with the chip shot.
Sand shots- Another area where I enjoyed these. Sand trap weren't the great but I was seeing good result's still. I wasn't getting crazy spin for the full shots but really slowed the release down which I was liking. Once again was I was seeing similar results to the Bridgestones.
Putting- Felt good off the face and I thought it felt closer to the Chrome soft when putting. Putting control seemed good to, made some decent length putts. I tried using the line up marker that's on the ball but I am just more used to a straight line.
Suppose to be raining till Friday so I wanted to make sure I got out tonight to do some testing. Will be back out Saturday playing and practicing, so if anyone has any questions for me or anyone let us know!! But so far really enjoying these with the short game around the green.
Pitch shots- Worked on 20 yard pitch shots and the lightning balls seemed to get similar similar results to the B330RX for me. I was getting more spin more check with the Prov1's and less with the chrome softs. But with me playing B330RX I was liking what I was seeing.
Chip shots- This is where I really enjoyed these balls tonight. I was checking the balls pretty good tonight with the 9 iron. Even got one of the lightning balls in the hole with the chip shot.
Sand shots- Another area where I enjoyed these. Sand trap weren't the great but I was seeing good result's still. I wasn't getting crazy spin for the full shots but really slowed the release down which I was liking. Once again was I was seeing similar results to the Bridgestones.
Putting- Felt good off the face and I thought it felt closer to the Chrome soft when putting. Putting control seemed good to, made some decent length putts. I tried using the line up marker that's on the ball but I am just more used to a straight line.
Suppose to be raining till Friday so I wanted to make sure I got out tonight to do some testing. Will be back out Saturday playing and practicing, so if anyone has any questions for me or anyone let us know!! But so far really enjoying these with the short game around the green.
TheCrest4
#UrbanLumberJack
Been awesome to read your guys reviews and thoughts about this ball. Keep up the good work.
coers
@andrewcoers
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Thanks Jesse, just doing what I can so I can help out THP and others. This is a legit ball, only issues I see with golf balls where you can buy them online is getting people to buy there balls online instead of the stores on the course. But that's just my thought.
TheCrest4
#UrbanLumberJack
You got it man. One of my favorite reviews on THP are these smaller ball companies. Just one of those things that we can always tinker and try out with out spending a ton of money.
coers
@andrewcoers
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Yep Yep. I wanted to try out the Monsta golf ball tonight with it but couldn't find one in my bag lol... But yea great company and they got them a solid golf ball.
TheCrest4
#UrbanLumberJack
Haha that was exactly the other company I was thinking of. Great minds think a like...
coers
@andrewcoers
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Yes sir. I got a sleeve I used on Saturday to test. Just gotta find those balls again. I really like the Monsta ball, and me only using one Lightning golf ball for a whole round Saturday means a lot.
PureLiquidHell
New member
My quest for a dry course paid off big time today. I went 30 miles north to my hometown of GrantsPass and was surprised to see no rain at all. I went to my original home course where it all started for me Dutcher Creek. Some of my bad habits from last year are still around but as a whole my swing changes are starting to work for me, so I expect my round to be up and down at times.
I played the Lightning exclusively today and had some great results. The temperature stayed around 50 and had periods of some decent wind gusts.
Feel: This is one of this balls best features, its definitely a firmer ball compared to the Chrome Soft but still has a nice soft powerful feel much like the 330s/330rx and ProV1x. Its sound is mutted with a slight click to it. Around the green wasn't bad, its firmness comes threw most here. With that said it still feels surprisingly nice.
Flight: I can definitely echo the talk of a nice high flight, but surprisingly it didn't balloon on me at all. It did quite nice in wind as well. What I liked the most was how well this ball did with my driver. I don't think it helps me like the e6, but it does spin nice and low. Distance was on par with balls in its category aswell.
Durability: Its exactly what you would expect with a good urethane ball, I had some marks after 12 holes on one ball but nothing significant. The other ball I had in the rotation was unmarked.
The bonus: I had by far my best shot this year with a Lightning. #10 par 5 I lost my drive(not a Lightning, I've lost a lot of balls on this hole so I played a different ball off the tee), after my drop my third shot was 215 yards out. Dropped a Lightning and pulled my 19°fwy I hit the fringe and rolled on to 10-12 feet out, the Lightning gave me a beautiful ball flight and landed nice and soft. I saved par.
I think this ball has some serious upside, so far so very good. Lightning may have a customer in me after these reviews.
I played the Lightning exclusively today and had some great results. The temperature stayed around 50 and had periods of some decent wind gusts.
Feel: This is one of this balls best features, its definitely a firmer ball compared to the Chrome Soft but still has a nice soft powerful feel much like the 330s/330rx and ProV1x. Its sound is mutted with a slight click to it. Around the green wasn't bad, its firmness comes threw most here. With that said it still feels surprisingly nice.
Flight: I can definitely echo the talk of a nice high flight, but surprisingly it didn't balloon on me at all. It did quite nice in wind as well. What I liked the most was how well this ball did with my driver. I don't think it helps me like the e6, but it does spin nice and low. Distance was on par with balls in its category aswell.
Durability: Its exactly what you would expect with a good urethane ball, I had some marks after 12 holes on one ball but nothing significant. The other ball I had in the rotation was unmarked.
The bonus: I had by far my best shot this year with a Lightning. #10 par 5 I lost my drive(not a Lightning, I've lost a lot of balls on this hole so I played a different ball off the tee), after my drop my third shot was 215 yards out. Dropped a Lightning and pulled my 19°fwy I hit the fringe and rolled on to 10-12 feet out, the Lightning gave me a beautiful ball flight and landed nice and soft. I saved par.
I think this ball has some serious upside, so far so very good. Lightning may have a customer in me after these reviews.
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Maddog701
Active member
My second update on the Lightning Smackdaddy. On Sunday Six4three5 invited me over to watch the golf on TV and to be able to test the Smackdaddy against the Bridgestoen b330 and the Titlest Prov1, both are brand new balls. I was able to do a fairly extensive test on short 3' putts to 8' putts. I should add that six4three5 has a True Putt simulated putting surface in his man cave ( he has posted pics of his sweet set up on THP ). The speed is about medium to just a touch slow but as real as you can get next to the real grass.
I started with a 5' putt. Then i moved to a 8' putt and finally moved to the 3' putt. All of the balls rolled about the same speed and lines. All of the balls had a lineup stripe on them and i used the lines for the first three putts for every distance. I used my Ben Hogan 1415 putter for a round of 3 putts each. Thanks to six4three5s collection of putters i was able to do a more in depth test.
I was able to use a Bridgestone True Balance mallet style for a round of 3 putts each as well as a Bridgestone True Balance blade style for a round of three putts each. Both have soft inserts in the face.
Next up was a Scotty Camron blade style putter for round of three putts each.
The final test was with a limited edition number 18 of 25 See More MRP1 ( i think) for a round of three putts each.
All of the putts had a similar roll to them. I did not feel a difference between the Smackdaddy and the b330. The Prov1 felt just a little firmer on my putter but i really could not tell the difference with the other putters i tested with.
So far i do like the feel on the putter club face and would not hesitate to putt with the Lightning Smackdaddy. I still have to put it through its pace on the course yet. Hope the weather man in Western New York gets us some good news soon....more to follow when i get some time on the simulator later tonight!
I started with a 5' putt. Then i moved to a 8' putt and finally moved to the 3' putt. All of the balls rolled about the same speed and lines. All of the balls had a lineup stripe on them and i used the lines for the first three putts for every distance. I used my Ben Hogan 1415 putter for a round of 3 putts each. Thanks to six4three5s collection of putters i was able to do a more in depth test.
I was able to use a Bridgestone True Balance mallet style for a round of 3 putts each as well as a Bridgestone True Balance blade style for a round of three putts each. Both have soft inserts in the face.
Next up was a Scotty Camron blade style putter for round of three putts each.
The final test was with a limited edition number 18 of 25 See More MRP1 ( i think) for a round of three putts each.
All of the putts had a similar roll to them. I did not feel a difference between the Smackdaddy and the b330. The Prov1 felt just a little firmer on my putter but i really could not tell the difference with the other putters i tested with.
So far i do like the feel on the putter club face and would not hesitate to putt with the Lightning Smackdaddy. I still have to put it through its pace on the course yet. Hope the weather man in Western New York gets us some good news soon....more to follow when i get some time on the simulator later tonight!
Shakey
#TheGolfWhisperer
Got a chance to get & play with these balls on Tuesday afternoon & I was not dissapointed.
The wind has blowing at 20mph when I tee'd off, so it was a good chance to put them to the test.
The first thing I noticed was that the ball had more of a piercing trajectory off the driver than the balls I normally play (Duo & Duo Spin). Not sure if this could all be attributed to the ball because this was the first round I'd played with with a ten finger grip with the driver. Regardless, the ball did not balloon on tee shots into the wind. With a mid 90s driver swing speed, I was worried if I would lose yardage because I wouldn't be able to compress the ball like I can the Duo. That was not the case. Distance was on par with my normal drives. Once again, maybe the ball or maybe I was just on with the driver, but I saw very little side spin & hit all but 1 fairway.
I liked the ball off my irons as well. Spin was great. I even backed up a 7i a couple of feet. I prefer a soft feel at impact & the HL3s were satisfactory in that aspect. Not soft as a Duo, but what is? Distance was consistent. I didn't hit any shots that produced unexpected results.
Chipping performance was solid & what I expect from a "tour level" ball. You can play them to bite hard or roll out depending on the style of chip used.
Putting with my Southside, I got a solid, but not clicky sound. Distance control was solid as well.
All in all, a very respectable performace all around.
If I had to compare them to other balls I've played, the Chrome +, ProV1x & Old FG Tour X come to mind. A little harder than some premium balls, but not much.
I did lose one of the balls by hitting into some rocks next to the green on a 215 yd par 3, but I'll be taking the remaining 11 to TX this weekend so some other guys can check them out as well.
The wind has blowing at 20mph when I tee'd off, so it was a good chance to put them to the test.
The first thing I noticed was that the ball had more of a piercing trajectory off the driver than the balls I normally play (Duo & Duo Spin). Not sure if this could all be attributed to the ball because this was the first round I'd played with with a ten finger grip with the driver. Regardless, the ball did not balloon on tee shots into the wind. With a mid 90s driver swing speed, I was worried if I would lose yardage because I wouldn't be able to compress the ball like I can the Duo. That was not the case. Distance was on par with my normal drives. Once again, maybe the ball or maybe I was just on with the driver, but I saw very little side spin & hit all but 1 fairway.
I liked the ball off my irons as well. Spin was great. I even backed up a 7i a couple of feet. I prefer a soft feel at impact & the HL3s were satisfactory in that aspect. Not soft as a Duo, but what is? Distance was consistent. I didn't hit any shots that produced unexpected results.
Chipping performance was solid & what I expect from a "tour level" ball. You can play them to bite hard or roll out depending on the style of chip used.
Putting with my Southside, I got a solid, but not clicky sound. Distance control was solid as well.
All in all, a very respectable performace all around.
If I had to compare them to other balls I've played, the Chrome +, ProV1x & Old FG Tour X come to mind. A little harder than some premium balls, but not much.
I did lose one of the balls by hitting into some rocks next to the green on a 215 yd par 3, but I'll be taking the remaining 11 to TX this weekend so some other guys can check them out as well.
Miller Time
Twitter - @joshmlr
Review coming later, but check this out. An absolute steal.
Yeah, saw that this morning. Based on that and the reviews from the THPers, I ordered a dozen. Most of my balls are yellow but it's nice to have white ones in Michigan come dandelion season and when the leaves hit the ground. Plus, I'm looking forward to trying these things out.
PureLiquidHell
New member
I might have to buy a dozen or two. This ball is legit and I can't wait to get over this cold so I can get back to work on this review.