Blind Ball Testing Review Thread

enjoy reading these reviews. Good job Tim, Bogey, Trout, and Hanks. Seems these balls are great around the greens. Really interested in what these balls are and if they compare to the Pentas.
 
enjoy reading these reviews. Good job Tim, Bogey, Trout, and Hanks. Seems these balls are great around the greens. Really interested in what these balls are and if they compare to the Pentas.

My ball of choice for the past 2 months has been the Penta. I have enjoyed testing this ball, and have really noticed a big difference in my short game with this ball compared to the Penta. Not ready to say that I am completely sold on Ball X yet, but it continues to impress me each time I take it out there. The ability to control it with the short game is great, and I love the ball flight it has coming off the short irons and wedges. Going to get a few more rounds with it, and if it continues to preform like it has, it will be a close call. Will definitely have to give this ball a direct comparison to my usual ball to see which out preforms which.
 
My ball of choice for the past 2 months has been the Penta. I have enjoyed testing this ball, and have really noticed a big difference in my short game with this ball compared to the Penta. Not ready to say that I am completely sold on Ball X yet, but it continues to impress me each time I take it out there. The ability to control it with the short game is great, and I love the ball flight it has coming off the short irons and wedges. Going to get a few more rounds with it, and if it continues to preform like it has, it will be a close call. Will definitely have to give this ball a direct comparison to my usual ball to see which out preforms which.

Very interesting. I love the Pentas distance, plus being matched with great spin(wedge shots back up on avg 5ft while others about 6inches). I barely chip around the greens(always use a 60* wedge even within a few feet of the green and lots of green to work with) which is something im working on but sometimes the pentas check up real fast and others it will roll out a bit which i like the mixture as i can play different shots. Excited to find out which ball this is.
 
Liking the recaps so far boys, keep up the good work. :clapp:
 
I know I've asked which ball all the testers are currently playing already, but I was wondering if you all could list it in your sig?
 
I know I've asked which ball all the testers are currently playing already, but I was wondering if you all could list it in your sig?


The last few months has been the 1x, I need to update my sig
 
Just a bit of curiosity. I'd also love to hear about your strengths, weakness, typical shot, swingspeed, etc during your reviews.

I'm really enjoying the feedback so far. This is really fun! I marked the rest of my mystery balls tonight and will try to get to the sim on Tuesday evening if possible.
 
Just looking at the picture of Brand X, I have a feeling it could be one of potentially two brands...not gonna reveal, just have a gut feeling. One of the two brands I am thinking I have played some and really like a great deal.
 
So I just got caught up on all of the feedback. I am loving the fact that people are getting some added distance, with plenty of bite on wedges, all while the ball is holding up. So wait, a long, spinny, durable ball? I'll have some of that please.
 
A little late to the party, but here goes.


Ball X Testing Day One:
I only had time to hit the chip-n-putt area after work so we'll start there.
CHIPPING: For fear of immediately judging Ball X against something else, I just dropped them in the grass alone. It's been a while, apparently, since the course has trimmed up around the chipping green, so it was pretty high and fluffy. I chose a spot about 15yds off the fringe and set up with a 58* xFT with the old grooves. I started shooting for a pin that was about 20 feet onto the green with another 10 feet behind it to the back fringe.
The feel off the wege was very nice and not very different from what I'm used to feeling.There was a tiny click if hit even a tiny bit off-center, but whatever. The ball came off nice and floated to the point I'd chosen for a landing zone. I basically was able to drop these balls right out of the box and start making 15-20 yard pitches with good accuracy. The were rolling out more than I thought necessary until I remembered I was in some pretty fluffy grass and basically just sliding the club under the ball and not pinching it at all. I was able to put all six balls within a reasonable putting distance with no prior shots on the balls. The furthest ball was one that made it to the back fringe about 10ft past. The rest were probably within 4-7 feet. I was able to repeat this from the same point to different pins on the green for 5 rounds of pitching. I quickly adapted to the rollout and was dropping ball after ball 2/3 of the way to the hole and letting them roll out. The best ones were when I was going for a short pin and was landing each ball on the fringe. With this extra bit of something to grab on to, the balls stopped almost dead in their tracks and rolled a foot or so towards the pin. Given that I wasn't really getting any sort of full swing on these, I'd say they performed admirably and I was very quickly able to learn their characteristics and do what I wanted with them.
I hit two sets of six shots from the practice bunker just to see what would happen. I've always been (usually) pretty good out of sand and I thought Ball X did just fine. The bunker is deep with a wall up front so getting it up is mandatory, but the fringe is just a foot from that bunker edge; the target pin about six paces from there. I don't know how much is really the player or the ball coming from sand, but they did what I expected and I was able to keep all 12 on the green and within a 8ish foot circle.
PUTTING: The greens, unlike the rough around them, were freshly cut and looked really nice. My course isn't known for fast greens, but this one was running very true at the time. I started with the 6 balls going for an easy right-to-left breaker to about 7 feet. Before the first ball even made it 1/2 way to the cup, I thought the sound and feel of the ball was VERY good and very similar to what I'm used to hearing/feeling. That first ball just skirted the right edge and stopped 2in behind the hole. The 2nd and 3rd were drained, dead center. The next three I hit off the toe on purpose. The sound changed only slightly and the balls made it about 90% of the distance the dead centers made it. So far so good. I felt right at home with this ball and didn't really experience the shortness others did in their testing. I don't know if that can be attributed to the fact I don't play ProV's, etc or the fact I use a sledgehammer for a putter (the Heavy Putter B3-M). What I did next was to just go straight to a long distance pin with a crazy 4ft break up a hill. It was probably a 20ft putt and the balls, again, did what I thought they might. I thought they might start to sound different by having to really muscle it up that hill, but they felt soft and smooth and sounded great. The first was way short, probably my fault. The second made it in distance but I missed the line. The third hit the pin and kicked off a little. Needless to say, in moving all over the green and doing both long putts and tap-ins, Ball X felt really smooth and I was able to immediately play it based on what I'm used to playing. Here's where I hate to start comparing, but in putting, I thought it felt very much like my Diablo Tours.
I am going to do another full round of chipping and putting before I lose all these things and this time I will drop at least three different types of branded balls to compare, so stay tuned for that.

Ball X Testing Day Two:
Saturday-
In the morning I volunteered to work the annual Hooters Tour event about 30 miles from home. It got hot quickly and by the time I got in the car at noon, I was already sweating like mad. The heat/humidity here in GA is awful sometimes. Anyway, I drove back to my home course and basically "trunk slammed" the first tee shot. (term I just learned for getting the clubs out of the car and going straight to the first tee box with no warmup!)
I get on #1 (564 Par 5) and do a few swings and tee up my first Ball X (using a tee courtesy of the guys at Vision). I just wanted to put it in play so I wasn't trying anything fancy. I caught it a bit low on the face and it still went about 220 dead straight. The ball flight was a low-to-mid penetrating flight with some rollout, likely due to the way I (mis)hit the ball. Regardless, there I was dead in the middle. Second shot was 3W that I killed. I seriously haven't hit a 3W like that in a few weeks. Ball flew a tad higher than I'm used to, but very nice and loooong, sustained flight. I couldn't see the landing from where I was, but it was certainly longer than my drive (I forgot to pack the GPS). The 58* into the green was pulled some, but it was pin high, which like putting the day before, told me the distance was similar to what I'm used to playing. Putts were smooth and true and made par.
#2 is a dogleg left par 4. I monkeypullyankhooked the drive into some dirt and tall grass/weeds. I put a nice 4hy on it to the front of the green and chipped up and then in for another par.
#3 is a slight dogleg right par 4. I finally totally flushed a drive and it jumped off high and with a slight fade around the bend and landed soft 100yds out. The sound off the Octane Tour was amazing. It was a sound I could really get used to. The ball felt soft and compressed and.....did I mention the sound? The only thing I noticed was that it was a higher ball flight than my usual choice of ball. Sadly, I yanked a wedge into a bunker and doubled the hole.
#4 is par 3, downhill playing to about 155. I hit 7i and as soon as it left the club, I thought it had a chance of going in! I usually get a slight draw on my irons, starting with that 7 on down to the GW. I was waiting for it to draw into the hole but it never did. Had it done so, it had a chance. As it turned out, it stayed a tad right and flew maybe a yard or two past hole-high, bounced once straight up and stopped. Two putt :-( for par.
#5 is pretty much the most hated hole on the course even thought it's handicapped the 13th. It's a long par 5 that turns left and then right. Also, the entire fairway leans to the left and into the woods and is lined along the right with 100ft pines. I smashed another that actually drew a bit around the corner and stopped 1 inch from the first cut. Although certainly not the smart play, I took 3w again and bombed another HIGH ball through some pines and when I got up to the hole, found out I was only about 20yds off the front. Then I skulled the wedge shot, had to chip on again from the back, and two putted. Sadface!
#6-18 I won't bore you with but I'll wrap up with a couple more notes. I hit 69.2% of fairways; my highest number all year. To make it better, a couple that were off, were barely off.
Again, ball flights were higher, but the distance seemed comparable to my ball. I hit each club the distance I would on any other day. When caught flush, this thing is butter off the club face. I hit a couple mid irons that I swear I never felt hit the ball.
I don't want to get too carried away, because I still have some more to play and compare, but this particular round, playing EXLUSIVELY with Ball X, I shot a 89 and had one of the best long club days I can remember in quite a while. My putting was on par with any other day and I'd say if I had played this exact round with my own ball, I wouldn't have been surprised or aggravated or anything else, because it performed the same as I'm used to.


More to come............
 
ok im ready to know what kind of ball this is!... sorry i'm very impatient! Great feedback so far from the testers. can't wait to read more.
 
ok im ready to know what kind of ball this is!... sorry i'm very impatient! Great feedback so far from the testers. can't wait to read more.

Patience dude patience...there are testers who haven't even posted yet.
 
Good write up Toad, glad to see you're enjoying this ball as much as the rest of us.
 
keep'm coming!
With all the reviews being consistent I was confused at first, thinking that every test received a different set of balls.
 
Unfortunately, I will not be able to perform this round of ball testing. I tried to go Saturday after work, and my phone rang as I was getting to the course forcing me to return to work to repair someones A/C. Sunday, I was getting my shoes on at the range, and my phone rings again. Wife tells me it smells like something in the main breaker panel at my house is burning. So this is how I spent my Sunday

SDC10788.jpg


Many of the wires were too short to reach the breakers in the new load center, so I have a bunch of temporary wiring to get my house running. But I basically have to rewire about 2/3 of my house to get everything taken care of and back up to the NEC codes, while eliminating all of the aluminum wiring. Golf time = zero.

I got in touch with THP HQ and we have selected a replacement tester. I will have the balls shipped to DawgDaddy today. I know he will do a fantastic job in my stead.
 
I got in touch with THP HQ and we have selected a replacement tester. I will have the balls shipped to DawgDaddy today. I know he will do a fantastic job in my stead.

Yikes mdbuschsr! Sorry for your troubles. DD will do a great job!
 
Matt, I am so sorry to be filling in under the circumstances as I look forward to you input on any item or topic. I am glad that you were able to catch the electrical problems before any proberty loss or worse. I always look forward to your reviews and thoughts on any topic. I will do my best to be a fair and impartial tester and will be posting soon.
 
Unfortunately, I will not be able to perform this round of ball testing. I tried to go Saturday after work, and my phone rang as I was getting to the course forcing me to return to work to repair someones A/C. Sunday, I was getting my shoes on at the range, and my phone rings again. Wife tells me it smells like something in the main breaker panel at my house is burning. So this is how I spent my Sunday

SDC10788.jpg


Many of the wires were too short to reach the breakers in the new load center, so I have a bunch of temporary wiring to get my house running. But I basically have to rewire about 2/3 of my house to get everything taken care of and back up to the NEC codes, while eliminating all of the aluminum wiring. Golf time = zero.

I got in touch with THP HQ and we have selected a replacement tester. I will have the balls shipped to DawgDaddy today. I know he will do a fantastic job in my stead.

Damn dudeI don't envy you on that project at all. However it is a great thing that you caught it before anything bad happened to you or your family.
 
So I just got caught up on all of the feedback. I am loving the fact that people are getting some added distance, with plenty of bite on wedges, all while the ball is holding up. So wait, a long, spinny, durable ball? I'll have some of that please.

Haha agreed. The 3 things everyone wants in a ball. Keep the reviews coming guys, they are really solid.
 
Unfortunately, I will not be able to perform this round of ball testing. I tried to go Saturday after work, and my phone rang as I was getting to the course forcing me to return to work to repair someones A/C. Sunday, I was getting my shoes on at the range, and my phone rings again. Wife tells me it smells like something in the main breaker panel at my house is burning. So this is how I spent my Sunday

SDC10788.jpg


Many of the wires were too short to reach the breakers in the new load center, so I have a bunch of temporary wiring to get my house running. But I basically have to rewire about 2/3 of my house to get everything taken care of and back up to the NEC codes, while eliminating all of the aluminum wiring. Golf time = zero.

I got in touch with THP HQ and we have selected a replacement tester. I will have the balls shipped to DawgDaddy today. I know he will do a fantastic job in my stead.

So sorry to see this and I echo everyone's sentiments here in that it's a good thing that you caught it before anything crazy happened. You would have been a great tester and I'm also glad to see that you have a realistic and serious view on testing. For that you're a good man (not that you weren't to begin with but I digress, hehe). DD, I have full confidence that you'll do great with the testing. Welcome to the panel.
 
Haven't gotten my package of balls yet. I was hoping to use them over the weekend, but alas, I will have to wait until my Thursday league.
 
Still waiting on mine. I think the mailman did stop and camp at the rest area half way up the mountain... LOL
 
i would be waiting at the door for the ups guy everyday if i didnt have my balls by now and there are people posting reviews already lol good luck to those who are waiting still and we look forward to your feedback
 
Amazing results thus far. Can't wait to find out which balls these are or when they'll be available if not something already on the market. Sounds like just the pellet for me.
 
Slipped out of the office early yesterday and headed to the course to try these mystery balls out, played a course I haven't played in about 6 months so. The course was in absolute perfect condition, greens were receptive yet not mushy and the rough was, well it was rough.

Putting: Spent about an hour on the practice green before my round, most of that time spent with the mystery ball. I knew I liked it from the first putt. It's not clicky or muted, I would best describe the feel as smooth. The ball doesn't jump off the face yet it doesn't feel like it hangs on the face either. Feel is totally subjective, but I consistently percieved the same feel putt after putt, long and short.

Wedges: Used my PW, 54*, and 58* wedges at this time as well, came away very impressed with the audible tone of the PW on bump and run shots, and more importantly the results. The ball has that nice check on the first bounce, you all know the one I mean, ball hits and seems to kill about half it's speed the releases out. Next came the 54 and 58, I was noticing a tad more release on shots with the 58 than I remember from my normal ball, but then again I do not produce a lot of spin on those shots. I used the 54 from the practice bunker for few shots just to get the feel of how this ball would react out of the sand, it reacted well. Very predictable reaction each and every time, which is exactly what I look for in a ball.

To the course!

Driver and FW woods: Long. From the first tee I knew this ball was a touch longer on average than what I currently play. I loved the feel at impact, felt like I was really getting to the core and maximizing my distance. I didn't have any issues with exaggerated side spin that I could observe. The little extra distance was the downfall of one of the balls yesterday, I laid up with a 3 wood instead of trying to carry a marsh on a par 4, well my distance was 235 yds to the edge of the marsh, an easy 3 wood would leave me short of that. Not yesterday, sailed right into the marsh.

Irons: Little longer, durable, nice spin on approach shots. Consistently found my shots going a tad longer, perhaps the compression of ball is well suited to my swing speed. I hit a ton of iron shots yesterday and had zero issues with the cover shredding or even scuffing, yet it was easy to hold greens without really trying to get down on the ball and apply a ton of spin.

After my first round I know my results are limited but I do like what I've seen so far.
 
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