Vision Golf Ball Forum Review Thread

[SirSliceALot116]

Alright, I have finally put some of these balls into play. No thunderstorms, no rain, no scorching heat out (It's only 90 outside!)... was a green light to go.

Just as a refresher of the balls I was so kindly provided with (Thanks THP and Vision Golf), here's a photo.

Today, I put the two UV yellows (Russell and 808) and a Gel ball into play... and I'm going to be as honest as I can.

Hole #1: Par 4, 417 yards; downhill. I pulled out the Russell UV for this one and found myself hooking the ball terribly! Driving has been one of the most consistent parts of my game lately...so I was disappointed to see the ball disappear into the trees on the right. The first impact with a Vision ball felt good, I just feel like I lost control over it. On the good side, I had no trouble finding my ball. The yellow stood out in the rough and made it easy to find. I was able to punch the ball onto the fairway, pull out my 56* JAWS and put the ball on the green for a 2-putt bogie.

Hole #2: Par 4, 365 yards; creek running through the middle, and along the left side of the rough. I lost a little confidence after my first tee shot, so I tee'd up the Russell again and adjusted my alignment for a slight hook. I ripped the ball, felt great, unfortunately it had a nasty fade, and found it's way into the creek. I took a deep breath, cleared my mind, and tee'd up a gel ball, and lined myself up for another hook. This time it went relatively straight, and disappeared just over some trees down the left side--or so I thought. I thought I was in a safe landing zone, but after almost 10 minutes, I could not find the ball, and figuring it must have carried further left than I thought. Two balls lost on one hole !! Pulled out the 808 yellow ball and dropped it...knocked the ball on the short stuff with a 52 xFT wedge from about 110 out. Bombed a 30 foot putt (best putt of the day).

Hole #3: Par 5, 484 yards; Now my confidence in my drives with these balls was really starting to dwindle. 0/3 fairways. There is actually a busy road along the left side of the street...and I just could not take my mind off of it. I had never faded the ball so badly in my life as I did on hole 2. I had a half-swing drive to the dead center of the fairway...it could not have gone more than 200 yards. Pulled out my 3 wood and spanked it across a creek into a bunker. I will say that bunker play has been an extremely week part of my game as of late, but in this case, I had a great shot, landing myself probably 15 feet from the pin. Two putted for par.

Hole #4: Par 3, 163 yards; Pulled out the 6 iron and came up 10 yards short of the green. Chipped my way on, extremely short of the hole... two putted for bogie.

Hole #5: Par 4, 443 yards; This hole is evil. It doglegs left, roughly 240 or 250 yards uphill from the tee box. I tee'd the ball up, gripped it and ripped it. This time the ball finally went straight. There wasn't much wind, just a slight breeze in my face, and to my demise, the ball wound up short of where you need to have even a view of the green. Large oak(?) trees line the left side of the fairway, with yet another creek running underneath them. I pulled out a 7 iron, with the hopes up hitting the ball over the top of this monumental tree, acting as the keystone to this dogleg left. I regret not pulling out the 3 wood and trying to fade the ball around it. I made solid contact and watched the ball attempt to climb to the top of this tree's height. It just made it over, then I heard it hit another tree in the background. Shucks, I had hit the ball a littttttttttttle too far left. After a 5 minute search involving 911, rescue workers, helicopters, and a swat team, the ball was determined lost. At this point I put away the Vision balls and pulled out the TaylorMade Penta, where I found my comfort zone once again with my driver.

Summary:
Remember this is just ONE time out with the Vision balls...I still have 3 left, that I plan to take out next week (and hopefully not lose!)

Looks: I love the looks of these balls. They can be easily found in the deepest of roughs. The icons and logos around the ball help them be easily identifiable as yours, as well as great alignment aids.

Feel: I love the feel of these balls with the short game (chipping and putting) as well as short irons. I feel like I have great control of the direction and distance when approaching the green. The ball feels great on drives, no matter how poorly they are hit.

Durability: After a single solid wedge strike using the TM Penta TPs, there is noticeable tearing of the cover, and the ball is no longer as good as it was when you first hit it. However, with the Vision golf balls, there was no sign of the balls losing any of their durability.

Distance: I'll be honest, I was disappointed with the results off of the tee box with this ball. I lost confidence quickly, and it spider-webbed it's way to putting the ball away for the day. The 8th hole is a par 5, 458...and it hit my best, longest drive ever with the TM Penta TP. I pulled out a long IRON for my second shot and put it in a bunker right next to the green.

OVERALL: Like I said, as a disclaimer, this is my first time out on the course with these balls. However, after one day, I do not see myself giving up my Pentas for these balls at the moment, except for possibly using them as balls on the green to putt with. I love the looks, and they have great feel. They lack in distance & control that I need. I do not consider myself a big hitter by any means, but the results on the course today unfortunately left me feeling more confident in the ball I finished with than the ball I started with.

Nice write up on your initial thoughts Husk! Based on my testing with these balls so far, I also love the way these feel, sound, and react around the greens when it comes to putting, pitching, and chipping. However, I'm also wondering, after your initial session, if the X3's are contributing to my woes on the tee with the big stick. I've been having some huge problems off the tee lately and it hasn't improved any with the beginning of this testing, so I'm just wondering...

More thoughts on this later as I'll planning on heading out for a round late this weekend.

 

[TRyan]

Played my UV X3 balls today and shot 84. I lost one when I hooked a hybrid into the woods, but they played well again as usual. On a short par 3 I pulled a 9 iron and hit hopped twice and stopped to about 3 feet. I cant say enough about these balls and what Vision does. Boz is a great guy and their customer service is phenomenal. As soon as I have a little cash I will be buying a test pack so I can figure out which ball works best for me so I can buy them up.

If you have the chance I URGE you to test these balls out as they are phenomenal and a lot of time and effort has gone into creating this brand. The technology of the yellow ball is top notch and you can see the thing in deep rough a mile away.

Thanks again THP and Vision for an amazing opportunity.

 

[AB_from_Oz]

Hey guys,

Thought I would quickly drop by and say hello. Been following all of your progress, you have been doing a great job at reviewing the balls and I am glad to hear you guys are loving them. Only gets better the longer you play them.

Boz posted this a couple of pages back...

Vision Straight Flight Dimple Pattern -

I saw earlier in the discussions that the straight effect is being seen by some of the testers,
it is real and doesn't require the ball to be sitting in any particular fashion to work best as
the balls are legal and are therefore symetrical in design.

I have used a highly advanced modified DoDecaHedron dimple pattern with an assortment
of very large dimples for distance and smaller ones for control. This pattern creates 10 large clear
circle pathways around the ball which are more helpful in reducing the effect of any sidespin like
some earlier designs that have already through extensive testing proven the general effect.

What I have tried to do with my updated use of this concept was to build a more efficient
aerodynamic package. This meant a low number of total dimples (more common nowadays) but
in a high coverage layout combining with the Flexigel covers Super Slick finish, to produce balls with
superior shot control and inflight stability but without sacrificing any overall distance. This is where the
earlier designs that used this technology were known to fall way short of players overall expectations.

Cheers,
Boz.

PS I will try a load a cad image of the pattern so you can see it better.

I noticed you guys talking about the dimples so I will tie a picture to the explanation for you all so you can get a view of the dimple make up in a picture sense.

Look forward to talking to you guys more in the future. If you have any playability questions at anytime, don't hesitate to PM me or drop me a note here...

 

[Bogey317]

Have you been playing them since 2010?...I have.

I bought my first dozen of the UV Yellow last June......Saw them in the course pro shop, was interested in how they looked and bought them.

 

[Thechosen1]

Is there really a contest going on to see who played these balls first..?

Anyways I love the picture AB. When I first laid eyes on these balls it was the first thing that jumped out to me was the dimples. Thanks for sharing.

 

[TRyan]

Is there really a contest going on to see who played these balls first..?

Anyways I love the picture AB. When I first laid eyes on these balls it was the first thing that jumped out to me was the dimples. Thanks for sharing.

Agreed on both. The dimples are really interesting and they work for me.

 

[Smallville]

You will love them. I still have 2 UV X3s I will be putting into play today. Great balls!

We're going to play on Monday. Heat Index is supposed to be under 100 for the first time in forever.

 

[BamBooBender]

Hey guys,

Thought I would quickly drop by and say hello. Been following all of your progress, you have been doing a great job at reviewing the balls and I am glad to hear you guys are loving them. Only gets better the longer you play them.

Boz posted this a couple of pages back...



I noticed you guys talking about the dimples so I will tie a picture to the explanation for you all so you can get a view of the dimple make up in a picture sense.

Look forward to talking to you guys more in the future. If you have any playability questions at anytime, don't hesitate to PM me or drop me a note here...

The dimple pattern is not new, as Boz alluded to (see Maxfli DDH), but it does seem like he may have found a way to improve upon it. brilliant!

 

[TheBozfromOz]

Hi Guys, We are hearing about the heat you are facing this weekend,,,we had
similar conditions in Oz during our summer and all I can say is to take care as
the heat was retained during most of the nights and that really started to hurt.

This hot midday heat is another reason I have been pushing the UV Yellow
concept as the late part of the day is the best time in summer to go for a
walk and play 9 holes before dinner, trust me it is harder to lose a UV in
that last part of the day as the contrast of its glowing colour works so well
against the slightly darker surroundings.

Hi SirS,,,,try starting with your regular gamer balls ,see how your game is
going and then if you feel like it maybe give the X3 whites a go,,,,confidence
and the mind are powerful tools on the course and please also understand
you don't need to over power the Vision cores as the dual density setup is
hot to trot if you are able to trap them properly rather than going after them.

Cheers, Boz.

 

[Caper]

Is there really a contest going on to see who played these balls first..?

Anyways I love the picture AB. When I first laid eyes on these balls it was the first thing that jumped out to me was the dimples. Thanks for sharing.

I thought that's what I was reading, but really wasn't sure. Pointless.

 

[couldbeu]

I got the chance to play the X3 and UVX3 last night after testing the Game Improvement Series. I have to say I love these balls! I still get straighter/self correcting ball flight, but a little more spin and I can control the shape of my shots and trajectory a little better. I prefer the UV yellow at this point... Besides just prefering the color, I also like the feel of the yellow better too. It's not a major difference, but it just comes off the clubface just a little better for me and what I like. Or it could all just be mental...

I'm really excited about these balls because I can draw the ball quite easily, where previously I would have to really concentrate on what I was doing so I wouldn't double cross myself and end up in a mess. And every shot 'feels' solid... my mishits come off just fine. I'm getting similiar spin around the greens to other distance tour level balls, which I prefer, so I don't get that occasional spinner that comes back off the green... The tee balls I know should be going right to more right are turning into fades, and some of them even start to self correct and fall to the left. It is an awesome feeling that I can go after this ball and not fear losing it to the right, even with the driver.

So let's recap... I can more easily work the ball both ways. I can control the trajectory. I can control the spin. And it's taking my biggest miss in golf out of play. I want to give the ball a few more rounds to confirm I'm still getting these amazing results, to make sure it's the ball and not the Sean Foley videos I've been watching lately... haha!

I don't know why or what it is but right now my confidence is really high on these balls and how can you put a value on that...

Thanks a million Boz for everything! I think I just made a nice little breakthrough in my game (after feeling that I've been stale for awhile) and I'm looking forward if I can bring that handicap down to 0.

I have my daughters birthday party this weekend (she's going to be 3), so I'll be back reporting next week...

 

[KellyBo]

I went out of town yesterday with a group of ladies and decided to play the Vision Proto 808 ball (the yellow one shown).

I've only played Harbor Club (Lake Oconee) once and just loved it so I talked the ladies into joining me so they could see how nice it was.

DRIVER: LONG off the tee!!!!! I noticed that the ball flight seemed a little lower than usual for me and was piercing. I hit every fairway except two and even those two were not far off and in play. My ball flight was usually straight or had a slight draw. Just what I hope for when I tee it up. No fades or slices that sometimes show up.

On this particular tee shot (see pic below), I told the ladies that this par 4 plays especially long and that placement of their tee shot is critical to reaching the green in two.


The last time I played the hole I took a picture of where my ball landed right behind the 200 yard marker. It is a downhill shot to the green and I almost made it on but was just a little short.


Well yesterday, I hit my tee shot and was hitting from 164 out instead of 200 yards! I hit my 2nd shot pin high this time and missed making a birdie by an inch. Was very happy with a par! I'm not saying that I hit the ball 36 yards longer with this ball but I definitely hit the ball longer than usual and it seemed to roll out really good for me. I think it was the lower/piercing ball flight that gave me the better distance. Maybe the ball had a lot less driver spin???

APPROACH SHOTS:

I had a long par 3 yesterday and used my 7 wood on that hole. I hit a nice high shot that landed in the middle of the green and stopped within 6 feet of the ball mark.

My approach shots with 7i-SW stopped within one foot or less of the ball mark. I was really surprised about that! These greens were soft and there was always a ball mark to repair very close to my ball on these shots.

CHIPPING: My chipping was good with this balls. I really like the feel around the greens.

PUTTING: I had 36 putts, 4 of them were 3 putts. This is something I continue to struggle with. It's not the ball, it's me. Maybe one day there will be a ball invented that you can just aim at the hole and it will know the exact speed to roll.

I ended up losing this ball on the 16th hole in some deep rough to the right of the green (you can see it in the below pic below to the right of the green). We saw right where it landed but the rough was just too deep and it was buried. Even the bright yellow couldn't be seen in that stuff. I was VERY sad as I loved this ball!

 

[Caper]

"Self Correcting Ball Flight": I have seen this term a few times in this thread but cannot find some write-ups on what exactly you mean. I obvs have not read every word of 30 pages, but I would appreciate it if someone could fill me in on what I am missing?

 

[BamBooBender]

I went out of town yesterday with a group of ladies and decided to play the Vision Proto 808 ball (the yellow one shown).

I've only played Harbor Club (Lake Oconee) once and just loved it so I talked the ladies into joining me so they could see how nice it was.

DRIVER: LONG off the tee!!!!! I noticed that the ball flight seemed a little lower than usual for me and was piercing. I hit every fairway except two and even those two were not far off and in play. My ball flight was usually straight or had a slight draw. Just what I hope for when I tee it up. No fades or slices that sometimes show up.

On this particular tee shot (see pic below), I told the ladies that this par 4 plays especially long and that placement of their tee shot is critical to reaching the green in two.


The last time I played the hole I took a picture of where my ball landed right behind the 200 yard marker. It is a downhill shot to the green and I almost made it on but was just a little short.


Well yesterday, I hit my tee shot and was hitting from 164 out instead of 200 yards! I hit my 2nd shot pin high this time and missed making a birdie by an inch. Was very happy with a par! I'm not saying that I hit the ball 36 yards longer with this ball but I definitely hit the ball longer than usual and it seemed to roll out really good for me. I think it was the lower/piercing ball flight that gave me the better distance. Maybe the ball had a lot less driver spin???

APPROACH SHOTS:

I had a long par 3 yesterday and used my 7 wood on that hole. I hit a nice high shot that landed in the middle of the green and stopped within 6 feet of the ball mark.

My approach shots with 7i-SW stopped within one foot or less of the ball mark. I was really surprised about that! These greens were soft and there was always a ball mark to repair very close to my ball on these shots.

CHIPPING: My chipping was good with this balls. I really like the feel around the greens.

PUTTING: I had 36 putts, 4 of them were 3 putts. This is something I continue to struggle with. It's not the ball, it's me. Maybe one day there will be a ball invented that you can just aim at the hole and it will know the exact speed to roll.

I ended up losing this ball on the 17th hole in some deep rough to the right of the green (you can see it in the below pic below to the right of the green). We saw right where it landed but the rough was just too deep and it was buried. Even the bright yellow couldn't be seen in that stuff. I was VERY sad as I loved this ball!

Good write up! Good pics too! I like that the balls check up so nicely for you. I've found the same thing with the ones I have.

 

[Smallville]

Always sucks to lose these balls, Kelly. Especially on the next to last hole!

I lost two of my UV X3's last time I played. One was on #10 (my first hole) and the other was on #14 (my fifth hole). Knew where they were, just couldn't find the first one, the other was in the woods and poison ivy.

 

[Thechosen1]

Went chipping and putting earlier just to work on a few things before playing another round. And again the artic white just keeps playing to what I love in a golf ball. I can hit my flops with enough spin and get them to either stop or roll just a fee feet.

On my smaller chips they can check just like a pro would do. What I mean is that low chip that hits twice an stops and normally I can do it with every ball but for some reason artic plays just as good as my Prov1 around the greens. Putting white I would compare the ball to a penta feel or even a bridgestone. A soft cover for sure.

Can't wait to play another round just waiting for the pops to tell me where to find one!(tomorrow we're playing)

 

[couldbeu]

"Self Correcting Ball Flight": I have seen this term a few times in this thread but cannot find some write-ups on what exactly you mean. I obvs have not read every word of 30 pages, but I would appreciate it if someone could fill me in on what I am missing?

Self Correcting Ball Flight - I know these balls have the straightflight dimple pattern... but I swear I've had a few balls that have faded to it's peak and then fell back to the left (I'm right handed). I've seen this repeat on several occasions... I'm not going to say that it happens 100% of the time... I can also say that some balls I know I hit low and off the heel of my driver and should be slicing like crazy have turned out to be just fades.

 

[10YardDraw]

really enjoying the feedback ladies and gentlemen, i cant wait to try some of these balls, just gotta save the money to order the pilot pack from Boz, really interested in the UVX3 and 808, heck all of them lol

 

[Ole Gray]

My last Ball

My last Ball

I played with my last Vision X3 ball today and shot a good round of golf. I think today the line up aid on the side of the ball was the thing I was most intrigued with. I mean it works in the long ball, iron shots, wedge, and chipping department with a grade A+ for me. Today I was primarily concerned with the putting and the highly regarded alignment arrow. It truly is awesome and if you put the line towards you that says "Vision" it's a killer aid in lining the ball up! Dang I love this ball and I hope the package I just ordered arrives soon :blob:

 

[MikeF]

I really want to try the UV X3 on Monday but I don't usually play Yellow balls. I am playing another course that I know very well for the Visions second proper outing. Either way I will be using an X3 or UV X3 for the duration of the round.

 

[TRyan]

Played 18 an executive course today and shot a great round 74 (par is 62). Didnt lose my last UV X3 either. The ball checked up so well today and it performed great overall again. Once again I cant reccomend this ball enough. I have played 6 or so round with these balls and still have one of the white and yellow. The yellow ball is IMO the best ball I have ever played.

 

[royalwulff]

Well I can't stand it no more. After all the write ups about this ball i am going to have to see about getting the pilot pack and giving these a whirl. thanks for all the great reviews folks.

 

[Golfingmedic]

Well I can't stand it no more. After all the write ups about this ball i am going to have to see about getting the pilot pack and giving these a whirl. thanks for all the great reviews folks.

Glad to hear you're finally taking the plunge!! You won't regret it!

 

[pegasus 2357]

Russell

Russell

There has been some great write ups here about your experiences with my balls of choice. The man behind the scenes has asked me to give you lot a bit of a run down about Russell so

Here is a pic that has some of my collection of balls I have used as trial balls for Boz but more importantly here it has 3 different versions of Russell. Way back in late 2007 on Australian Site there was a competition of sorts to name Boz's new golf ball. Looking back through some of the suggestions the censor would have been working overtime but the one chosen by Boz was Russell.

Russell has never been sold as such but has become the Vision Mascot, he holds a special place in my ball collection and I wont take him out for a run around the golf course.

I hope you lot continue to have fun on your learning journey. as much fun as we have had down under

 

[10YardDraw]

There has been some great write ups here about your experiences with my balls of choice. The man behind the scenes has asked me to give you lot a bit of a run down about Russell so

Here is a pic that has some of my collection of balls I have used as trial balls for Boz but more importantly here it has 3 different versions of Russell. Way back in late 2007 on Australian Site there was a competition of sorts to name Boz's new golf ball. Looking back through some of the suggestions the censor would have been working overtime but the one chosen by Boz was Russell.

Russell has never been sold as such but has become the Vision Mascot, he holds a special place in my ball collection and I wont take him out for a run around the golf course.

I hope you lot continue to have fun on your learning journey. as much fun as we have had down under

thanks for the pics, i really like how he steps outside the norm with his products