Polara 2012 Golf Ball Forum Reviews

[sangoram]

I may have missed it earlier in the thread, but has anybody tried intentionally misaligning these from the tee to see what happens?

I have with the driver:
see my post here:
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...all-Forum-Review-Thread&p=1242785#post1242785
the trackman data shows OFF PXDS and OFF PXD on the legend to represent these off-center aligned ball strikes. I will grab the data again and show trajectories tracked by the monitor to illustrate that I didn't detect any "self-correcting" major movements in the balls either.

It would be nice if there was better search functions built into the site but you can always use google with a site-specific search to find what you want...
Long threads obviously tend to bury the relevant key informative posts that people might reference and unless you bump these now and again they get lost in the ether...

Long story short, I didn't see a huge difference with my driver with the balls lined up 45 degrees offline.

 

[Damaikis]

The loss of distance is a head scratcher but this has been the case since my first time out. My gamers where longer off every club

That is odd for sure. I wonder why that is?

 

[Tadashi70]

That is odd for sure. I wonder why that is?

How far do you hit your gamer vs the Polara?

 

[DevRickus]

The loss of distance is a head scratcher but this has been the case since my first time out. My gamers where longer off every club

I have noticed at least 10-15 yards loss of distance using the Polara balls vs the QStar that I normally play. I played again today with the XD and was consistently shorter. I played 2 balls side by side. The loss of distance has been pretty consistent for me in all the rounds I have played. Accuracy was wonderful again but still had the same issues with the short game. Way too much roll out on even short chips. I am down to 1 XD and 1 XDS. I will say the durability is very nice on these balls. I have been able to play multiple rounds with the same ball without issue.


Tap Tap Taparoo

 

[DevRickus]

How far do you hit your gamer vs the Polara?

1st hole today with the driver i hit the QStar 247 right down the middle of the fairway and hit the XD 234 in the middle of the fairway.


Tap Tap Taparoo

 

[Damaikis]

How far do you hit your gamer vs the Polara?

Off my woods, I'm maybe equal or 5 or so yards shorter. With my irons I hit them maybe 10 yards further. I hit a 7 iron about 190 with the XD. I normally hit it 175-180. The distances I see with these things are crazy.

 

[Tadashi70]

Off my woods, I'm maybe equal or 5 or so yards shorter. With my irons I hit them maybe 10 yards further. I hit a 7 iron about 190 with the XD. I normally hit it 175-180. The distances I see with these things are crazy.

I'm the exact opposite. My stock 7 is 175. I'm seeing in the 160 range with the Polara. I honestly think its because I put side spin on the ball and the self correction is causing top spin so the ball drops like hot potatoes

 

[Damaikis]

I'm the exact opposite. My stock 7 is 175. I'm seeing in the 160 range with the Polara. I honestly think its because I put side spin on the ball and the self correction is causing top spin so the ball drops like hot potatoes

That's probably the case. If I get out tomorrow I'll try to work them to see if the same happens to me.

 

[VA. Vince]

I am officially out of Polara balls. I lost my last 2 both trying to carry hazards. These were the XD today. I did not line any ball up just tee'd it up and went with it. When I hit it good with driver it seemed the ball just didn't know what to do, but did end up close or on my target line. Almost corkscrewish, no issue today with the irons just driver. I still saw the same as previous rounds concerning distance, just not as far as my everyday ball. Close but its just not there. What is a little weird on miss hits with irons the ball seemed to roll out a lot more. I haven't experianced this before. Chipping and pitching is still a total feel shot as the ball rolls out, no change from previous testing. Putting, I like the arrow and the ball seems to roll on its line. Overall Polara balls will be great for just your average recreational player. I think any capper below a 15-17 the ball could give you more trobule. A lot of forward spin and what I see as a dive bomb with both driver and iron. Anyway, I appreciate the Polara and THP giving me the opportunity to test the XD and XDS line of balls.

 

[War Eagle]

I did some "situational" testing today, as the course was so miserably slow that I was able to take an extra shot or two here and there to get some thoughts down. I used only the XDS today, and will get my complete thoughts up this afternoon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[d_in_la]

I am officially out of Polara balls. I lost my last 2 both trying to carry hazards. These were the XD today. I did not line any ball up just tee'd it up and went with it. When I hit it good with driver it seemed the ball just didn't know what to do, but did end up close or on my target line. Almost corkscrewish, no issue today with the irons just driver. I still saw the same as previous rounds concerning distance, just not as far as my everyday ball. Close but its just not there. What is a little weird on miss hits with irons the ball seemed to roll out a lot more. I haven't experianced this before. Chipping and pitching is still a total feel shot as the ball rolls out, no change from previous testing. Putting, I like the arrow and the ball seems to roll on its line. Overall Polara balls will be great for just your average recreational player. I think any capper below a 15-17 the ball could give you more trobule. A lot of forward spin and what I see as a dive bomb with both driver and iron. Anyway, I appreciate the Polara and THP giving me the opportunity to test the XD and XDS line of balls.

I down to one XD due to a small pond.

I did some "situational" testing today, as the course was so miserably slow that I was able to take an extra shot or two here and there to get some thoughts down. I used only the XDS today, and will get my complete thoughts up this afternoon.

The only upside to a slow day at the course.

 

[Damaikis]

I played a bit today and I am now out of these Polaras as well. I lost them pretty quickly, by the 4th hole tee shot. My home course is just too tight, even with the self-correcting they go OB sometimes. Today I did line the balls up incorrectly both off the tee and in the fairway to see what would happen. Off the tee it really messed with the ball flight. The ball would flit all over and try to get on it's line despite being lined up wrong and those shots often ended up well off line. Out of the fairways, it didn't seem to affect the ball flight much. I still saw the big distance off the irons and they generally stayed on line quite well. I found that interesting and very odd that lining it up didn't seem to help or hurt in the fairway. It seems to be more helpful to take the time to line it up off the tee. I have to say that after playing with these balls for a while really showed me how much they can help. They will really try to keep the ball in play for you. While the short game performance just isn't there, if you want to have more fun and need to keep in play off the tee, this ball could be for you. It will certainly make the game much more fun.

 

[fairband]

Well I have some catching up to do so bear with me! I have played four rounds with these balls since I last checked in, and the results seem to be like a broken record. Drives in the fairway, and chips that roll out.

I started an in depth review the other night but about halfway through I think I hit back on my browser and lost the whole thing, so let's hope that doesn't happen tonight. I played three rounds last weekend, two with the XDS and one with the XD. The first round was 16 holes after work with the XD and I was really striping it, plenty of fairways hit and even when I didn't hit it perfect it was still playable. My father in law was in town and he was impressed by how straight my drives were, I had to tell him I had a little help. I have gotten used to the roll out on the short game and I have seen huge improvements in that aspect with some repetition. The only ball thing about the round was the unfortunate run in with a cart path for my XD, I continued to play it to see if it affected play at all. While I don't think it really hurt the balls performance it definitely messed with my mind as the war wound was right by the arrow for lining the ball up. I will have to use this one as my water hole ball from now on.

The second round was at a much nicer course so I decided to go with the XDS, as I have come to prefer that to the XD by a long shot. The greens were much faster here so I was hoping for a little short game help. I love the confidence you have when hitting driver with these balls, I just know that it will end up in the fairway. This was the second round in a row that I got compliments how accurate I was off the tee, I kept the XDS secret to myself this time. I believe I hit 11 of 14 fairways and two of the other ones rolled into the rough. The third fairway missed was a reminder that these balls are not miracle workers as a slice swing will result in a slice when bad enough. This round was in a constant drizzle and it didn't seem to have any negative impact on the XDS. The feel around is much better with the XDS and I seem to get at least the same amount of distance of more than the XD.

The third round was in fairly tough weather conditions, about 50 degrees with sustained winds of 20 mph, gusting even higher. I stuck with the XDS because I wanted a little consistency to my testing. I have noticed a lower ball flight and more rollout with these balls and today was the perfect day for them. The XDS and its lower ballflight was brilliant into the wind and I was constantly 40 yards farther down the fairway then my playing partner who hits the ball very close to the same distances as I do. Now granted I didn't get as much help downwind with the driver but the iron shots were similar to each other. I went into the round thinking that the Polara would perform well in the wind and I was disapointed.

That brings me to today's round, the weather terrorists had scared most of the people away on what turned out to be a pretty nice day, but no carts because of the rain last night. I pulled out my trusty XDS for another go around, today was the ninth round I have played with the Polara golf balls. I hit some of my longest drives with the XDS today but I think that had more to do with my increased round count than anything. We had some time to mess around with the course being as empty as it was and I got to hit some back to back shot comparisons. Off the driver I hit a couple of drives with a Penta alongside the XDS and I realized how different they felt off the club face, the Penta's to no surprise had a much soft feel and the XDS almost felt harsh when I switched back to it. I also hit some irons back to back with the Taylormade Burner TP's and the feel was much closer with the Burners being a tad softer. Now on distance I hit both balls father then I hit the XDS and this was across numerous shots, which I was a little surprised by, I had thought that the colder weather was to blame for the loss of distance with the Polara's but they are about a 1/2 of club to 2/3's of a club shorter. I mean for a shorter hitter like myslef it was maybe 7-8 yards a club but just enough to have to adjust your game. I also sent one of my XDS's to a watery grave on a horrible hybrid shot, so I am down to 2 XD's and 1 XDS.

From what I have seen so far I am impressed by the ability of the ball to correct swings that are decent and keep them in the fairway. I have also noticed that when the ball has to correct itself you lose distance the more it corrects, as much as 25 yards. I have concentrated on the XDS lately and I have gotten used to the feel but you can do a lot better in that regard at the same price point. These balls do what they are advertised to do but I do have a little trouble with the fact that they aren't conforming, but for weekend warriors who are just out to enjoy a round with their buddies I would wholeheartedly recommend them. I also think these would be great for a scramble where you could hit these off the the tee and then switch to another ball to hit your second shot. I can't wait to get back out to the course and continue testing, let me know if you have any questions.

 

[rrwillerton]

Wow, great review. Very in depth. I think that settles it, I'm going to have to buy a sleeve(or a dozen) of these balls to see for myself.

 

[Mardin]

Had a chance to play a quick 9 over the weekend and I went with the XDS after my last few rounds with the XD. After 1 round already with an XDS I have noticed that by the end of 18 the balls are holding up very well. I hit a lot of really good wedge shots during my round and I even made the XDS spin back a bit on one shot from about 50 yards. The XDS performs (for the most part) like an average tour ball around the greens. The spin that I generated was very impressive and the accuracy was spot on as well. Mind you, after the ball was off the tee I did not move the ball to adjust it for "straighter" shots. The XDS seems to know it's way around the greens very well. Unfortunatley this ball really struggles off the tee with distance. I'm not a long hitter, so when I'm losing 10+ yards on good drives I get frustrated. The only good this about this ball off the tee and fairway is that it is consistent. I may be losing a few yards, but for the most part it keeps me in the fairway. I hit a nice 3W off the tee that looked like it was about to leak right (my most common miss), but it kept a mid-high trajectory and traveled very straight. This is my 4th time playing with an XDS and I can truly reccomend it to any golfer who needs a little bit more confidence off the tee or with their long irons.

 

[FrankA]

Polara XDS: Played for 3 holes.

The weekends are just not good days to test, the courses are just too crowded.

I did come away with a better feeling for the ball than originally. I was able to compare against the Penta TP that I was using for the majority of the round off the tee a couple of times. I was seeing about 10-20 yards less with the XDS than the Penta with the driver (~230 vs ~250). Each ball was felt to be struck well. I noticed less distance loss with the irons than I thought I would and the ball felt pretty good at impact. I did crank one right (straight right) with my 5 iron but the rest of the shots flew high and straight toward the target and I was actually pleased. I am more happy because when I was not playing the Polara my balls were still flying pretty straight which is what I've been working on.

If you cannot keep a ball in play and love golf I would buy these non stop, but for now I'm going to keep practicing and taking lessons and make my other ball do the same thing.

 

[War Eagle]

4/15/12 - The Highlands GC / Sarasota, FL
Situational Testing

Quite a slow round yesterday, partly because I had a slow player in the group and partly because the rest of the course was slow. With time to kill, I took a few extra swings to get some more thoughts on the XDS.

Tee: Hole #5, 391 yard Par 4. I hit the ZStar down the left side of the fairway, just past the 150 yard marker. Decided to tee up the XDS to compare it, it went straight, but landed about 20 yards short of the 150 marker, total distance loss being about 25 yards. Interesting enough, I felt that I put a better swing on the XDS than the previous shot with the ZStar, but the distance loss was quite noticeable. My thoughts with the driver still hold true, that for best results with these, a higher lofted club off the tee is a must.

Short chips to a front pin location; I dropped an XDS down to do a short shot, roughly 30 yards to a front pin. In my experiences so far with the Polaras, I knew it was going to roll out. I chipped the XDS, and played it about 10 feet short of the green hoping the roll would get me somewhat close to the pin. Even when landing it short of the green, it took a hard forward bounce and rolled on to the green and just past the flag. The results were not bad, but with a regular ball, I think that it would have just stopped right at the front of the green, if it made it up at all.

Hole #16, 139 yards to the pin: I had just hit a great tee shot with my 3W, and was left with 139 yards to the pin. I hit a high 9iron shot, which was probably the best iron shot I had all day, leaving it about 8 feet from the hole for a birdie opportunity. The Zstar was sitting inches from it's ball mark. I tossed down the XDS to see if I could repeat that success. I hit another decent shot, ball flight was slightly lower, and was just left of the pin. The XDS came down, hit the green and rolled down the back of the green. Im starting to wonder if a lower trajectory on wedges and irons is what is causing the ball to roll out so much?

Short Game: A shot I got quite comfortable with yesterday when trying out the Scor wedges was a low chip shot with the 52* wedge. I found I was able to hit a low chip shot, have it skip once or twice and then check up and stop. I was getting great results with this shot, and was using the Srixon Z Star. I tried it a few times with the XDS, and again it was just rolling out. Like I have said a few times before, I got the hop, but not the stop. I tried the shot a few times and the same results happened each time. Kind of frustrating to not be able to get it work, but at the same time, I just had to tell myself that this ball has different properties and I have to adjust my shot choice and thinking accordingly.

Overall Thoughts: For the most part, the ball does what it says it will do. It goes straight. For a casual golfer who just wants to go out and enjoy the game, I highly recommend the balls. I see a good bit of distance loss when hitting driver, but for those that just need to be in the fairway and arent worried about sacrificing distance, this ball will do just that. For me, to be able to put these balls in to play on a regular basis, I feel I would have to change my entire thought process when it comes to shot selection. I almost feel that for the irons and wedges, every shot would need to be a bump and run when going for the green. The XD and XDS both have significantly lower ball flights than what I am used to, so that could be causing some of my issues. I said it earlier in the post and will repeat that thought, for best results, higher lofted clubs from the tee are the way to go. Hitting driver with these provides a harsh feel/feedback, and is just overall unpleasant.

 

[Mardin]

4/15/12 - The Highlands GC / Sarasota, FL
Situational Testing

Quite a slow round yesterday, partly because I had a slow player in the group and partly because the rest of the course was slow. With time to kill, I took a few extra swings to get some more thoughts on the XDS.

Tee: Hole #5, 391 yard Par 4. I hit the ZStar down the left side of the fairway, just past the 150 yard marker. Decided to tee up the XDS to compare it, it went straight, but landed about 20 yards short of the 150 marker, total distance loss being about 25 yards. Interesting enough, I felt that I put a better swing on the XDS than the previous shot with the ZStar, but the distance loss was quite noticeable. My thoughts with the driver still hold true, that for best results with these, a higher lofted club off the tee is a must.

Short chips to a front pin location; I dropped an XDS down to do a short shot, roughly 30 yards to a front pin. In my experiences so far with the Polaras, I knew it was going to roll out. I chipped the XDS, and played it about 10 feet short of the green hoping the roll would get me somewhat close to the pin. Even when landing it short of the green, it took a hard forward bounce and rolled on to the green and just past the flag. The results were not bad, but with a regular ball, I think that it would have just stopped right at the front of the green, if it made it up at all.

Hole #16, 139 yards to the pin: I had just hit a great tee shot with my 3W, and was left with 139 yards to the pin. I hit a high 9iron shot, which was probably the best iron shot I had all day, leaving it about 8 feet from the hole for a birdie opportunity. The Zstar was sitting inches from it's ball mark. I tossed down the XDS to see if I could repeat that success. I hit another decent shot, ball flight was slightly lower, and was just left of the pin. The XDS came down, hit the green and rolled down the back of the green. Im starting to wonder if a lower trajectory on wedges and irons is what is causing the ball to roll out so much?

Short Game: A shot I got quite comfortable with yesterday when trying out the Scor wedges was a low chip shot with the 52* wedge. I found I was able to hit a low chip shot, have it skip once or twice and then check up and stop. I was getting great results with this shot, and was using the Srixon Z Star. I tried it a few times with the XDS, and again it was just rolling out. Like I have said a few times before, I got the hop, but not the stop. I tried the shot a few times and the same results happened each time. Kind of frustrating to not be able to get it work, but at the same time, I just had to tell myself that this ball has different properties and I have to adjust my shot choice and thinking accordingly.

Overall Thoughts: For the most part, the ball does what it says it will do. It goes straight. For a casual golfer who just wants to go out and enjoy the game, I highly recommend the balls. I see a good bit of distance loss when hitting driver, but for those that just need to be in the fairway and arent worried about sacrificing distance, this ball will do just that. For me, to be able to put these balls in to play on a regular basis, I feel I would have to change my entire thought process when it comes to shot selection. I almost feel that for the irons and wedges, every shot would need to be a bump and run when going for the green. The XD and XDS both have significantly lower ball flights than what I am used to, so that could be causing some of my issues. I said it earlier in the post and will repeat that thought, for best results, higher lofted clubs from the tee are the way to go. Hitting driver with these provides a harsh feel/feedback, and is just overall unpleasant.

I think that is exactly the issue. I was having a tough time doing bump and run and low running shots with the XDS. High to mid wedge shots played beautifully around the green. Flop shots with this ball gave me tour quality ball performance.

 

[ddxu]

Wow, great review. Very in depth. I think that settles it, I'm going to have to buy a sleeve(or a dozen) of these balls to see for myself.

Buy a sleeve of each and see which one you prefer!

 

[DevRickus]

Wow, great review. Very in depth. I think that settles it, I'm going to have to buy a sleeve(or a dozen) of these balls to see for myself.

Seeing really is believing. It is one thing to read about it, quite another to see it. Off the tee it does absolutely what is advertised. From everywhere else, for me at least, it is a good basic ball. I would call it maybe a game improvement ball for people that struggle with accuracy off the tee.

 

[drewwood]

The rain cut my round short today; I only got in two holes. Below is my experience for the two holes.

I played the XDS today.

The course was empty, so I hit two balls on each tee shot. My first swing on the first hole wasnt that great, but the results were pretty nice. I caught it out on the toe, but the ball ended up just left of the fairway, I finally saw the big bounce and roll! The second swing on the first tee was very nice and up the right hand side of the fairway. The ball didnt need to self correct and it ended up about 260 yds. The one to the left went about 250-255. On my second shot I hit the first one long, but it looked good, ha. The second one took a big bounce forward and caught the slope and ended up 5 ft out. The one that was long hit and took a big bounce forward and I didnt see much spin even though I hit it from the fairway. The green was about 10 ft about where I was hitting from. So I'm not concerned on the spin with this one.

Hole 2 Drive one I hit a nice high draw, which I haven't done with the Polara yet. It ended up dead center about 270 yds. The second tee shot started a little right of the fairway and the ball brought it back, took a big bounce left and ended up in the right center 275 yds. On my approach I hit the first one long again and didnt see any spin. Second was average, no spin to talk about. The lack of spin actually helped me.

I hope to get back out this weekend to test the XDS further. I really liked the XD last time out, so the XDS needs to prove something to me. But from today 3/4 fairways (the miss wasnt a bad miss either) and good distance for me, I really couldnt ask for more.

 

[Tadashi70]

April 20, 2012
Polara testing
9 holes of play it as it lies

I had been away all week for sales training and spent Friday at the mechanic so I needed my golf. I grabbed my youngest and we headed out to the course for a quick 9. This was his first 9 holer with daddy and he was such a joy to have a round.

My plan for the nine was to play the ball as is from tee to green. Meaning on the tee I did not line up the arrow, as it came out of my pocket is how it ended up on the tee. When it rolled out in the fairway or rough (as my swing would have it) it was played as is. The only time the ball was manipulated was on the green to get grit and grim off the surface.

Through 9 holes I saw some very interesting ball flight patterns. Some of the usual I have come to expect and something that I found very comforting.

Off the tee with woods I did not know what to expect since I was not lining up the arrows, which is recommended to optimize the performance of the ball. I came close twice as I could see the arrow on the right side of the ball as I teed it up, but never perfectly along my target line. As luck would have it these two occasions I was set up to play a draw back into the fairway. Both times I block the ball right and never got that draw I was looking for. Thankfully the course was forgiving to me and I ended up in the rough. As for the ball flight, it was basically straight with minor self correction which told me that my strike was solid with very little side spin.

The other 7 shots, when placed on the tee, I saw the name of the ball a few times but mainly I would see the white of the ball with markings on the sides, front and bottom. Now what made me sit up and take notice was the balls performance on fade bias shots. I would see a little correction but it presented my with a tight fade left of my target and falling right with some good roll when it hit the FW. I still saw release on the two par 3 (179 & 215) but I was impressed with the fade ball flight.

2nd shots from the fairways and rough all showed me the self correcting side of the ball and some serious loss of distance when it corrected too much. I also saw a few top spin lob type balls from the fairway. I really tried to work the ball into the greens as I knew the more side spin I places on the ball the more self correcting action I would get as well as distance loss. My theory since day one is that the distance loss I have encountered is due to the correcting the ball is doing in flight thereby using up energy. This is not a proven fact but an assumption on my part. I saw the most correction when I tried to play a draw vs. a fade. I'd get an 'S' shape or top spin or both with right to left. Minor early correction but then the tight shot shape I spoke of earlier.

Now these balls, IMO, feel very harsh off the woods and clicky off the irons. I am not a fan of the heavy, hard feeling I get off the woods. I feel like every ball is a mis-hit and very well could be but I would think out of 9 tee balls at least one or two were flush.

They are very durable, the ones I have left have really stood up well through out this testing process. Still a nice bright white. And besides sounding hollow off the putter both the XD and XDS roll just fine. Off the scoring wedges around the green I see release with minor check but as long as its consistent you can play it and it's consistent.

The Polara XD and XDS is an interesting ball to say the least. The testing and results have varied but have been consistent for each tester. It may not be my cup of tea but it will be for someone else. Thanks to THP and Polara for allowing me to test the 2012 versions, I really do appreciate it.

 

[Mardin]

Played the XD on the back nine on Thursday (sorry for the late update). Well, I don't mind this ball off the tee or off my irons, but this ball cannot stand my wedges nor shorter approach shots. This ball likes to roll, it doesn't like to check up, it doesn't like to sit, it doesn't like to listen. Unlike its big brother the XDS the XD falls short in almost every greenside situation I put myself in. By the 16th hole I was purposely chipping the ball shorter to let it roll it's entire way to the cup. One of my go-to shots, the flop shot, fails miserably with this ball. The course I was playing has a lot of elevated greens so if your ball rolls off the back you have a nice uphill chip shot infront of you. I hit 2 flop shots of this nature and the ball just didn't want to sit around the greens at all. After a nice front nine it was all but ruined by an awful back (not entirely blaming the ball for it though).

 

[d_in_la]

I have an update I'll write later tonight on the XDS, but until then, I wanted to post a couple NYT and GD blog on non-conforming equipment. I wonder if the success of the Polara will lead to more companies taking chances on non-conforming equipment. Granted, the Polara balls have been just a drop in the golf ball bucket, however it is still a very interesting thought.

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equi...5/2012/04/is-non-conforming-equipment-ok.html

http://onpar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/approaching-a-ball-that-bends-the-rules/

 

[War Eagle]

April 20, 2012
Polara testing
9 holes of play it as it lies

I had been away all week for sales training and spent Friday at the mechanic so I needed my golf. I grabbed my youngest and we headed out to the course for a quick 9. This was his first 9 holer with daddy and he was such a joy to have a round.

My plan for the nine was to play the ball as is from tee to green. Meaning on the tee I did not line up the arrow, as it came out of my pocket is how it ended up on the tee. When it rolled out in the fairway or rough (as my swing would have it) it was played as is. The only time the ball was manipulated was on the green to get grit and grim off the surface.

Through 9 holes I saw some very interesting ball flight patterns. Some of the usual I have come to expect and something that I found very comforting.

Off the tee with woods I did not know what to expect since I was not lining up the arrows, which is recommended to optimize the performance of the ball. I came close twice as I could see the arrow on the right side of the ball as I teed it up, but never perfectly along my target line. As luck would have it these two occasions I was set up to play a draw back into the fairway. Both times I block the ball right and never got that draw I was looking for. Thankfully the course was forgiving to me and I ended up in the rough. As for the ball flight, it was basically straight with minor self correction which told me that my strike was solid with very little side spin.

The other 7 shots, when placed on the tee, I saw the name of the ball a few times but mainly I would see the white of the ball with markings on the sides, front and bottom. Now what made me sit up and take notice was the balls performance on fade bias shots. I would see a little correction but it presented my with a tight fade left of my target and falling right with some good roll when it hit the FW. I still saw release on the two par 3 (179 & 215) but I was impressed with the fade ball flight.

2nd shots from the fairways and rough all showed me the self correcting side of the ball and some serious loss of distance when it corrected too much. I also saw a few top spin lob type balls from the fairway. I really tried to work the ball into the greens as I knew the more side spin I places on the ball the more self correcting action I would get as well as distance loss. My theory since day one is that the distance loss I have encountered is due to the correcting the ball is doing in flight thereby using up energy. This is not a proven fact but an assumption on my part. I saw the most correction when I tried to play a draw vs. a fade. I'd get an 'S' shape or top spin or both with right to left. Minor early correction but then the tight shot shape I spoke of earlier.

Now these balls, IMO, feel very harsh off the woods and clicky off the irons. I am not a fan of the heavy, hard feeling I get off the woods. I feel like every ball is a mis-hit and very well could be but I would think out of 9 tee balls at least one or two were flush.

They are very durable, the ones I have left have really stood up well through out this testing process. Still a nice bright white. And besides sounding hollow off the putter both the XD and XDS roll just fine. Off the scoring wedges around the green I see release with minor check but as long as its consistent you can play it and it's consistent.

The Polara XD and XDS is an interesting ball to say the least. The testing and results have varied but have been consistent for each tester. It may not be my cup of tea but it will be for someone else. Thanks to THP and Polara for allowing me to test the 2012 versions, I really do appreciate it.

Freddie, knowing that you are able to work the ball which ever way you need to, and having seen you put these balls in to play, do you think that trying to put a desired spin on the XD or XDS has an adverse affect on them?