10YardDraw
Ex Club Ho
I agree GG, very rude of people to not respond at least saying they got them and a review is coming, Hope mine was good enough for you guys lol
Polara Golf Ball Testing Review Thread
I agree GG, very rude of people to not respond at least saying they got them and a review is coming, Hope mine was good enough for you guys lol
coolbreeze
Aspiring Golferr
I knew that GG, I have also been shocked at the lack of reviews so far considering the volume of balls that went out.
thedue
Another Day in Paradise
Great to hear. I did get the first review up, but I never even tried the 3w, lol. My 10.5 driver did fine with these, though I have rather high launch angle.
It seem's a lot of people are hung up on these not being aproved balls. I don't understand this because were not here to debate that. We are doing this to evaluate wether or not the ball does what the company claims, it did so for me. I can understand someone not posting their score to cap, but why leave these on a shelf and not check out the results?
Spank818
Brian Gaysian
I think you have every right to be upset considering the company sent you guys the balls to be reviewed and frankly I think it's disrespectful to the company and to the rest of the testers that have posted something here that they don't respond. I understand that there are situations but like you said not even a, "I got the balls today woo hoo" response is just plain weird. Hopefully they'll wise up and give us notice.
clam fist
New member
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It is a shame for sure. I don't think you are wrong for showing your disapproval. I didn't think I would be able to test when the sign up took place, so I didn't sign up. Turns out I have been playing more often. Lol.
10YardDraw
Ex Club Ho
there was also a review somebody did only complaining about what everybody else was saying about the balls lol, i dont think it included one thing about how the ball worked for them. Maybe i missed it if it did but i didnt see it
thedue
Another Day in Paradise
Thats crazy talk girl, your not the b!@#h at all. You worked your tail off for one hundred people and many didn't appreciate, or at least do what was asked as part of the requirments. They should not be allowed another chance IMHO.
cg13
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Well, so I don't have to feel GG's wrath (I kid) here is a compilation of all of my findings so far. This is a little premature, as my testing is still incomplete, sbut this is what I have so far. Forgive me if this seems brief. I cannot easily post long winded reviews. It is just not my style.
Driver
I won't sugar coat it-- these things feel like bricks off my driver. Even when I make great contact, there is this ever present hardness that I just cannot get past. I don't know if it is painful, but it is not pleasant. However, that said, off the driver, they are as straight as an arrow. I did not really see it self correcting in mid air, I just saw it go straight.The balls come off of the face with a very low trajectory, and maintain that trajectory throughout flight, which will produce a lot of roll. However, the carry, which is my primary concern, falls short for me. I normally carry in the 230-240 range. With this, I was getting 210 at best. It would roll a lot, but that does not comfort me when I need to make the 210 yard carry over a pond on 16. For golfers that are not as concerned with carry, however, these should be great. I get a few more yards out of the 3 piece than I do the 2 piece.
Irons
I actually kinda like the distance I am getting off of the irons. For some reason, I hit Urethane balls much further of my irons that I do Surlyn, but these are keeping up admirably. They are still very hard, though. For me, off of the irons, I am not seeing dramatic results as far as straightening my flight goes. Maybe I am just a God-Awful striker. It is a nice, penetrating flight which I like off of the irons. I would call it low, but it really isn't. It starts low, but gets higher as it goes, and lands fairly softly. I get a few more yard out of the 3 piece here too.
Chipping
These are quite harsh off of the wedges. They have a very clicky feel that goes unaided by all but perfect contact. That said, I have been able to get an admirable amount of stopping power out of them. Not as much as a tour ball, but more than your average rock. They worked GREAT for bump and run shots, and nicely for others. I also love the way they perform when I play a flop shot. They take off in to the air, and land very softly. I don't know if they merit a switch from some of the tour balls I have used, but they really are not bad around the greens. Both balls perform similarly here, with a slight edge to the 3 piece.
Putting
They have a harsh feel here to. They feel very firm, and a very noticeable click to them, even on my fairly soft insert putter. It is a little unpleasant, but bearable. They seem quite hot off of the face, so it can be a little difficult to judge, but once you get used to that, besides the feel, there are no huge complaints.
Driver
I won't sugar coat it-- these things feel like bricks off my driver. Even when I make great contact, there is this ever present hardness that I just cannot get past. I don't know if it is painful, but it is not pleasant. However, that said, off the driver, they are as straight as an arrow. I did not really see it self correcting in mid air, I just saw it go straight.The balls come off of the face with a very low trajectory, and maintain that trajectory throughout flight, which will produce a lot of roll. However, the carry, which is my primary concern, falls short for me. I normally carry in the 230-240 range. With this, I was getting 210 at best. It would roll a lot, but that does not comfort me when I need to make the 210 yard carry over a pond on 16. For golfers that are not as concerned with carry, however, these should be great. I get a few more yards out of the 3 piece than I do the 2 piece.
Irons
I actually kinda like the distance I am getting off of the irons. For some reason, I hit Urethane balls much further of my irons that I do Surlyn, but these are keeping up admirably. They are still very hard, though. For me, off of the irons, I am not seeing dramatic results as far as straightening my flight goes. Maybe I am just a God-Awful striker. It is a nice, penetrating flight which I like off of the irons. I would call it low, but it really isn't. It starts low, but gets higher as it goes, and lands fairly softly. I get a few more yard out of the 3 piece here too.
Chipping
These are quite harsh off of the wedges. They have a very clicky feel that goes unaided by all but perfect contact. That said, I have been able to get an admirable amount of stopping power out of them. Not as much as a tour ball, but more than your average rock. They worked GREAT for bump and run shots, and nicely for others. I also love the way they perform when I play a flop shot. They take off in to the air, and land very softly. I don't know if they merit a switch from some of the tour balls I have used, but they really are not bad around the greens. Both balls perform similarly here, with a slight edge to the 3 piece.
Putting
They have a harsh feel here to. They feel very firm, and a very noticeable click to them, even on my fairly soft insert putter. It is a little unpleasant, but bearable. They seem quite hot off of the face, so it can be a little difficult to judge, but once you get used to that, besides the feel, there are no huge complaints.
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10YardDraw
Ex Club Ho
Aggro these are ionomer cover, i think i spelled that right lol
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I thought that was just another name for Surlyn? oops.
10YardDraw
Ex Club Ho
it might be lol, im not sure. Im just going by the info on Polara website
Ok, I am finally able to sit down and give my opinion on these balls.
Driver:
I play a 10.5 driver with a low launch shaft. I have noticed a little bit of distance loss (as was addressed earlier). The round that I tested this ball I was hitting a pretty consistent draw with the driver with one hook with my regular ball that I was playing beside the Polara. On the first hole, my driver shot played a slight draw and hit the ball very well. The second show I took with the Polara and straight off the clubface, I knew I hooked the ball something fierce. As I looked up, I saw the ball not hooking! It was traveling a little left, but it landed in the fairway and rolled left about 1 inch into the first cut. I was amazed! During the flight, it looked like it went up and then dove at the ground and I am guessing that the dimples were fighting the hook spin and it kind of made it dive at the ground, but I was not disappointed with the distance and direction once I walked up to it. My good tee shot was about 10 yards closer to the hole than my "hooked" tee shot.
I was consistently shorter with my driver, but the ball was consistently straighter. A few times, I saw the ball trying to draw, but it would seem to correct itself and just stay straight. It was very windy that day, so it could have also been the wind messing with the flight a little bit, but the flight of the ZStarX I was comparing it to was not acting quite the same.
3 iron off the tee
This is my go to tee club for shorter par 4's. On number 7 I smoked the tee shot with my 3i and I hit, what felt like, a little right to left shot and it looked like it was starting to draw, but then it straightened out and looked like it actually overcorrected and then went a little right and then straightened out. I know this doesn't make much sense, but the ball looked like a knuckle ball a little. It is almost as if you can see the dimples in action keeping the ball straight. My second tee shot with the ZStarX was perfectly straight and right down the middle. I thought I put a slightly better swing on the second shot, but I was very surprised to find that the Polara ball had went further than the ZStarX shot (which I thought I hit better). I was very impressed with this ball off the tee with my irons.
Playing it down
I played the Polara down after my tee shot and I found that it would draw like any other ball when the equator is not lined up with the target. I could not believe it! It also seemed to fly a little more true on mishits than the ZStarX which I attribute to be a lower spinning ball in general.
Wedge Play
This is the area that truly surprised me. The cover is a bit harder than what I am used to playing, but I had no problem getting spin around the green with my CG15 wedges. I hit a nearly full sand wedge into a green and spun it back 7 feet. I was amazed! I was expecting the ball to hit and release, but it hit and spun back. I was shocked to see this. The bad part is that my grooves took a little chunk out of the cover of the ball, but I didn't notice a change in its flight characteristics. I had hit the ball where the deeper dimples are. Shorter wedge shots did not have a tremendous amount of spin on them, but they did not roll out a ton either.
Putter
Not a fan honestly, but I have been playing Burner Tour golf balls the last month and those are absolutely fantastic off the putter. To be fair, I didn't like the ZStarX off my putter that much either. I like to stare down at a plain white ball when putting and the different dimple patterns kind of bothered me a little, but not that much.
Other
At first, I was annoyed that I had to align each tee shot up, but then I realized that I was better aligned in my tee shots in general and I started to do this with the line on my ZStar. I keep a handicap, so I can't use this ball for those scores, but I did learn something from gaming this. I think I am going to start putting the alignment aid pointing toward my target on the regular balls that I play.
I would absolutely recommend these balls to people who just played for fun as I think it would make this oh so difficult game so much more enjoyable. I can't believe that these work as advertised, but they just do. Whoever designed these balls is a sheer genius!
Driver:
I play a 10.5 driver with a low launch shaft. I have noticed a little bit of distance loss (as was addressed earlier). The round that I tested this ball I was hitting a pretty consistent draw with the driver with one hook with my regular ball that I was playing beside the Polara. On the first hole, my driver shot played a slight draw and hit the ball very well. The second show I took with the Polara and straight off the clubface, I knew I hooked the ball something fierce. As I looked up, I saw the ball not hooking! It was traveling a little left, but it landed in the fairway and rolled left about 1 inch into the first cut. I was amazed! During the flight, it looked like it went up and then dove at the ground and I am guessing that the dimples were fighting the hook spin and it kind of made it dive at the ground, but I was not disappointed with the distance and direction once I walked up to it. My good tee shot was about 10 yards closer to the hole than my "hooked" tee shot.
I was consistently shorter with my driver, but the ball was consistently straighter. A few times, I saw the ball trying to draw, but it would seem to correct itself and just stay straight. It was very windy that day, so it could have also been the wind messing with the flight a little bit, but the flight of the ZStarX I was comparing it to was not acting quite the same.
3 iron off the tee
This is my go to tee club for shorter par 4's. On number 7 I smoked the tee shot with my 3i and I hit, what felt like, a little right to left shot and it looked like it was starting to draw, but then it straightened out and looked like it actually overcorrected and then went a little right and then straightened out. I know this doesn't make much sense, but the ball looked like a knuckle ball a little. It is almost as if you can see the dimples in action keeping the ball straight. My second tee shot with the ZStarX was perfectly straight and right down the middle. I thought I put a slightly better swing on the second shot, but I was very surprised to find that the Polara ball had went further than the ZStarX shot (which I thought I hit better). I was very impressed with this ball off the tee with my irons.
Playing it down
I played the Polara down after my tee shot and I found that it would draw like any other ball when the equator is not lined up with the target. I could not believe it! It also seemed to fly a little more true on mishits than the ZStarX which I attribute to be a lower spinning ball in general.
Wedge Play
This is the area that truly surprised me. The cover is a bit harder than what I am used to playing, but I had no problem getting spin around the green with my CG15 wedges. I hit a nearly full sand wedge into a green and spun it back 7 feet. I was amazed! I was expecting the ball to hit and release, but it hit and spun back. I was shocked to see this. The bad part is that my grooves took a little chunk out of the cover of the ball, but I didn't notice a change in its flight characteristics. I had hit the ball where the deeper dimples are. Shorter wedge shots did not have a tremendous amount of spin on them, but they did not roll out a ton either.
Putter
Not a fan honestly, but I have been playing Burner Tour golf balls the last month and those are absolutely fantastic off the putter. To be fair, I didn't like the ZStarX off my putter that much either. I like to stare down at a plain white ball when putting and the different dimple patterns kind of bothered me a little, but not that much.
Other
At first, I was annoyed that I had to align each tee shot up, but then I realized that I was better aligned in my tee shots in general and I started to do this with the line on my ZStar. I keep a handicap, so I can't use this ball for those scores, but I did learn something from gaming this. I think I am going to start putting the alignment aid pointing toward my target on the regular balls that I play.
I would absolutely recommend these balls to people who just played for fun as I think it would make this oh so difficult game so much more enjoyable. I can't believe that these work as advertised, but they just do. Whoever designed these balls is a sheer genius!
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- Admin
- #490
I think you may want to work on that for further testing.
10YardDraw
Ex Club Ho
Im sure you will do fine aggro, just be honest and as detailed as possible
thedue
Another Day in Paradise
Nice review SethO. I noticed the odd looking knuckle ball and like you pointed out, it seemed to happen for me when the traditional flight would have been a hook. It's like the correction tries to slid the ball, then it just shuts down and dives at the ground, lol. I found myself moving the ball way forward in my stance to get the highest possible launch, but that created turning too much on the ball and hook swings or straight left pushes for me.
Osahar
Working on the swing
That right there makes me sad. Anyone who's throwing their hat in the ring to do testing knows what's expected of them. Not following through is an insult to all the hard work you've put into making this opportunity happen. :sad:
Osahar
Working on the swing
More testing from me may be a little delayed. Got sick last night, so I can't make it out to the course today. Next Saturday I'm participating in the JDRF Walk for the Cure in Cocoa Beach with our company team, and then have to start prepping for a business trip to Minneapolis leaving in Tuesday the 22nd and not returning until Sunday the 27th.
So unless I can squeeze in some course time next weekend after the walk, I probably won't get out on the course again until the first weekend in April right now.
So unless I can squeeze in some course time next weekend after the walk, I probably won't get out on the course again until the first weekend in April right now.
WessCook
Tweet me @WessCook
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Review Part One:
I got 9 holes in this morning before the rain kicked in. So the conditions were not great, but they did the job.Well luckily there wasn't anyone out at the course today, so I was able to do side by side comparison. In part one I used the XS ball. No particular reason for it, maybe it was the shiney red on the box! On the range I was hitting well this morning, driver was nice and straight. The distance was lacking, but it was also 42 degress. My normal carry with Srixon Z-star X is around the 275+ range. Today in the cold I was at 260 no roll, a little soft.
Driver:
So, first hole I hit my gamer first. It had some right to left on, a lot actually and missed the fairway left. Still around 260 yards. Next I setup the XS per the directions and took a rip with it. What would you know, right down the middle. I even felt that swing I put on the first ball. The one thing I didn't like was the rock like sound off the face and the 15 yard loss in distance. I can handle a distance loss if I'm hitting fairways, so no big deal there. Anyways, off the tee all day the XS was straighter then my current gamer. I did start messing around later on in the round when my confidence was up. I was purposely putting hook swings on this ball and it still wanted go straight.... haha. AWESOME!!! Overall, I'm really impressed with the performance. I didn't think a ball could be made that actually fixes ball flight miss. So far I'm a believer. If the wife wasn't 35 weeks pregnant, I would have her hit them and see what they do for her. More testing to come!
Irons:
With my irons these XS balls played just like my gamers. Distance loss was minimal, maybe 3-5 yards. So not bad there. The ball flight was great. I did mess around a bit with the arrows, was able to pick up about 3 yards by pointing the arrow at my target. Overall, they feel like my normal ball when playing my irons, a little less spin though.
Wedges, Putting, and all around short game will be in Part 2 (as the rain and wind came quick) as well as the normal Ultimate Straight 2 piece ball. I'm going to put these through there paces tomorrow afternoon and Tuesday.
I got 9 holes in this morning before the rain kicked in. So the conditions were not great, but they did the job.Well luckily there wasn't anyone out at the course today, so I was able to do side by side comparison. In part one I used the XS ball. No particular reason for it, maybe it was the shiney red on the box! On the range I was hitting well this morning, driver was nice and straight. The distance was lacking, but it was also 42 degress. My normal carry with Srixon Z-star X is around the 275+ range. Today in the cold I was at 260 no roll, a little soft.
Driver:
So, first hole I hit my gamer first. It had some right to left on, a lot actually and missed the fairway left. Still around 260 yards. Next I setup the XS per the directions and took a rip with it. What would you know, right down the middle. I even felt that swing I put on the first ball. The one thing I didn't like was the rock like sound off the face and the 15 yard loss in distance. I can handle a distance loss if I'm hitting fairways, so no big deal there. Anyways, off the tee all day the XS was straighter then my current gamer. I did start messing around later on in the round when my confidence was up. I was purposely putting hook swings on this ball and it still wanted go straight.... haha. AWESOME!!! Overall, I'm really impressed with the performance. I didn't think a ball could be made that actually fixes ball flight miss. So far I'm a believer. If the wife wasn't 35 weeks pregnant, I would have her hit them and see what they do for her. More testing to come!
Irons:
With my irons these XS balls played just like my gamers. Distance loss was minimal, maybe 3-5 yards. So not bad there. The ball flight was great. I did mess around a bit with the arrows, was able to pick up about 3 yards by pointing the arrow at my target. Overall, they feel like my normal ball when playing my irons, a little less spin though.
Wedges, Putting, and all around short game will be in Part 2 (as the rain and wind came quick) as well as the normal Ultimate Straight 2 piece ball. I'm going to put these through there paces tomorrow afternoon and Tuesday.
Adam0304
Formerly War_Mongering
I hit one of each into my field (and proceeded to go get it) and the XS still hooked, although not as much as it should have. I put an equally bad swing on the 2 piece and it dates closer to the target line, but came up 10-15 yards shorter than the XS. The balls didn't have the BOOM feeling off the driver and I look forward to my simulator session this evening.
Tap before talk.
Tap before talk.
JRod
Well-known member
Polara Golf Ball Review
I finally made it out today, as Sunday and Tuesday are my new days off (Golfing days!). When I was first selected for this testing and found out what the ball was I would be a liar to say I was not a little disappointed after finding out the ball was non conforming. I then took a step back and thought to myself. Maybe everyone doesn't take golf as serious as I do, and the company must have something they believe in to send out this many balls to have an unbiased review given. I respect them for that, and I also respect the weekend warrior for not wanting to reinvent their swing, and just go out an enjoy the game.
I went and played 15 holes at the only course open in the area. Ambient air temperature - 28* F Wind WNW 9 MPH
Driving: I experienced much of what everyone else here has experienced. This ball performs absolutely as advertised. While feeling harsh off the face of the club the ball flies true. Being as i am only using a 9.5* driver i was experiencing pretty significant distance loss, but with a 3w and Mashie I was pretty close to the normal balls I play. Even on my severe double crosses which usually sends the ball sailing 40 yards left I maybe drew it 10-15 yards, easily keeping the ball in play. The funny part is with this ball I was able to hit a baby fade which I haven't been able to accomplish the end of last year with my normal game ball. The ball flight is extremely strange but goes straight and still long, even when compressed by a pretty stout swing speed.
Irons: I LCP'd my drives so I could mess around with the various arrow angle on the ball and seeing how it would react off the iron face. They play very similar to a "normal" ball, but once again the feeling off the face even on a well struck ball is pretty harsh. The ball flies true with even a little bit of left or right workability possible, however I found the trajectoryvery hard to control. This could also be due to the not so optimal playing conditions.
Putting: This is the real weak point of this ball. I am a terrible putter to begin with by my own admission, and distance control was a real big problem with this ball. I was playing on VERYSLOW greens, and that probably also contributed to the problem. However the ball felt very "clicky" and seemed to really launch off the putter face as opposed to a smooth roll.
Summary: Does this ball do what they claim? Absolutely, I could tell my very first drive I double crossed and the ball remained in play. The company advertises this as a ball that will make you hitmore fairways and I believe it will. I would refrain from using it on the simple fact it is non conforming. However, the company is very upfront about that and i commend the honesty. This ball would be perfect for the person who maybe plays 10 rounds a year and doesn't wanna lose the same amount of balls. The cover is also extremely durable.
I would like to thank Polara and THP for this opportunity. Sending your product out for independent review takes alot of courage and I commend Polara for that, especially to a place where the majority of members take golf as seriously as they do.
I finally made it out today, as Sunday and Tuesday are my new days off (Golfing days!). When I was first selected for this testing and found out what the ball was I would be a liar to say I was not a little disappointed after finding out the ball was non conforming. I then took a step back and thought to myself. Maybe everyone doesn't take golf as serious as I do, and the company must have something they believe in to send out this many balls to have an unbiased review given. I respect them for that, and I also respect the weekend warrior for not wanting to reinvent their swing, and just go out an enjoy the game.
I went and played 15 holes at the only course open in the area. Ambient air temperature - 28* F Wind WNW 9 MPH
Driving: I experienced much of what everyone else here has experienced. This ball performs absolutely as advertised. While feeling harsh off the face of the club the ball flies true. Being as i am only using a 9.5* driver i was experiencing pretty significant distance loss, but with a 3w and Mashie I was pretty close to the normal balls I play. Even on my severe double crosses which usually sends the ball sailing 40 yards left I maybe drew it 10-15 yards, easily keeping the ball in play. The funny part is with this ball I was able to hit a baby fade which I haven't been able to accomplish the end of last year with my normal game ball. The ball flight is extremely strange but goes straight and still long, even when compressed by a pretty stout swing speed.
Irons: I LCP'd my drives so I could mess around with the various arrow angle on the ball and seeing how it would react off the iron face. They play very similar to a "normal" ball, but once again the feeling off the face even on a well struck ball is pretty harsh. The ball flies true with even a little bit of left or right workability possible, however I found the trajectoryvery hard to control. This could also be due to the not so optimal playing conditions.
Putting: This is the real weak point of this ball. I am a terrible putter to begin with by my own admission, and distance control was a real big problem with this ball. I was playing on VERYSLOW greens, and that probably also contributed to the problem. However the ball felt very "clicky" and seemed to really launch off the putter face as opposed to a smooth roll.
Summary: Does this ball do what they claim? Absolutely, I could tell my very first drive I double crossed and the ball remained in play. The company advertises this as a ball that will make you hitmore fairways and I believe it will. I would refrain from using it on the simple fact it is non conforming. However, the company is very upfront about that and i commend the honesty. This ball would be perfect for the person who maybe plays 10 rounds a year and doesn't wanna lose the same amount of balls. The cover is also extremely durable.
I would like to thank Polara and THP for this opportunity. Sending your product out for independent review takes alot of courage and I commend Polara for that, especially to a place where the majority of members take golf as seriously as they do.
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I guess I should listen to what the company says more often.
I just spent a while hitting nothing but driver. I was getting grumpy at the distances I was getting. I decided to try playing the ball much further up in my stance than normal, off of my left toe. I normally play it slightly in front of my center.
Dang.
No more problems with trajectory. These things took off like a freaking bullet. I get what they are saying about higher ball speeds now. When I went to go get them, I found them all MUCH further down the field than I had expected. Most were in the 245-250 range. Dead straight. Naturally, I wanted to make sure this was not just a fluke, so I hit a ton of normal balls too. They went even further, though with slightly more curve.
Don't you just love it when, in the middle of testing, you find something out that will help your game permanently? I guess I can say that they have done at least one great thing for my game.
I just spent a while hitting nothing but driver. I was getting grumpy at the distances I was getting. I decided to try playing the ball much further up in my stance than normal, off of my left toe. I normally play it slightly in front of my center.
Dang.
No more problems with trajectory. These things took off like a freaking bullet. I get what they are saying about higher ball speeds now. When I went to go get them, I found them all MUCH further down the field than I had expected. Most were in the 245-250 range. Dead straight. Naturally, I wanted to make sure this was not just a fluke, so I hit a ton of normal balls too. They went even further, though with slightly more curve.
Don't you just love it when, in the middle of testing, you find something out that will help your game permanently? I guess I can say that they have done at least one great thing for my game.