Polara 2012 Golf Ball Forum Reviews

[JB]

THP is sending out the new 2012 Polara golf balls to 20 forum testers that were selected after signup and they will be providing feedback in this thread. Feel free to join in the conversation with your own reviews as well as ask questions to those that are doing the hard work of testing these out.

Lets keep this thread clear until the guys start getting their balls in and posting initial thoughts. Thanks.

 

[Damaikis]

I just got my golf balls and will head to the course shortly. Some initial info and thoughts:

The XD is a 2 piece ball designed for distance, and it 50% self-correcting. I'll be looking for the added distance while keeping a straight flight.

The XDS is a 3 piece ball to add some spin while still keeping the 50% self-correcting. I think I will like the added spin of this golf ball as it is something I like in my ball.

Golf balls and sleeves:

Close-up on dimples:

I have to say these balls are different from anything I've played in the past. I'm leaving for the course now- let's see how it goes! I'll be back later with a write-up.

 

[#Cookie]

Thanks for the photos Jeff. Very interesting with that line, it was not on last years balls. Looking forward to your thoughts Jeff - last year was a definite eye opener for me!

 

[Lynchburg14]

Can't wait to see if these are better off the driver than the originals were.

 

[War Eagle]

Thanks for the photos Jeff. Very interesting with that line, it was not on last years balls. Looking forward to your thoughts Jeff - last year was a definite eye opener for me!

I noticed that as well, the line wasnt on their previous version. Dimples seem to be less shallow as well? Im hoping mine are at home waiting on me!

 

[T0AD]

Can't wait to see if these are better off the driver than the originals were.

If I'm not mistaken, they only work with stuff above something like 15* of loft.
I remember having the same issue and this was pointed out to me. My driver was the ONLY club it wouldn't work with.

 

[War Eagle]

If I'm not mistaken, they only work with stuff above something like 15* of loft.
I remember having the same issue and this was pointed out to me. My driver was the ONLY club it wouldn't work with.

That is correct, for the last years models. The balls last year were for clubs with higher loft. This XD and XDS say that they can be used with any club, including your "typical driver" and will see ball flight of that of a regular golf ball.

 

[Thechosen1]

Not the only young lefty to get theirs :alien2:

Initial Thoughts:

I think the dimple pattern is really cool to see in person. I'm heading out to the course in about an hour- I think you all will enjoy my testing process. But as for the ball itself, it looks like an older model, what I mean is like a ball from the 80s or even 90s with how it looks but I'm really anxious as to see how these react to different swings. Can't wait!

 

[ddec]

here's a chart I found off of the Polara site that compares these to last years. After testing last years, I can't wait to hear what you all have to say about the newer models

 

[Smallville]

If I'm not mistaken, they only work with stuff above something like 15* of loft.
I remember having the same issue and this was pointed out to me. My driver was the ONLY club it wouldn't work with.

That is correct, for the last years models. The balls last year were for clubs with higher loft. This XD and XDS say that they can be used with any club, including your "typical driver" and will see ball flight of that of a regular golf ball.

I was going to say last years was 10.5*.

here's a chart I found off of the Polara site that compares these to last years. After testing last years, I can't wait to hear what you all have to say about the newer models.

OK, 11*.

 

[ddec]

I was going to say last years was 10.5*.
OK, 11*.

I didn't have much problems hitting the ball last year, when hit properly. It was when I would hit those low lines, or pulls that the ball didn't perform.

 

[IceyShanks]

I didn't have much problems hitting the ball last year, when hit properly. It was when I would hit those low lines, or pulls that the ball didn't perform.

I noticed the same thing with the previous polara ball, when struck well it seemed to perform well, but on the mis hits it seemed to work very poorly for me. Can't wait till they get here on friday!

 

[Damaikis]

I just finished 9 and here are some pics of the scuff marks on them after the round.

XDS:

XD:

As you can see, very minimal scuffing and the durability of both of these balls seems to be very good. I'll post my thoughts when I get home.

 

[War Eagle]

Got my Polara XD & XDS balls in the mail today, as well. Wanted to put up some quick thoughts on them after opening them up and giving them a quick inspection.

First thing I noticed was that the XD and XDS both had an interesting characteristic, and that was the that both of the balls had an "equator" running around the entire ball. On both balls, it is a solid stripe going around the entire ball. One each side of this "equator", there are 3 rows of small, flat dimples, that are similar to the Ultra Straight line. After the 3 rows of flatter dimples, you have larger, normal size dimples going all the way around. Interesting design to say the least. Polara says that the XD & XDS will give you the flight of a regular golf ball, while still providing 50% straighter flight. I can see how that is the case, as it looks like it is 1/2 of the older Polara design and 1/2 of a regular model golf ball. Very interesting and unique design. As far as the equator around the ball goes, I think that will definitely be used as an alignment aide for putting.

The 50% self-correcting is an interesting concept to me, and one that I think will appeal to a larger group of people than the previous versions from Polara. My typical ball flight for me is a fade, but the ball flight that annoys me the most is when that nice fade turns into that "not quite a slice, but no longer a fade" shot that misses the fairway by about 10 yards. I think the 50% self-correcting will reduce that shot a good bit, and allow me to keep the shots that miss the fairway by 10 or so yards, in the fairway. We shall see...

Here are some quick comparison pics;

In the first pic, you can really see the "equator" I was talking about, as well as the two styles of dimples on the ball.

Spoiler

Second photo, you can really see a comparison of the normal type dimples of the Polara on the top/bottom of the ball compared to that of the Callaway Hex. Very comparable in size.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[FrankA]

Looks like I'm a little late to the party. I made it out to play today, but unfortunately these came after. I will get them out on the course on Thursday for some testing.

I'll toss some pics in for your viewing pleasure.

Spoiler

 

[Thechosen1]

I first want to start off by thanking both THP and Polara for allowing me to test these golf balls as I am really excited about the opportunity!

Test date: Today, March 19th 2012
Conditions: Sunny, low 60s, winds 15-20mph but then died down in the final hour to less then 10mph

I decided today rather then just test the balls and play a round with them. I would straight up test them and see how they do against other top notch golf balls and well I'll let the results show for themselves by using Google Earth...

Hole #2(Par 5 474 yards)

Hole #6 (Par 4 426 yards)

Hole #9 (Par 4 425 yards)

Hole #16 (Par 5 471 yards)

As you can see from the four holes I played the Polara gave me 4/4 fairways compared to both the Bridgestone E6 and Titliest NXT which both still played well. The polara ball played great off my driver and was very comparable to my Bridgestone B330(s) testing. While I didn't see any boosts in yardages I did see the ball go back and forth a few times in the air- but on the first hole I pulled my drive and it didn't straighten too much and just kept going right.

As for irons. I did not like the feel off my irons. It felt like a rock to be honest and just didn't fully like it. I actually took a 3 hole break just to see if I was just mishitting it because the feeling just didn't feel right. Another thing. I know this may be silly but I honestly don't like always point the ball while in the middle of the fairway. I understand that it is how the ball is designed but it is bothersome to my pre-shot routine and just one less thing to worry about and don't we all want one less thing?

For spin I did not like the ball all too much. I'll assume that I have gotten very used to premium balls or even the B330 testing to where I expect a hit and stop ball spin. On hole #2 from the fairway I actually hit the green and it two hopped off of it. Granted the green wasn't exactly soft but it still should have stopped(it was high enough)


Overall I'm still very honored to be selected for this testing. I'm really thrilled as this product has always intrigued me and to see it in action is really something special. Again thank you to both THP and Polara for the opportunity. I can't wait to get back out there- hopefully some fellow THPers this weekend will see them in action and get to test themselves.

 

[War Eagle]

TC1, that was always something that annoyed me with the previous Polara balls. I hated having to line the arrow up with my aim point. With the line that runs around the ball, it seems like it might take less effort to align the ball with your target, as you dont have to look for the arrows to line them up, you can just use the dimple-less line around the ball to do so. Seems like it would quicken that process up a bit.

 

[fairband]

I came home from work to find my Polara balls waiting for me, unfortunately I also watched the weather and we are suppose to have rain the next four days. We all know how accurate those forecasts are though, so I hope to get out to test these balls soon.

 

[HuskAir]

TC1, I love the idea with the shot comparisons. I'm looking forward to going out and doing something similar.

After 70's and 80's and lots of sun last week, I have been faced with the following forecast:

I'm still planning on getting out between showers on Wednesday and/or Thursday or Friday morning. One way or another, I'm going to get onto a course this week!

I received my Polara balls today as well. I will post my first impressions and photographs shortly.

 

[Damaikis]

Okay guys I got out and played 9 holes today with 2 golf balls: Polara XD and XDS. First thing I have to say is thanks to THP and Polara for this awesome testing opportunity. Now I'm going to break it down by each ball and parts of the game for each.

XD:

Distance: Man, this ball was LONG off the irons and full wedge shots. My distances were screwy all day because of it. I'd venture to say this ball was 5-10 yards longer off the irons than either the B330 or HEX Black was for me. Off the woods, I was seeing about the same distance as with those other balls. My best guess is that I am over compressing this ball with my woods? Other than that, I can't really say what else it would be. I loved the distance of this ball, and if I got used to it, it would really help my game. I know it is a distance ball, but man was I impressed on my first iron shot with it. I overshot the green by a few yards and I was surprised as anything. The ball kept flying and flying.

Spin: Off of my irons, this ball got next to no spin compared to what I usually see from my gamers (B330 and HEX Black). I did hit a few greens toward the end of the round once I got used to the distance, and it just hit the green and gave a high hop, then another smaller hop off the back. I can usually pull back my short iron shots a bit and hop-and-stop my longer irons. This was one thing I really didn't like about this ball as it lead to be missing greens when I would've normally hit them. I'm sure I could get used to it, but for now, it hurt my game. Around the greens this ball had absolutely no spin at all. It would just hit the green and run. This lead to me using trajectory to stop the ball, and that didn't work too well since my highest loft is 56* with high bounce. Any time there was a tight pin, I had to land it short and run it up, and on a few times when I couldn't do that because of an obstacle, I had to accept it and end up well past the flag. I really didn't like this about the ball either, but it was bearable for the most part if I didn't short side myself.

Feel: I'll start with off the woods: horrible. I felt like I was squishing the thing every time I hit it. I think I was over compressing it like I said, and that would lead to this feel. I just hated it at impact, but hey, it worked, so I won't complain too much. Off the irons, the feel was slightly better. It gave off a nice click at impact and I could really feel myself getting through the ball. Not great, but definitely not bad either. I could feel how I hit it, so it's not like I was just hitting a rock, but I didn't feel too much in the area of distance control. When I hit it I couldn't really tell how far it was going to go. As long as I got my distances down with this ball, I don't think that would be an issue. Around the greens, I was pleasantly surprised by the feel. Any and all partial wedge shots felt awesome. I could really feel the distance and how I was going to flight the ball. It was pure awesomeness, maybe even comparable to my beloved HEX Black in this category, which honestly surprised the hell out of me. Having this feel really helped me deal with the lack of spin of the ball and let me hit a few short game shots (<100 yards) quite close. Once I get a bit more used to the lack of spin, I could really see this ball being nothing short of incredible around the greens for me.

Accuracy: Okay, here is where the ball has all the hype with it's self-correcting behavior and whatnot. I did know beforehand that this would help straighten out my ball flight, and man, did it live up to the hype. Now, don't take me saying this as it is a godsend that will help keep all shots straight, because it won't. I put some HORRIBLE swings on this ball today because my swing was just off and I was really tired. This ball did not keep everything in the fairway, but it sure did help. I had a few duck-hook and banana slice swings with this ball, and it cut down the movement significantly and helped keep the ball in play. One shot in particular, I felt as I hit it that it was going high and left (slice for me), and it only faded slightly. I would guess that it took 30 or so yards off my slice on that particular swing. I was playing alone, and while that shot was in the air, I actually audibly said "Wow". That was the only thing I said out loud all day on the course. It impressed me that much. I was in the rough with this ball a few times, but I think every one of them would have otherwise been OB. The irons are no exception to this trend. I hit 0 GIR today, but every single miss except for one push was short or long. If I had the distances down, I think I would've hit 8 GIR, a record for me. I honestly couldn't hit my irons badly. It was so much fun to be out there hitting it like that. That self-correcting stuff they talk about? It is serious business. I can't believe more recreational golfers don't play this ball. It just makes the game so much more fun.

Putting: I don't have too much to say here except that I didn't like the feel off the putter. The sound was a loud click and I didn't much like it. For some reason I left almost every putt I hit short. Not sure if that had to do with the ball or not, but I thought it was relevant so I'll put it here. I did like the alignment aid though. I line up all my putts with the line on the ball, and this was a god one to do that with.

XDS: I won't bore you by repeating a lot of the same stuff, I'll only note changes from the XD in this section (I found them to be relatively similar balls).

Distance: Again, longer than usual off the irons, but a few yards shorter than the XD. Off the woods, it was nearly the exact same distance as the XD on average. Most of the time my balls were sitting next to each other. The length in the irons led to me overshooting greens like it did with the XD.

Spin: Similar to the XD, but with slightly more spin. Off the irons, this ball would just take one medium hop and then roll out a few yards. Like I said, I was over shooting greens and part of that was due to this. Around the greens, I still had to rely on trajectory to stop the ball for the most part, but my landing area with this ball was a few feet closer to the hole with this ball than the XD because of the bit of added spin. I liked that a bit more than the XD because it was closer to what I usually do with my gamers.

Feel: Literally the exact same thing as the XD. I could copy and paste my section from above and it would be 100% true.

Accuracy: Again, very similar to the XD. The self-correcting technology stood up to the claims and straightened out my ball flight significantly. The only thing different about this from the XD in this area was that on poor shots with the woods, the ball moved slightly more. It still kept my ball in play, but moved maybe 5 yards more than the XD did. With the irons this ball was as straight as an arrow like with the XD. I was really impressed and I hit 2 GIR and all the rest were short/long misses, not to either side.

Putting: Same thing as with the XD. Loud click which I didn't like, and just about everything was short. A disappointing day overall with the flat stick.

Overall, today was a great day out on the course. I learned a ton about these golf balls and I could tell they really helped my long game. I think today was the most fun round of golf I've played in a long time, maybe even ever. And I attribute that to this ball. It makes the game much more fun and much easier. I honestly cannot wait to get out and play with these things again to get my distances dialed in. I think I may have a chance to hit more fairways and GIR than I ever have before once I get a few more rounds with these. I think I'll be playing again tomorrow, and I plan on focusing solely on the XDS and the performance with its improved spin. Any questions, feel free to ask!

 

[JConn]

Great write ups TC1 and Dam, I really enjoyed both of those! Crazy how you guys feel so differently about the "feel" of the ball. I too would find it annoying to have to line up the arrows every single time. What happens if you dont? Will it spin in the direction it is pointing? I wonder if you could pull off some Bubba Watson style of shots if that was the case. Thanks for the write ups guys and keep up the good work.

 

[#Cookie]

Very nice write ups last night guys! I am impressed at the distance in these off the tee as compared to other premium balls. That was a downfall of them last year and they obviously fixed that. I know the previous versions were really clicky and did not offer much in the way of feel but the distance getting fixed makes these such a great option for the casual golfer struggling with that slice. Well done thus far guys!

 

[Dogman]

Great write ups Dam and TC1...and cool pics of teh course and ball positions off the tee TC1....

 

[oiler3535]

great write up guys. If someone asked my thoughts on these, I probably would have said they'll be nice and straight but out of a regular ball's league otherwise. By the looks of your reviews, that would be right. I bet these balls would be awesome for a beginner or very high capper. Not everybody can afford the lessons it takes to improve naturally, so these would be great for somebody just wanting to go out and have fun. Will be interested to see what everybody else says.

 

[adwillingham]

Good reviews guys.

I too would find it annoying to have to line up the arrows every single time. What happens if you dont? Will it spin in the direction it is pointing? I wonder if you could pull off some Bubba Watson style of shots if that was the case. Thanks for the write ups guys and keep up the good work.

JConn - I believe if you don't line them up, nothing "bad" happens, but you don't get the directional correction benefit.