Vision Golf Ball Forum Review Thread

A few early impressions after 30 mins or so putting with them.

The X3 feels quite hard coming off the putter face, it is definitely a different feel to my usual balls (TaylorMade Penta TP, Nike One tour and Bridgestone B330-RX). They also felt like they came off the face faster aswell, but that may just be me.

I didn't miss a single putt (my matt is 6ft with an incline at the end) so that's a very good start for them.

I shall be using one tomorrow when I play on a Miniature Golf Putting Course as this will give me a much better indication as to how they will perform on the course putting greens.
 
I have a question for Vision

The X3 have straight flight dimples, do you have to line the ball up in any way off the tee like you do with some of the other balls that offer straight flight dimples?

Is there a specific way that you line up balls with straight flight dimples? I've never heard this before. What kind of balls to you need to line up like that?
 
Today was a drizzly messy day on the course but I managed to get 18 holes in using only one white clear gel Vision ball.

I must say that this ball continues to impress me. Because we were fairly busy, I didn't try to compare it to any other balls but I will say that I am wishing I had at least a half dozen on standby to play in my upcoming 3 day tournament in less than 2 weeks. I'm sure the 5 I have left will be worn out by then.

Driver - I hit 12 out of 14 fairways today. Long and straight just like the box claims. The ball just rocketed off my driver which was great because I played back with the guys on their tees. I love the ball flight. Not too high and not too low. Plenty high for a good carry but piercing enough to get out there too.

Irons - I hit some really pure iron shots and had two birdies which is unusual, especially when I play the back tees. I even missed one birdie attempt from 5' out. I loved how they felt and sounded coming off the irons. The ball landed softly and probably rolled out about 10'-15' average.

Wedges - I really enjoyed pitching and chipping with this ball. I stuck a bunch of shots close which resulted in an unusual number of one putts. I think I had six one putts on the back nine. I really enjoyed the soft feel of these balls around the green. My pitch shots checked up nicely with minimal roll.

Putter - I had 29 putts with two 3 putts (really good putting # for me). I attribute this to a good chipping day but I also made a lot of putts that I often miss. I even made a 39' putt today for birdie.

Loving this ball! So glad I was picked as a tester.
 
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I loss my last UV:X3 on a par three shot over water :banghead::crying: however DawgDaddy did get to test one of these balls today. I know one hole in particular he lobbed a wedge shot up that stopped within one foot of the hole for a tap in birdie with this ball. More to come from DawgDaddy later with his personal thoughts on this ball.

Thank you buddy for letting me try out this ball. As I have posted earlier I have been playing the Bridgestone B-300RX for about 2 1/2 years and do like to hit other balls to see how they compare. I will go on record as saying that I would have no problem gaming the UV:X3 if they were readily available. The first thing that stood out to me is the yellow is "different" from the yellow on the RX, I love the optic yellow on my Bridgestone's and unexpectedly the yellow on the X3 is more intense and very, very visible. The cover does for some reason feel softer to me and it looks good on the tee against the black face and white crown of the R-11.
I was having a particularly bad ball striking day today with the long clubs ( 2 tee shots were in the 100 yard range :beat-up:) so I really can't say as yet how I feel about the driver with these, however I hit several mid iron shots and wedge shots with the X3 and it feels very similar to the RX, even sounds very much like it. Off of the putter it actually felt "crisp" and was easy to gauge distance with. As Ole Gray stated I like the ball off of the wedge a lot. The shot he was speaking of was 48 yards and over a bunker to an right to left downhill pin. I landed it about 2 yards short and it just fed down the 6 feet to pin high about 10-12 inches from the hole. Also on the 1st hole that I tried it out on was the par 5 7th and I hit my approach to about 65 yards, I then proceeded to hit a ugly hosel rocket to pin high right. From 20 yards I lobbed the ball high and it landed just short and left of the hole and fed down to 4 feet below the hole to save the par. These balls give enough spin for these type of shots, I know they give enough spin to back the ball up on greens that are softer than what we played today.

All in all I feel this ball to be one that everyone should game for a round or 2 to see how it stacks up to their game. As I said, I would not hesitate to game this ball on any course, it is the real deal in my opinion. Thank you OG for letting me try out this ball.
 
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Today was a drizzly messy day on the course but I managed to get 18 holes in using only one white clear gel Vision ball.

I must say that this ball continues to impress me. Because we were fairly busy, I didn't try to compare it to any other balls but I will say that I am wishing I had at least a half dozen on standby to play in my upcoming 3 day tournament in less than 2 weeks. I'm sure the 5 I have left will be worn out by then.

Driver - I hit 12 out of 14 fairways today. Long and straight just like the box claims. The ball just rocketed off my driver which was great because I played back with the guys on their tees. I love the ball flight. Not too high and not too low. Plenty high for a good carry but piercing enough to get out there too.

Irons - I hit some really pure iron shots and had two birdies which is unusual, especially when I play the back tees. I even missed one birdie attempt from 5' out. I loved how they felt and sounded coming off the irons. The ball landed softly and probably rolled out about 10'-15' average.

Wedges - I really enjoyed pitching and chipping with this ball. I stuck a bunch of shots close which resulted in an unusual number of one putts. I think I had six one putts on the back nine. I really enjoyed the soft feel of these balls around the green. My pitch shots checked up nicely with minimal roll.

Putter - I had 29 putts with two 3 putts (really good putting # for me). I attribute this to a good chipping day but I also made a lot of putts that I often miss. I even made a 39' putt today for birdie.

Loving this ball! So glad I was picked as a tester.

Great Job KellyBo!!! I can not wait to get out and play 36 holes tomorrow for my testing! These balls are having great results!
 
Just got in from work (really busy today) to find a little package waiting. I could almost hear the balls calling 'we are in here, open us now'.

First visual impressions are WOW, they are bright. I think you would have to be Stevie Wonder to not see these babies on the course.

On a solely visual comparison to a 'normal' ball, these Vision ones and the Arctic in particular give the appearence of being larger diameter. I know they are not but just appear that way. For the oldies amonst our ranks you may remember the Top Flight Magna from the late 80s that was 1.72" dia rather than 1.68". These give me the feeling that those used to when my dad played them.

Anyway they could not have arrived at a worse time for me as we have visitors all weekend so looking is all I can do until next week.

Can't wait til Monday.
 
I got a chance to do some short game testing with these yesterday.
** I have the Advance Game Improvement Series **

Pros:
- Visually my favorite balls I have put in play (and I have played the Srixon yellow, but not the BS). Of all the balls the Yellow is my favorite! I love tracking it through the air.
- I love the 'click' I get with this ball when pitching chipping. It has a firmer feel to it, which I typically prefer. The firmness is close to my 20XI-X ball, but still just a tad firmer than that. And I really like it off the putter face.
- I was working from 120 yards and in, and the distance control was very consistent. Once I got used to the way the ball was coming off the clubface, I was able to figure out my numbers pretty quickly and could hit them consistently. Distance control with the putter was excellent. I could putt 5 balls and have them all touching each other... I really really like these balls off the putter!
- Very durable. I'm more of a sweeper of the ball, so I don't scuff them up too bad... I can even get 18 out of the Nike 20XI balls to give you an idea... From all the wedge shots I hit I did have a few marks, but I was able to rub most of them out. I wish I was thinking and I would have taken a few before/after pics, but I was laughing (not thinking) when I rubbed a few black marks (prob from my black wedges) off the ball by hand (and spit).

Cons:
My favorite shot inside 100 yards is a little 3/4 knockdown wedge with a one hop and stop... and I was having issues trying to play it with these balls.
- Trajectory was a little higher than I prefer... and I was having a tougher time hitting my controlled knockdown shot, that I like to hit with my wedges. I was able to get consistent distances, but again trajectory was higher than I would like and on a windy day I may not have the control that I would like.
- I also wasn't getting the spin control I'm used to... from fuller shots to pitches... I'm not a high spin player and I don't come in very steep on the ball so maybe other players aren't having as much of an issue with this...

** It should be noted that these are the game improvement balls and these are typical results I have gotten when playing balls in this category. **
In the short game area I'm sure I could make some adjustments to my game to get these to work for me in this area, but ultimately I prefer to have more trajectory/spin control of my ball inside 120 yards... like I get from my current tour level ball.

I'm going to head out for 18 with these on Sunday afternoon and I'll give a more complete report on these from tee to green. This will be the real test... I know I'm not super excited about my traj/spin control with these balls in the short game, but If I can get the ball in the hole faster from tee to green, I will consider putting these in play and rework some of my short game shots.
 
Will play a full 18 tomorrow at disneys magnolia so hope for good weather and good golf.

I love the reviews from my fellow testers
 
Played on Friday, but only played nine holes. It was hot and miserable. I played the UV X3.

As well as I hit these the first time out, my round yesterday was the opposite. I did hit some good shots, but off the tee was not so good. Did hit a great tee shot on #10 (we only played the back nine) but my second, while I hit it a long way, went right into some tall grass alongside the road. not sure if it ended up in the grass or across the road. I didn't see it anywhere. Still, the short game was superb. Nice high shots that land softly and don't roll out much. As bad as I played yesterday, I am still happy with how myh lob shots are going. I like them so much right now that I am probably playing them more than I should! This ball seems to be a good match for me in this part of the game.

Putting was just OK. I didn't make any long ones, but I left them within a few feet most of the time. I did make a 10 footer for par. Didn't have the yips yesterday like I have my last 4 or 5 rounds. Off the tee, bleh. More my swing than the ball I think. Just didn't have it, and I lost one in the woods ooff the tee on the 14th. So I am down to pne UV ball left. Even though I wasn't hitting great off the tee, the balls are so easy to find. Wish I could get my hands on more of these! Again, it was so hot that my mind wasn't really into it. I probably should have put these away and went back to my normal ball when I realized my head wasn't into the round and just used for shots on or around the greens.

I still have the three white X3's left and will play those the next time out. Probably won't play again until next Friday, although I am hoping to hit the friving range a couple mornings next week, before it gets too hot. Try to get my swing in shape a little better before I play again.
 
Hi to THP Vision Testers

Hi to THP Vision Testers

Hey all, :hello:

I am Damien, the Australian Long Drive professional Boz mentioned, that has been testing the Vision designs for the last 6 months. I have left my bio in the AB_from_Oz thread in the introduction section so not to clog the great thread you have going here. I have been personally reading your thread since it began and think you guys are doing a fantastic review of the Vision balls thus far. Glad you all are enjoying them so much, they are pretty cool aren’t they?

In saying that though can I say that I was the biggest skeptic of low compression golf ball designs you could find. As Boz told you guys a few days ago. To Boz’s credit though he is always forward thinking and gave me an opportunity to test his designs. Let me just say I had to eat a whole serve of humble pie. I know Boz will be embarrassed by me saying so but he is a very clever man who has a lot of knowledge to share, do not hesitate to ask him any questions you have about anything, you will always get an exact and interesting answer. Can I also say he is very cutting edge in what he does? Wait til you get to try the Vision golf gloves… And here is something else he has just introduced these for testing in Australia…

post-1212-009333300201308879530.jpg


Yep, GROOVELESS IRONS!! You wouldn’t believe the results, I know I can’t!

If you have any questions, or anything that I can personally help you with regards to the Vision balls please don’t hesitate to ask me. I will be interested in your findings and am on here reading through pretty much every day, so don’t hesitate to drop me a post.

AB


I have a question for Vision

The X3 have straight flight dimples, do you have to line the ball up in any way off the tee like you do with some of the other balls that offer straight flight dimples?

No you don’t have to line up the dimples in a particular way to take advantage of the straight flight dimple pattern, the balls will provide you with an effect through the air. Will let you proceed with your testing but take particular note of what the Vision balls do in their flight on miss-hits and when ‘working’ the ball with draw or fade, it is pretty cool!
 
No you don’t have to line up the dimples in a particular way to take advantage of the straight flight dimple pattern, the balls will provide you with an effect through the air. Will let you proceed with your testing but take particular note of what the Vision balls do in their flight on miss-hits and when ‘working’ the ball with draw or fade, it is pretty cool!

Thanks, I shall pay attention when I tee these up for the first time on Wednesday evening.
 
You can call me a skeptic on the groveless irons, seems it would be impossible to get the ball to bite very well on the greens. That's my opinion without seeing how they work but I have learned as I age that I am most certainly not always right in my initial opinions.
 
You can call me a skeptic on the groveless irons, seems it would be impossible to get the ball to bite very well on the greens. That's my opinion without seeing how they work but I have learned as I age that I am most certainly not always right in my initial opinions.

Unless you have AB's swing speed and can compress the ball like a cotton ball? I would have to try it myself too DD.
 
You can call me a skeptic on the groveless irons, seems it would be impossible to get the ball to bite very well on the greens. That's my opinion without seeing how they work but I have learned as I age that I am most certainly not always right in my initial opinions.

Dawg, I thought the exact same thing when I first saw them. My belief was that for sure they would not spin and every single shot would be like hitting a "flyer". But trust me when I say I am absolutely flawed when it comes to their performance. So far in every bit of testing I have done with them, they perform exactly the same as my grooved blades. In fact I even think they spin a touch more backspin wise, the best analogy I can use is a racing car has slick tyres, why? More grip through greater surface contact.

So if they don't perform any differently why bother? You don't have to clean grooves between shots, just a wipe and away you go; and it prolongs the optimal performance of your golf ball - not grooves, no shearing. We are going to test a LW soon, which I also have my doubts about for the same reasons you and saying. Do you think it is possible though being grooveless that it will enable the club to slide under the ball better? Am thinking say in a bunker shot?

Great thoughts though DD, love to hear your opinions on the LW?

If it doesn't work, do you think we could get an effect if we sand blasted the face?
 
I don't want to derail the ball testing here AB, but I'm highly fascinated by the groove-less irons (wedges). Perhaps you can start another thread so we can discuss those in that thread? Do you have more pictures of the irons you can share?
 
I don't want to derail the ball testing here AB, but I'm highly fascinated by the groove-less irons (wedges). Perhaps you can start another thread so we can discuss those in that thread? Do you have more pictures of the irons you can share?

+1, a new thread with more pics and a video of the ball being struck and the reaction when it lands would be perfect right about now.
 
Sounds like a good idea guys. Sorry did not want it to turn into a thread-jacking so we will definitely create a new thread to discuss this technology also.

Basically just wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself to you all and say what a fantastic review you guys are putting together. Late at night over here now so I will be back again when it hits morning here.

Looking forward to hearing about all the fantastic things you guys discover about the Vision balls over the coming testing period. If you want to chat about anything at all please don't hesitate to post me here.

Look forward to talking to you all soon...

AB
 
You can call me a skeptic on the groveless irons, seems it would be impossible to get the ball to bite very well on the greens. That's my opinion without seeing how they work but I have learned as I age that I am most certainly not always right in my initial opinions.

Dawg, this is what I think. I dont feel like you would have any chance to get the ball to bite whatsoever
 
So I finally got a chance to not only test these balls out but to also finally share my thoughts on them so here goes...

Went out to my local course after work on Friday. Warmed up with a bucket of range balls and then took the Vision balls out to the pitching/chipping green. Started out with three UV:X3's and three of my usual TM Burner Tours. Started with chips from 5 yards off the green and was immediately impressed. The sound off both balls was nice to my ear but the feel that you get off the Vision ball is better than my Burner Tours. While the Burners provide nice feel around the green, the Vision X3's seem more responsive. It may sound weird but, with the Vision ball, you can immediately tell whether or not you hit a good chip shot. There have been times where I've hit chips with my regular Burner Tours and thought that it was going to be great but the ball either refuses to sit down or checks up too early. This is not the case with the Vision X3's. You'll know from the get-go whether you've hit a good one or not... no deception from this golf ball.

Next, I moved back and hit some pitch shots from both 20 and 30 yards away. Once again, the Vision balls do not disappoint. The practice green was rather firm at the time that I had gone out and I still got a nice soft feel from my Burners but I would have had a lot of work to do if playing a round because they did not bite as well as I would have liked and was left with about 8-10 feet just about every single time. The Vision balls, on the other hand, just take it to the next level. I experienced the same great feel that I did while chipping but these balls bit into that firm green and just stayed put. No additional roll... and around the 5 foot mark on average. I always feel like my short game could use a lot of work and these Visions could be part of the answer.

From there, I moved over to the putting green. The test I was looking for here was feel and speed/distance control. I started by placing another club down on the green to make sure I was bringing the club back to the same point on every putt and began hitting putts alternating balls with each stroke. The Burner Tours left a slightly greater dispersion in terms of distance but nothing of great significance. Once again however, I found that the Visions stepped up. I found myself a couple of times wondering if they were magnetically attracted to each other somehow because on several occasions I found my X3's just about snuggled next to one another. The dispersion here with the Vision balls was approximately 6-8 inches while my Burner Tours left slightly greater distances of around a foot from each other.

To test the feel of the Vision balls, I moved to a 3-foot putt, set up to a ball, closed my eyes and made my stroke. The Vision X3's provide an amazing feel off the putter face. At impact, the ball seems to "gel" with the putter and work together whereas my Burner Tours, while providing a sound that was more acceptable to my ears (slightly deadened sound from the Visions), seemed more as a separate ball and putter rather than one "unit." Personally, I'll take the feel over the sound any day of the week.

I was initially very impressed with the performance of these golf balls but it was time to see how they performed on the course as I headed out to play the back nine. Well, all I can say is "Long and Straight." In fact, I should correct that to "Longer and Straight." Here's a slight recap of my 9-hole round:

346 yard par 4 10th - Extreme dogleg right. Usually hit driver here and, with my fade, find the fairway with a leave from 120-130. This time I the X3 holds its line better and the ball stays straight. Not only that, but it also carried further than expected and my ball ends up in the left rough 150 yards out. Trees in the way forced me to hit a little punch back onto the fairway. Hit a nice 9I into the green for my third and just like the practice green, my X3 landed softly on the firm green and just stuck. Left me with a 6-footer which I made for par.

152 yard par 3 11th - Tee shot here is over a creek which splits the tee box and the green. Pulled a 6I and thought I was going to miss the green left but saw the ball carrom off a hill and land in the drink. Dropped and hit a nice chip from 8 yards off the green to within 8 feet. Made the slight right to left bender for bogey.

At this point, the storm clouds started coming in and the thunder told me to "hurry up" but I was determined to test these out so let's continue...

468 yard par 5 12th - Took aim at the middle of the fairway after my drive on 10 and found myself in the right rough after some help from the wind. Second with my 3H put me 140 yards out. Chunked a 6I which turned out to be a nice little layup. 60 yards left meant an easy SW for me but I had to fly the bunker which was guarding the front left of the green and the pin is front middle. Again the Vision X3 didn't fail me as my ball landed 3 feet into the green, bounced up another foot and sat down 4 feet from the cup! Got down for par.

305 yard par 4 13th - Trees right so made sure to aim left here. Unfortunately I pull-hooked it way left. Found my ball with relative easy thanks to the bright yellow and the big symbols on the ball! Completely unplayable so I took a penalty and dropped. Hitting 3 from the left rough, I pull out 7I and push my approach right of the green. Hit a chip but unfortunately didn't get on top of a ridge on the green. Left with an 18-footer up over the ridge instead. 2 putts later I'm in with a double. Yuck.

369 yard par 4 14th - The banana slice made its occasional appearance here off the tee as my ball landed in the trees on the right near the base of one of the large magnolia trees here. Had enough of an angle to punch a 3H back into the fairway. Third was an 8I from 120 yards into a green sloping back to front. My X3 landed on the back edge of the green, took the slope and left me with 12 feet for par. Par attempt burned the right edge. Tap-in for bogey.

332 yard par 4 15th - Toed my drive right near a pond and thought I was still okay until I drove up and saw my ball in the middle of the pond. Apparently it bounded off an extreme slope and went in for a swim to cool off in the heavy Florida afternoon humidity. Once again, very easy to see thanks to bright yellow and huge graphics but 2nd ball lost. Dropped with penalty and hit a 5I right of the green. Chipped up to 6 feet and got down for bogey.

500 yard par 5 16th - Since this was the last of my yellow X3's, I tried to be more cautious the remainder of the round. Focused more on control and hit the middle of the fairway. Measured with my GPS and my drive with the X3 went an additional 10 yards versus my usual distances with my Burner Tours! Amazing! Sliced a 3 wood into the right rough for my second which I was okay with since there was water left. Approach shot over a swampy creek so I didn't want to be short with it but I chunked it again and left myself with 80 yards to the green still needing to get over the creek. Pulled my PW from my bag and skulled it. The good news was I got over the creek. The bad news was I hit through the green. Had a short pitch from behind the green to a front pin. The Vision ball popped up nicely but didn't release off the slope of the green like I expected. Instead it bit into the green as it did previously and left me with a lot of work from 25 feet out. Took my medicine and two putts for double bogey.

133 yard par 3 17th - The green on this hole slopes from front to back slightly left to right and the pin is usually in the back right corner so I usually play this to the middle of the green and left the natural slope take it more towards the hole. This time, remembering how the Vision X3 really takes a bite out of the green, I looked to go right at the flag. Stepped up with a 7I and took dead aim at it. While watching the nice high ball flight, I thought to myself "that actually has a chance." The shot looked good from the tee box but it wasn't until I drove up and saw my ball that I was completely amazed. My ball bit into the green once again and when I say it bit into the green, that comes with no exaggeration... I found my ball sitting in the pitch mark I had just created! Marked my ball, repaired the pitch mark and eyed a 6-footer for birdie. Unfortunately my X3 took a right turn at the hole and skidded past. Tapped in for par.

On the drive from the 17th green to the 18th tee, the rain started coming down. I felt that in honor of the British Open and to finish out this test round, I decided to play on.

383 yard par 4 18th - Honestly, I was quite nervous on this tee box because there is water on the entire right side of this hole and I'm playing my last UV:X3 ball. On the box, I took driver and aimed left hoping that it would fade into the fairway or, at the least, find myself in the left rough. Put a good swing on it and as hoped the ball shot down the left side of the fairway and turned back into the middle. I had a second shot from 150 yards but once again was concerned with the water right of the green. Took a 6I and finished left of the green 30 yards out but on dry land. Hit a SW pitch shot but the combination of the bite from the X3 and the rain (it was pouring now) left it 12 feet short of the hole. Another two putt with very little read (I wanted to get out of the rain) and another bogey.

Finished with a 44 for my nine which I was okay with after a bit of scrambling and the rough weather.

Overall thoughts of the Vision X3... Just flat out incredible performance around the greens. The bite that this ball has and its ability to sit down on the putting surface is just astounding. I was not expecting it to bite so much especially with how smooth the outer shell feels versus my Burner Tour. Once again, incredible feel and responsiveness given from the Vision balls as they "gel" well and provide great responsive feedback after each shot. I think it may take another round to get used to how this ball checks and sits around and on the greens but I'm confident this is a relatively easy adjustment to make. The driving woes continue so I'll hopefully be able to provide more feedback on drives and long irons after today's round in a couple of hours. For the time being, I'll say that the feel translates over to the tee box as well. Nice feel off the sweet spot with the X3 and mishits (like my toed drive on 15) are pretty easily detected. The Vision ball added additional length off the tee for me as well so yet another plus there. One drawback for me however is that misses are unforgiving as my pulls and toed shots were rather wayward. That could also possibly be from my poor driving and, once again, hopefully I'll be able to provide more feedback after today so stay tuned. Around the greens though, this is my new favorite ball.

Thanks again to Boz and all at Vision Golf as well as JB, GG, and THP for this wonderful opportunity to test these out!

Sorry for the long read... if any questions, fire away!
 
Great write up SirSliceALot. You guys playing the UV:X3's are making me want to steal one of Ole Gray's to try out around the greens. He's hiding them from me. I'm off to play a practice round for a tournament out of town. I plan to use the Vision balls today and I'll have another write up afterwards. It will be a really nice course with better greens to hit into (ours are very firm) so it will be interesting to see what this ball does.
 
Weather hasn't been cooperating the last few days, but I have an afternoon tee time today. So, I'll be able to get some in game testing on these bad boys side by side with the pentas. Looking forward to it.
 
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