Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature currently requires accessing the site using the built-in Safari browser.
Here are more photos from last nights session:
So I finally made it out to the real course and put the Cut Blue DC into play against some other balls. Dumb me never replaced the sleeve of balls in my bag so I only had one (the other two were from my previous testing). Unlike @Jman, it lasted only two holes.
Great news: the driver numbers (total yards by arccos) were within the range where I expect to see them. No visible tears or durability issues over the two holes (yup, wish I could stop losing balls).
Good news: the green I hit held it’s place and maybe only rolled out a yard on some decently baked greens. The ball also felt good off the putter (although more indoor testing is needed to really get the true sound).
Bad news: I lost it prematurely? I forgot to reload before the round?
Really though, on course we have a so far, so good situation. I’m content so far. It is definitely a better ball than the last Cut ball I reviewed.
Good feedback.
I should have plenty more coming after Sunday’s round (assuming I survive the heat). And I already reloaded the sleeve into the bag!
I have played the ball enough now and used on the chipping and putting greens to be able to make some definitive conclusions for how it works for me.
1. Durability - I would give it a B. I have gotten more than 18 holes out of a ball, but it does cut a little more than the premium balls I typically game, either a Pro V1X or Bridgestone Tour B XS.
2. Putting - A. It is fine. To me, a ball is a ball for putting. Once you adjust to whether it is more clicky or softer sounding, they are pretty much the same in performance. I will say that the ball feels softer than its stated compression.
2. Short game - A+. This ball is as good as any ball I have ever played for short chips and pitches. It is extremely lively.
3. Irons. A. It yields the same distance and performance as any other of the “X” type balls. It is a high ball flight for me and stops well.
4. Long game. I am not going to grade this component of performance because it is not that the ball is bad or good, it simply does not fit my swing as much as some other balls. It definitely spins a little more than my normal ball and it costs me some distance with driver, but for somebody who needs that extra spin, the ball would be an “A.”
Overall, I think it is a very good offering at its price point. My best score with the ball was a 74, which ties my lowest round of the year. Since the score is the bottom line for me, the ball clearly performs.
As a global note, The $30 price tag is a bit interesting because that is a crowed price point with some big names.
9 holes of Cut, 9 holes of one of my normal gamers in the books today. This baby spins a healthy amount off all the clubs. Mostly that’s a ton of fun, other than the few that zipped back on approaches that I wish they hadn’t. The low checking chip was working really well too.
Durability was a minor concern again - a fullish 60* swing put some nice marks in the cover. I also made sure to donate one into someone’s backyard so they can use it.
My biggest head scratcher was the driver. I was still in the range I expect to see but I was consistently at the lower end of the range. When I switched balls, I was closer to middle or occasional the higher end. We aren’t talking life changing distance differences but it mattered sometimes. All told, however, they were still within the expected range so I’m having a hard time faulting the ball without more time.
I appreciate your thoughts. As you mentioned in a prior post, they are not so different from my conclusions. I see about 15 yards less with this ball than my gamers when hitting driver. It must be the spin. I don’t know what else it could be. Do you see that spin difference on your launch monitor at home? Unfortunately, I don’t have access to a launch monitor at this juncture.
Alright I go these out for a full round over the weekend, and here's what I came away with. I give some comparisons to the Snell Black and Srixon Z-Star since I'm currently using both of those.
Spin: I've been playing mostly with Snell Black and Srixon Z-star this year, and the Cut DC spins a lot more. I had 3 shots, one with a PW and two with 8i, that spun back at least 10-15 feet. Great, if I had played it that way. Typically I get much less backspin, so the balls landed around pin high, but spun back and 2 were off the green. I really couldn't believe it when I walked up there how much it spun back, as this has never been my result into a green. Not a fault of the ball, I would just need to adjust my club choice and club up as a result. I saw some spin back with the Snell MTB-X I trialed, but not nearly this much. That said, I hit some of the best irons shots so far this season with my Srixon Z765's during this round. The feel of the ball off the club is good, just need to adjust to that spin.
As a result of this spin, I also saw my drives taking off more on my fade, turning into a slice. I usually have a little fade on my drives, but this seems to be worse with the DC. I'd been messing around with my drives this year, and got them pretty straightened out. Obviously it could have been a bad swinging day, but nearly every drive seemed to really take off left to right. The ones that I did hit straight, weren't nearly as long as typical. Again, maybe it was a bad day with the driver, but I didn't feel like I hit one good shot, and more often I was missing way right.
Durability: I wish I had gotten a picture of this before I lost the ball, but one of the balls had a pretty big cut out of the cover after just a 3 or 4 holes. It went into the trees once, but other than that it was only hitting my clubs. A couple others seemed to mark up pretty easily. I will dig through my bag when I get home tonight to see if I can get any good pictures of the durability issues I've mentioned. This to me is a big concern. At this price I want my balls to last longer than a few holes before noticeable marks show up. When compared to the Snell and Srixon, it falls short of their durability, by a wide margin, IMO.
Pricing: Since this is a big marketing point, the price, I thought it would be good to bring it up. The Cut DC is in-line with the price of the Snell, and less than the Srixon (unless you got the BOGO sale). So to me, for my swing, the Snell at retail price is what I'd be buying, but the Srixon at BOGO would be my best option. Regardless of swing, I would still put the Cut DC 3rd, based on durability alone.
Overall: This is an ok ball for me, but does not fit my driver swing at all. If you are looking for more spin into the greens, I think this definitely gives you that, no question about it. I really don't want to use this ball anymore off the tee, because I think I was sacrificing too much in terms of distance, and finding fairways. My main concern is the durability. I'm newer to the idea of playing one ball, instead of whatever ball I find in the woods and throw in my bag. But, in my short experience, I've only seen issues with the Cut DC. The Snell and Srixon are much more durable, and the covers seem to hold up much better than this.
Any other questions on the Cut DC vs Snell Black/MTB-X or Srixon Z-star please ask!
You, @Molten and I are seeing similar performance characteristics, with the exception for me that the ball is plenty durable for me.
Wanted to add very quickly some stats that I’ve accumulated on ShotScope. I’ve noted along with other testers that the Cut DC has a lot of spin.
Here are stats on two rounds using the Cut DC
Here is today’s round with this years Z-Star XV:
My take, big spin off the Driver and Wedges. My up and down with the DC were better than the XV, but the driver....Too much spin for me to control.
It is interesting that all of the reviews coming in have been fairly consistent.
In another interesting twist, I did not see the same driver spin issue. It spun more than Chrome Soft, but only 200 rpms different than Pro V1X.