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Polara 2012 Golf Ball Forum Reviews

SuperStroke
War Eagle said:
Just seems like it's a steep price point for someone to buy that just wants to play a casual round. I know when I first started out, I bought the cheapest balls I could find just cause I knew I would lose them.
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Yeah I hear ya. I am not sure what the market is that they are targeting or what the end game is. With that said, I figured it was at least worth the $10 to keep testing as THP and Polara were nice enough to select me to test them and I am trying to do as thorough a job as possible.
 
I feel that $10 was pretty expensive for a sleeve, but I would have done the same if I were in your spot Dev. I plan to get out tomorrow with these. Will probably play 9 with the XDS and then 9 with the XD.
 
I am going to buy a sleeve for my brother this weekend, I will check back in with the price on Saturday. I am still in awe how good this ball worked out for a co worker who fights a major slice. It made him happy as can be and thats where this ball shines, he is itching to play more now because he hit a sweet draw and drained the putt for bird which he has never done.
 
VA. Vince said:
I am going to buy a sleeve for my brother this weekend, I will check back in with the price on Saturday. I am still in awe how good this ball worked out for a co worker who fights a major slice. It made him happy as can be and thats where this ball shines, he is itching to play more now because he hit a sweet draw and drained the putt for bird which he has never done.
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I am not sure you will be able to find a sleeve. I think I just got lucky at the GS by my house. I scoured the internet and couldnt find anyone selling a sleeve.
 
DevRickus said:
I am not sure you will be able to find a sleeve. I think I just got lucky at the GS by my house. I scoured the internet and couldnt find anyone selling a sleeve.
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Probably true, don't think I'm going to spend more than $25 on a dozen so he may be SOL.


Tap-in Talking
 
I just got in from 9 holes with the XDS. I am really starting to like this ball. No, it doesn't spin like a tour ball but off the tee this thing is great for me. I hit 5/7 fairways (the two misses together may have been a total of 7yds). I caught two a little thin, one was about 25 yds short of my normal distance and the other was about 15 yds short, but both found the middle of the fairway. The other 5 tee shots were just as long as any tour ball for me, in some cases longer. On these 5 I made solid contact in the middle of the club face. I noticed the ball moving left and right more than I remember from the last time I played it, but I saw no decrease in distance from this unlike last time. I really didnt see and nose dives or S shaped ball flights this time either.

Once again I hit the hybrid very good with this ball. Something about this ball just works well with this club for me. I got a chance to hit a couple 7 irons today. One I tried to hit about 3/4 and it ended up a little short and right of the green. The second was from about 160, the ball flight was high and straight. The ball landed on a small down slope and rolled out about 10 ft. I think a tour ball would have had similar results in this case.

Many of the second shots into the green on the course I played today are steep uphill. I put some good swings with a PW on the ball but saw roll out of about 15ft on a couple. One roll out put me in very good shape, but the other two ended up just off the back. No biggie, but I would have liked to have a putt with those two as well.

I am playing again on Saturday on a course that generally has flat shots into greens, so I will comment more on spin/roll out then.

I tend to play more confidently with this ball because I feel that I will end up with good results off the tee. I tee it up a little higher than a normal ball and have seen good results from this adjustment.
 
Thanks to everybody that took the time to review these. Your feedback has been great and this testing has officially concluded.
 
drewwood said:
I just got in from 9 holes with the XDS. I am really starting to like this ball. No, it doesn't spin like a tour ball but off the tee this thing is great for me. I hit 5/7 fairways (the two misses together may have been a total of 7yds). I caught two a little thin, one was about 25 yds short of my normal distance and the other was about 15 yds short, but both found the middle of the fairway. The other 5 tee shots were just as long as any tour ball for me, in some cases longer. On these 5 I made solid contact in the middle of the club face. I noticed the ball moving left and right more than I remember from the last time I played it, but I saw no decrease in distance from this unlike last time. I really didnt see and nose dives or S shaped ball flights this time either.

Once again I hit the hybrid very good with this ball. Something about this ball just works well with this club for me. I got a chance to hit a couple 7 irons today. One I tried to hit about 3/4 and it ended up a little short and right of the green. The second was from about 160, the ball flight was high and straight. The ball landed on a small down slope and rolled out about 10 ft. I think a tour ball would have had similar results in this case.

Many of the second shots into the green on the course I played today are steep uphill. I put some good swings with a PW on the ball but saw roll out of about 15ft on a couple. One roll out put me in very good shape, but the other two ended up just off the back. No biggie, but I would have liked to have a putt with those two as well.

I am playing again on Saturday on a course that generally has flat shots into greens, so I will comment more on spin/roll out then.

I tend to play more confidently with this ball because I feel that I will end up with good results off the tee. I tee it up a little higher than a normal ball and have seen good results from this adjustment.
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I agree with what you said about hitting these with a hybrid. IMO, that is where they shine when hitting from the tee. Anything with a lower loft than my hybo and I am getting some not so wonderful results.
 
May 2, 2012
Northshore Golf Club
730AM Back Nine

I had a few hours prior to a meeting with my client, who BTW changed the time three times last night....UGH

Anyway I played three balls off each tee and The Polara XDS was one. I did not see anything new that I have not seen in prior test rounds. The XDS was at least 15 yards shorter off the driver and a 1 to 1.5 off the irons. I was hitting striaght balls with the other two gamers and getting some great play into and around the greens. The same, unfortunately cannot be said about the XDS.

On #10 I had 110yds into a back left pin with the XDS and had to hit a full AW to get it to the center of the green. I used 3/4 SW for the other two balls. on #12 a dogleg right par (417) I had 165 from the left rough. I had 132 from center of FW with the other two. I aimed left and hit a slow bleed cut on the first two and XDS stayed dead straight.

If you are looking for a ball that plays dead straight whern lined up, this is your ball. It has a harder cover then I personally like but some may. This cover does not allow for very much spin around the greens, as I have said before. I appreciate the oppurtunity from Polara and THP, to test and provide feed back and will contune to do so. The XD and XDS lives up to the ads I have seen but it is just not for me.
 
War Eagle said:
I agree with what you said about hitting these with a hybrid. IMO, that is where they shine when hitting from the tee. Anything with a lower loft than my hybo and I am getting some not so wonderful results.
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i also agree with this. With the driver i can still fight a slice pretty bad. When i use the 3W and4H though these things are fantastic!
 
Nasdamus said:
i also agree with this. With the driver i can still fight a slice pretty bad. When i use the 3W and4H though these things are fantastic!
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Never would of thought a slicer would still slice with these. I have a friend thats got the worst slice ever and he drew the ball. Hope you get that slice worked out Nas.
 
VA. Vince said:
Never would of thought a slicer would still slice with these. I have a friend thats got the worst slice ever and he drew the ball. Hope you get that slice worked out Nas


This weekend I am playing with a couple guys that both slice it fairly bad. I will let them play with them and see their results.
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5/2/12 - Bent Tree CC
Sarasota, FL

After I finished league play tonight, there was still some daylight so I decided to go and play Holes 10 and 11 with the Polara XD.

I decided to play it from Tee to Green, and to line every shot up according to the directions given by Polara.

#10, Par 4, 440 yards - Driver from the tee, and while it went straight, it was a line drive. Thankfully it is quite dry down this way right now, and I was treated to some rollout from the XD, but even with that it was an unimpressive 237 yards. Ive said it before, but it just feels harsh off the face of the driver, but, they dont market it as feeling "buttery" soft, they market it to go straight, and that it did, even if the distance was bleh. So, here I am on a long Par 4 with 200ish to go. Pulled 5h from the bag and figured that even with distance loss I could still be close for an up and down. Hit my 5h and hit it decent, but pushed it slightly right. I am guessing that the self correcting technology doesnt do much for a push, because it started right and stayed right. Fortunately I was pin high, with an easy up and down over a bunker with a short sided green to the flag. Took the 57* wedge and just tried to hit a touch shot over the bunker and let it get close to the flag. Hit a decent shot, but didnt seem to get the heigh on the shot that I wanted and lost it long to the edge of the green. Putted from the fringe, and was then left for a tap in bogey.

#11, Par 5, 506 yards - I stuck with driver again, as I was determined to get a good shot with it for once. My tee shot held it's line down the right side of the fairway, and stayed in play. Again, just that harsh feel, but it was in play. Measured it to 241, and it was another liner from the tee box. So, Im 250 and change from the pin, and decide to just play it smart and hit 5iron. Lined it up and hit a nice shot, leaving myself around 60 yards to the pin. Off the iron, the XD just feels like a rock. The sound gives me a crack at impact, and just not appealing at all. So with a short way to the green, with a pin sitting in the middle of the green, I decide to go with the 52* wedge in my bag. I had been successful earlier in the day hitting a half wedge and getting the ball to land and stick and wanted to see if I could do it with the XD. Went with the half wedge, and it landed front of the green and just rolled itself all the way to the back. Almost makes me feel that I have no touch on my shot. After a long 2 putt, I got away with a Par.

Having played both the XD and XDS for a while now, of the two the XDS wins every time. The XD just has a harsh feel when I hit it, granted, for the most part it stays straight, it just seems to be almost not worth it. I also feel that I need to abandon the driver when using these balls, distance is mediocre, but the low line drives just dont do it for me. Hitting a fairway wood or hybrid from the tee with these give me much better ball flight, but who wants to be forced to leave the big stick at home? The biggest setback for me is the short game, not being able to control my shots around the green throws out a big red light for me.
 
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Good stuff WE. I wish I had gotten a bit more time to spend with the XDS before I lost them. I liked them a bit. Do you see a distance gain or loss on your irons? Because you said you went from 250 yds to 60 yds with an 8i. Was that a typo? And I agree with you in terms of a lot of roll out on short game shots. That was the biggest downfall of this ball IMO.
 
Damaikis said:
Good stuff WE. I wish I had gotten a bit more time to spend with the XDS before I lost them. I liked them a bit. Do you see a distance gain or loss on your irons? Because you said you went from 250 yds to 60 yds with an 8i. Was that a typo? And I agree with you in terms of a lot of roll out on short game shots. That was the biggest downfall of this ball IMO.
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Yeah, went with 5iron rather than trying to go for it with my 3W. Haha, I wish I hit my 8iron 190 yards!

In terms of loss/gain of distance off my irons, it's really hard to gauge because of the ball flight. I would say that my carry yardage is significantly shorter with the Polaras, but the ball flight is so low that the ball will run out for a while. Some rollout is good, but when you are hitting in to a green and it lands and then just rolls away down the back of the green, it is frustrating.
 
War Eagle said:
Yeah, went with 5iron rather than trying to go for it with my 3W. Haha, I wish I hit my 8iron 190 yards!

In terms of loss/gain of distance off my irons, it's really hard to gauge because of the ball flight. I would say that my carry yardage is significantly shorter with the Polaras, but the ball flight is so low that the ball will run out for a while. Some rollout is good, but when you are hitting in to a green and it lands and then just rolls away down the back of the green, it is frustrating.
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I know what you're saying. On full iron shots I could still usually stop them with a 7 and shorter, but I put a lot of spin on the ball. I also saw significant distance gains off the irons with these. But I could not hit anything past a 7 into a green or even my shorter irons on a dry day.
 
Some final thoughts on the Polara XD and XDS Balls
-----------------------------------------------------------

First, I want to thank Polara and THP for this great opportunity. I know I haven't posted nearly as often during this testing as I normally do, but I did play quite a few rounds with these amazing pieces of technology.

In all cases, I would say these perform pretty similarly until you get to the scoring irons, then the XDS is by far and away the better ball. With Driver/FW/Hybrid/Long Iron, you definitely need to plan for shorter distances or the occasional run-out. No doubt in-air distance will be down. I felt mid and short irons were of similar distance. With the short irons, when using the flight-correcting setup, I wasn't able to see the obvious straightening during flight.

However, with the short irons, the difference in feel and stopping power (spin) of the two balls is dramatic. The XDS definitely gets the nod. In previous posts I've noted how they both felt "clicky." The XDS less so, and even felt ... soft, ish... at times. The XDS also held the greens significantly better IMHO.

Both balls were resilient, I could play them for many rounds and not have to worry about deep scuffs.

Putter in hand and the "clicky" sound and feel was much more pronounced. I use a putter with a metal insert so this may have exacerbated it, but I can't imagine a polymer insert would make much of a difference. The Polara balls rolled true and had the nice visual of setting up the big arrow already printed on the ball.

I handed the last of my XDS balls to a golf acquaintance of mine and he absolutely loved the balls. He normally plays with the cheapest rocks he can find, so the XDS was a huge step up for feel and with the fairways he found, the game was significantly more enjoyable for him. A huge win for the Polara ball.

In the end, I sincerely hope Polara continues to make these balls and challenging the status quo. I know many people who would play more often if they weren't so frustrated by the game. I hope to take a friend out and reintroduce her to the game with these balls. As an adult she has tried to pick up the game as both her dad and brother play, but the game was just too cruel for her. I think for her and many like her, it will open up a whole new world of recreational golf. I am confident these flight correcting balls can absolutely do that. For some people the pain of golf is some badge, but if a ball like the Polara lines can get more people out and playing, the healthier the industry as a whole will be.

Is it for me? You know what, heck, why not!? All the time? No. I'd like to work my way back to an official handicap and play at some of the great courses like St. Andrews. That being said, there are often times I'm just takin a leisurely round in with some friends and playing from the short grass. Just walking down the fairways having a grand time catching up, telling jokes and enjoying the company - the Polara XDS would be perfect for me.
 
drewwood said:
VA. Vince said:
Never would of thought a slicer would still slice with these. I have a friend thats got the worst slice ever and he drew the ball. Hope you get that slice worked out Nas


This weekend I am playing with a couple guys that both slice it fairly bad. I will let them play with them and see their results.
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Would like to know how it works out for them. My friend is the worst slicer I have seen and the ball worked perfect for him.
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One is a righty and the other a leftie. So when we all play we do a lot of crisscrossing the fairways. lol
 
Had a fantastic day (for me) yesterday with the Polara XDS's. I've never in many years been able to hit drives and second shots like that.

Why don't the big guys like Bridgestone and Titleist make a ball with this type of dimple pattern? Hackers like me would buy them up, I'd think.
 
DrPatSr said:
Had a fantastic day (for me) yesterday with the Polara XDS's. I've never in many years been able to hit drives and second shots like that.

Why don't the big guys like Bridgestone and Titleist make a ball with this type of dimple pattern? Hackers like me would buy them up, I'd think.
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Because they are not approved to be put in play by the USGA.
 
VA. Vince said:
drewwood said:
Would like to know how it works out for them. My friend is the worst slicer I have seen and the ball worked perfect for him.
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It's not that they do not work as advertised. Just from my testing i have found that when i really wail on the ball (and in no way shape is that a smooth golf swing, it's a front foot comes off the ground, line drive up the middle baseball cut) i find i can still sometimes put a slice on them. Now that's not to say they didn't do as advertise and cut that slice 50% of what it should be! Goodness knows that sometimes i can't tell how far my actual slice would be due to the ball shooting well into the trees. I can say that with these balls i have been in the fairway WAY more than OOB than i ever would with a regular ball. I think these are great for building confidence and playing recreationaly. Makes it quicker, better looking and feeling in that way!
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Nasdamus said:
VA. Vince said:
It's not that they do not work as advertised. Just from my testing i have found that when i really wail on the ball (and in no way shape is that a smooth golf swing, it's a front foot comes off the ground, line drive up the middle baseball cut) i find i can still sometimes put a slice on them. Now that's not to say they didn't do as advertise and cut that slice 50% of what it should be! Goodness knows that sometimes i can't tell how far my actual slice would be due to the ball shooting well into the trees. I can say that with these balls i have been in the fairway WAY more than OOB than i ever would with a regular ball. I think these are great for building confidence and playing recreationaly. Makes it quicker, better looking and feeling in that way!
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I really like these balls. I can get over the lack of spin due to the fact that I am hitting from the fairway so much more.
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Thanks. I understand that, hence the last sentence of my post. I just think they could sell a lot of them for non-competive golf, as it makes the game easier, more fun, like teeing it forward.
I left the game in the late 1980's for a variety of reasons, including being terrible at it despite lessons and practice. When I came back to golf last year after retirement I found to my amazement and pleasure such engineering advances as 460 cc metal drivers incorporating Titanium, draw drivers, hybrids, multilayer golf balls which reduced side-spin off the driver and went farther, like the ProV1X and the Bridgestone E6. Happily for this "Hacker" the USGA has approved those advances.
War Eagle said:
Because they are not approved to be put in play by the USGA.
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I had the driver yanks big time today and the Polara could not help that at all. They hooked just as bad. I did get a few good ones off with the XD today and felt like I got great distance from the tee and fairway. Again is a great option to allow better playing of the game but I would rather take lessons and go to the range.


Tapatalk
 
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