There may be days that it doesn’t seem like it, but golf is meant to be fun. That’s our opinion at least, and fortunately fun can come in many flavors. For some it may be shooting a score. For others it may be connecting with friends. Equipment can certainly add to our enjoyment of the game too, and one of the easiest ways to do that is by picking a unique golf ball.
While it seems every company out there has something “different” these days, South Korea’s Volvik has been an innovator in this space for a long time. Their proprietary V-SF Matte coating brough the world’s first matte-finish golf ball to market, opening the floodgates for the rest of the industry. Still, we’re not sure anybody does matte and bright better than Volvik. We recently took a look at their newest line of Vivid and Vivid Combi golf balls. At the surface, both are all about fun, but a deeper look reveals technology to make the game rewarding in a variety of ways.
Volvik Vivid
Vivid is the matte golf ball that started it all and is probably the Volvik ball most of us will first associate with the brand. The V-SF Matte dual ionomer cover was a completely new concept when it was brought to market, and its popularity is evidenced by the fact that almost all major golf ball companies have at least one similar offering.
Volvik has invested a great amount of energy into durability so that the Vivid stands up to all the potential hazards a round of golf can throw at it. In addition, it’s UV protected to ensure the deep, vivid colors last a long time. Vivid is offered in a staggering seven color options – white, orange, yellow, green, red, pink, and blue. For those that aren’t tied to any particular shade, the company also has an “assorted” dozen that includes the four colors seen above.
We aren’t sure of the science behind it, but the colors baked into the V-SF Matte technology are so deep and vivid that at times they almost make us feel like we’re staring into the sun itself. It’s hard to explain just how brilliant they are in person and how nicely they contrast against the natural colors of the golf course.
In addition to the impressive number of color choices, Volvik has incorporated another useful piece of visual technology into the Vivid line. They call it the Alignment Tracking System. As seen below, it’s a multi-faceted take on the standard alignment line we usually see. Two segmented lines bracket a solid black, pointed center line. The center line is bisected by a bullseye of sorts that can be utilized in a number of ways. For example, when positioned at the top of the ball, it makes a great point of focus for putting. Alternatively, it can be positioned in way that makes it an aim point for tee shots. Either way, the entire three-line system helps alignment and gives solid feedback on roll quality.
With all the attention the Vivid’s cover (rightfully) gets, it’s easy to forget there’s more to the ball than what we can see. The 85 compression Maximized ENERGY core has been expanded in the 2024 version to bring even more distance. Vivid isn’t what we’d characterize as a “soft” golf ball, but for one that has a slightly firmer core and an ionomer cover it has a very pleasing feel. The payoff is that Vivid is capable of producing plenty of ball speed and lasting a very long time.
The Volvik Vivid is available at volvik.com and is priced at $29.99/dozen.
Volvik Vivid Combi
The Vivid Combi is very similar to the Vivid. It shares the same V-SF Matte technology and 322 dimple pattern. It’s slightly firmer at 90 compression, but we didn’t seem to notice any difference in feel or distance. What sets the Vivid Combi apart is its dual color finish. It’s available in four color combinations: blue/yellow, green/yellow, orange/yellow, and pink/yellow. Each dozen contains a sleeve of each color combo, giving consumers the chance to pick something new whenever the mood strikes.
Nothing is quite as mesmerizing as seeing the Vivid Combi flying through the air. Whether with a full swing or a short wedge, the two brilliant colors tightly spinning is something that never gets old. In addition to the novelty, it’s a proven way to make your ball stand out in the grass.
Instead of the Alignment Tracking System used on the standard Vivid, the Combi leans on the dual color design to provide both alignment and roll feedback. There’s no quicker way to know if you’ve delivered a square putt, as anything other than a quality strike will send the ball wobbling with no regard for your feelings. The instant feedback proved to be extremely valuable in putting practice.
The Volvik Vivid Combi is available at volvik.com for $32.99
The vivid part is worrisome on my part as Bridgestone made a ball that looked like it was moving it was so vivid and hard to focus on. Are these more in line color wise with the Divides or brighter?
I played the matte white Vivid this weekend and I really kind of dig it. Low spin off the tee, I drove the ball really well with it. Plenty of holding on the greens with a full swing and it looks great.
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That white looks great!
Great write up [USER=1193]@Hawk[/USER]!
[QUOTE=”Golfers Anonymous, post: 12163919, member: 59233″]
The vivid part is worrisome on my part as Bridgestone made a ball that looked like it was moving it was so vivid and hard to focus on. Are these more in line color wise with the Divides or brighter?
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The Combis are a little more pastel than the Vivid. I haven’t noticed anything like that with the Vivid, but will say that a ST+ laser lights them right up. It’s really cool.
[QUOTE=”JB, post: 12163939, member: 3″]
I played the matte white Vivid this weekend and I really kind of dig it. Low spin off the tee, I drove the ball really well with it. Plenty of holding on the greens with a full swing and it looks great.
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This looks killer.
Saw a bunch of these at the Chicago Golf Show on Friday. I wish I would have picked some up :(. Great write up [USER=1193]@Hawk[/USER]
[QUOTE=”JB, post: 12163939, member: 3″]
I played the matte white Vivid this weekend and I really kind of dig it. Low spin off the tee, I drove the ball really well with it. Plenty of holding on the greens with a full swing and it looks great.
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That matte white looks really good. It reminds me of an ice cube or something haha. Just looks cool.
Great article [USER=1193]@Hawk[/USER] ! Although, this ball probably isn’t for me, it’s great to see the options for different types of golfers.
[QUOTE=”JB, post: 12163939, member: 3″]
I played the matte white Vivid this weekend and I really kind of dig it. Low spin off the tee, I drove the ball really well with it. Plenty of holding on the greens with a full swing and it looks great.
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No problems holding the green with an ionomer cover?
[QUOTE=”AuzzieMatt, post: 12163986, member: 54652″]
No problems holding the green with an ionomer cover?
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On full swings, this ball spun plenty. I was able to hit a flop shot that [USER=22002]@JDax[/USER] and [USER=19877]@Mmaynard11[/USER] both saw that just stopped on a dime as well. It is not going to be the quick hop and stop on chips and pitches around the green, but I hit a full 8 iron from 155 that backed up a few feet and a full AW that spun back quite a bit. Another 6 iron from 175 on the 3rd hole ended up in its own pitch mark.
I like these. I dont think I have seen the white version but those look pretty cool. As someone that doesn’t play a bunch of spin, these have worked well for me in the past with previous versions. May go back and play around a bit with these and see.
[QUOTE=”JB, post: 12163939, member: 3″]
I played the matte white Vivid this weekend and I really kind of dig it. Low spin off the tee, I drove the ball really well with it. Plenty of holding on the greens with a full swing and it looks great.
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That is wild, I know they are there but i’m having a hard time seeing the dimples.
The matte version look really good in person. They perform quite well as [USER=3]@JB[/USER] mentioned. He was getting good interaction greenside with these albeit with softer greens. Sound off the driver and irons was good and lower pitched from being a bystander. I would game them especially for being a 2 piece ball.
[QUOTE=”JB, post: 12163939, member: 3″]
I played the matte white Vivid this weekend and I really kind of dig it. Low spin off the tee, I drove the ball really well with it. Plenty of holding on the greens with a full swing and it looks great.
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How “White”or “Clean” did the ball stay at the end of your round?
My experience with other White Matte golf balls is that get Dirty and Gray pretty quickly.
That’s a great write up. Lots of options in this space, I’m glad they are innovating and hopefully making some moves.
[QUOTE=”TWright971, post: 12164052, member: 11048″]
That is wild, I know they are there but i’m having a hard time seeing the dimples.
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Here is one I just edited to turn definition up so you could see them.
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[QUOTE=”Iceman!, post: 12164060, member: 32688″]
How “White”or “Clean” did the ball stay at the end of your round?
My experience with other White Matte golf balls is that get Dirty and Gray pretty quickly.
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I played the same ball for the last 15 holes and didn’t really have an issue. The one photographed above is that ball, and it hasn’t been cleaned
Fun updates to them. My wife and a couple others I know really like these, and I think they’re a lot of fun. And easy for me to spot. I like that they come in variety boxes because it seems certain colors are lucky at certain times. Lol
[QUOTE=”Mmaynard11, post: 12164057, member: 19877″]
The matte version look really good in person. They perform quite well as [USER=3]@JB[/USER] mentioned. He was getting good interaction greenside with these albeit with softer greens. Sound off the driver and irons was good and lower pitched from being a bystander. I would game them especially for being a [B]2 piece ball[/B].
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Are they 2 piece or 3 piece? The front of the box on the previous version noted that it was a “3 piece premium ball”.
Wasn’t sure if they made it a 2 piece for 2024 – Can’t find the back of the box anywhere.
[USER=1193]@Hawk[/USER] – Got the back of the box you could post?
Not a ball I would ever play but they sell pretty good..
[QUOTE=”TWright971, post: 12164052, member: 11048″]
That is wild, I know they are there but i’m having a hard time seeing the dimples.
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Yeah this was my thought too. Quick scroll and I thought it was a ping pong ball. They definitely have the interesting design category locked up. Some of their options look pretty fun. I’m not a fan of the sound and feel so not for me but plenty of people I see like and use them.
Great article [USER=1193]@Hawk[/USER]
I love everything about these, and really like Volvik as a brand. Love that they are expanding their offerings, these look fantastic.
Good stuff Hawk! Golf is meant to be fun, and these are definitely fun visually!
[QUOTE=”Iceman!, post: 12164162, member: 32688″]
Are they 2 piece or 3 piece? The front of the box on the previous version noted that it was a “3 piece premium ball”.
Wasn’t sure if they made it a 2 piece for 2024 – Can’t find the back of the box anywhere.
[USER=1193]@Hawk[/USER] – Got the back of the box you could post?
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[QUOTE=”Iceman!, post: 12164162, member: 32688″]
Are they 2 piece or 3 piece? The front of the box on the previous version noted that it was a “3 piece premium ball”.
Wasn’t sure if they made it a 2 piece for 2024 – Can’t find the back of the box anywhere.
[USER=1193]@Hawk[/USER] – Got the back of the box you could post?
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Correction just confirmed they are 3 piece balls. My mind hears a different thing at times.
[QUOTE=”Hawk, post: 12164226, member: 1193″]
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Thank you Sir!!
Seems like back of the box has a lot of good information for us “Lunatic Fringe” that could have been put on the front.
Not a fan of matte golf balls. They look, to me at least, like the kind of ball you would get at a mini-golf course. I did, however, game a non matte Volvik ball in the past and thought it performed well.
[QUOTE=”smgoldstein, post: 12164288, member: 4509″]
Not a fan of matte golf balls. They look, to me at least, like the kind of ball you would get at a mini-golf course. I did, however, game a non matte Volvik ball in the past and thought it performed well.
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It took me a while to come around on the matte balls. I think the Volvik matte is done really well with it being a bit translucent.
I think we need a shootout between this Volvik Combi and my beloved Srixon tour divide. I want to see how they compare seeing how one is Ionomer, and the other is Urethane.
[QUOTE=”ULEWZ, post: 12164485, member: 52804″]
I think we need a shootout between this Volvik Combi and my beloved Srixon tour divide. I want to see how they compare seeing how one is Ionomer, and the other is Urethane.
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The funny thing is, aside from how they look they are very different.
Vivid is notably firmer (in a positive way imo) and seems faster to me. QST spins much more on partial wedges. Full swing iron spin doesn’t seem like there’s some huge divide, which [USER=3]@JB[/USER] seemed to back up with his on-course experience. I don’t really spin full swing irons high with the spinniest balls out there either.
I really kind of dig that alignment aid and looks like they are taking dead aim at the Divide balls.
[QUOTE=”Hawk, post: 12164492, member: 1193″]
The funny thing is, aside from how they look they are very different.
Vivid is notably firmer (in a positive way imo) and seems faster to me. QST spins much more on partial wedges. Full swing iron spin doesn’t seem like there’s some huge divide, which [USER=3]@JB[/USER] seemed to back up with his on-course experience. I don’t really spin full swing irons high with the spinniest balls out there either.
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This is pretty much dead on.
Really really different golf balls.
I really like the looks of the Vivid. I am interested to see the colors in person because they seem to stand out in the photos.
One thing I want to mention as I am going through golf balls right now is that not all finishes are the same. Maybe that is well known, maybe it isn’t, but for me now holding these in my hand and some matte from another company there is a stark difference in feel.
[QUOTE=”JB, post: 12163939, member: 3″]
I played the matte white Vivid this weekend and I really kind of dig it. Low spin off the tee, I drove the ball really well with it. Plenty of holding on the greens with a full swing and it looks great.
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interesting
I just ordered two dozen Matte Orange to try out
should arrive this Thursday
[QUOTE=”JB, post: 12399725, member: 3″]
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Is this what you are playing at the moment?
I played the bright red Vivid yesterday at ArborLinks and let me first say it is bold and bright. Hard not to see this one and in the pictures in the live update thread you can see it in grass, rough and on the green.
I wanted to try something low spin off the tee and this delivers, while still being decently fast. I liked them.
Feel was good, especially if you like the softer feel. Overall, I enjoyed them.
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[QUOTE=”JB, post: 12402614, member: 3″]
I played the bright red Vivid yesterday at ArborLinks and let me first say it is bold and bright. Hard not to see this one and in the pictures in the live update thread you can see it in grass, rough and on the green.
I wanted to try something low spin off the tee and this delivers, while still being decently fast. I liked them.
Feel was good, especially if you like the softer feel. Overall, I enjoyed them.
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So intensely bright that it almost confuses the eyes at times.