Archives for June 2018

In keeping up with my search for the best golf ball on Earth it is time to review a staple in every golfers bag. Titleist golf balls have been around for a long time and if you play golf you have played a Titleist at one time. Funny thing for me growing up was I never liked Titleist’s. Maybe it was because my dad played them and I thought they were an old mans golf ball.

Before I get into my unscientific field test it should be known I am familiar with these golf balls and have made the jump to spending some extra money on premium golf balls. Most notably the Pro V1. There is a bit of comfortability with Titleist for me on my home course. Saying that, it should allow more scrutiny.

Just like all of my golf ball reviews, I play at Rackham Golf Course in Huntington Woods, MI from the white tees and I bought the golf balls brand new. Reviews will be in chronological order.

Titleist Pro V1x Golf Ball Review

Rackham Golf Course – White Tees

7-21-17. Sunny. 75 degrees.

Off The Tee – What can I say besides the Titleist Pro V1x just goes. As it says on the sleeve, the Pro V1x is designed for “Extraordinary Distance” and that’s what it did. To be fair, I did not have any drives that overly wowed me today and I only hit three fairways. Most of my drives went straight. No draws or slices. Even when I missed it, the Pro V1x wasn’t to far off the fairway.

Fairway Woods & Hybrids – Had an amazing 5 wood shot on #6. Duffed my drive 75 yards off the tee which left me 215 yards out with having to go over three trees to the green. Smoked it to 15 feet from the hole and made par. What I do like about the Pro V1x with these clubs is it still feels soft at contact but the distance is still there. There is a comfortability with the Pro V1x that its going to perform with woods and hybrids even if I mis-hit a little.

Irons – Had six greens in regulation today which is about normal for me. Only one birdie today which meant I was not putting it close. Even though the Pro V1x is made for distance it still compresses off the iron giving you instant feedback. Rarely do I experience a clunky response on a mis-hit.

Wedges – Chipped one in from 60 yards out on #7 for…par. Hit my drive through the trees on the right which meant I had to take the long way home. Got up and down for par twice with the Pro V1x which is better for me than usual. This means my iron play wasn’t great but chipping was pretty good. The Pro V1x checked up three times with wedges which is beyond expectations.

Putting – Three putted twice and one putted three times. The Pro V1x is soft but not really soft. There is a crisp feel when it comes off the putter and is very close to having the feedback of you hit it perfectly.

Durability – There were a few scuff marks and it looked like it played one round. No trees or cart paths were hit. I’d still play another round or two with the Pro V1x.

Score – 85

GIR – 6

Putts – 33

Fairways – 3

Penalty Strokes – 0

I like the Titleist Pro V1x but am not in love with it. It does have some get and up and go in regards to distance but misses those finer details in a premium golf ball. Maybe I am not at the skill level necessary to get everything out of the Pro V1x. I would have no problem playing them and would buy them again.

Titleist Pro V1 Golf Ball Review

Rackham Golf Course – 7-28-17

Sunny – 75 degrees

For the past two years I have been using the Titleist Pro V1 exclusively. Bit the bullet on the price and went with it. Didn’t hurt to ask for them for Christmas. Still going through four dozen of them two years later. Helps that when you get better at golf that you don’t lose many.

Saying all of that it kind of put the pressure on in my best golf ball challenge as there is a lot of familiarity with the Pro V1 and Rackham Golf Course. I probably have 15+ rounds there with the Pro V1. But this is un-science and all that matters is how the Pro V1 does on this day.

Off The Tee – An ideal combination of distance and control is what makes the Titleist Pro V1 an excellent ball to hit with driver. It doesn’t go crazy stupid far but you know it’s not some cheap ball which lands 20 yards back. Hit a couple draws and if I was not in the fairway I wasn’t too far off. That stupid prickly bush on #15 ate my tee shot again resulting in a penalty stroke. Only hit four fairways today.

Fairway Woods & Hybrids – Distance and control are two traits that come to mind with the Pro V1 and these clubs. Hit these as designed with the Pro V1 and it reacted accordingly. It just went. No crazy shots today. Just good old hitting it where it should go.

Irons – I feel this is where the Titleist Pro V1 excels. The compression of the club face is noticeable and so is the feedback. Shots into greens hit, bounce, and stop. Had eight greens in regulation today which is above average for me. There is a comfortability hitting the Pro V1 with irons and knowing if you make good contact it is going to do its job.

Wedges – Up and down for par three times today which is above average. What this means to me is even when my approach shots were off I was recovering well enough with wedges to save par. Had two chips which flew 20 yards, checked up, and rolled within 4 feet of the hole. Something about the Pro V1 that brings out a bit of confidence saying “I’ll do my job if you do yours”.

Putting – That “clink” sound the Pro V1 makes coming off the putter is something special. There are few other golf balls which make that sound. It’s a nice soft feedback that follows the “clink” is what I like best. Three putted twice but one putted seven times (which is way above average).

Durability – I’d have no problem playing another round with the Pro V1. I will say that historically speaking the Pro V1’s do not like cart paths, trees, and rocks. They scuff easily. Do not hit those things and you can get many rounds out of one. Today I did not hit any of those.

Score – 81

GIR – 8

Putts – 31

Fairways – 4

Penalty Strokes – 1 (Prickly bush on #15 strikes again. Could have possibly broke 80.)

There are few golf balls which back up the marketing behind them and I feel the Titleist Pro V1 is one of those. Exceptional distance, more short game control, even softer feel, and long-lasting durability are all listed on the sleeve as benefits and I’d lean towards agreeing with them. I love these golf balls and it’s probably why Titleist can claim it is the #1 golf ball. I would definitely buy the Pro V1 in the future.

Titleist NXT Tour Golf Ball Review

Rackham Golf Course 8-25-17

Sunny – 72 Degrees – Some Wind

There is a little bit of familiarity with the Titleist NXT Tour as I would play them from time to time when I was younger. These were my dad’s favorite golf balls growing up. My guess is because they were not the cheapest or most expensive golf ball Titleist makes. Right in the middle when it comes to price.

At the same time, it has been some time since I played the NXT Tour since I made the jump to the Pro V1. Was curious to see what it could do after putting the Pro V1 and Pro V1x to the test.

Off The Tee – I have been driving the ball well lately and continued on doing that today. Outside of me duffing my tee shot on #4 (still made par!) and hitting into the tall grass on #2 and #9 I would say the NXT Tour did just fine.

Only hit 5 fairways today but those I did hit were very good drives with a slight draw. If I didn’t hit the fairway I was not that far off. Distance was exceptional with the NXT Tour as I was hitting them into the same spots as the Pro V1 and Pro V1x. Wind was coming from a different direction than normal so I had to play some holes differently.

What I noticed most was how high the NXT Tour flew in the air off the driver. This is typical with my tee shot but was noticeably higher.

Fairway Woods & Hybrids – Had to use 3 and 5 wood a number of times today due to the wind changing directions. My only hang up with the NXT Tour and these clubs is it doesn’t give the feedback the Pro V1 has. It’s not soft or as forgiving as its premium counterparts.

Each time I hit one of those clubs the ball would seem to create some significant spin starting at 160 yards or so and start to tail. It was probably me causing the spin but I do not remember the other Titleist’s shaping like that. Used my 4 hybrid to chip a couple of times but did not take any full swings today with it.

Irons – Even though I only had 5 greens in regulation today I would say I had a good iron day. I was very surprised with the spin I was creating with the NXT Tour. The greens at Rackham are small so holding the green is important.

I had two shots hit with a 6 iron that hit the green and back spun a foot. Did not see that coming. I even hit a 7 iron on the Par 3 5th hole to 10 feet of the hole. The NXT Tour hopped once and stopped.

Wedges – Continuing on with the iron play above I also hit my wedges well too. Did flub an excellent tee shot on #17 which pissed me off something fierce as it went into the sand trap. From the sand trap I flew it 20 yards and it checked up and stopped. Did the same thing on #11. Surprised myself from the sand twice.

Three out of my five greens in regulation were done via hitting my pitching wedge. Each one of those times I put it within 20 feet of the hole which is good for me. The NXT Tour was sticking to greens today.

Putting – The NXT Tour is not soft so it does not give the same feedback of a Pro V1. It’s not clunky coming off the putter but does not give off the “clink” sound a soft golf ball does.

One putted five times and three putted twice for a total of 33 putts. As noted above I was hitting irons and wedge shots closer than normal today making it easier on the greens.

Durability – I hit two trees and out of two sand traps today which left a scuff mark and a bit of orange on the ball. I could get a mother round or two out of the NXT Tour for sure.

Score – 85

GIR – 5

Putts – 33

Fairways – 5

Penalty Strokes – 0

I wasn’t overly impressed with the NXT Tour nor was I under impressed. Met expectations would be my recommendation for it. A very good value golf ball might be another. Outside of one bad three putt and a bad chip leading to a three putt I could have broken 80 today which would put the NXT Tour on top of the leaderboard.

Titleist Velocity Golf Ball Review

Rackham Golf Course 9-1-17

Sunny – 68 degrees – Windy

A couple of days prior to playing this round I was over at my parents house helping Mom try to fix a small leak in the roof above my dads work room.

After completing the job I did some snooping around and saw a couple dozen golf balls which were brand new. One of those un-opened boxes were the Titleist Velocity. Asked Mom if I could have them so I could put them to the test and she said yes.

I am not sure what year these were made. I know they are not 2017 editions but might be 2016 or 2015 models. Regardless, they have never been used.

This is my first time playing the Titleist Velocity so all I can go off of is what it says on the box. Fast Initial Velocity For Explosive Distance, Deep Downrange Peak Trajectory, Playable Feel In The Short Game, and Tight Consistent Ball Flight.

Ok. That sounds like a lot. Here we go.

Off The Tee – I liked the Titleist Velocity a lot. Just like most days at Rackham, there is a 10mph wind which makes some holes longer/shorter depending on the direction. Saying that, I hit some very big drives today. Specifically on #1, #3, #9, #10, #15, and #18. Hit it to spots I’ve never landed in before. Maybe the wind helped on some, maybe not.

Zero of my drives had a draw. A few I hooked but still went far. Did have two bad slices but even those went far. What I noticed with the Velocity is when I swung faster it eliminated the slice.

Hit 6 fairways with 4 others within 5 feet of the fairway. Was a very good driving day today.

Fairway Woods & Hybrids – Almost hit the Par 5 #1 in two. After hitting an awesome drive in the 260 yard range I hit a 3 wood to 10 yards in front of the green. Lots of distance I was noticing after my first two shots.

Used 3 wood on the Par 3 #16 which is 215 yards. It always plays tough because of the wind and the back pin put it at 225 yards today. Smoked my 3 wood dead straight to 8 feet. Impressed myself.

Did not take a full swing with my hybrid today so nothing to report there. Used five wood twice and went left both times. But with the three wood I hit the crap out of the Velocity.

Irons – Might have had the best front nine of my life at Rackham with 6 greens in regulation (8 total). With me driving the ball well it gave me opportunities to hit greens. Put both of my Par 3 tee shots on the greens too.

Things got back to normal on the back nine but I was for sure hitting the Titleist Velocity well with my irons. If I hit my Driver well it usually leaves me with a 9 iron into most of the holes on the front nine.

The Velocity did not have nearly as much spin as a Pro V1 or Pro V1x and just a little less than the NXT Tour. What you are seeing in the picture to the right is how most of my approach shots finished.

I felt the Velocity went further with my irons than the other Titleist golf balls I’ve tried as many of my shots were landing on the back of greens. The Velocity does not have the softness of the Pro V1 but it does not feel like a rock either.

Wedges – Zero times did the Velocity check up or show any signs of spin with my pitching, lob, or 60 degree wedge. Any sort of chip shot where I could roll it out was fine, actually nice. Anything having to be precise was tough as it was going to roll out.

I had a hit or miss day with the short game. Saved par once and bogey/double bogey twice because of good pitch shots.

Putting – Had so many chances to make birdie today and not once did any of them go in. And I’m talking from 15 feet and in. Disheartening to say the least. Three putted twice and both times my first putt was for birdie. I hate when that happens.

The Velocity just does not have the feel on the greens like the Pro V1 has. The feedback is just not there. Even though my stats say I putted above average for me with 32 putts it is mostly because of how well I was hitting the irons.

Durability – Sadly I sort of lost a ball with my tee shot on #14. Hooked it left and somehow it went through the trees and landed 5 feet on the other side of the fence. I could see it but without tearing my arm up sticking my driver under the fence I would not be able to get it. Hate when that happens.

What I can report is the first ball was in great shape before sort of losing it and the one I finished with looks brand new too. There is a small scuff mark from hitting out of the sand trap on #17 after I duffed my chip shot into it after hitting a huge drive. I also hate when that happens.

Maybe there is something to the letters ENP imprinted onto the cover which make it so durable. I did some searches and Titleist has a patent on how they scientifically created the cover and they let us know about it with the ENP.

Score – 86

GIR – 8

Putts – 32

Fairways – 6

Penalty Strokes – 2

I was really pulling for the Titleist Velocity today. For a moment I thought it might make its way to the top of my best golf ball on Earth challenge. But I just could not get a feel for it on and around the greens. Everything else was awesome. Loved the distance off the tee, with fairway woods, and irons. I also liked its ease of use when hitting approach shots into the green. In the end, it showed why its not a premium golf ball.

Titleist DT Wound 100 Golf Ball Review

Rackham Golf Course    9-28-17

Partly Sunny  –  65 Degrees  –  Breezy

The Titleist DT Wound 100 was discontinued in either the late 90’s or early 2000’s. I could not find anything definitive except for old blog posts from the mid 2000’s.

How on Earth did I find a brand new Titleist DT Wound 100 to begin with? The answer is there were a dozen brand new Titleist DT Wound 100’s sitting on a shelf in my dad’s workroom. I can remember seeing these golf balls sitting on that shelf for the last 15 years.

I do not know why my dad never played these especially since he was on two weekly golf leagues for the past 15 years. I took this dozen along with a couple of others dad never played and have been putting them into the best golf ball challenge.

Why on Earth am I playing a 20 year old golf ball? Why not?

I have no memories of playing the DT Wound 100 growing up but dad sure did. It was his go to ball for years.

There were some concerns playing the DT Wound 100. While doing some research about it I found the reason why Titleist stopped making wound golf balls was because the cover would cut easily and the rubber bands inside would start to break apart causing the ball to lose its shape. From what I read there was a tool you could buy to make sure the ball was still a circle and not egg-shaped.

I also read the DT Wound golf balls would lose distance as the rubber bands would start to break down over the years even if you did not use them.

That’s concerning as these have been sitting around for at least 15 years. Am I going to be hitting 195 yard drives or something?

Even though I had these concerns going into my scientific testing I also thought “What if the Titleist DT Wound 100 turns out to be the best golf ball?”. How funny would that be? Even if I hit 195 yard drives.

On the box it says each ball is made from a “Wound Construction. Cut-Proof Lithium. Surlyn Cover.” with “Superior Control, Feel And Distance.”

There is also a “No-Cut Guarantee”. If any Titleist DT Wound is cut through the normal course of play Titleist will replace each ball returned with three new DT Wound golf balls free of charge.

What if they are twenty years old?

I like how on each sleeve it puts the price, $8.50, on them. And $34 on the box. I would think $2.83 is expensive for a golf ball made in the early 2000s.

Concerned about splitting a golf ball in two, cutting the cover up, and having to replace one because it fell apart I brought the entire dozen golf balls. You never know. Off to the course I went.

Off The Tee –  My first tee shot went right and short. It went as far as I could hit a Pro V1 with my 5 wood. I laughed. And for most of the day it was like that. Drives were shorter than a ball made today and went right. But the sound was awesome. It reminded me of the sound you hear when you watch Tiger Woods greatest shots videos on YouTube from the early 2000s.

I hit zero draws and many of my tee shots flew like my tee shots from a decade ago. The ones I hit well started left and ended up right. I only hit 3 fairways today and only one of those landed in my normal landing zone with golf balls made today.

It has not rained that much lately so the fairways and rough were hard and the Titleist DT Wound 100 did do a fair amount of rolling. In most cases this 20 year old golf ball ended up 20 yards behind golf balls of today. I remember reading you had to line the ball up correctly on the tee to hit the seem to get the distance and that may be true.

Fairway Woods & Hybrids – That sound again. It was old school. Because the DT Wound 100 was shorter off the tee it meant I hit more of these today. It also meant it was shorter off these clubs too. My estimate is 10% shorter.

I probably hit the best 5 wood of my life on the Par 5 7th. I was 185 yards out laying 3 after just hitting a tree. Had a view of the narrow green and went for it. Hit it straight and could see it land at 175 yards. It started to bounce, rolling up the green, and stopped 6 feet from the hole. It was awesome.

Used 5 wood again on the Par 3 13th like how I normally do but the DT Wound 100 flew lower than my normal trajectory but still had the distance to get on the green landing 8 feet from the hole.

Control and feel with fairway woods and hybrids was excellent. There was noticeably less distance in the air but this one tended to roll out more than golf balls made today.

Irons – Probably had my greatest iron hitting day of my life. Had 10 Greens In Regulation with 8 of those from irons. The DT Wound 100 felt like no other golf ball I have tested and my guess is because it is wound. Most of my iron shots went straight with little spin either way.

My front nine tells the story in that I hit 7 of 9 greens. There was just enough spin that when it hit the green it would check up just enough to hold the green.

Wedges – Rackham must have dumped sand in the bunkers before I played because the two times I found them I hit off sand, not dirt. And I hit two very good bunker shots, saving par once. On both shots it bounced, checked, and rolled out.

Changed up my approach this round and hit three-quarter 8 or 9 irons into the green instead of full 9 iron or pitching wedges. My reasoning behind this was better control and accuracy hitting into the greens. Instead of hitting high shots I decided to aim for the front of the greens and bounce it up there which worked.

Chipping with the DT Wound 100 was something. I got up and down for par twice because of chipping and saved bogey a couple of times because of good chipping.

Putting – Good putting happens because of doing everything else right which I did today. Three putted once and one putted 8 times. Both are personal bests. I made three birdies which is a personal best for one round. Was very close to making five birdies.

The Titleist DT Wound 100 feels like a bouncy ball leaving the putter face but yet soft at the same time. Very similar to the Pro V1 and possibly softer. There has to be something to it being wound. It made the “clink” sound which good golf balls do. Everything just felt right on the green today.

Durability – My concerns about durability were a bit overblown. If anything it was more durable than expected. I tattooed three trees today and it left some marks. There is definitely a large brown mark on the ball from when I hit a 3 wood into a small tree from 25 yards away. I do not know how the tree is still standing after a blow like that.

If I did not hit those trees than I could probably get another round out of the DT Wound 100.

Score – 77

GIR – 10

Putts – 29

Fairways – 3

Penalty Strokes – 0

I don’t know what else to say besides the Titleist DT Wound 100 produced the best round of golf of my life. This was the second time I broke 80 (shot 79 once). But a 77. Now that’s something. Especially with two double bogeys on the score card.

There is so much wrong in saying I played the best round of golf of my life with my dads old balls. But it would be true. I could also say “they don’t make them like they used to”…too.

Typically I do not count my score till I’m done but I knew after I birdied the 7th hole I’d have a chance to par the front nine, which I did, which I had never done before. It kind of got me nervous for the back nine in that I had a chance to score very well.

And after I birdied the 17th, which I had never done before, I knew I had a chance to break 80 and possibly shoot in the mid 70’s. Had a bad break on the 18th hole as my tee shot found the only tree it could and settled in-between its roots which left me with a 40 yard punch out as my only shot. Not even going to get mad about getting a double bogey seeing how I had to make a 6 foot putt to save double bogey.

There were a couple of shots today that after they happened I was like “how did I do that?”. Was dad with me today? Was I supposed to find those DT Wounds on the shelf?

I am still in awe of shooting 77 with a 20 year old golf ball. Knowing how my drives were shorter than normal. Knowing how I hit three trees which cut the distance they would have in half. And then to know that even with those happening I put together the most complete round of golf in my life.

I still have 11 brand new Titleist DT Wound 100’s in the box and they are now worth their weight in gold. If I were you I’d try to find these golf balls and stock up.

Need to send an email to Titleist to fire up the wounding machine and get these babies back into production.

Titleist AVX Golf Ball Review

Rackham Golf Course  6-6-18

Sunny  –  80 Degrees  – Ideal

When I heard the Titleist AVX was released I wondered why. Titleist already has so many golf balls. Its like their nibbling at the edges now.

I showed up to the course knowing I was going to be buying a sleeve of golf balls to enter into the test as I was not prepared. Saw the AVX and figured what the hell.

My first impression of the AVX started at the cash register. The AVX cost just about the same as the ProV1. Really?

Everything about the AVX at first glance screams ProV1. The font, look, and feel are all basically the same. I already feel like I’m getting ripped off.

On the sleeve it says the “Titleist AVX utilizes breakthrough core, cover, and aerodynamic technology. AVX is a premium performance golf ball for golfers who prioritize distance and ext, low ball flight. It has been engineered to be the lowest flying, lowest spinning and softest feeling high performance golf ball in the Titleist line.”

Oh.

Low ball flight. High ball flight. Who gives a damn. Let’s see what it can do.

Sending Driver – It was apparent on my first shot of the day that the AVX is a premium golf ball. Had that nice crack sound. And it felt like I could feel the driver impact through the different layers.

Ball flight was my normal mid to high trajectory. So even though its designed for a low flight I kept hitting it a little higher.

And then I proceeded to slice my drive on the second hole so far right that I lost it near the 9th tee box. Many amounts of embarrassing. This was my first penalty stroke of 2018. Like, it went way fricking right.

As I teed the AVX up on the Par 5 7th I decided to tee it a little lower than normal. Doing this resulted in me hitting my furthest drive ever on that hole. I absolutely scorched the AVX with a slight draw that started out down the middle ending up just off the fairway on the left.

With it being a dogleg left hole it was in a perfect place. I am typically 270 yards out with my second shot and this time I was about 250. Was one of the only times I had a legitimate chance of getting onto the green in two. Which I did not.

And then I smashed one on the Par 4 17th hole. If it would have landed two feet to the left in the fairway it probably would have rolled up to 20 yards from the green. But it didn’t and stopped about 40 yards from the green. Still not bad for a 300 yard hole.

Only hit 5 fairways which is about average.

Fairway Woods & Hybrids – I did like that cracking sound the AVX produced with 3 and 5 wood. Distance was average but accuracy was not. Pushed the majority of my fairway woods which I rarely do.

It started to get a little annoying after the 11th hole. Kept ending up in places I rarely hit from which made everything else that much more difficult.

Did not hit my hybrid today.

Irons – If there is one thing that Titleist golf balls do well is the iron play. Had quite a few piercing iron shots that just went dead straight. And I knew it before I turned through my swing.

And at the same time I only had 5 Greens In Regulation which is below average. Somewhere around the 6th hole I started to get frustrated with the AVX. Its as if it began to grow a personality of its own.

For every piercing iron shot there were just as many that came up way short or pushed to the right. Its like the AVX knows its a premium golf ball but just doesn’t want to play like one. Like, it doesn’t want to be bothered.

Its like that guy on your softball team who is probably one of the best players on the team but doesn’t run out ground balls or pop ups because he sees the short stop field it cleanly or the outfielder get under it. But then the short stop over throws the first basemen or the outfielder drops it. If he would have been running it out like we are all taught to do in Little League he would of probably been standing on second.

The AVX was like that with irons. For every great shot there was an equal…what the hell are you doing…sort of shot.

Wedges – With me not hitting that many greens in regulation it left a lot of wedge and chip shots. Not once did I get up and down for par. That rarely happens.

Again, the AVX was giving me some attitude all day. Shanked a couple of wedges and flubbed a couple of chip shots. Wildly uncharacteristic. At one point I decided it would be best to putt everything I could from around the green.

And then sure as shit the AVX decided to show off its All Star skills on the Par 3 16th. I came up short right on the approach shot leaving me about 25 yards to the hole. I appropriately duffed the chip shot leaving me 15 yards from the hole. Which of course the AVX decided to actually do something and decided to chip in for Par. Can’t remember the last time thats happened.

Putting – Ordinary all over the place. One 3 putt. Besides the chip in everything was two putts. Which isn’t bad. But man, the AVX is so close to ProV1 softness but yet so far. It was missing something.

Had 35 total putts which is average.

Durability – Still looks brand new. And thats better than expected as its my feeling that ProV1’s tend to scuff easier. The AVX didn’t hit anything besides grass al day so it better look new.

Score – 89. GIR – 5. Putts – 35. Fairways – 5. Penalty Stroke – 1.

After finishing my round I just could not figure the AVX out. I wanted to like it but at Pro V1 prices I’d rather buy the ProV1. And it didn’t have those Professional characteristics of a premium golf ball.

The movie Good Will Hunting comes to mind when thinking about the Titleist AVX. Because the AVX is Will Hunting before he decided to get into his car and go “see about a girl“. He had all the talent and smarts in the world but didn’t want to apply any of them in real life situations. It was mostly about showing off how Wicked Smart he is.

That was my lasting impression about the AVX. Don’t buy it unless your willing to give it a thorough  psychological examination. And you should probably be qualified to do so before attempting.

It is quite possible that I am the only person on Earth to have played a round of golf with a floating golf ball. Or at the very least to admit they played a round with one.

Just like I do with all of my reviews I play one round at Rackham Golf Course near my house in Huntington Woods, MI.

This round was played on 6-1-18. It was 85 degrees, sunny, and with a light breeze.

And I am going to lead this review with a very strong statement.

The FLOATER might be the best performing golf ball I have ever played.

Yes, really. And at this time I have reviewed 25 of the most popular golf balls produced. That means I have been paying attention to what the golf ball does while I’m playing a round and not just playing.

Oh, and the FLOATER I played is at least ten years old.

That’s right. If you have been reading any of my golf ball reviews you would know I’ve been playing a number of golf balls I found in my Dads workshop. Some of which he bought and others he won at outings. None of which he played. I’m at the point where I’ve played all the name brands and am now at the gag golf balls.

It occurred to me the night before I was to play that I could either buy a sleeve of something new at the course or play the FLOATER. I decided to play the FLOATER. Why not? It was new/unused which allows it to be entered into the contest.

I did a little bit of reading on floating golf balls and everything I could find said to expect 5% less distance on every shot. That really isn’t a whole lot. On a 200 yard shot that’s 10 yards. For my skill level that is barely enough to decide on clubbing up. Which I did do a couple of times as it was in the back of my mind.

When going over the specs of this particular floating golf ball it is made of a Cut-Proof Surlyn Cover, High energy core for greater distance, and of Two-piece, high performance design. And its unsinkable.

You know, when I look at the sleeve there is a strong possibility Dad might have bought these. The label says Pro Golf of Roseville. A place that no longer exists but all search results point to Jawor’s Golf Center which is a driving range I know I’ve been to with my Dad and brother growing up in the 90’s.

Maybe the pro shop was named Pro Golf Of Roseville back then. And maybe Dad snuck into the pro shop and bought these floaters. He had a mild funny side so I can see it. At the same time, they were $6 for 3 golf balls. That’s Pro V1 money for the 90s and 2000s.

And they were distributed by JP LANN GOLF in Royal Oak, MI which amazingly still exists and is not that far from my home. As you can guess they do a lot of novelty golf items. Check out the JP LANN Amazon page if you want some goofy golf stuff.

Have I buttered you up with this amazing back story? Are you on the edge of your seat ready to read one of the best reviews of a golf ball in the history of ever? Ok. Lets do it.

Sending Driver – My first shot of the day was with Driver and I immediately knew this golf ball was different. Think of the last time you hit a tennis ball with an aluminum baseball bat. You know how the tennis ball jumped off the bat and maybe even spun upwards as it continued to go. And then when there was no more distance to gain it just fell from the sky? The FLOATER had a trajectory like that.

It was hilarious. And yet awesome. I only hit 5 fairways which is about average.

Now about distance. When I made good contact it landed in the same places I normally land with newer non floaty sorts of golf balls with many more amounts of technology.

When I mis hit the FLOATER it tended to have a much higher trajectory than normal resulting in 10 to 20 yards less distance. That happened twice.

With the wind behind my back the FLOATER really…umm…floated. It really did. It happened on the Par 4 3rd hole which is a dog leg to the left. Typically I land right around the 150 yard marker which gives me an unobstructed shot to the green.

On this drive a 10 mph wind was at my back and when it got up into the wind with its tennis ball trajectory you could see the wind carry it. This was only the second time I had ever driven it through the fairway where it turns into the dog leg. The other time it happened was mostly due to the course being rock hard from not getting any rain for three weeks resulting in shots rolling out.

One last tidbit about hitting the FLOATER with Driver. So I setup to hit a draw but typically it goes straight. With the FLOATER I was able to hit three draws. And I’m talking sending it out right and coming back left. Just like how I planned it to go. It was awesome.

Fairway Woods & Hybrids – Again, awesome. Distance was about the same or just a little less than newer golf balls but the FLOATER did what I wanted it to do all day.

When I was hoping for it to roll out, it would. When I wanted it to stop, it would.

The Par 3 13th plays 204 yards from the White Tees. Its a deceivingly long hole as a huge mounded bunker blocks the front right side of the green. It makes the hole look shorter. Many people hit 5 irons and land in the bunker. Typically I hit 5 wood as going long is safe.

Today the flag was in the back. And I thought it would be a better idea to hit 3 wood with the whole floating golf balls get 5% less distance thing…um…floating around in my mind.

So that’s what I did and sent a laser. It appeared from the tee box it was on the green but when I approached I was shocked to see the FLOATER hit and rolled out maybe 6 feet to pin high.

Even the guys I was golfing with said that shot should have rolled off the back of the green. I agreed. But we’re talking about the FLOATER here. It does what it wants to do.

Did not hit my 4 hybrid today because when I was at the in-between distance I hit 5 wood with very good results.

Irons – Again, awesome. The FLOATER did exactly what you want a golf ball to do with irons. Get the distance you want and land softly. That tennis ball flight path was hilarious to watch.

I will say I noticed less distance with irons more than the fairway woods. And that the FLOATER had a tendency to tail off to the right or left on what you would consider to be a straight shot. It did not have a straight laser like flight path. And that’s ok.

But again, when it landed, it stopped.

Had a great 4 iron from 165 yards out to the small green on the Par 4 11th. Landed and rolled out 6 feet.

Had a superb 9 iron from 110 yards out to the Par 4 12th green that rolled out maybe 3 feet.

The FLOATER did not compress as well as newer golf balls with irons but did not feel like a rock either. I had 7 Greens In Regulation but three of those came with fairway woods.

Wedges – Up and down for par on three separate occasions including once out of the sand. The FLOATER did not feel like a two piece golf ball in chipping or half shot situations. It felt like a premium golf ball here.

And with my iron play not being truly spot on it resulted in a lot of chips from just barely off the green. More often than not I was able to get the distance right and the FLOATER would check up ever so slightly and roll out. Exactly what I want.

Putting – Again, awesome. The FLOATER might be the best golf ball I have ever putted with. I’d say in line or better than the softness you feel with a ProV1.

Zero 3 putts (I’m always good for at least one) and six 1 putts (must be a record). Drained a 25 footer for birdie on #11. Saved par on #5 with a 15 footer. And there were at least five other putts from 10 feet or further away that stopped within 6 inches of the hole.

On almost every hole I put myself in a spot to have a legitimate chance to one or two putt with good chipping and nice approach shots. I only had 30 putts which is above average.

Durability – Even though the FLOATER was a good boy and didn’t hit trees, cart paths, wildlife, etc. it is showing a couple of blemishes. My guess is the main one is from the sand trap. I know I can get a couple more rounds out of it but I am not so sure about long-term durability seeing how it was mostly on grass all day..

Score – 78. GIR – 7. Putts – 30. Fairways – 5

Did the FLOATER exceed expectations? Absolutely.

Isn’t the FLOATER what we really want in a golf ball? Absolutely.

It has average distance with all sorts of softness on and around the greens. And the control was something else. Feedback was exceptional. Everything about the FLOATER was what I’d want in a golf ball.

It’s crazy that I played the Par 5’s 4 over par and still broke 80. I’m typically 1 over par on those.

Could it be that I found my forever golf ball? Or could there be something else?

Of the three times I’ve broken 80 two of those times happened with one of my Dad’s golf balls. Both of which I’m pretty sure he bought. And both of which happened during testing.

Could I of had a little help from the Heavens with the Titleist DT Wound 100 and the FLOATER? I had not been playing so well to open up the 2018 golf season. My previous scores were an 85, 87, 87, 91, and a week prior an 89.

To go from 89 to a 78 in a week is something. I am capable of breaking 80 but that’s making up a lot of shots.

I tried to find if the FLOATER is a legal golf ball but there was no information saying it was not. In the eyes of the USGA it’s all about a maximum weight and minimum diameter. My guess is it would be a conforming golf ball because it is lighter and the same diameter as others.

The USGA is probably thinking what no talent ass clown is going to play a FLOATER? Well, we know of at least one ass clown.

If you curious about buying these particular FLOATER’s I have some bad news. I contacted the company and they do not have these nor do they distribute floating golf balls anymore.

But other companies make them and you should probably buy a dozen floating golf balls. Who knows, you could have the second best round of your life with a gag ball.

Oh, and one last thing.