2010 Hot List
GOLF BALLS: Under $20
June 2010
BALLS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
CALLAWAY BIG BERTHA DIABLO
PRICE: $20/dozen
WEBSITE: callawaygolf.com
TECH STORY: This two-piece ball has a thin ionomer cover that wraps around an extra-large 1.595-inch core (the largest in the Callaway line). The ultra-low compression ball is the softest of any Callaway model, yet the ball is designed to optimize initial ball speed for a variety of swing speeds. The large core and thin cover produce less spin with the driver, Callaway says, helping initial launch and mitigating hook and slice spin.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST
Launch: HIGH
Spin: MID
VERDICT: A nice-feeling ball that not enough players tried last year. Reducing the price should get this ball more attention.
WEBSITE: callawaygolf.com
TECH STORY: This two-piece ball has a thin ionomer cover that wraps around an extra-large 1.595-inch core (the largest in the Callaway line). The ultra-low compression ball is the softest of any Callaway model, yet the ball is designed to optimize initial ball speed for a variety of swing speeds. The large core and thin cover produce less spin with the driver, Callaway says, helping initial launch and mitigating hook and slice spin.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST
Launch: HIGH
Spin: MID
VERDICT: A nice-feeling ball that not enough players tried last year. Reducing the price should get this ball more attention.
NOODLE+ EASY DISTANCE
PRICE: $15/dozen
WEBSITE: noodlegolf.com
TECH STORY: Designed for swing speeds of less than 85 miles per hour, the ball has a soft, low-compression rubber core that's made to efficiently transfer energy from the clubface. Designers say they've reduced the core's compression to 35 without losing its resiliency. The cover, an ionomer blend of soft, firm and bimodal elements, feels soft yet doesn't scuff easily. Players can spin the ball more easily at slow swing speeds.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST
Launch: HIGH
Spin: MID
VERDICT: Heed the swing-speed guidelines: Above-average speeds will likely see some ballooning on iron shots. At $15, this is a ball that a lot of golfers should consider.
WEBSITE: noodlegolf.com
TECH STORY: Designed for swing speeds of less than 85 miles per hour, the ball has a soft, low-compression rubber core that's made to efficiently transfer energy from the clubface. Designers say they've reduced the core's compression to 35 without losing its resiliency. The cover, an ionomer blend of soft, firm and bimodal elements, feels soft yet doesn't scuff easily. Players can spin the ball more easily at slow swing speeds.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST
Launch: HIGH
Spin: MID
VERDICT: Heed the swing-speed guidelines: Above-average speeds will likely see some ballooning on iron shots. At $15, this is a ball that a lot of golfers should consider.
PINNACLE DIMENSION
PRICE: $15/dozen
WEBSITE: pinnaclegolf.com
TECH STORY: This distance ball has a thin ionomer cover for soft feel (without sacrificing durability) and a large, soft core that's designed to increase initial ball speed off the clubhead. The 332-dimple icosahedral pattern is designed to reduce drag on the downrange flight to promote ball-flight consistency and limit dispersion.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: HIGH
Spin: LOW
VERDICT: Don't be fooled by the Pinnacle name. Refreshingly, this isn't a typical distance rock. Though its strength is straight off the tee, it has the soft feel of a ball with the script logo of its big-brother company (Titleist). Plus, you get three of these for the price of one of those.
WEBSITE: pinnaclegolf.com
TECH STORY: This distance ball has a thin ionomer cover for soft feel (without sacrificing durability) and a large, soft core that's designed to increase initial ball speed off the clubhead. The 332-dimple icosahedral pattern is designed to reduce drag on the downrange flight to promote ball-flight consistency and limit dispersion.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: HIGH
Spin: LOW
VERDICT: Don't be fooled by the Pinnacle name. Refreshingly, this isn't a typical distance rock. Though its strength is straight off the tee, it has the soft feel of a ball with the script logo of its big-brother company (Titleist). Plus, you get three of these for the price of one of those.
SRIXON SOFT FEEL
PRICE: $20/dozen
WEBSITE: srixon.com"
TECH STORY: Made for swing speeds of 70 miles per hour and higher, the ball gets its energy from a resilient, large-diameter core that gets firmer the farther you move from the center. The core is designed to work with the low-friction, blended ionomer cover to increase ball speed and lower spin on tee shots. The 328 dimples in eight sizes and depths are designed to reduce air resistance and produce a higher flight.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST
Launch: HIGH
Spin: LOW
VERDICT: It's not going to win any awards for greenside spin, but slower swingers (sub-80 mph) will like its higher launch angle, reduced sidespin and cushy feel. In fact, just about any player will like its feel.
WEBSITE: srixon.com"
TECH STORY: Made for swing speeds of 70 miles per hour and higher, the ball gets its energy from a resilient, large-diameter core that gets firmer the farther you move from the center. The core is designed to work with the low-friction, blended ionomer cover to increase ball speed and lower spin on tee shots. The 328 dimples in eight sizes and depths are designed to reduce air resistance and produce a higher flight.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST
Launch: HIGH
Spin: LOW
VERDICT: It's not going to win any awards for greenside spin, but slower swingers (sub-80 mph) will like its higher launch angle, reduced sidespin and cushy feel. In fact, just about any player will like its feel.
TOP-FLITE GAMER V2
PRICE: $20/dozen
WEBSITE: topflite.com
TECH STORY: The only three-piece ball in this category, the V2 has a low-compression core, a polymer mantle, and a slightly firmer ionomer cover than last year's Gamer to limit scuffing on iron and wedge shots. A thick and soft mantle aims to reduce driver spin, and the dimple-in-dimple pattern is designed to optimize carry.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: MID
Spin: MID
VERDICT: Last year's Gamer offered more technology per dollar than any ball in golf. That's still true, but this year's version offers improvements in ball speed (the same core technology found in Callaway's Diablo) and durability.
WEBSITE: topflite.com
TECH STORY: The only three-piece ball in this category, the V2 has a low-compression core, a polymer mantle, and a slightly firmer ionomer cover than last year's Gamer to limit scuffing on iron and wedge shots. A thick and soft mantle aims to reduce driver spin, and the dimple-in-dimple pattern is designed to optimize carry.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: MID
Spin: MID
VERDICT: Last year's Gamer offered more technology per dollar than any ball in golf. That's still true, but this year's version offers improvements in ball speed (the same core technology found in Callaway's Diablo) and durability.
SRIXON AD333
PRICE: $20/dozen
WEBSITE: srixon.com
TECH STORY: The large core has a soft center with a firmer perimeter to increase ball speed and launch angle. The 333-dimple pattern (first to have an odd number of dimples) features six sizes to increase trajectory and produce a ball flight with a flatter landing angle for more roll on tee shots. The blended ionomer cover is slightly thinner than last year's model for more spin. It's targeted for swing speeds of 80 mph and higher.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: MID
Spin: MID
VERDICT: Unless you're bringing way more than the average amount of clubhead speed, the AD333 does the two things most of us need: flies high, feels soft.
WEBSITE: srixon.com
TECH STORY: The large core has a soft center with a firmer perimeter to increase ball speed and launch angle. The 333-dimple pattern (first to have an odd number of dimples) features six sizes to increase trajectory and produce a ball flight with a flatter landing angle for more roll on tee shots. The blended ionomer cover is slightly thinner than last year's model for more spin. It's targeted for swing speeds of 80 mph and higher.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: MID
Spin: MID
VERDICT: Unless you're bringing way more than the average amount of clubhead speed, the AD333 does the two things most of us need: flies high, feels soft.
TAYLORMADE BURNER LDP
PRICE: $20/dozen
WEBSITE: taylormadegolf.com
TECH STORY: The low-compression core is infused with neodymium to create the same low spin on tee shots as firm-feeling, high-compression balls. Most driver hits occur above the sweet spot, according to TaylorMade research, resulting in shots that spin less. Therefore, the dimple pattern on the Burner LDP is designed to improve carry on low-spinning mis-hits.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: HIGH
Spin: LOW
VERDICT: We're not sure too little spin is the biggest problem facing average golfers, but we are sure TaylorMade has produced a distance ball that feels as soft as many tour balls.
WEBSITE: taylormadegolf.com
TECH STORY: The low-compression core is infused with neodymium to create the same low spin on tee shots as firm-feeling, high-compression balls. Most driver hits occur above the sweet spot, according to TaylorMade research, resulting in shots that spin less. Therefore, the dimple pattern on the Burner LDP is designed to improve carry on low-spinning mis-hits.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: HIGH
Spin: LOW
VERDICT: We're not sure too little spin is the biggest problem facing average golfers, but we are sure TaylorMade has produced a distance ball that feels as soft as many tour balls.
TITLEIST DT SOLO
PRICE: $20/dozen
WEBSITE: titleist.com
TECH STORY: The large core (1.585 inches) is designed to increase initial ball speed, and its low compression is intended to improve feel. The Surlyn cover is just .048 inches thick, or more than 25 percent thinner than the last DT SoLo. Still, it has been developed to increase durability, and the 392-dimple pattern encourages a higher launch.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: HIGH
Spin: MID
VERDICT: We prefer the single DT option versus the twin DT approach of last year. The new model seems to incorporate the best elements of its predecessors with decent greenside spin. Some like to argue that Titleist's best ball is its least expensive, and for some slower swingers, we would agree.
WEBSITE: titleist.com
TECH STORY: The large core (1.585 inches) is designed to increase initial ball speed, and its low compression is intended to improve feel. The Surlyn cover is just .048 inches thick, or more than 25 percent thinner than the last DT SoLo. Still, it has been developed to increase durability, and the 392-dimple pattern encourages a higher launch.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: HIGH
Spin: MID
VERDICT: We prefer the single DT option versus the twin DT approach of last year. The new model seems to incorporate the best elements of its predecessors with decent greenside spin. Some like to argue that Titleist's best ball is its least expensive, and for some slower swingers, we would agree.
WILSON D:25 DISTANCE
PRICE:$20/dozen
WEBSITE:wilson.com
TECH STORY: To address this year's less-effective groove designs, the D:25 combines a low-compression core with a softer cover to engage more of the clubface at impact. Wilson believes this will lead to less hook and slice spin on drives, as well as longer, higher carry on shots from the rough and from within 100 yards of the green.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: HIGH
Spin: LOW
VERDICT: Wilson touts this ball as a longer version of last year's Fifty Elite, but we believe a ball needs to be about more than just distance. D:25's low-compression, soft-cover technology is a fresh take on approach-shot performance for balls in this category.
WEBSITE:wilson.com
TECH STORY: To address this year's less-effective groove designs, the D:25 combines a low-compression core with a softer cover to engage more of the clubface at impact. Wilson believes this will lead to less hook and slice spin on drives, as well as longer, higher carry on shots from the rough and from within 100 yards of the green.
WEDGE ROBOT TEST:
Launch: HIGH
Spin: LOW
VERDICT: Wilson touts this ball as a longer version of last year's Fifty Elite, but we believe a ball needs to be about more than just distance. D:25's low-compression, soft-cover technology is a fresh take on approach-shot performance for balls in this category.
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