MyGolfSpy Ball Test 2023

[Orikoru]

The new MGS test is out for all you golf ball nerds out there.

2023 Golf Ball Test

This is the biggest golf ball test we've ever completed. Find out how we tested and which balls might be right for you.

mygolfspy.com

 

[Orikoru]

Wow.. Tour Response was a ball I used last year and quite liked, but I'm surprised to see it right at the bottom on driver distance this time (for slow swing speeds, i.e. me). Don't think I'll go back to that one then - don't mind a couple of yards but it's showing as much as 10 yards shorter than some of the others.

 

[Teebs]

ProV1x for me. Long enough, stable enough and really good control around the greens.

 

[Neilds]

Cost is much more important to me than any of those numbers quoted in the test

 

[Backsticks]

ProV1x for me. Long enough, stable enough and really good control around the greens.

What is a stable ball ?

 

[Teebs]

What is a stable ball ?

Not as spinny with the driver and longer clubs, but still spins with shorter clubs and around the green.

 

[GB72]

Never got good enough to be at a stage where the ball made any real difference to my game (expect for the extremely cheap, hard ones). There were plenty of options around the £15 a dozen that all worked fine plus any of the more expensive balls on sale were just as suitable.

 

[Springveldt]

I've been using the AVX for most of this season but someone gave me a Yellow ProV1 to try a couple of weeks ago and I remarked to my playing partners how it definitely went further off the driver but also it was going the same distance off of irons as well but stopping quicker. Usually the AVX is about 5 yards longer on mid irons for me, so I was a bit confused by this. I had £20 shop credit so I bought a dozen of the yellow ProV1's and I used one on Saturday and felt the same.

These results back up my observations, the yellow pro v1 is almost like a firmer AVX so goes a bit further off the driver and seems to have a different spin profile than the white ProV1 for some reason.

 

[Orikoru]

I've been using the AVX for most of this season but someone gave me a Yellow ProV1 to try a couple of weeks ago and I remarked to my playing partners how it definitely went further off the driver but also it was going the same distance off of irons as well but stopping quicker. Usually the AVX is about 5 yards longer on mid irons for me, so I was a bit confused by this. I had £20 shop credit so I bought a dozen of the yellow ProV1's and I used one on Saturday and felt the same.

These results back up my observations, the yellow pro v1 is almost like a firmer AVX so goes a bit further off the driver and seems to have a different spin profile than the white ProV1 for some reason.

The yellow one can't be any different to the white one surely??

I was considering trying the Seed SD-05 next but annoyingly they've only included the 01 and 02 in their testing.

 

[Bratty]

Fascinating reading. It confirms that I'm using the best ball for me if you believe all the numbers, etc.
I'm playing AVX, and find it more reliable with the driver, long enough with irons and enough stopping power to not go through a green (unless you're playing at Farnham!).
I have never been able to putt with a ProV1 and find they launch very high for me.
Horses for courses though.

 

[Springveldt]

The yellow one can't be any different to the white one surely??

I was considering trying the Seed SD-05 next but annoyingly they've only included the 01 and 02 in their testing.

Look at the results, it's definitely different. It's almost like it sits in between the white ProV1 and the AVX in terms of spin, they have definitely changed something with it. The cover is also very hard feeling, it feels more like an Ionomer cover than a Urethane cover and it's very clicky off the putter. I also remarked it feels like I'm hitting a brick compared to the AVX.

 

[Orikoru]

Look at the results, it's definitely different. It's almost like it sits in between the white ProV1 and the AVX in terms of spin, they have definitely changed something with it. The cover is also very hard feeling, it feels more like an Ionomer cover than a Urethane cover and it's very clicky off the putter. I also remarked it feels like I'm hitting a brick compared to the AVX.

Oh, I hadn't realised they'd actually tested the yellow one separately! That's hilarious. So the yellow paint actually changes the feel and dynamics of the ball?? Never would have thought that.

 

[Imurg]

Wow.. Tour Response was a ball I used last year and quite liked, but I'm surprised to see it right at the bottom on driver distance this time (for slow swing speeds, i.e. me). Don't think I'll go back to that one then - don't mind a couple of yards but it's showing as much as 10 yards shorter than some of the others.

Soft is Slow

 

[BiMGuy]

Oh, I hadn't realised they'd actually tested the yellow one separately! That's hilarious. So the yellow paint actually changes the feel and dynamics of the ball?? Never would have thought that.

The yellow PV1x definitely has a more audible click to it.

 

[Orikoru]

Soft is Slow

In the previous test the Tour Response was much higher in the distance stakes. So perhaps they've changed it, made it softer, and lost distance as a result. Shame really - I don't think it needed to be softer.

 

[sjw]

Worth having a look at some of these graphs more closely and checking the x-axis scale - for example, the launch angle graph makes it look like some are way lower than others, but it's actually like a single degree!

Also, the balls that go higher typically reach their max height at a further distance, and they carry a bit further, and they launch a bit higher... but a lot of it is really saying the same thing in lots of different ways. I play Kirkland balls, which don't score particularly well overall (although hardly poorly) and they're, what, at most 10% "worse" than a premium ball, but 66% cheaper. I think I'll stick.

 

[HeftyHacker]

The yellow one can't be any different to the white one surely??

I was considering trying the Seed SD-05 next but annoyingly they've only included the 01 and 02 in their testing.

The yellow ProV1s I've used certainly seem to have a slightly harder coating on it than the normal white ones.

Not something I noticed actually using it but just having them in your hand.

 

[Springveldt]

Oh, I hadn't realised they'd actually tested the yellow one separately! That's hilarious. So the yellow paint actually changes the feel and dynamics of the ball?? Never would have thought that.

I wasn't convinced the yellow one that someone gave me was a proper ProV1 until I bought that dozen from the pro shop, that's how different the cover feels compared to an AVX or white ProV1. The cover is harder, I've no idea what they have done to it to make it yellow but it's not the same cover as the white ones.

 

[Slab]

I sometimes wish I could get more into the technical side of golf balls but really struggle to get beyond soft or distance rocks, preferring the former, so I buy softish golf balls that retail around £20 (£25 tops) No ball is worth more than that for my game

 

[Springveldt]

I sometimes wish I could get more into the technical side of golf balls but really struggle to get beyond soft or distance rocks, preferring the former, so I buy softish golf balls that retail around £20 (£25 tops) No ball is worth more than that for my game

For around that price I'd rather buy 2nd hand ProV1's or something from eBay that are in pearl condition. The AVX's I played this year I bought from eBay but the durability of them has left me thinking that lad I bought them from used some sort of cleaning chemical on them to make them look better than they were. A lot of them I've had to bin off after a single round. Lesson learned I guess, only buy from the actual golf ball companies on eBay in the future.

The ProV1's I've just bought is actually the first time I've ever bought them new and it was only because I had a voucher which meant I was paying £27 for a dozen of them. Even although I really like them after a couple of rounds, there is no way I'd ever pay £47 for a dozen of them. The last few season when I've bought new balls it was either amazing value (Honma-TWX 4 dozen for £78), or a bulk purchase of the previous years balls (TM Project-a 3 dozen for £65 and Bridgestone Tour RX 3 dozen for £70).