Several years back I played the same ProV1 for seven consecutive rounds, 126 holes of golf. It looked like hell the final round and finally decided to put in it in the shag bag, but mostly because the urethane cover started peeling on it - not because it still wasn't up to snuff performance wise.

The worst ball I ever played, endurance wise, was the Callaway HX Tour. Decent performance, but after a round of golf - it was literally impossible to tell what kind of ball it was. I remember one of the first experiences - on the first tee, right out of a new sleeve - Callaway HX Tour. By the 4th hole (no cart path scuffs or anything of the sort - but just typical wear) the logo on the one side was completely shredded off.

They were late to the game as far as endurance properties comparable to Titleist ProV1 standards, but the Callaway premium ball covers are much much better today. I really do like the Chrome Soft, but like I said - just struggle to part with $45 for a box of them.


    PA-PLAYA

    7 rounds with a wound balata golf ball ?
    You might have set the world record for playing that model. Surprised it had any paint left on the cover. The wedge usually will tear the cover into shreds.
    The wound mantle don't hold the shape very well, it's evident on the putting green after the few full throttled swing at it. That's why tournament players don't play the same wound balata golf ball throughout the round even if the golf ball looked fine.

        Release

        Nah, not a balata. At the time - it was a relatively new ProV1. I think it might've been a couple years after their initial "392" model ProV1, which might've been their earliest model debut for the ProV series.

        The urethane cover was (I think) post-"392" model. Or maybe not - I dunno... but this was back in 2005-2006 timeframe. I got into the game about a year after the balata era finally ended (early 90's). I'll put it to you this way - when I first started playing -"Hogan" was one of the better premium balls on the market, and the Titleist HP2 Tour was THE ball at that time. I'm guessing early-mid 90's. That was basically back during the 2-pc wound era...

        .... Played the Srixon Z-Star Yellow in another regional club match today. Didn't have my best, but still managed a nice round of 75. Only hit 11 greens on the day, so the green-side performance kinda speaks for itself. Opponents tend to get really tired of seeing a yellow ball go into the hole. LOL... Kinda like Tiger wearing Red on Sunday, but back when it meant something. LOL

            PS - I used a balata ball for part of one round, again back in the early-mid 90's. Skulled a wedge out of a green-side bunker and the ball was smiling at me about 40 yards on the other side of the green LOL... That was definitely not my ball of choice - sidespin and spin in general was extremely exaggerated, off every club.

            For the longest while, Titleist's DT Wound 2-pc was the most popular model. We're talking late-80's to early-90's. I played that ball quite a bit, back when they were roughly $18/dozen. Hard to believe Titleist's premium balls are nearly 3x that amount today at standard retail price.

            I had a powder-blue Kathy Whitworth vinyl golf bag... played cavity-back Square-Two irons (Ping-Eye 2 clones basically) had a Spalding Molitor laminated 5-wood, and some sort of component driver, about 200cc in size, steel shaft, with a grip that was so worn that I needed to use stickum (pine resin) to keep the grip tacky in the summer months LMAO...

            Man, what I wouldn't give to go back and relive a couple of those days. Best days of my life, and you don't appreciate them until 25 years later! I sucked at golf, but hit it a lot further back in those days with smaller, lesser forgiving clubs!

            Miss my old golf buddy from back then too. :-(

            Well, going out tomorrow to try out the Snell MTB for 18.

            Got a dozen or so Pro V1Xs to finish out. Would like to try the Top Flite tour spinners, as well as the Snell MTB, I haven't hit a Top Flite ball in years. Played the Srixon Z Star X for a year or so, wouldn't mind going back to it, either.

            I finally ran out of the planet's supply of DimplIt 1060's, but there might be some in Korea or Australia using a different name. Just got used to the feel of it. So, just bought a dozen NXT Tour S.

              Tried the Snell MTB today. It was very stable off the tee and fairway. I thought it was a bit dead around the green. It putted true, but I thought it required a bit more hit than other balls I play (Cally Supersoft & Top Flite XL). But I was able to keep up with my playing partner off tee, who usually out drives me. So all in all, a good ball. I will try it again next week and see if anything changes my opinion about it.

              Sneakylong

              I favor the NXT Tour over the S model. The NXT Tour gives me better distance and control, since the trajectory of ball flight is high for my swing anyway.

                  This thread got me thinking about what certain golf balls would cost if you removed the marketing costs involved.

                  How much does Titleist spend every year between commercials, print ads, and player endorsements to fund their little business? My guess is that their marketing department constitutes well over 50% of costs involved in making the golf ball; maybe much more?

                  If I had to wager an (ignorant) guess, beyond urethane coating and other core ingredients, I'm betting the actual ball itself costs them about $0.75 - $1.00 each to make for the ProV1/x. All the rest of it is hype and endorsements, etc.

                  Same goes for Srixon, Bridgestone, Nike (oh please, don't get me started on Nike) and Callaway, etc.

                  I mean, why not play a ProV1 knock off at mggolf.com for $19.95 a dozen versus dropping $48 for the same ball with all the ads and endorsements if you can't really tell a difference between the two?

                  Sneakylong NXT Tour S is a nice ball. Poor mans Pro V1

                  Are you saying a typical mid/ low compression, two-piece, non urethane cover ball is a cheaper version of a Prov1?

                  hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
                  Get real.

                    ProV1x
                    I get them at a good discount...nyuck, nyuck, nyuck

                    Trying the Callaway Chrome Soft ** 2016 vs B330RX.

                    Hoping to do the Bridgestone fitting this year

                      potbunker Hoping to do the Bridgestone fitting this year

                      The E5 is the poor man's ProV.
                      😉

                      B330S is still the best of the brand.

                          I have not purchased a golf ball for years because I find so many on our golf course. It is a links style course and has tall grass along many of the fairways. Even if you find your ball there is little chance to play the ball. So many players will simply not even look for their ball, but just opt to drop as the tall rough is played as a lateral hazard. Over the years I know where to look and even where I am likely to find a Pro V as opposed to a bargain ball. I generally only look for balls when our group is backed up with slow play. But, I find enough quality balls to keep my grandsons in the golf ball selling business.

                          So in the summer I will play Pro V's or a premium urethane ball, but most of what I find are Pro V's. In the late fall, winter, early spring I prefer the softer balls that have become very popular. I started playing this type of ball because of an incident that made me realize I scored better with this type of ball when the greens were soft. I was playing winter golf with friends (skin pot and match play team game) and not doing well, but I found a nice new pink ladies ball and on a lark announced I was putting the pink ball in play. In a way (without any offense to any ladies that may read this post) I felt at least my ball would be fitting to my game at the time. On that hole I won my first hole of the day with a birdie. Laughing I teased my friends about my "pink" ball. Then I went on a stretch of winning holes. Even my team mate started to pick up on "pink power." But, I realized I really liked how the ball was playing on the soft turf and greens. I went home and sorted through my collection of balls (buckets I was saving for my grandsons who only sell balls during the summer vacation) and sorted out ladies balls and low compression balls. They became and remain my ball of preference for the "winter" season. However, when the greens firm up I prefer the urethane ball and that is what will be in my bag through the summer and early fall 2016.

                          Ringoblack What does that make the E6, which I like to play??

                          Compromise ball is what I call them.