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.

              Bridgestone came to the club where I was a member at several years ago to do a ball-fitting. I didn't participate, but a guy I played with quite regularly did.

              His ball of choice was the ProV1. So they set him up at the launch monitor... they've got this gizmo that detects spin rates, launch angle, the whole deal. So they tell him to hit his ProV, they give him like 10 swings with driver, do the average, etc. and then they compare that with one of their balls, I think it was the E6.

              The net result, after the comparison and ball fitting, was that he was hitting the E6 about 9 yards further than the ProV1, most all of it due to spin. So he played a sleeve of the new E6 balls that was given to him for doing the fitting, and although he was hitting it further, he was not satisfied with the control around the greens.

              Sometimes it's not necessarily about which ball goes further, but which ball you're most confident with the closer you get to the green.

              On soft greens, for me, I don't really want an ultra soft ball. I guess that's why I like the 3-pc Srixon, because it performs pretty much the same regardless of the firmness of the greens. But it's an individual thing and not everyone is looking for the same things in a golf ball's performance.

                PA-PLAYA although he was hitting it further, he was not satisfied with the control around the greens.

                Hence the compromise.

                I have been a Srixon fan since they came out.
                I switched to them after the Precept EV Spin was discontinued.
                Used to play the two piece Srixon Hi-Spin and was lucky enough to take advantage of the tour towel giveaway you got with every dozen purchased. I still have two towels left after ten years.
                You don't get deals like that anymore.

                  You guys missed a very important point. ProV1 is still one of if not the most expensive golf balls available.
                  Sometimes it's the image one wish to project to the others rather than practicality.

                  I know a guy whose golf swing makes no major difference to which type of golf ball he uses. But he likes to use ProV1, even if it was a used one he found on the golf course.

                  It's like some golf clubs priced way up in the outer space and they have sales to those whom has a deep pocketbook and just want something different.

                  Th ultra soft golf balls do not work well with me on hard fast greens , besides that the 3 piece-4 piece-5 piece golf balls really do not offer a major difference to this golfer. The dimple design and the cover material do make some noticeable difference for my golf game. So the least expensive golf balls in the type acceptable to me will do just fine.
                  Bridgestone has the B300RX, RXS on sale with the 2015 model, that's a nice premium golf ball for an old gizzer like myself.

                  Attended a Titleist ball fitting last summer. The fitter suggested that I use the Pro Vx instead of a Pro V to reduce the amount of back spin. He also suggested that I get new clubs because my grooves were toast, but that's another story. I moved on to a station nearby and overheard a conversation between the Titleist rep and one of our assistant pro's. He said that they ALWAYS recommend the Pro-V's unless they are pressed for a more affordable alternative and that the NXT Tour is every bit as good as the Pro V series for most amateur golfers.

                    Gammapi

                    I played the Titleist "test ball" which is almost for certain the 2016 NXT Tour.
                    I liked it a lot, i'm also bias to larger dimples and NXT Tour has larger dimple design than Pro V1.

                    Except for the slightest difference in greenside shots , the only thing stick out was the spin on the full wedge shot.

                    Pro V1 and Pro V1X is the bread and butter for the Titleist, of course they would try to sell these first.

                    Today I found 3 almost new Titleist on the golf course, one is the ProV1 and the other two are the Pro V1X. All on the #10 a par 5 with couple of blind spots off the tee box on the left side. I walked along the left side which adjacent to water hazards with bush and trees, sure enough, the big hitter had a little more action off the tee shots ended up lost their tee ball to the left. Maybe the extra spin did not help that time.

                      5 months later

                      Still have 12 Prov 1 and still like them the best

                      Others. I LIKE
                      MG Tour ball 19.00 dozen on line only
                      Z Star
                      Nike Platinum Tour. Can't wait till they go on sale
                      Callaway Chrome Soft

                      Didn't Like
                      SNELL
                      Cally Super Soft
                      Wilson Duo

                      Was playing Wilson Staff FG Tour's till I ran out earlier in the year. Playing V1x's now.

                        Srixon Z star xv
                        Snell MTB
                        Vice Pro Plus
                        Taylormade tpx
                        MG tour c4

                        There are so many good balls out there....my fav is the tpx, best all around ball I've played to date, Vice Pro Plus is very similar.

                        I had been playing the Titlelsit NXT Tour S yellow for years. I found a Srixon Trispeed and really liked it. About that time someone posted about a sale at Dick's for the Trispeed $35 for 3 dozen shipped. I got 3doz yellow and 3 doz white, so I have been playing the Srixons most of the summer. They are not too soft and give me a nice crisp click with the putter and I get a nice one hop and stop with the irons.

                        Release Ditto for me on the NXT Tour. Tried a ProV1x again - no go. Too spinny off the driver. I like it around the greens, but not enough to have to fight the tee ball.

                            The MG C4 balls are really good.

                            Just went into Dick's and picked up two dozen Maxfli Revolutions, only because they were on sale for 10 bucks a dozen. So I guess those are my balls for autumn.