(2-min read)
The September 2024 edition of Today’s Golfer Magazine (issue 445) included a really fascinating pull out titled “Our Ball Recommendations for…”. It includes a break down of results from testing 24 new release balls in 2024. Included are a number of metrics to help identify what ball is best for you. It’s the ultimate unbiased review of golf balls. This is Science meets Sport. It is the result of collaboration between Ping, University of Loughborough (renowned for Sports Science) and Today’s Golfer. The full YouTube video review is below – a highly recommend watch.
Highlights
The balls tested in 2024 are listed in the table below. They represent a multitude of balls with varying costs. I’ve put the cost per yard for each, which is a wonderful, simple metric:
| Titleist Pro V1 (£0.21) | Seed SD-01 The Pro One (£0.11) | Srixon Q-Star Tour (£0.16) |
| Titleist Pro V1x (£0.21) | Seed SD-X1 The Pro X1 (£0.11) | Srixon AD333 (£0.12) |
| Callaway Chrome Tour (£0.23) | Seed-02 The Pro Tour (£0.10) | Srixon Distance (£0.09) |
| Callaway Chrome Tour X (£0.23) | Snell Prime 4.0 (£0.14) | TaylorMade TP5 (£0.19) |
| Callaway Chrome Soft (£0.23) | Snell Prime 3.0 (£0.13) | Taylor Made TP5X (£0.19) |
| Kirkland Signature (£0.07) | Snell Prime 2.0 (£0.10) | TaylorMade Speedsoft (£0.11) |
| Vice Pro (£0.13) | Vice Pro Plus (£0.13) | Vice Pro Air (£0.13) |
| Vice Tour (£0.08) | Wilson Staff Model (£0.22) | Wilson Staff Model X (£0.22) |
My top 5 highlights:
- An explanation of the different types of balls and their coatings, e.g., two piece vs three piece etc, Urethane and Ionomer coatings etc. Note, this explanation is in both last years and this years review.
- Science fact! Tests using a consistent robot with very useful metrics showing results, including: Driver with three different swing speeds, 7 iron, PW, distance, dispersion, backspin.
- The incredibly cheap Kirkland Signature balls by Costco at just £0.07 per yard – although they do have some of the highest spin rates – okay for stopping the ball on the green, not so good for distance and driving accuracy.
- Confirmation that Q-star balls (which I have found and used) are, as thought, incredibly hard to stop on the green, with the fourth lowest spin rates when tested with the 7 iron.
- The biggest surprise for me was the great performance of Seed balls relative to other expensive brands, at half the cost.
What I’ve done as a result
After a thorough read of the test results, I decided to purchase some Seed SD-01 The Pro One to trial. The ball represents what I’m looking for, a nice balance of spin rate and distance. This highlights the point of the test, which is to find a ball that best represents what you’re looking for, and at what cost.
What I found out
After a few rounds with the Seed SD-01 The Pro One balls I can honestly say that without doubt I’ll be looking no further in future at any other new ball purchases. Why have I come to this conclusion so quickly? In truth there are a few reasons:
- The above review as mentioned – the facts gave me a good indication that this ball was great value for money A little over £20 ($26) for 12 balls.
- The surprising grip I have seen on the ball around greens. I’ve had a number of bunker shots check nicely, more than usual and one that stopped dead within a few inches of the hole. Furthermore, I’ve had some approach shots, 50 to 75 yards out that I could see check and hold nicely. This is despite the relatively hard greens I’ve been playing into. So this has been a real visual benefit to my game.
- Feel off the club face. I try not to concentrate on this to be honest. Some balls don’t feel great off the face, but I know they’re great performers. However, the Seed SD-01 The Pro One balls do feel great off the face. Not dissimilar to a soft feel ball, which performance wise, aren’t as good.
- A good thin small line on the ball that is actually straight! Yes I know this seems like a small detail, but for me it matters. I can draw lines on sure, but with this ball I don’t need to. The line is good. Better than any other ball I’ve seen. This small detail shows me that Seed are really concentrating on understanding their users. Massive thumbs up and I’m happy to give Seed my money via a subscription.
I hope Today’s Golfer continue to do this test on an annual basis. Big thumbs up to them.
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