It’s probably overstating things a bit to say that what’s happening in the ball market right now constitutes a seismic shift, but these are most definitely turbulent times. You might say there’s a bit of a disturbance in the force.
Callaway and Srixon have undercut the big OEM market a bit by dropping prices on their tour balls. TaylorMade has gained a few points of market share with its TP5 series, and to combat a dip in sales, Titleist ran its annual buy 3 get 1 free promo on its new Pro V1 and Pro V1x barely a month and a half into its lifecycle. The K-Sig made its mark, and a growing (seemingly weekly) number of direct to consumer brands are making their presence felt.
One of those direct to consumer brands is Vice Golf. Like others in the space, Vice eschews traditional distribution models, it skips costly tour endorsement deals and limits its marketing spend so it can offer the consumer a high-performance, tour quality ball for significantly less than mainstream golf brands.
Extraordinary distance of off the tee and that extra-soft feel we all want around the green – CJWiegmann, Vice Pro Soft Tester
We’ve already told you the story behind the Vice brand, and we gave 8 MyGolfSpy community members the opportunity to test the company’s Pro Soft ball before it was released. Today we’re offering 10 readers the chance to test the other two tour balls in the Vice lineup. As you might be able to discern from the name, the Vice Pro and Vice Pro Plus compete directly with the 1-2 punch found in most manufacturer’s ball lineups. It’s the answer to Z-Star/Z-Star XV, B330/B330-S, and of course, Pro V1/Pro V1x.
About Vice Pro/Pro Plus
The Vice Pro is a 3-piece ball with a 318 dimple cast urethane cover. Vice says the Pro offers great feel and outstanding greenside spin.
The Vice Pro Plus is a 4-piece ball with a 336 dimple cast urethane cover. While the feel is still excellent, the Plus launches lower with less spin.
Both balls feature Vice’s BJ13 coating, which provides UV protection to help the balls stay as white as the day they were made, and according to Vice, both balls are incredibly stable in the wind.
It all sounds great, and it’s exactly what you’d expect from a tour-level golf ball, but do Vice’s golf balls perform as well or better than their big-name competitors?
Here’s what our community members said about the Vice Pro Soft:
- “It was long off the Tee, accurate off the irons and putted very smooth.” – FOZCYCLE
- “It is the most unique golf ball I have ever had the opportunity to play.” – KKAW1988
- “I can’t wait to but in some more rounds with these beauties!” – GOLFERKEN
- “In conclusion, I say, ‘buy, buy, buy, buy!!!!!'” – CJWIEGMANN
Are Vice’s other tour balls every bit as good? That’s where you come in.
We’re looking for 10 testers (5 Pro and 5 Pro Plus) to test and review Vice Pro series golf balls.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MYGOLFSPY PRODUCT TESTER:
As you know, MyGolfSpy takes its product testing very seriously. All of our reader reviews are published in our Community Forum (click here to check them out). We expect a lot from our reviewers – writing a thorough, detailed and honest review is a full two-month commitment, requiring extensive range and on-course work as well as participation in the Forum itself to answer questions and discuss product performance with other golfers.
That means to be a potential reviewer you must be a registered member of the MyGolfSpy Community Forum, where you’ll find thousands of like-minded golfers from all over the world anxious to talk about golf equipment.
To apply to test, review and keep the Vice Pro and Pro Plus Golf Balls, here’s what you have to do:
– First, if you haven’t already, please sign up for the MyGolfSpy Community Forum (click here to register).
– Second, apply ONLY in the Official Vice Pro Golf Balls Testers Wanted Thread in the Community Forum (click here).
The testers will be announced next week in the MyGolfSpy Community Forum.
Gordon
7 years ago
I already play the Vice Pro balls.
I genuinely feel like they perform as well as any ball I have ever played.
I am a 17 handicap currently, trending down, and capable of scaring 80 from time to time…. just do not get to play often enough to consistently get the scores down there.
The Vice ball putts smoother than any ball I have tried. It is very easy to keep my distance control with it. It also flys with the best of them, and will hop once and check on the green with the irons.
I have a sample pack with all of their current lineup, but I have yet to try the Pro Plus or the Soft, the Drive and Tour are balls I’ll save for the NJ winter.
These balls are the real deal in my humble opinion.
Give them a shot people.
Even if you only get 1 dozen, they are cheaper than the Pro V and basically as good.
One thing to mention, as with any soft covered urethane ball, the cover will scuff if you clip a tree or a cart path a certain way, but they are plenty durable for a high performance ball. No more likely than a Pro V to scuff.