Adidas has recently introduced the new TOUR360 4.0, which sounds like a new operating system software for your computer but is presumably a fourth generation golf footwear style.

According to the company, the TOUR360 4.0 “is engineered with advanced THiNTech – a revolutionary low-profile technology that brings golfers closer to the ground. A lower center of gravity equals a higher level of performance: greater stability. Better balance and footwork. Increased power and feedback. All of which promotes more
consistent ball-striking.”

Surely these are comfortable shoes. And, certainly wearing low-profile shoes are better than playing golf in stiletto spike heels or ’70s style platform boots. But golf marketing has taken hyperbole to a whole new level lately.

Taking the new TOUR360 4.o for example, this shoe offers PINS (Performance INsert System), which is apparently 32 percent lower to the ground than conventional cleats. The POWERBAND CHASSIS helps increase energy transfer during your weight shift for increased power at impact. FitFOAM molds to the contours of your foot. adiPRENE absorbs impact for comfort. adiTUFF minimizes abrasion for all those times you drag your foot on the cart path. Really? It’s a shoe. Come on, man!

Meanwhile, earlier this year TaylorMade introduced the Penta, a new five-layer golf ball.

I thought I’d seen it all when the shaving industry came out with a five-blade premium disposable razor cartridge. Then there was the battery-powered disposable razor. Now there is a five-blade battery-powered razor with an extra blade on the back for trimming. What will they come up with next? A five-layer ball is like the razor and the blade. One is a break-even introductory product while the other is the high profit margin recurring revenue stream.

With the current global economic funk, the market won’t support higher priced golf clubs, and certain rules and restrictions prevent club manufacturers from making significant advances in club design. Instead they have turned their attention to the golf ball market where proprietary polymers and fewer legal limitations can stifle their innovation or marketing creativity. 

Major manufacturers such as Callaway have recently indicated they expect $299 as the predominant U.S. price point for drivers at retail in 2010. That’s down from roughly $399 in recent years. But premium golf balls cost $40 or more per dozen and the avid golfer goes through several dozen each year. Why not sell the golfing public on premium golf balls? There’s more upside and greater recurring revenue potential.

My own game has benefited from the technological breakthroughs in golf equipment. Titanium club heads. Graphite shafts. Multi-layer balls. It’s all good, and I appreciate the help. But consumers need to know the difference between true innovative enhancements and marketing crap.

As marketing and communications professionals, the NiceBallz staff knows a thing or two about selling to consumers. We’re not picking on Adidas, who also owns TaylorMade. Frankly, I’m unemployed and I’d love to work for either brand. And, other companies offer similar proprietary technologies and equally bold marketing claims.

The new TOUR360 4.0 is just a premium golf shoe, not a miracle cure for your slice. And, the Penta golf ball is an impressive ball for highly skilled players, but is unlikely to help most high handicappers break 100. Splurge on these and similar products if you like. They are among the best gear on the market. But, a five blade razor doesn’t really shave any closer than one with two blades, and a fourth generation shoe isn’t likely to help you improve.

That’s what I heard from a playing partner the first time I teed up a Chromax ball during a round.  I however had seen a gold ball, and silver, and pink and a number of other shiny (as well as sparkly) colors from Chromax golf a few months earlier during a round with friends.

They intrigued me enough to reach out to the company to learn more about them. Chromax was kind enough to send along some samples of their balls (yes FTC, they sent ‘em free), and upon opening the box up I was intent on putting their shiny/sparkly goodness to the test on the course - snarky comments from my golfing buddies be damned.

There are two types of Chromax balls, the M1 (what we refer to as the shiny one) and M2 (the more sparkly one).  Both balls used to have a soft compression of 75 for slower swing speeds, which Chromax says worked well for many of what they say were their two largest buyers -  women and seniors. However, Chromax says they are getting more men who say they love their ball, but didn’t like the softness, so they recently changed the compression of Metallic II to 90.

Let’s be honest though…a shiny (or sparkly!) golf ball?  The idea is going to elicit snickers and ‘yeah right’ responses from many players.  In fact I even hesitated a bit before putting one on the tee during a round.  However, my willingness to put my machismo aside was rewarded with a striped 3 wood down the first fairway and a solid approach shot landing on the green within 10 feet of the pin.

“Crap, if I play a career round I’ll have to play these the rest of the year,” I remarked to my playing partner at the time.

Chromax states that one of the benefits of the ball is the ease of which you can spot them whether in flight, in the fairway, on the green or elsewhere.

That’s a fact.  The gold ball I was playing glimmered like a beacon of hope as it waited in the fairway for me on that first hole and was more easily findable in the rough.  Soon I had dubbed my new shiny friend, ‘Golden Boy’ in honor of (another) timeless Seinfeld reference.

Most ball reviews are pretty subjective.  They’re often based on one persons opinion (like this one) and a number of factors can impact the review like the players ability, how well they played when using the ball – which may have nothing to do with the ball itself, and dozens of other possible variables.

So let’s put this in the proper context: I am not a great golfer.  I am the stereotypical ‘average’ player which means I sport a mid to high teens handicap.  I don’t crush it…I can’t spin it back (on purpose anyway) and I could probably play just as well with one ball off the rack as another.

That all said, I really enjoyed playing the Chromax for a number of reasons:

- Performance:  I was hitting the ball well the day I played the Chromax but it didn’t balloon like some ‘soft’ balls or careen off with huge bounces like some super distance balls may do, even when you hit the center of the green. In short it felt, and played, like a solid middle-of-the-road golf ball.

- FUN: Yes, it’s fun to whip something out like a shiny/sparkly gold ball on your playing partners.  Of course, it’s more effective if you don’t cold top it after doing so, but regardless if you’re among friends it’s going to elicit some ribbing, razzing and fun banter in general. 

- Vision: Marketing hype aside, one of the claims Chromax makes is for real – it IS easier to see many of these balls…the yellow/gold balls in particular.  Sadly, on the 12th hole of the day my Golden Boy was lost. A poorly struck 3 wood on a par 5 sent him careening into a flower bed never to be seen again. Adieu my sweet golden boy…adieu.

If you want the Chromax balls though you’ll likely have to go online for them, though (according to the company) they are showing up more in pro shops around the country. 

For traditionalists, the idea of putting a shiny/sparkly ball on the tee is likely so laughable they would start lizzing.

But, if you are playing in an event (e.g. a scramble seems especially useful if eveyrone uses a different color) or just are willing to have a little fun, while playing a ball that performs pretty solidly, why not put a little color in your game?

We say – give ‘em a shot.

I played the balls that day in place of my usual two-piece value distance ball and an amazing thing happened. The ball sat on the green. Chips and pitch shots checked up near the hole. The ball was soft and putts rolled true. I played well and shot in the 80s on a long, tough course.

Ever since that experience I have been convinced that decent amateur golfers can only improve so much without playing a premium golf ball. But, I also fell in love with spin. Performance means spin. More spin, more better. It’s the American way, no?

As a result, I have played balls with the most spin I can find. I like to make the ball bite. Short sided? No problem. You can get out of a lot of trouble when you have confidence in your short game. But, here’s the thing. Over time I’ve learned that too much spin is not your friend.

It’s one thing for Tiger Woods to play a ball with more than 13,000 RPM off a wedge when playing hard and fast championship greens on the PGA Tour. But, do most of us need that much spin? Probably not. Too often my chips check up short of the cup. And, I can’t count how many times I’ve spun the ball off the green with one of these premium golf balls.

When I first switched to a “performance” golf ball my scores improved. Now I think some balls hurt my game.

Earlier this year I played my career best round with a new golf ball. I got one of those promotional two-ball giveaway packs from a major warehouse retailer. Something different happened that day. My approach shots sat where they landed. My chips checked up, and then released near the hole. This ball had less spin than I was used to, but enough to make the ball do what I wanted. The ball? The Bridgestone B330-S.

Like many other balls on the market, the B330-S is a four-piece performance ball with a soft urethane cover. The B330-S offers plenty of distance off the tee, though less than the Titleist NXT Tour. The B330-S offers plenty of spin, but less than the Nike ONE Tour D and the former Nike ONE Platinum. And, the B330-S has a soft feel but the cover is plenty durable even for square groove wedges, which was a problem with that original Callaway HX Tour ball.

I highly recommend the B330-S for better players who want distance and performance around the greens, and who are skilled enough to spin the ball with their short game. Priced at about USD $42 per dozen, this ball is not cheap but is priced slightly less than comparable balls like the Titleist ProV1 and ProV1x, which often retail for about $45.

If you need more distance or more value, try a different ball. The NXT Tour, for example, remains one of the best performing mid-priced balls on the market. Of course, there are so many ball brands on the market that it’s enough to make your head spin. But, if you want a ball that does it all – with enough spin for scoring, but not too much – the Bridgestone B330-S is worth a try.

I’ll caveat all that follows by unequivocally stating that I am not a film critic.  As evidence of this, I like all Star Wars movies (even the ‘new’ trilogy), all Fletch movies and think Tin Cup should have probably gotten an Oscar nod or two.

That said, I know what I like and when I heard The Back Nine’s premise I was intrigued.  Everyone who has played golf has thought: “What if I could just play more…or if I had a full-time coach….or time to workout…or time to practice…or the right equipment…just how good could I get?”

Almost none of us will ever know.  We lack the time and/or money or put higher priorities like family and our chosen careers over such fantasy.  But Fitzgerald decided to take the challenge head on and see how far he could go in a quest to play professional golf.

My biggest (and perhaps only) issue with The Back Nine comes from that positioning of the documentary.  It makes it sound as though Fitzgerald is going to tackle the Mount Everest of golfing efforts – going from an ‘average’ amateur player, to being able to compete at a professional level.

Unfortunately, (small spoiler alert) that’s not really the direction of the film.  Instead Fitzgerald later caveats his goal as trying to earn an invitation to the Golf Channel’s Amateur Tour National Championship.

An admirable goal, but one that is far less impressive than the idea of making it to a professional tour level event. 

I asked Fitzgerald about this discrepancy and he responded, “I did set a goal of eventually competing professionally.  However, this was obviously going to take more than a few years. Therefore I decided we would create a series of films, tracking the journey.”

That, notable, difference in what I had expected from the film aside I enjoyed The Back Nine in general and in some ways it became a more insightful look into how golf can build bridges with loved one’s, as well as the incredible demands your average touring pro faces in chasing their own dreams of stardom.  I’m not referring to your Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia’s, Lorena Ochoa’s or other superstars.

I’m referring to those pros on the Hooters Tour or the Duramed FUTURES Tour that are often traveling alone and in some cases trying to balance family and their pursuit of a career on the big tour.  In Fitzgeralds own challenges to balance his family life with his ‘main’ career around film festival organization and his pursuit to improve his game you get an inkling of the stress many of these anonymous pros must face.

Fitzgerald recruits a series of professionals to help him in his pursuit. A yoga trainer, a swing coach and even Dr. Joe Parent to serve as his mental coach, along with a few others.  These all serve mainly as the framework to support Fitzgerald’s premise of taking a serious approach to taking his game to its ultimate heights. 

In reality the main story about The Back Nine hinges around family.

Fitzgerald’s relationship with his biological father and stepfather are touched on heavily and serve as a real focal point of the film.  These are the moments that are the most touching, real and insightful into the man and the influencing factors that have lead him to this point in his life.

Personally, I found Fitzgerald’s stepfather often came across as a more empathetic character than his biological father.  Perhaps because there is a fair amount of context left out of the film around the circumstances under which his biological father separated from his mother while the younger Fitzgerald was still a boy. 

But ultimately the film’s most emotional (and one of its most sincere) moment comes when Fitzgerald is interviewing his biological father while on a golf trip in Scotland and Ireland.  Fighting back tears, the elder Fitzgerald says of his relationship with his son, ”I’m just happy to be with him…when we’re together it’s…I don’t think he and I could describe it to you…but it’s love.”  It seems unlikely that a moment of father/son tear jerking like this would have happened were it not for the game of golf.

I won’t spoil the ending, but ultimately Fitzgerald is faced with a choice that is clear, but gut-wrenching at the same time - pick between that which is best for your family and that which you’ve worked so hard to reach and is within your grasp.

As mentioned earlier, I was pleasantly surprised to learn from Fitzgerald that the plan is to provide further chapters in his pursuit, “There will be at least two more feature length films and we will add new clips to the website periodically to fill the gaps between features.”

In these times of Netflix, iTunes and On Demand video it’s hard to recommend buying The Back Nine, unless you are a collector of golf related films.  But should it become available as a rental I would definitely recommend taking the approximately 86 minutes of running time to watch.

As a side, I initially was so intrigued by the project because of having read Tom Coyne’s Paper Tiger.  Coyne sets out very much to achieve the same goal – play with the pros.  Coyne comes much closer though and his humor and wit are hard to match.  It’s become one of my favorite golf books, and yet some of it’s most poignant moments (like Fitzgerald’s film) come when golf is merely the backdrop to a larger human story.  I highly recommend you give it a read.

For one, you can’t buy clubs with the specifications Tour pros use. And, if you did, you couldn’t play them. Shafts as heavy as a hammer and as stiff as a telephone pole. Special sole grinds for “maximum turf interaction.” Whatever.

NiceBallz introduces Baggage, a new feature that provides you with a look inside our golf bags at the clubs we carry — and the real deal behind the specs. Here is a peek inside GolferWriterGuy’s bag, and the baggage he brings with him to the golf course each week:

Driver- Callaway FT-5 Tour (9.5 degree loft, Aldila NV stiff shaft 65 grams). Average approx. 265 yards. I bought this club for the 460 cubic centimeters of forgiveness and the open clubface, which took the snap hook out of play but brought a big banana ball as my main miss. Fore right! Nah, I can’t complain. After a sale, a coupon and a trade-in I got this club new for about $92. What do you want for less than $100?

Hybrid- Adams Golf Idea a2 (20 degree, Aldila NV stiff shaft 85 g). Average approx. 210. Great on short par 4s and long par 3s, this hybrid hits the ball low and long. The only problem is it will go as far as about 225 when I pure it, outdistancing some players’ 3-wood, but on miss hits it only goes about 180. That’s a huge gap. When it’s good, it’s real good. Otherwise, it’s not. That’s not good.

Irons- Titleist DCI 962 (4-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold Sensicore stiff S-300 steel shafts). These are classic clubs, with a thin topline, a modest progressive offset and a reasonable cavity back. These irons are two degrees upright, and I often hook the hell out of them. However, I do love these irons and have owned them about 12 years. Why change? I’m too cheap to buy a new set. But, my ego does take a beating because most modern iron sets feature clubs with lofts that are 2- to 4-degrees stronger. In essence, the contemporary 7-iron is what they used to call a 6-iron. That’s why they go farther today. At least that’s what I tell myself.

Wedges- Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (52, 56 and 60 degrees, True Temper Dynamic Gold wedge flex). These wedges go anywhere from about 75 yards to about 105 yards — unless I chunk it or blade them. They are versatile with great feel, but the square grooves have spun balls off the front of a green more often than they have helped. Regardless, all that backspin makes me feel cool. It’s sad, I know.

Putter- Boccieri Golf Heavy Putter BM-2. I stole this putter from Hack. No, really. Took it right out of his garage, though I did eventually pay $75 for it. My stroke was so bad with my old stick that I constantly missed 2- and 3-footers. A serious case of the yips. That’s pretty bad for someone not yet 40 years old. But the counter-balanced Heavy Putter got me straightened out. Lag putting is more difficult, but then I make more 5-footers than I used to. It all works out. However, this club is a heavy load. Double up on the Advil before you tee off or book a chiropractic appointment for Monday. Maybe both.

Misc.- My bag includes several other miscellaneous items including a rules booklet that I never consult, and a huge poker chip of a ball mark that really pisses people off on the greens. I have some Blistex in my bag. I once went on a date with an heiress to a lip balm fortune but she wasn’t into me. Maybe my lips were too dry. Anyway, I also carry a ton of groceries so I can graze during a 5-hour round. Two Gatorades, two apples, two energy bars and one banana. I’ve got it down to a science because I’m freaky like that.

That’s all the baggage I care to share. Stay tuned soon when Hack shares his baggage with the world.

Do you have any baggage? Lay down on the couch and tell us.

We don’t claim to be fashion experts.  But we know what we like. And when I received an email notifying me of a Father’s Day special at Sport Kilt, it seemed like as good a time as any to profess our affinity for this attire on the golf course.

Shy? Prudish? Worried about shrinkage with a cool wind? 

Don’t be.  In our opinion every man should wear it loud and wear it proud on the course at least once a year.  Look at these jokers, don’t they look happy?

They are, I assure you.  How could you not be with nothing between you and mother nature but a fine tartan?

Sport Kilt has a variety of colors and styles to choose from with a plethora of accessories.  We recommend the traditional sport kilt but splurge for belt loops, sewn down pleats, fringe and pockets.  They are all well worth it.

As for the age old question of what does a Scotsman wear under his kilt? To each their own.  But we believe in the ‘au naturale’ approach.  Your mileage (and shrinkage) may vary.

Hack

Hack believes that a kilt can add good times and fun to a round with your friends.  Don’t believe it?  We dare you to give it a go and prove us wrong.  For more “fashion advice” and golf commentary, satire and reviews follow him at http://twitter.com/NiceBallz or his well clad collaborator Corey at http://twitter.com/GolferWriterGuy.

While we at NiceBallz don’t have a thousand pair like many of our favorite gals, we can appreciate some stylish new shoes. We clean up nice, as you might imagine from our name. So you can appreciate our excitement when our content partner PUMA Golf, which has published NiceBallz on their blog, recently sent us some of their new 2009 styles to test.

One of PUMA’s premium styles is the new Tipper (MSRP $170 USD), a faux wingtip that blends classic golf style with a modern, athletic look. Predominately white with black trim, the Tipper features silver dots in a wingtip pattern and clear but unobtrusive branding for the more traditionally minded.

Another model new for 2009 is the Scramble (MSRP $90 USD), a mid-priced sneaker inspired style with a more youthful design. It has nice Puma touches in terms of branding that help it stand out (while not being too over the top) from your typical three stripe Adidas or the swoosh of Nike shoes when on the course.  

Tipper
Slipping into the Tipper with our sasquatch size 11.5 feet (not braggin’, just sayin’), we enjoyed a comfortable fit from the start. Snug enough yet still spacious. One of the first things you’ll notice is the partially concealed laces for a clean, sleek look. Next, you’ll feel how lightweight these shoes are. It’s truly noticeable compared with styles we’ve worn by other brands, including FootJoy, Nike and Adidas.

According to the company, a couple of things make these shoes so light. One, the footbed is made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). That’s some scientific $h!t for “lightweight cushioning.” However, that lightweight cushioning – and a low-profile sole the leaves you feeling closer to and in touch with the ground – comes at a cost. Corey felt as though he could have used a little more cushioning, but Hack noticed his feet felt less fatigued at the end of the round due to the lighter weight.

When we rode a golf cart in a recent tournament we had no problem. All-day comfort, as the footwear guys like to say, for sure. But, when we’ve walked, the cushioning can seem a little skimpy to some. For GolferWriterGuy’s flat-footed stride he needed a little more padding under the ball of his foot. He was just a little tender at the end of the day. But the fit and comfort otherwise have been great. No rubbing, no blisters, no break-in period. These kicks were gamers right out of the box.

The other reason for the weight loss is PUMA’s proprietary SMART QUILL® Technology, a unique, lightweight and built-in spike system. These multi-directional spikes are designed to provide traction based on the torque during your golf swing. In fact, the left and right shoes each have different directional spikes. Pretty fancy. At NiceBallz, we’re not sure how much that helps, but our feet didn’t slip on the golf course, so there’s that. And, they definitely result in a lighter shoe, which is great for walkers.

The SMART QUILL spikes are made from a sort of hardened plastic that on concrete or pavement gives you that old school clack (not click-clack, Under Armour) that metal spikes used to offer. These spikes are non-replaceable, which saves you the cost of periodically replacing non-metal soft spikes (lose the wrench) but makes you wonder how long they’ll last. PUMA says they’re good for years – covered by a two-year limited guarantee – and after a few rounds of golf our spikes show little wear. So far, so good.  One small caveat, like Qwowi mentioned, we too worried a little about slippage with the harder/shinier plastic quills on the Tipper.  Look out for puddles on slick concrete.

The spikes on the higher-end Tipper do seem harder to us than on the more moderately priced Scramble. Could be our vivid imaginations. Let’s take a look at the casual, sneaker inspired Scramble.

Scramble
Aside from being completely put off by the fact that Corey landed the more expensive pair of shoes to review, I immediately was intrigued by the Scramble.  At roughly $90 it’s not the cheapest shoe out there, but it does pack in some innovative technology that was touched on above.  What you also get for the price is some noticeable attention from a fashion standpoint.  The first round I wore the shoes I was asked about them by people in our group, the starter and others.  Comments like “Hey those are cool, are they golf shoes?” weren’t uncommon and highlight the uniqueness of the design.

In fact, if anything that is a small criticism and compliment to Puma.  Their designs and products are unique in many ways, but also can be more challenging to find.  We’d love to be able to walk into our local Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy and grab a pair off the wall.   Instead if you want the fashion and innovation you’ll need to go online and order.

I worried that the Scramble was going to be a foot killer when I first slipped them on.  While a bit tight across the width of my foot, they loosened up quite nicely and quickly, basically over the course of walking from my car, to the range to the first tee.  I too found virtually no slippage with the SMART QUILL technology and give any manufacturer credit for taking a semi-radical new look at something like how spikes can evolve. 

Summary
These are some cool, stylish golf shoes that look great and fit fine. Aside from questions about the long-term durability of the SMART QUILL spikes (ask us at the end of the year), we’d buy these kicks with our own cash.

The Tipper is probably appropriately priced, but we question whether the Scramble – while a good shoe – is a great buy at its more competitive price point. There are dozens of models available in the $80 to $100 range. But PUMA is definitely bringing innovation to golf footwear and combining it with retro chic style. There’s no reason to buy the same pair of black golf shoes your dad wore in college, OK? And, PUMA also has some cool Euro and skate inspired golf styles that you’ll have a hard time finding from any other brand. As mentioned, PUMA golf shoes are not easy to find. We’ve noticed what seems like limited distribution, at least on the West Coast. It’s not a given that you’ll find PUMA’s stylish line in every golf shop so you may want to shop online where you’ll probably get a better price anyway.

Overall, we like ours and we think you will, too. We like that the PUMA brand has a unique look and stands for something different than the tried-and-true. If you always play in the same foursome at the same time on the same golf course, and you’ve only ever played Titleists, you’ll probably want to stick with your classic saddle shoe DryJoys. But if you like to mix it up, express your style and have some fun on the golf course, check out PUMA’s new golf shoes. Lace ‘em up and swing outta your shoes, if you can with all that traction. We dare ya. >
-NiceBallz

At NiceBallz we’re fashion plates.  We have to look good because our swings don’t. For more reviews, commentary and humor follow us at http://twitter.com/NiceBallz and http://twitter.com/GolferWriterGuy or find our syndicated content at http://pumagolf.blogspot.com.

The duo that make up NiceBallz provide a good mix of experience, skill and schizophrenia when it comes to the game of golf.  Corey is a single digit handicapper while I’m a bogey golfer perpetually on the cusp of that ‘next level’ breakthrough.

Corey’s played the same irons for approximately ten years and I’m about to get my second set in five years.  When it comes to golf balls we’re also different – he’s a performance ball guy as his ability to spin the ball and desire for control around the greens is key, while I am always in search of more distance and value — due to the treacherous nature of the balls I play.

My gadget lust often drives me to try new clubs, balls, shoes, bags etc etc etc.  Balls are no different. But this freewheeling, golf swinger may have finally found his ball soul mate in the Srixon AD-333.

I reached out on Twitter to @ClevelandGolf when I was in need of a new dozen and they helpfully suggested the AD-333 for my swing speed and handicap.  To that point my main impressions of Srixon were from the cheesy Jim Furyk commercials with the talking golf ball (ugh).

The hype

Srixon’s website makes the following claims around performance and technological prowess for the AD-333:

• A soft Pana-Tetra cover (Seriously, are these names not market tested?)
• Moderate driver spin
• SOFT feel and
• A relatively high trajectory

Srixon positions the AD-333 against the likes of the Titeleist NXT and Bridgestone E5. 

If there were one non-golf related critique I have of the AD-333 and Srixon, it probably has to do with their questionable marketing.  While their website is crisp and easily navigable, I’ve never felt a strong presence from Srixon outside of going to their site.  Most of the time when I tell someone I am trying out a new Srixon ball, I am met with a blank stare and the question of ‘What does AD stand for?’ (and we won’t even get into the questions about who/what is Srixon?). The answer?  I have no idea as Srixon’s AD-333 page doesn’t clearly specify.  Advanced Distance?  Alternative Dimensions? It’s a riddle.  I’m sure I could have found out with a thorough Google search but um…why should I have to?

Combine a limited grassroots push to players with the utterly forgettable name and it’s not surprising that I rarely need to mark my golf ball when playing the AD-333 – I’ve yet to run across another one in my occasional searches around the course. Too bad.

The reality

The ball is soft.  Like a stick of margarine left on the kitchen counter during a warm July day or as @Addicted2Golf put it in an exchange we had with them – ‘like a marshmallow‘. 

Hard to argue with that, and while for a player with a moderate swing speed like myself that feel was lovely – for better players and/or high swing speed players the ball may feel a bit too squishy off the driver.

I normally hit a high ball regardless and had a concern that I may balloon more shots with the promised high trajectory of the AD-333.  Not the case.  Ball flight was high and consistent with shots I hit with other balls.  In fact I felt as though the trajectory with the AD-333 actually helped me get more carry vs. just flying higher.  A key difference.

While the ball is soft I can’t say it is super sticky with chipping.  It’s not horrible, but hardly remarkable either.  But with short to mid-iron approaches the balls lands gently and sits tight.  Swoon.  Putting is also pleasantly consistent and the cover is fairly durable even with the soft feel it delivers.  I’ve been known to bounce balls of cart paths and other obstructions and the AD-333 would slightly scuff but generally showed some toughness.

The net?

I like this ball, a lot.  And especially for $20 a dozen it’s ridiculously affordable given the performance.  Better players probably will shy away from it for reasons noted, but if you’re a mid-high handicapper with a moderate swing speed and are looking for a ball that will sit, fly high and feels like a baby’s butt off the clubface – give the AD-333 a try.

Hack

Hack made smores for dessert on Memorial Day in honor of the AD-333′s puffy white softness.  You can find more from him at http://twitter.com/NiceBallz or his faster swing speed, lower handicap collaborator Corey at http://twitter.com/GolferWriterGuy.

We’re always searching for great golf products at NiceBallz. If there’s a better ball, we’ll play it. And, while we take the game seriously when there’s money on the line, the great thing about golf is that there’s not just one way to play.
 
At a recent corporate sales conference at a remote mountain resort, an evening recreational activity involved glow-in-the-dark golf. After a few beers several guys and gals (an eight-some?) embarked into the cold darkness with two sets of rental clubs and a handful of  Twilight Tracer golf balls. After a few uneasy laughs about who would survive the coyotes, we were off to have some fun. Just add glow sticks.
 
Everyone loves a scramble where every player hit from the location of the best shot in the group. It’s a good thing because there weren’t many playable shots. We had several whiffs, a few worm burners and one guy took a sideways shot off the shin. Ouch!
 
It wasn’t “real golf,” but it was a good time. And, none of the fun would have been possible without the Twilight Tracer. 
 
The Twilight Tracer (great name) flashes a bright red light hidden internally, allowing you to see the ball in the dark. Hit the ball hard – on a clubface or cart path, for example – and it activates for several minutes. It’s really quite amazing. The ball flashes at a seizure-inducing rate – apparently 7.2 flashes per second – and is plainly visible in the night sky, even in the rough. However, while the manufacturer claims the ball will remain illuminated for a full five minutes, you probably only have about four minutes to find your ball so you’d better hustle.
 
Really, we didn’t lose many balls. You already have a sense for where they went, so even after they stop flashing you can sometimes still find the ball in the dark. And, the balls have surprisingly real performance. Hooks, well, hooked. Thinned fades do what they do. To be honest, the balls have a fake translucent look and feel, but they are surprisingly durable. The cover is made from Surlyn, which is common in many distance golf balls on the market. And, the length is not bad. They go at least a club length less than your normal golf ball, but that may be due to the cold, damp night air as much as anything. The Twilight Tracer isn’t about serious performance characteristics, despite what the manufacturer will try to tell you. Yes, it works. But this ball is just for fun.
 
There’s no reason to play a glowing golf ball unless it’s completely dark and you’re drunk. But, it is a clever novelty for bachelor parties, date night, keeping the kids interested in golf or global work conferences where fun is a commonality in any culture. Now dusk doesn’t have to end your day on the golf course.
 
-Corey
 
Corey Grice enjoys many things after dark; golf just usually isn’t one of them. For more useless product reviews, golf commentary and humor follow him at http://twitter.com/GolferWriterGuy. For less family friendly after-hours fun follow his friend at http://twitter.com/NiceBallz.