Test Balls

Well I finally got to test my prototype golf balls this past week.  I played three times this week and managed to test the balls out on the course.

My first round, I played my usual ball for the first nine and then the prototype for the back nine.  In this round, I found the prototype to be a fairly "hard" feeling ball off of the driver and some of my clubs.  It was a cooler day here in the greater Vancouver area so I am not sure if the temperature had an effect on the balls (temp hovered around 16 C).

My next two rounds were warmer temperatures (mid 20's C).  The prototype felt softer and somewhat indistinguishable from the usual ball (Pro V1). I used the methodology suggested by Titleist in its "Golf Ball Fitting" charts - score card.

Here is my overall summary to share for discussion:

Distance

The prototype was definitely longer than my usual ball.  It was most noticeable off the driver and it was my sense that the prototype came off the club face somewhat "hotter" than my usual Pro V1.  On every occasion, the prototype ball was longer off the driver than my Pro V1.

With the shorter irons and approaches to the greens, I did not notice any real difference in distance. 

Feel

The two balls felt similar to me, with the exception noted above with the cooler temperatures.  If anything, my usual Pro V1 felt somewhat softer in and around the greens. The prototype did not feel softer to me and if anything seemed to be about the same as my usual Pro V1.

"Second Shot Bias"

One thing I wanted to comment on was that in my most recent two rounds with the prototype ball, I played two balls (my first shot being my usual Pro V1) and the second being the prototype ball.  I Played the second shot (prototype ball) from the same location as my usual Pro V1 ball.

The thing that I noticed or observed was that with the prototype I could get the ball closer to the pin, a better line, etc... BUT, I am thinking that a large part of this is from having garnered feedback from my first shot and then making some adjustments to the second shot that allowed it to perform better (ie: change in alignment, changes in my swing, etc.)

I am not sure how much of this was a factor and if I base it simply on the "quantitative" results (ie: proximity to pin, distance, etc), then the prototype definitely performed better than my usual ball. 

I will continue to play these prototype balls 1-2 more rounds to see what I can glean from them and perhaps will try mixing it up a bit rather than using the prototype for my second shots. 

It would be interesting to hear from others that tested the BLACK #1 Prototype balls.

Douglas