34 golfdigest.com | may 2019Play Your Best Hot List
We tested each ball with full swingsand lots of short-game shots.titleist
tour soft
$35 ▶ Consumers
want distance without
sacrificing feel and
ideally without spending
$50 a dozen when
losing a couple sleeves
a round. Titleist checks
those boxes with this
large-core (the largest
of any Titleist ball),
thin-cover design. The
cover is made from a
combination of four
ionomers and polymers.
performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
innovation ★ ★ ★ ★
feel ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
demand ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
oncore
elixr$35 ▶ new Golf-
ball chemistry is like
baking—adding different
ingredients alters the
final product. In this
instance, a composite
core combines with a
new mantle infused with
high-density particles
to boost perimeter
weighting. That raises
the ball’s stability for
better control in breezy
conditions.performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
innovation ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
feel ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
demand ★vice
pro
w/ pro plus/pro soft$35 ▶ new The three-
piece Pro has a higher
compression to help
increase ball speed. The
four-piece Pro Plus is
for faster swingers, and
the three-piece, matte-
finish Pro Soft has a
lower compression for
moderate swing speeds.
A new cover formulation
is designed to reduce
discoloration and
scuffing on all models.performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
innovation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
feel ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
demand ★ ★snell
mtb black$33 ▶ A direct-to-
consumer ball with a
strong pedigree (founder
Dean Snell’s name is
on the Pro V1 patent),
the MTB Black is a
three-piece ball with a
cast urethane cover that
produces greenside
checking. The dimple
pattern delivers low lift
and low drag to keep
shots from floating in
the wind.performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
innovation ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
feel ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
demand ★wilson staff
duo professional$35 ▶ new This isn’t
merely an upgrade
but an overhaul of
the previous version.
The focus on soft feel
remains, but among the
improvements is a new
urethane cover that is
40-percent thinner than
its predecessor, creating
added short-game
spin when interacting
with the firmer mantle
section.performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
innovation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
feel ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
demand ★ ★srixon
q-star tour$30 ▶ new Average
swing speeds often
benefit from a urethane-
cover ball with a soft
inner core. That’s
because the soft core
is easier to compress
for low spin and high
launch off the tee, and
the tour-like cover (it’s
virtually the same as the
company’s higher-end
Z-Star models) provides
grip around the green.performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
innovation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
feel ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
demand ★ ★ ½taylormade
project (a)$35 ▶ To get driver
distance and soft feel
around the greens, more
than two layers help. In
the case of Project (a),
there are three: A large,
soft core combines with
a firm mantle layer to
increase velocity and
mitigate spin on longer
shots. The urethane
cover gives a tour-ball
type of grab on shorter
shots.performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
innovation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
feel ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
demand ★ ★ ★ ½pearl
pure pro
with pure pro x$32 ▶ new Another
online-only option,
the Pure Pro X is a
four-piece ball with a
firm outer mantle to
increase ball speed and
lower spin to power
tee shots on a flatter
trajectory. The three-
piece Pure Pro feels
softer and spins higher
on approach shots so
that average golfers can
hold more greens.performance ★ ★ ★ ★
innovation ★ ★ ★ ★
feel ★ ★ ★ ★
demand ★▶$26 TO $35
maxfli
tour
with tour x$35 ▶ new The Tour
(three-piece) and Tour
X (four-piece) feature
multilayer construction
with urethane covers.
The focus here is the
center of gravity. After
locating the CG, the
sidestamp is applied:
The idea is that placing
the line with the CG
facing toward the target
leads to more consistent
tee shots.performance ★ ★ ★ ★
innovation ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
feel ★ ★ ★ ★
demand ★bridgestone
e12 soft$30 ▶ new The core
is often referred to as
“the engine.” But what
if you could have two
engines? That’s the
approach Bridgestone
took. A new mantle
layer uses a compound
that produces a more
cohesive bond to the
core and cover that
helps deliver more
energy at impact in a
low-compression ball.performance ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
innovation ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
feel ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
demand ★ ★ ★ ½listed alphabetically