Snell MTB ball - well worth a try

Anyone familiar with these?

https://www.snellgolf.uk/shop

Been using the MTB for a few rounds and it's very, very good.

Appears exceptional off the driver and full irons. I get quite a high flight with it, but no loss of distance - good for me, as I'm often hitting a slightly lower ball than I like. Can't fizz it excessively into a green - more of a hop-and-stop. Resilient urethane cover, brilliant white that doesn't appear to fade.

If I have a criticism, it's a little firm off the putter and short chips for me. Perhaps a little firmer than the current ProV1 iteration, but not a lot. Definitely a bit firmer than either the Vice Pro or Pro+ balls but, on balance and despite being a bit firm, I think I prefer the Snell MTB.

Going to get a good workout next weekend on a trip to Somerset/Devon to play Saunton West, Burnham & Berrow and Weston-super-Mare, so I'll see if I still like it after that.

Not tried them yet Navy, but having tried the Vice I'd be interested to see how these fare now they're available in the UK.

But does the font look pretty?

raycastleunited wrote:But does the font look pretty?

VIce and Snell do look pretty cheap, Vice doesn't have an excuse for it, but America is terrible at fonts, so can't blame them.

Within reason, who gives a 4X about a font??

Once they filter down into the charity shop buckets I will let you know what I think of them.

Serious question mac: do charity shops sell golf balls? And is that where you get yours from?

Can't remember the last time I bought golf balls, was years and years ago.

Ray

Yes and you can get really good balls at 5 for a pound.

I found one of those Costco Kirkland balls a couple of weeks ago. To me, it performed just like a Pro V1, and was - I think - £1 when new.

George,

Where did you find the costco ball? I hadn't realised you could get them in the UK. Or are people importing them from the USA?

McLaren wrote:George,

Where did you find the costco ball?

I'm guessing in the rough!

I'm aware of people bringing them back from the US (ie for use, not importing in large quantities!)

Mac - found it at Gleneagles, of all places. And RC, yes, in the rough, almost under a bush on the 5th on the Queens course.

George1507 wrote:I found one of those Costco Kirkland balls a couple of weeks ago. To me, it performed just like a Pro V1, and was - I think - £1 when new.

Some interesting discussion around the fact that Costco have a new 'Kirkland' ball on the USGA conforming list:

https://mygolfspy.com/2018-costco-signature-golf-ball/

Sounds to me like they released a loss leader ball to turn heads and are now going to follow up with a ball looking the same, but with a substantially reduced performance.

A bit of an update on the Snell MTB post-golf weekend.

Played Weston-super-Mare (Saturday), Saunton West (Sunday) and Burnham & Berrow (Monday) just gone, using the MTB the whole way. Weather mild, sunny and only light breezes all 3 days - how lucky was that??

Hard to appraise its performance from W-s-M, because I played that badly(!) it was hard to assess it well. Seemed fine though.

Saunton West and B&B gave a better idea. Overall, I'd stick with my first thoughts. It's an excellent ball and definitely gives me a higher launch than many other 'Tour' balls. It spins less than a ProV1 for definite, but it spins enough to hop-and-stop it into firmish links greens. Really well-hit wedges will pull back a little and I suspect if you have Tour(ish) level clubhead speeds, you'd get more action out of it.
Easily as long as comparable balls, especially off the long clubs. The extra launch here is a real boon.
I would prefer it to spin a little more, especially off the short pitches and chips, and it still feels a little firm off the putter cf. what I really like. I'll take those slight negatives (for me) though, given its all round performance.
Seems to be really robust as well, in terms of resistance to scuffing. Hit some very hard wedges over the 3 rounds and it doesn't mark that much at all cf. other comparable balls. Colour remains a brilliant white, with no obvious fading.

Overall, excellent and you can get them at £29.99/doz or £159.99/6doz.

It's great that, with Vice as well, there are some really good balls at very competitive bulk purchase prices out there now.

Certainly some cheaper options around now for me to feed the fields adjacent to our place!

What I notice about premium balls is that they don't "turn on" until the temperature is about 14-15c. I notice a massive difference between Summer and Autumn and even a difference between early morning and midday when temperature gradients can be significant.

I'd like to see a ball company bring out a ball that functions well at temperate, maritime influenced climates like North Europe.

super_realist wrote:

I'd like to see a ball company bring out a ball that functions well at temperate, maritime influenced climates like North Europe.

It's the air temperature that is the issue here. Balls - regardless of what they are - just don't fly as well in cooler air. It's about a yard of flying distance extra for every extra two degrees Fahrenheit of temperature.

Someone should invent ball warming blankets like they have in F1 for the tyres.

Well the way to warm a squash ball is to stick it in your armpit - maybe that's the trick between green and tee?
Or, for the cooler temps Srixon soft feel (green) are excellent in my experience.

What about just using the home knitted egg warmers your granny always made?

Come on - egg warmers keep a warm egg warm. They don't warm a cold egg! Different kettle of fish!!

puligny wrote:Well the way to warm a squash ball is to stick it in your armpit - maybe that's the trick between green and tee?
Or, for the cooler temps Srixon soft feel (green) are excellent in my experience.

I generally use the Srixon soft feel from December - March. Or Nike soft. In winter I play 2 balls, keep one in my pocket to warm up and then alternate the ball every hole.

The squash ball analogy is a great example. The difference in bounce between a cold ball and a warm one is massive, I'm sure the same applies to the core of a golf ball but we just don't feel it under the cover.

Is it worth the armpit/pocket treatment simply for the tee shot? It will be at ambient by the time the next shot is hit.

navyblueshorts wrote:Is it worth the armpit/pocket treatment simply for the tee shot? It will be at ambient by the time the next shot is hit.

Possibly. Assume it's 5 degrees outside.

The balls start at home at room temperature and then in a warm car, and then go into my pocket when I get to the course. How long does it take for the ball to cool from 20 degrees to 5 degrees? Would it fully cool to 5 degrees in 10 minutes or so? Maybe the surface cools quickly to ambient, but the core? I don't know. I doubt putting it in my pocket is heating the balls much, but maybe it is delaying the cooling process.

160 notes purchasing golf balls !!!
Are any /all of these posts a wind up Costco is a cash and carry and snell is a thing germans say to POWS in the great escape.
next time I'm lining up a 167 yard shot Ill get me thermometer out and adjust the yardage .
What about humidity that could have a serious effect on ball flight.

dynamark wrote:160 notes purchasing golf balls !!!
Are any /all of these posts a wind up Costco is a cash and carry and snell is a thing germans say to POWS in the great escape.
next time I'm lining up a  167 yard shot Ill get me thermometer out and adjust the yardage .
What about humidity that could have a serious effect on ball flight.

Yeessss? That's 72 of the Snell MTB balls, Tour-level balls, for £160. If I'm buying 6 dozen, I would expect not to need to buy any more for 1-2 years. Feel free to carry on being fleeced when buying ProV1s etc....
I'll also happily take the money off you when you underclub into the front trap on a chilly day, hitting the same iron from the same place as you would in mid-Summer.

Navy

I would take a kinder view of dyna's post because I have never bought brand new balls. I have been given some as a present now and again but almost all my balls are from charity shops, what I find on the course or from friends who find balls but don't play golf.

I agree that if I did buy balls the snell makes more sense than a prov1 but the snell is still pretty expensive.

When you say that 72 balls will cover you for 1-2 years does that include practice or just comp rounds?

If it does include practice, I find it a little odd that you would risk losing premium new balls in this way.

McLaren wrote:Navy

I would take a kinder view of dyna's post because I have never bought brand new balls.   I have been given some as a present now and again but almost all my balls are from charity shops, what I find on the course or from friends who find balls but don't play golf.

I agree that if I did buy balls the snell makes more sense than a prov1 but the snell is still pretty expensive.

When you say that 72 balls will cover you for 1-2 years does that include practice or just comp rounds?  

If it does include practice, I find it a little odd that you would risk losing premium new balls in this way.

Any rounds on a course. I don't lose many (which is lucky!) and I reckon these'll give me 3/4 rounds before they go in the shag bag. I guess it depends a bit on # rounds per year - I don't get to play as much as I'd like.

72 balls, ave 3.5 rounds per ball = 252 rounds. If that's only 1-2 years you must play a lot of golf, c.3 rounds per week. Lucky sod.

raycastleunited wrote:72 balls, ave 3.5 rounds per ball = 252 rounds. If that's only 1-2 years you must play a lot of golf, c.3 rounds per week. Lucky sod.

Seems it's a better situation than I thought. I don't get remotely close to ~3 rounds/week. 3/month if I'm lucky.

raycastleunited wrote:72 balls, ave 3.5 rounds per ball = 252 rounds. If that's only 1-2 years you must play a lot of golf, c.3 rounds per week. Lucky sod.

3.5 rounds per ball? Shylock.

Super

How many rounds would you use a ball for and what do you do with them when their lifespan is up?

Probably a maximum of two (even though it's hard to lose a ball at St.Andrews), tend to have a few scuffs by then. I'm sure they remain perfectly useable and functional, but I don't like using beaten up stuff. Same as if I get a scratch on a driver head, or worn paint on the shaft. Very OCD, but I like something to be looking newish and not like it has been abused. Not quite to fussy about balls in the winter Mac.

One of the pleasure of playing at the Castle is emptying your bag of crappy old balls and whacking them into the sea from 100m above.

Ones that are older are in the practice bag, no point in practicing with Top Flights or Pinnacles, so my practice bag is comprised of decent balls.

super_realist wrote:Very OCD,

No really??? You do surprise me!

Maybe on a links course, where the turf is firmer, more sandy and therefore more abrasive you get scuff marks quicker, especially as the ball spends more time on the ground. Whereas playing parkland courses the ball spends more time in the air and lands on softer ground so stays in tip top condition longer.

Have you heard of the Mohs scale Ray?
Harder objects don't get marked by softer objects like turf.

It's the grooves which scuff balls, not sand or turf.

super_realist wrote:Have you heard of the Mohs scale Ray?
Harder objects don't get marked by softer objects like turf.

It's the grooves which scuff balls, not sand or turf.

Quite true, but I have managed to go through an entire dozen balls playing largely links golf this summer. I have lost two, and the other ten are now in the practice bag with scuffs, marks, abrasions and other damage. Courses are mostly turf, with some sand, but there are walls, roads, railways, paths, cart paths, stones, buildings, ball cleaners, seats, signs, posts, yardage plates and poles for me to contend with. I can hit a 40 yard wide fairway some of the time but a 2 yard path all of the time.

super_realist wrote:Have you heard of the Mohs scale Ray?
Harder objects don't get marked by softer objects like turf.

It's the grooves which scuff balls, not sand or turf.

No I haven't.

But I assume if you rub a ball with sandpaper it will scuff. My point was that a links course is more abrasive than a parkland course. But really I don't know, I was just speculating. I will bow to your knowledge.

Sand can certainly mess a ball up. If the sand can't/doesn't move at impact (i.e. between ball and clubface from a bunker), it can scratch a cover plenty.

Sand paper is HARDER than a golf ball, because the sand is glued to the paper, loose sand as you find on a course is not.

A links course is more abrasive if you're dragging a  peach or Mac's handshake or something soft like that over it, but the ball is harder than both a links or a parkland course, so hitting the surface will make zero difference, it's the TURF which will get worn, although to our eye, not visibly.

Navy, you're right, static sand can be more abrasive, but a bunker on a links course is no different from one on a parkland course.

A ball hitting turf on a links course is no more susceptible to wear than one on a parkland course.