PRECEPT iQ 180 Distance

Grade: B+
Teacher’s Comments: You won’t mistake it for a premium ball, but I like the way it plays.

Looking for a low spin ball to reduce the ballooning on my drives, I recently bought a box of the Precept IQ 180 balls on the recommendation of the local pro.

Precept touts the Distance IQ 180 as being ideal for players with a moderate swing speed, which describes my swing exactly. They also advertise less spin for straighter shots and MORE DISTANCE with a seamless cover.

More distance? That’s exactly what I need. More out. Less up.

I’ve played 45 holes with the balls now, and like them very much. They get good distance, are pretty straight and have a decent soft feel. I’ve also found that they wear pretty well. I hit a couple of trees (very easy to do on the forest courses here in Michigan) and they didn’t show any scruffs.

Overall, the Distance IQ works pretty well for my game. I like to land my shots in front of the green and let them roll up toward the hole; I don’t carry a sixty degree wedge; my short game is all pitch and chip. My guess, however, is that players who are used to a more premium three piece ball, or who are used to flying balls into the green aren’t going to like it as much.

Still, it’s not bad for a ball under $20.

The only thing I don’t like about the balls is the way they look. As absurd as it sounds, they look a bit ugly to me. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s just something about them. Maybe it’s the shade of white, or the blocky PRECEPT logo. But they somehow just look different.

A note about the Precept brand: Precept is owned by Bridgestone, and apparently is a much bigger deal overseas than in the United States. Interestingly, Bridgestone also manufactures Nike’s balls.

TOP FLITE Gamer

I occassionally go into my local pro shop and ask one of the clerks “what’s hot?”

This time, he pointed out a display for the new Top Flite Gamer ball. “We can’t keep these on the shelves,” he said. “They’re not like the old rock-flites.”

Indeed. The Gamer is part of Top Flite’s new Dimple In Dimple line, that’s supposed to offer better aerodynamics than traditional designs. Not surprisingly, Top Flite now is owned by Callaway, which produces another unusual dimple design with its hexes.

The Gamer is a three piece ball, with all of the usual characteristics: a soft, thin outer cover for feel, a boundary layer for iron distance, and a core designed to offer lower spin off the driver.

The clerk claimed that players are dropping the Pro V for this one. I don’t quite believe that, but it’s an interesting thought—kind of like the fervor that sprung up around the Precept Lady several years ago.

So I asked if he could get me a box.

No luck. They’re out.

Noodle + 12 Pack Golf Balls

Grade: A
Teachers’ Comments: Another good ball at a great price.

We are blessed these days with a wealth of good—perhaps even great—balls at very reasonable prices. No longer does cheap automatically equate to “rocks.”

The Noodle+ is a case in point. At just $16 a dozen, these balls are a great value. I’ve now played 36 holes with the Noodle+ and have been very pleased with the results. They’re plenty long, and have a nice soft feel—just as advertised.

Like the Wilson Zip (which I reviewed earlier), these balls are great for spring weather here in Michigan, where daytime temperatures can hover in the 50s and 60s. A ball which plays well in the summer can really sting your hands on a mishit this time of year. The Noodle always felt pleasant.

The one difference I’ve noticed with the Noodle+ is that it has a bit more sidespin off the driver than either the Bridgestone or Callaway HX Hots I normally play. With those balls, I nearly always hit a high straight drive; the Noodle+ is lower, and imparts a bit of a slice. At first, I thought my swing had changed, but playing with two balls—one a Bridgestone and the other the Noodle+—dispelled that theory.

I also like the way the ball feels coming off my putter. It’s hard to describe, but for me it has an almost “tacky” sensation—as though the ball were lingering for a millisecond longer on the face. That works for me—especially with my smooth putting stroke: I push the ball more than strike it.

For the price, this is a ball worth trying.

Wilson Zip Golf Balls

Grade: B
Comments: Plays ok, but it scruffs too easily.

I found these Wilson Zip balls at a golf show in the late winter and bought them, thinking that a “zero compression ball” would be just the ticket in the early spring weather in Michigan.

I was right. I’m getting nearly midsummer distance in cooler weather.

According to Wilson, the Zip’s inner core is so soft that it registers a zero on Atti compression testing equipment. The core is surrounded by a mangle made from HPF polymer and the entire thing is wrapped in a soft ionomer cover designed to offer touch and spin.

The ball also has an interesting dimple design that is noticeably flatter and more shallow than others in my bag.

Ball flight on the Wilson Zip has been moderately high. It’s not as penetrating for me as the HX Hot, but is lower than some others I play, like the Noodle. I’m also hitting it with a little less fade than I’m used to. The ball tends to head left (my usual game), but not come back as far as I’d like. In that, it’s more like the HX Hot than the Noodle or Top Flite D2.

I really like the ball around the greens, where it has more spin than the hot. Playing these, my short game has been really remarkable in the early going. It’s got a nice feel in putting, too.

But if there’s one reason I can’t give this ball a whole-hearted endorsement, it’s that it scruffs too easily. With a new ball, after a couple of holes, I start noticing scruff marks. It’s not as bad as a Nike ball, but annoying nonetheless.

The price on these balls also is right. I got them for $15 at the show, and have seen them under $20 at most online retailers.

I’ll continue to play the box of Wilson Zips for as long as they last, and may even get another box and store it away for this fall.

Titleist DT Roll Golf Balls

I played the Titleist DT SoLo balls for several years before moving on to the Callaway HX Hot and Bridgestone E6. But that was some time ago. Now Titleist has updated the line with the DT Carry and the DT Roll.

The DT Roll is a two piece, 392 dimple ball that’s designed to offer a lower, more penetrating flight—and thus more roll. It seems like it would be a good ball match for me. I tend to hit the ball high off the tee, getting lots of carry but no roll.

I’d welcome any reviews of the ball. I plan to test it as soon as the weather warms up a bit—but in Michigan that could be a while.