There was a time not all that long ago when, in my opinion, the Titleist Pro V1 was far and away the best golf ball on the planet. When it became available to the masses in the spring of 2001, it was a revolutionary ball because of how it flew off of the driver, spun around the greens and had much greater durability than wound balls.
Now I’m not going to knock the Pro V1, but the gap isn’t nearly what it was. It isn’t because Titleist is making a bad product — that’s far from the case. But the top-line ball from every company has improved dramatically.
A year ago, I became something of a Nike One Tour loyalist. It was simply an economical decision. At a time when a dozen Pro Vs were going for around $45, you could get two dozen One Tours for between $50 and $60 depending on the current deal that was available.
I’m not going to say the Nike One Tour was better than the Pro V, but it was plenty good. And the Titleist wasn’t $20/dozen better.
Now it appears that TaylorMade is getting into the act. When TM launched the Penta, it was another $45/dozen ball. Now most places are selling the Penta for $40 and there is a promotion at pretty much any retailer in which you can get a free dozen if you buy two dozen.
The math on that is pretty simple: 3 dozen balls for $80, or about $27/dozen. And I just pulled a coupon out of my Entertainment book that will give me $15 off of a $75 purchase at Dicks Sporting Goods. If I can apply that to the sale golf balls, I’ll get three dozen balls for $65 or about $22/dozen.
I have played a couple of rounds with a Penta. It seems to provide a good combination of distance off of the tee, decent spin around the green and even some solid durability.
The ProV might be a little better than the Penta, but I’m not sure it is $20-$23 a dozen better.
Anybody else have strong opinions?
Only Golf Matters 
The Penta’s not a bad ball. They sent me two sleeves for free for some promotion this past winter and I played 3 or 4 rounds with them. In my opinion, the ball is a little hard feeling and it doesn’t spin enough for my tastes…but for $20ish a dozen…why not? 3 dozen balls should be enough ammo to last at least a couple months.
Another ball to check out is the Wilson Zip. I think TGW sells 2 dozen balls for about $30 including shipping. Not the best ball on the market, but it’s super soft, spins well, and goes pretty far (not as far as ProV1 or Penta though).
I never loved the Pro V1 but I adored the Pro V1x because it gave me less spin and a better arc with the driver.
Tried the Penta TP last year and have never looked back. Prefer the feel off the club face and even though it feels firm it checks just the right amount on pitches and chips. The only ball that comes close to it for a combination of distance/ feel/ control is the Callaway Tour i(z).
Plus, I hate being a conformist. Too many hackers play Pro V1s now and I am a self confessed golf snob.
Enjoy!
Thanks much for the comment and for stopping by the blog. Much appreciated. I think I’ll be joining you shortly on the TM bandwagon.
I also am partial to the Bridgestone e5 ball as an economical alternative – its the only mid-20s ball that has a urethane cover like the $40+ balls do. The feel isn’t quite as good as ProV1 but for 60% of the Pro V sticker price, a reasonable alternative.