Blog

At $1.46 per ball, it’s hard to argue with the economic sense of playing a ball like the Kirkland. Even the direct-to-consumer ball brands that have sprung up in recent years are struggling to compete at that price point. So if you have to have a urethane-covered ball at the lowest price then the K-sig should be on your radar.

Apparently, the cover thickness has been reduced by 1/100 of an inch from 0.07 to 0.06 but it still seems fairly thick when you consider that the equivalent Srixon ball, the Z-Star has a cover with a thickness of 0.6 mm (0.026 inches).While Titleist products have to go through numerous quality control checks to ensure they meet their own standards and the Rules of Golf, there are some indications that the quality controls on the Kirkland ball are slightly lacking. Mygolfspy found a number of balls that were slightly larger than you would typically find to the point you might almost consider this an oversize ball.

Titleist Pro V1 golf balls are designed for serious golfers looking for high-performance balls. They feature a soft feel, low spin off the driver, and consistent flight. The Pro V1’s multi-component construction includes a soft compression ZG process core, an ionomeric casing layer, and a urethane elastomer cover. These features work together to provide excellent distance, control and durability. Whether you’re looking to improve your game or play at a high level, Titleist Pro V1 golf balls are a great choice.The big caveat though is the ball does tend to spin a little more with the driver than other premium golf balls. Unless you are one of those rare golfers looking for more spin from your driver then you are likely to find the Kirkland Signature ball costs you some distance off the tee.

Given that this Kirkland golf ball costs around one-third of the Titleist, you might be wondering whether it is a good golf ball and whether it can replace the Pro V1 in your golf bag.Everybody loves a bargain. With the cost of everyday items rising through the roof you may be looking at ways of cutting your costs in one or two areas. One golf ball is much like another, right? Well, yes and no. To the untrained eye, they all look pretty much the same apart from the color and logo. However, different golf balls can perform in quite different ways so you need to find a golf ball that suits your swing.

To be honest I always thought the Pro V1 was expensive so tended to play Srixon Z-Stars which were around 25-35% cheaper. Could I play the Kirkland Signature? Yes. Do I think it would make much difference to my game? Probably not a great deal. I’m not that consistent so I think any reasonably good ball is fine as long as I like the feel.

While lower handicaps are probably well suited to these balls it’s questionable whether higher handicaps should be playing such an expensive golf ball. It is likely that balls that spin less will be more suited to their golf game.Both my own testing on my Flightscope Mevo and other sources on the web suggest that the Kirkland ball does generate more spin with your driver. Unfortunately, it also generates less spin with your shorter irons and around the greens. How this affects your game will depend entirely on your swing but in general, most people would probably see a little drop off in driving distance and slightly more run out on approach shots. According to the Titleist website the Pro V1 is designed for “All players that prioritize performance.” I presume that means that you want the best possible performance in spite of its cost! Costco’s original legal argument was that their ball did not infringe upon Titleist’s patents. This was eventually followed by the Titleist allegation after they had done some testing to show that in their opinion 10 patents had been infringed in the manufacture of the Kirkland ball and that Costco was indulging in false advertising with its claim that Kirkland Signature brands “meet or exceed the quality standards of leading national brands.” Brand loyalty and ego may also come into the equation too. There are probably a lot of golfers out there that want to be seen to be using the best equipment and in terms of balls that means Titleist. I’ve been using both balls recently to see which one performs best. Find out more in this golf ball review. Can a supermarket ball be as good as the “No.1 ball in golf”? Let’s find out in this comparison of Pro V1 vs Kirkland Signature v2.

While the price point for the Kirkland ball makes it appealing to almost everyone that has to buy golf equipment it may not be suitable for players who already generate too much spin with their driver. Although this updated version of the ball spins slightly less than the original model it does still tend to spin more than your typical tour ball from the likes of Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade or Srixon.Costco’s Kirkland Signature v2 golf ball has generated quite a lot of press over the last few years. What advantages are there to playing this particular golf ball?

Our Testing Process: Our goal is to help you find the right product. We spend a lot of time testing products so you don’t have to. Learn more about how we test. If you shoot in the 70s (low handicap), either of these balls could be a good choice. At this point, you might want to consider playing the Pro V1 instead to squeeze a bit more out of your ball. You probably don’t lose many balls, so it’s fine to pay more. That said, I’ve seen a few good golfers say they also liked the Kirkland ball. Drive: The Pro V1 went 1-2 yards further, it flew higher, and felt more solid. It landed on the green and rolled back 1 foot. The Kirkland ball landed on the green and released 3 feet.

On the other hand, 2 piece balls are normally used by people who shoot in the 90s and 100s. They’re cheaper, should fly a little straighter, and will most likely perform the exact same for high handicappers.If you shoot in the 80s (mid handicap), you could consider either of these balls. I’m a mid handicapper myself and I think I’d go with the Kirkland balls. I still lose more balls than I’d like, so price plays a big role. The performance wasn’t different enough for me to justify the higher price.

Out Of Bounds Golf is a website for the average golfer. We aren’t pros, but are huge fans of the game. We created this site to test out different products and find the best gear and tips for the average weekend hacker. The main difference between premium and value balls is the spin rates around the green. You need to ask yourself, can you actually put backspin on the ball? Most people who shoot above 90 can’t, not even with the highest-spinning ball. Just an average golfer trying to take my game to the next level. Was shooting around 100 not that long ago but have now been in the 80s consistently. Best round to date was 12 over. Best 9 holes were 4 over.Wedge: I hit the Pro V1 pretty well, so the ball landed on the green, released 1-2 yards, and then stopped. I didn’t hit the Kirkland ball as well, so it landed on the green and released quite a bit.

Drive: Both balls ended up missing the green so I couldn’t tell which one stopped quicker. What I did notice was that the Pro V1 went 5-8 yards further.The difference in price is pretty big, but that being said, the extra cost could be worth it for certain golfers. Scratch golfers might get different results if they compared the two balls, but if you want to see how they compared for an average mid-handicap golfer, continue reading.

Drive: The Kirkland was a pretty good shot that had a slight fade to it. It ended up on the right edge of the fairway, which set me up for a good second shot.Titleist has made some of the most popular golf balls out there for a number of years now, with the Pro V1 leading the list. Costco has come out with its own ball, the Kirkland Signature, which has similar specs to the Pro V1. That said, how did they actually perform for an average player?

Basically, high compression balls take more force to fully compress. If you don’t compress the ball enough, you might not get the performance you’re after. We did a test to see if high compression balls go further than low compression balls, which was pretty interesting.The easiest way to see if a ball is premium or value is by looking at the cover. Premium balls have a urethane cover while value balls have an ionomer or surlyn cover. See urethane vs ionomer vs surlyn for the complete details.

If you’d like to try the Kirkland balls there are a couple of places to purchase them above. If you want to see other balls that might suit your game, you can read our article on the best balls for mid handicaps.

Wedge: The Kirkland ball landed on the green and rolled out 10 feet. The Pro V1 didn’t go as high, but it went around 10 yards further. It also didn’t stop as quickly as I’d liked, so it ended up rolling off the green.The Pro V1 definitely curved more to the right and ended up missing the fairway by about 8 feet. I was surprised that this ball ended up 20 yards shorter than the Kirkland.

Note. This post is part of our series on how to pick the right golf ball for you. If you’re still unsure about what ball is right for you, I’d consider checking that out to see the full details.I know it’s not the best or perfect way to compare them because I’m not good enough to hit the same shot twice in a row. That said, I wanted to see if an average player could tell the difference or not.Both balls have a similar compression rating, the Pro V1 is somewhere around 87 while the Kirkland is closer to 90. These would be considered to be high compression, which means they’re golf balls for fast swing speeds (over 95 MPH). After comparing these two golf balls, the Pro V1 is longer and feels better than the Kirkland Signature. Both balls were similar in terms of forgiveness and spin rates while the Kirkland is much cheaper. This makes Kirkland good for mid-to-high handicaps and Pro V1 good for low handicaps. After testing these balls out, there were a few key things I noticed. This might not be the case for every golfer out there, but I think the results are pretty accurate for mid to high handicappers.Drive: The Pro V1 went perfectly straight, hit the green, and stopped right away. I struck the ball really well and the ball felt solid. The Kirkland had a bit of a fade to it and missed the green.

You could also find 3 piece balls that aren’t quite on the premium level. These might be a good choice for people working their way into the 80s. You can see our article on 2 vs 3 piece golf balls here.I’m sure you’ve hooked or sliced the ball two fairways over before. We’ve all done it. The reason that happens is that the ball has too much sidespin. A ball that spins more can make that worse. You can see how backspin and sidespin affect a golf ball here.

Both the Kirkland and Pro V1 are 3 piece golf balls with a urethane cover, which means they’re on the premium side. In most cases, 3-5 layers balls are used by low to mid handicaps because they offer better performance on the course, especially with the spin rates.Considering the price and performance, I’d probably still use the Kirkland over the Pro V1. Straightness and spin rates were similar, which are more important in my mind. A bit extra distance is nice too, but I don’t know if it’s worth an extra $2.70 per ball.

Long story short, compression only made a difference when your swing speed gets over 100 MPH. That being said, there are more factors to consider than just distance. Price, spin, and ball flight are all examples.

Everyone knows about Pro V1 balls and how they’re the most popular ball out there. I have heard for a while that Kirkland balls are actually quite similar, so I wanted to put them to the test to see if I could actually tell the difference. People have done comparisons where they hit each ball on the simulator and looked at things like distance and spin rates. I prefer taking them to a real course and playing both. What I did was play 9 holes, hitting two balls on each hole. I wanted to see which ball went further, which one hit more fairways, which one felt better, and which one had better short-game spin. Let’s jump into the hole-by-hole comparison.Drive: The Kirkland was hit really well and landed on the green and stopped right away. The Pro V1 was hit well too, but it ended up flying around 15 yards longer. That’s pretty good, but it also released about 7 feet, which isn’t the best. I also noticed that it flew higher than the Kirkland. From the tests I’ve seen and done myself, Titleist generally seem to be the most well built and consistent balls out there. I don’t think you’d notice much of a difference as an average hacker, but it’s obvious that professionals can. Professional golfers need high end balls in order to hit high quality shots. You’ve probably wondered which ball your favorite player uses, so in this post, we’ll talk about which golf balls the pros use, why they might use them, and what makes high end balls better than value balls.I read an article where Jim Furyk was testing balls but had a tough time getting a 4 piece ball in the air with his long irons. Adding an extra layer (5 total) helped him hit the ball higher.Generally speaking, balls that say “X” are usually firmer than the model without the “X.” Examples of softer balls would be the Pro V1, Chrome Soft, and TP5. Then you’d have the Pro V1x, Chrome Soft X, and TP5x that are a bit firmer.

Professional golfers generally use high compression golf balls, but the compression range tends to vary between 65-100. Fred Couples plays a 65 compression ball (Tour B RXS) while a lot of longer hitters play a 100 compression ball (Pro V1x).If you already hit hook or slices then a high spin ball will make it worse. That being said, it makes it easier to draw or fade the ball around, which is why the pros need a higher spinning ball.

Professional golfers tend to use white balls because they’re one of the easier balls to see in the air and on the fairway. That being said, there are a few pro golfers who sometimes use colored balls such as Bubba Watson.Being able to quickly stop the ball on the green is super important if you want to improve your short game. Most of us can’t do that which is why we don’t need a ball that spins that much.

Urethane covers come on premium balls and are more expensive. The benefit of them is that they’re softer and they produce more spin. The downside is that they aren’t as durable.Another difference you’ll find between balls is the cover material. There are pros and cons of each type of cover, but the pros will want something that has a urethane cover.

If you’re wondering what the difference is between the Pro V1 and Pro V1x is essentially the spin rate and launch height. The Pro V1x will spin more off the tee and around the green and will also fly higher.

I’m sure you’ve also seen the guy at your local course who hits the huge banana slices. The reason that happens is because the ball has way too much sidespin.The first thing you need to look at is how many layers the ball has. You can find balls that have between 2 and 5 layers. Professionals will mostly use 3 or 4 piece golf balls, but a few of them use 5 piece golf balls.

We did a full article on how backspin and sidespin affect a golf ball if you’re curious to learn more about it. If not, just know that you only need a high spinning ball when you can shoot 80 or less.5 piece balls don’t really spin more around the green or off the tee. The main difference seems to be that they produce more spin with your longer irons to get the ball in the air.There are a few reasons why the majority of pros use Titleist balls, which we’ll talk about in the rest of this article. That being said, just because the pros use these balls doesn’t mean that you should. If you’re curious, you should read our guide on the best golf balls for average golfers or the best golf balls for mid handicappers.I’ve seen a number of tests that looked at the compression ratings and shape of each ball (100+ of each model). Certain balls actually fluctuate slightly when it comes to compression and some of them aren’t perfectly round.

When it comes to soft or firm balls, you can look at the overall feel of the ball or the compression rating. Some people consider soft and low compression balls the same thing. They also consider firm and high compression balls the same.On cheaper 2 or 3 piece golf balls, the cover material will be ionomer or Surlyn. The benefit of these are that they’re more durable and are cheaper. The downside is that they don’t have as much short game spin.4 piece balls like the Pro V1x normally feel firmer when you hit them, but the main difference is that they spin more around the green and off the tee.Compression isn’t as important as it used to be but it still is something you should look at. Before, all you had to do was match your swing speed to the right compression rating. Now, there are more important things to look at.

The reason professional golfers use Titleist balls is that they’re the most consistent off the tee and around the green. Compared to any other ball, the Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x produce the most reliable spin rates and distance.I wouldn’t say colored balls are a gimmick, but certain colors just aren’t that visible at all. Certain colors such as red or orange are easier to see on a cloudy day or when you hit into longer grass.

As a general rule, more layers equals more spin. 2 piece balls don’t spin a whole lot and is why the pros don’t use them. They’re designed for average hackers like you and me who don’t want to spend a fortune on balls.

The most common golf balls you’ll see on tour are made by Titleist. Close to 40% of golfers use the Titleist Pro V1, 27% use the Titleist Pro V1x, and the remaining golfers use a ball from Srixon, Callaway, Taylormade, and Bridgestone.I’m sure you’ve seen a shot on TV where the ball landed on the green past the pin and it rolled backwards to within a few feet. That’s because the ball had spin on it.

The Titleist Velocity is an example of a mid compression ball that has a firm feel to it. The Pro V1 is a higher compression ball but has a softer feel.Clearly, most people prefer the standard Pro V1. Even though you probably shouldn’t use either of them yourself (unless you shoot in the low 70s), the standard Pro V1 would be the better choice if you had to pick.

If that’s the case then all pros would use hard golf balls, which I wouldn’t say is true. You can find lower compression balls that have a firm feel to them and you can find high compression balls that have a softer feel.Other than shape and quality, it’s also important that you have a ball that performs consistently on the course. Knowing exactly how far the ball will fly and how much spin it’ll have is super important.

Of the top 50 golfers out there 70% of them use a Titleist ball, which is pretty crazy when you think about it. Some people may think it’s because they’re sponsored and paid to use them (could partially be true), but the main reason comes down to performance.I play Kirkland now and they don’t have near the sidespin as ProV’s. I’ve hit Bridgestone and they’re a good ball but you can’t get them for $15 a dozen.

Ultimately, we had an idea, a belief that is common to many of our readers, but once we took the time to talk to experts and educate ourselves, it became clear that what we assumed to be true simply wasn’t.I’m a 14 handcicap who doesn’t spin the ball as much as I’d like to. So far from hitting a bunch of 20-50 yd shots, I’m liking the feel and stopping ability of this ball. These balls are perfect. The best of the prov and prov1x combined. They are amazing in the wind. Durability is great- played two of the same balls the same round, the third of the sleeve was never used. Distance is pure if not a little better- you don’t have to worry about not having enough club. The ball has good spin around the greens and comes off the club pure. I don’t care one iota about Kirkland balls. I’ll take my Bridgestone Tour RX every day of the week. Don’t get caught up in the hype. I’m sure I’ll get some negative feedback about this but that’s how I feel.As for the amount of conditions I would test – as many as possible to isolate variences. This obviously this relates to time. I see in this test, 3 clubs were tested. I also see wedges were not wiped off and grooves cleaned after every shot. It takes time but, if its not done, your spin rate number comparison sucks. It doesn’t mean the Kirkland still couldn’t be better, it just means the results of the test don’t tell anything of consequence.

I’m not sure what you mean by marginal contact, but the reality is that we don’t hit the center of the face all the time (although the data we’ve gathered over the past several years suggests that other variables aren’t as inconsistent as many would think), so why would you make a performance decision based around machine-driven, idealized contact that a human is highly unlikely to replicate? I would love to see the legal letter you received from titleist. Its about time these big brands got a much needed kick in the nuts. Their arrogance and propaganda has plagued the growth of the game. Way to go MGS. The KSig golf ball is made in Korea. I have found who made it. The maker is the “Nassau Golf” in Korea. The most interestings, Nassau is supplying urethane golf ball to TMaG for tour player. Jason day, Dustin johnson, Justin rose are using the TMaG urethane golf ball wihch are made by Nassau with TMaG US factory. And Nassau is supplying not only TMaG and but also Snell. The snell MTB and Get Sum are made by Nassau.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Snell MTB since the day I got my hands on them; as noted above they are excellent on the green. Plus I like the distance gain and the price point. Will be trying the Costco ball. For sure. Price doesn’t really matter though I hate the notion that I’m being ripped-off. Hope this is a game changer from a pricing perspective but that is likely wishful thinking. Hope to be proved wrong.What we do is look at the data and try and make a determination. In this case, we found better to equivalent to slightly better average performance from the Kirkland at 25% of the cost.

I was one of the fortunate ones to get an online order in…the store told me they couldn’t get floor stock as the online sale of the balls are wiping out everything that gets delivered to the main warehouse…I’ll post how they compare to my usual Titleist Truesoft, MG urethane, and ProV1s. Supposed to get them Saturday.

When Dick’s started selling Maxfli U series(4, 4X, 6, 6x) I made the switch. Many friends scoffed. I have yet to pay more than $25 a dozen for them, even with my custom printing. I will be trying the costco balls. I gave up on brands after being close to a manufacturer’s henchmen. Seeing the smoke & mirrors, if not outright lying, was enough to keep me from purchasing anything from them.

What’s interesting to me is that this data performance test backs up the on course play evaluation from many of us MGS forum members! Are we good or what??

The popularity of this ball should show the big equipment manufacturers one thing…. the price of their clubs is balls are too high. The golfing public has been waiting for the cost of balls to become reasonable again. Credit Costco with understanding this and rolling out their ball. If it’s good it will continue to sell out. If it’s not it will just be another cheap golf ball The fact that robots and humans don’t swing identical is truly irrelevant. No two humans swing the same. The marginal contact simply means just that. The bottom line is 5 basic variables control all ball flight. That’s true with humans and robots. It doesn’t matter who or what is at the grip end of the club. It only matters what the club is doing at impact. You and I both know if its not doing the same thing with both balls then you certainly can’t tell which ball is performing better! Be serious. Here’s your reality check – there has been almost no meaningful innovation in the golf ball space since the transition from wound to solid core. It’s why companies are spending their time talking about soft feel instead of whatever minute annual enhancements they’ve made to their spin slopes. As per usual, a good bit of the credit/blame for the stagnation of the industry falls on the USGA.Thanks for the great info and keeping us informed of all the great products! Don’t trust the name, trust the results! I can’t wait to try these, if they ever go back in stock! :)How many conditions would you test? How many shots under each condition? As a practical matter, how would you account for the time it takes to configure a robot. It’s not as simple as affixing the club and hitting a button – it requires a sometimes exhaustive amount of precision – most people don’t realize that either.I’ll stick with the Snells for now as they are less expensive that the name brand balls, although not as cheap as the Kirkland, and they perform just as good or better than the name balls. MGS gave it high ratings as well. The Kirklands sound like a good buy though.I bought a box before the test results came in. Wish I would have bought 10 boxes! Long, straight, and great green side work. Equal stopping power as the proV1. Now it’ll be a matter of getting them again. Wish I wouldn’t have given 2 sleeves away for my friends to try? lol

I was very interested in trying out the ball, I am always up to try something new. I looked online and Costco is sold out and apparently they have raised their price to 29.99 per dozen with 5.00 shipping. Am I missing something?

I would like to buy Canadian but we don’t make golf balls ,so I’ll buy the foreign ones cheaper than paying American . I also like to support my own country . But little chance of that happening in the near furture. Ever check your new irons lately shaft made in Korea head made in china assembled in the USA. So who are we really supporting?1) Nobody plays golf like a robot. Titleist would never recommend basing your ball buying decisions on what a robot does…nobody in the industry would. We’ve been over this one ad nauseam.Titleist balls like NXT, Velocity, DT could be dust now, PRO V will definitely suffer as only the loyalists wanting the label on their ball will pay the price. All the balls from Bridgestone, Srixon and others will face serious trouble (millions $) if the ball were to comeback. I don’t expect to see the same Kirkland ball ever again! The collective business will stop it, they may buy the plant that makes these and close it down, they may call it a test pilot or Beta run that could not be sustained…. blah blah. Or simply make some “Improved” version that it is not as good and does not threat the premium balls, the manufacturer will still get a good amount of money from the golf companies and be very happy. Not the first time this happens in business.And after all of that you and everybody else reading is free to decide if it’s meaningful to you on an individual basis. Seriously…isn’t that great. If you have lingering doubts, spend the $30 for two dozen and check it out for yourself. Think the test is completely invalid? Be it because of brand loyalty, skepticism over the data, lack of robots, whatever…that’s fine too. Keep spending whatever you spend to play whatever you play.

Titleist is scared… and they should be. When you sell out Costco twice, that’s millions of dollars they just lost. 75% of the people who play Pro V’s aren’t good enough to play that ball anyway.

Tested these the last few days. A bit livelier off of the putter and wedges than a tour ball and a bit firmer but performs incredibly well. Assuming they can keep them in stock I think these will put a large dent in the $25-35 per dozen balls. What if, as you suggest, average players can’t recognize the difference/benefits; then shouldn’t you also argue that it is therefore foolish for the average golfer to spend $50+ a dozen when the performance, for his ability level, is virtually indistinguishable in a ball that retails for 25% of the cost? Tony Covey- You have completely missed my point. My point is strictly in regard to the results. The results “seem” to indicate the Kirkland ball is actually a bit better in many areas than the Pro V1. While it is certainly possible this could be the case, I cannot rely on data based on a variety of marginally struck golf balls. In order to perform a scientifically accurate comparison you have to eliminate as many variables as possible. The fact that average golfers struck them introduces many variables. In addition, I think I read where clubs were cleaned after every 3 shots and this introduces another extremely large variable related to spin. Were the grooves full of dirt or clean? Nearly any golfer knows this makes a huge difference in spin numbers. When you said, “Nobody plays golf like a robot. Titleist would never recommend basing your ball buying decisions on what a robot does…nobody in the industry would. We’ve been over this one ad nauseam.” I have to wholeheartedly disagree. I am in the industry and have these discussions regularly. If I want to assist someone in finding a correct shaft, I would like to have data based on identical hits. Does one shaft typically launch the ball 2* higher and produce 300 rpms less spin? If so, that tells me something. However, if I don’t know whether a ball was hit in the center or low on the face, I really don’t have comparable data. No one hits it solid all the time but that is exactly why identical robotic data would be a benefit. The average player does hit it solid sometimes. He also hits it low on the face, high on the face, toward the heel and toward the toe. Most often there is some pattern but the basis for determining which piece of equipment is most likely to perform is based on technically accurate and comparable data. If it wasn’t, why would companies even go so far as to describe balls as high spin or low compression? It is to give a basis for who would want to try it. In order to truly determine which of these balls is better in each of areas, consistent strikes, consistent speeds, consistent attack angles, consistent face angles all need to be present. Short of that – its guesswork at best.

Bob, if they were getting paid to review the balls, MGS would have given you a politically correct answer. Thankfully, they didn’t which I respect even more in today’s climate. MGS is for the golfer… you’re barking up the wrong tree. Let me start by saying the ultimate proof is in the pudding (Karsten Solheim was famous for using this phrase). Its whether or not it works for you. Having said that, a group of testers, each hitting it very differently does not tell me anything. Similarly, I will restate the fact that identical testing is the only way to ACCURATELY COMPARE 2 items. Controlling variables / parameters is commonly known to be the only way to ACCURATELY DETERMINE the differences between 2 test items. Even drug companies try to isolate to get good data when dealing with human subjects (the most complex and intricately variable of all). Agreed. Thats’ the only thing keeping the little guys out of the golf club market right now. There’s few people that would take a chance on a lesser known product – and i’ve heard some great things about these balls. I’m going to pick some up for next season methinks.

That’s it Tony,,, Titleist have said in the past with their informal industry meetings that you can do nearly everything you want in a 3 piece let alone 4/5 or 6 ,,,,, what we have seen is basically no “real” improvements other than specification variations in the No 1 ball since 2000 ,,, 16 years of similar performance. The rules of golf stopped innovation dead ,,,, what you gain in one area you tend to lose in another when sticking to the rules ….it is all about trade offs ,,, I feel for Taylor-Made and more so for Dean Snell as they did the heavy lifting with Nassau,,,and these factories and there are now about 5 or 6 that want to be a big part of your US Pro ball market are very happy to sell good balls to who ever wants them at cheap prices ,,,,,, the question though is has any urethane patents been infringed or have they taken out a licence ,,, I would ask Bridgestone for their thoughts,,,,

What is it you desired to do? I understand the robotic cost aspect but that is just a confession that the test is limited because of the cost and not a basis for the test being valid and accurate.