One of the best things about being with Bunkers Paradise is getting the opportunity to try and challenge lots of different golf products. One of the most interesting and fun products to review are golf balls because I love to see how they feel at impact and how I can control them on the green.
Having performed at a world level I am a pretty good judge of a golf ball and very particular with the ball I choose to play with casually and in tournaments. What I really enjoy doing is giving the new golf ball what you have heard before is the Kate Hughes Challenge.
Volvik Returns with a New Member of the Family
Volvik again reached out to Bunkers Paradise and me to give the new Vista iV 4pc a tough challenge. They really want to know how it performs with someone who will tell it like it is…me.
And so I took the Volvik Vista iV 4pc out for a spin the past couple of weeks playing in the heat, wind, morning dew and late afternoon/early evening tired golf. I will say that it performed exceptionally well every time I played with it.
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The Breakdown of the Volvik Vista iV 4pc Ball[/caption]
The Skinny on the development of the Volvik 4pc. Ball
The new Volvik Vista iV 4pc. was made for the lower handicap player and those that consider themselves advanced. It was designed for a softer impact feel but a longer flight distance and this is accomplished by a Patented Dual Core: a soft outer layer and hard inner core.
The 4pc breakdown by Volvik: Inner Power Core (maximum distance by high elasticity power core); Bismuth Mixed Control Layer (comfortable feel with elevated short game performance due to a high dense and soft control layer); High Resilient Inner Cover (an optimized dual core encased in a high resilient and solid casing providing optimal spin and longer distance); Zirconium Z-III Cover (base material for ceramic improves durability of the cover without sacrificing spin control). There are also 392 Cube-Octahedron dimple pattern (bottom line-creates mid-high trajectory and accurate flight stability).
http://youtu.be/v98itNTsA_8
Kate’s Challenge and Take of The New Vista iV 4pc bal
Like I mentioned earlier, I took the new ball out for a serious work out to see if it could stand up to my vigorous trials. I nailed it multiple times of the tee over a few rounds; I took it to a 6 iron range from the green and knocked more that I can count to see the response; the Vista iV 4pc followed me to beach day into the bunker to see its durability and control out and onto the green; and finally I putted and putted with it on several different greens from 2 feet to 90 feet to see how it feels, its control and roll.
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Four Bright Colors to Choose From and of course White[/caption]
The Look
I never was a colored ball user until Volvik came into my life. Now, I love the look and I feel very confident using a colored ball--the louder the color the better. It’s so much fun when a playing partner says, “Wow that ball is bright, and how does it work when it is so bright.” I say, “Watch this!”—and I blast a drive 20 yards past my playing partner. Now this is a true adrenaline rush!!
I love the look I get from all the players paired up with me and then I enjoy taking their money. You get to find the color that matches your mood for the day and each one is ready to take on old man par. Yellow, Green, Pink or Orange make for a rather difficult decision. I just bought them all so I could reach for the color that made me look and feel like a champion that day.
Look Rating: 5 of 5
The Feel and Performance
The look is a great relief from traditional white but in the end how does it feel? The feel is simply put—awesome! Again as a former LPGA Tour Player, I expect a lot from a golf ball and the new Volvik Vista iV 4pc. gets the job done on feel. I love to find a ball that I can blast off the tee and spin it into the green.
At impact it first felt soft and I was fearful it would not get me the distance I expected. I was wrong when I saw it continue to fly into the sky and down the fairway. The soft impact is very deceptive and a nice change to a ‘bang’ at impact.
What I was most impressed with was the control I had over the ball from 125 yards and in. This is where I really want the ball to ‘work’ for me in every shot I execute. I want to see the ball land soft with no spin to the opportunity to put optimal spin on a shot that hits and stops on a dime. The Volvik 4pc ball nailed every shot I tried to a ‘T’. I was pleased with the overall performance around the greens.
Likewise, when I was back to a mid to long iron, I still felt like I had control over the ball and it did not control me. It feels great to hit a high draw from about 155 and find that it flies the distance and stops as I envisioned.
Finally, I played with the same ball for 3 rounds just to see its durability and ability to stand the test of time, hard swings and a few bunkers. Overall, it was very solid in making it through each round without losing any of its spunk and playability.
Performance Rating: 4 of 5
Final Thoughts
The Volvik Vista iV 4pc ball is a great ball to grab and play with for the lower to mid handicap players. They say it is best for swing speeds around 80-125 mph (that is most of us), but I did have a higher handicap player give it a go and he loved it as well…another sleeve leaves my hands and into another believer.
Overall, I really took to this ball. I love the various colors and I see the benefit with its performance from tee to green. See for yourself…go get a dozen and you will not be disappointed…I wasn’t and neither are several tour players…a couple who have won with the ball.
I give the Volvik Vista iV 4 pc ball a Bunkers Paradise Birdie Rating
