Alright, so I’d been hearing some buzz about these Vice golf balls, saw ’em online a few times. The black ones, the Vice Pro Soft Hue Black, kinda caught my eye. Looked sleek, different, you know? I play a lot, try different gear when I can, so I figured, why not? Ordered a dozen online.
They showed up pretty quick. Packaging was nice, felt premium enough. Pulled one out, and yeah, it’s definitely black. Matte finish. Felt okay in the hand, maybe a little different texture than my usual ball, but nothing weird. Threw a sleeve in the bag for my weekend round.
Hitting the Range First
Before trusting them on the course, I took a few to the driving range just to get a feel. Off the driver, the first impression was… solid. It didn’t feel mushy, didn’t feel like a rock either. Just a solid click. Launch seemed alright, maybe a mid-trajectory for me. With the irons, again, felt pretty decent. Not super soft, but gave okay feedback on strikes. Didn’t notice anything wildly different from other balls in that price range during the warm-up.
Out on the Course
Okay, Saturday morning, first tee. Pulled out the black Vice ball. Looked kinda cool sitting on the white tee. Nailed the drive pretty well, center cut. Now, finding it in the fairway… honestly, it wasn’t bad against green grass. The contrast worked. Flight was stable, distance seemed about normal for me, maybe didn’t notice any huge gains or losses.
Where things got interesting:
- Iron Shots: Approach shots felt fine. The ball launched okay, held its line reasonably well in a bit of breeze. Stopping power on the greens was… acceptable. Maybe not quite the spin I get from a premium tour ball, but it wasn’t rolling out uncontrollably either. It sat down okay on well-struck shots.
- Around the Greens: Chipping and pitching felt alright. Again, not super spinny, but predictable. Came off the wedge feeling okay, could get a little check, but needed to account for a bit more roll than I sometimes play for.
- Putting: The feel off the putter face was actually pretty good. Soft enough, and it seemed to roll true. No complaints on the greens, lined it up and it went where I aimed it (or missed where I aimed it, haha).
- The Big Issue: Finding the darn thing. Hit one slightly off line into the first cut/light rough. Took me way longer than usual to find it. The black ball just disappears against darker soil, shadows, or deeper grass. Lost one later in the round that I’m pretty sure landed just off the fairway in slightly thicker stuff. Vanished. That was frustrating.
Durability and Final Thoughts
Played the whole round rotating between two of the balls (minus the one I lost). The durability seemed pretty good. By the end of 18 holes, they had some minor scuff marks from bunker shots and maybe a wedge groove here or there, but no major cuts or peeling. Held up well, I’d say.
So, the verdict? They’re a decent ball. Performance-wise, they felt pretty good, especially for the price point compared to top-tier balls. Solid off the tee, acceptable spin with irons and wedges, good feel on the putter. The black color, though? It looks cool, it’s a conversation starter, but man, it can be tough to track in the air sometimes and even tougher to find if you miss the fairway by a few yards. I probably wouldn’t game the black ones regularly just because of the visibility issue. Lost balls cost strokes and money! But the performance makes me curious to try their other models, maybe the white or the colored ones. If you hit it straight all the time and want something that looks unique, maybe give the black ones a shot. For me, the novelty wore off after searching for it in the rough for the third time.
