Forum Member Review: Volvik Golf Balls

The one piece of equipment used on every shot is the golf ball. With a market flooded with options ranging from two-piece ionomer-covered balls to five-piece urethane balls, it can be hard to discern which ball fits your game (and budget) best. Volvik, which holds the second-largest market share of golf balls in Korea and exports to more than 50 countries, is hoping to gain further traction in the U.S. 

Their “Tour performance” line of golf balls, the Condor and Condor X, were recently tested by MyGolfSpy Forum members to see if Volvik’s claims of higher ball speed, lower spin and softer feel hold true against their current ball of choice. At $42.99 per dozen, they come in at a more affordable price than other “Tour performance” balls. 

Read on to find out if this ball deserves a place in your bag when you need to grab a new dozen.

Volvik testing highlights

Premium finish: Both the Condor and Condor X were praised for their premium finish and feel, with testers commenting that they were much better than other Volvik balls, particularly their matte-finish line. Soft putter feel: Testers of the Condor golf ball noted that the ball felt soft off the putter, which they enjoyed. This aligns with their compression rating of 85.  Distance results varied: Dependent on swing speed, distance results varied for Condor testers. Higher swing speed players (95-100 mph) saw noted loss of yardage across all clubs, while slower speed players (85-90) saw increased yardage. For Condor X testers, no loss of distance was noted, holding its own against other major OEMs.Durability an issue: Testers noted issues with durability of the Condor and Condor X with the balls scuffing easily and rendering some unplayable.

Initial thoughts and impressions: packaging, finish and feel

The first impression a golf ball makes is vital to user perception. In a flooded market, shelf appeal is a factor to consider in addition to the feel and finish of the ball itself. Does the branding catch your eye enough to distract you from the likes of Titleist, Callaway and TaylorMade?

Initial impressions were a bit of a mixed bag for our testers. While tester jayyarr enjoyed the simplistic approach and extensive detail on the back of the Condor packaging, he couldn’t help but think it left something to be desired. “This seems like a good first step for them to introduce themselves to the space, but IMO they really need to up their marketing on the fact that they are now selling a tour competitive ball. The only space I have ever seen them market in before is the colorful lower tier balls with weird matte finishes and marvel branding.”

Tester JackBurtonsPorkchopExpress, on the other hand, loved the packaging presentation of the Condor X, stating “ I thought the presentation(box) was super simple and effective. I feel like most boxes have the color red all over them as a way to stand out from the crowd, but there’s not a drop of it on the box. The back of the box did a good job of explaining the construction of the ball and comparing it to the other Condor variation.”

The finish and feel of both the Condor and Condor X were well received by testers who noted that they were in line with other “Tour-level” balls they have played.

On-course performance: distance

Regardless of how a ball looks or feels, there’s nothing that matters more than its performance. Volvik promotes the three-piece Condor as a high-speed, low-spin, softer-feeling ball designed for distance. The four-piece Condor X contains a Dual White Carbon urethane cover which claims to offer enhanced feel, high speed, high rebound and maximum distance. 

Results were somewhat mixed for testers of both the Condor and Condor X. 

Tester jayyarr, a higher swing speed player, saw a noticeable loss of distance throughout the bag with the Condor. “On average with driver, my carry was five to ten yards shorter with the condors compared to a Titleist ProV1. Irons were a lot less of a drop-off, but I was still averaging about a five yard loss per iron. This was greater at the long irons and got tighter when you made it to the scoring irons.”

Zman56, a Condor tester with a swing speed in the 85-90 mph range, noted no real distance drop with the driver and increased distance in his fairway woods compared to the Tour Response ball from Taylormade.
Condor X tester TK_ saw no notable distance discrepancy when comparing to the Srixon Z-Star XV, which impressed him. “When looking at the numbers you immediately jump to distance. The Volvik Condor X did not shrink to the competition. Something else I was looking for was dispersion rates and stopping power. Again, the Condor X impressed. It was right in line with the Srixon.”

On-course performance: spin

Spin is another key factor in measuring the performance of a golf ball. If it spins too much, particularly off the tee, you’ll lose distance. Not enough spin around the green, and the ball won’t stop when you need it to and potentially leave you with a long putt to save par. 

Once again, the Condor and Condor X produced a mixed bag, where higher swing speed players of the Condor didn’t see the spin they wanted. However, positive results were also seen.

In comparison to the Titleist AVX, Sharp.shell found that the Condor X had more teeth around the green. “I felt better contact and feel with the Condor X than the AVX. Performance on the green I would have to favour the Condor X, It seemed to bite harder with the spin I was getting with it.”
MichaelC_81, testing the Condor, found more than adequate spin. “Around the greens they were very consistent getting some nice height and spin, even on the drenched greens, they managed to pull up fairly quickly which gave me a bit of confidence to “attack” the pin a bit more.”

Ball durability

A golf ball needs to hold up well throughout a round. Finding a tree or cart path for some of us is inevitable while others need to withstand the repeated strike of wedges with increasingly aggressive grooves. It has been proven that a scuffed ball can significantly alter spin and flight, causing a loss of distance and accuracy. 

Once again, we saw mixed results in our testing. While some testers rated the durability as a positive for both balls, others found the exact opposite. Tester jayyarr found that the Condor lacked in this category, having to switch the ball out multiple times in one round due to scuffing. Tester JackBurtonsPorkchopExpress, however, had zero issues with the durability of the Condor X.

Due to this, it is hard to gauge how well this ball may hold up during the course of a round.

Closing thoughts – a worthwhile investment?

Coming in at $42.99 per dozen, the Volvik Condor and Condor X are priced lower than other “Tour” balls such as Titleist ProV1, Taylormade TP5 and Callaway Chrome Tour. Does this make these balls a worthwhile investment or are you better off paying up for one of the major players?

Some testers, such as Zman56, wouldn’t hesitate to put the Condor balls into play. “The Volvik Condor is a great ball for the $40 +/- target price.  I have a low swing speed at 80-85 and the ball definitely meets my needs.” 

However, if you’re someone who doesn’t have trouble losing golf balls during a round, the cost savings may not be as effective. From tester jayyarr, “The argument of paying less per ball than a Pro V1 because you lose them frequently is one thing. But this goes completely out the window when you are not losing this ball but having to swap it out anyway because of a scuff to the casing that makes this completely unplayable.”

The Condor and Condor X both performed well on the course for our testers. Depending on your swing speed, these may be a great option to save some money on a “Tour-level” ball. However, if you’re prone to pushing the limits of durability, it may be best to look elsewhere.To take a look at the full, in-depth reviews of the Condor and Condor X balls by Volvik, head to the MyGolfSpy Forum!

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