Volvik XT Soft Golf Ball Review

3 Piece Urethane Cover Soft Compression & Explosive Distance

A few months ago I connected with Volvik, the #1 color golf ball on Tour. To learn more, I invited Mr. Wes Whittingham, Vice President of Sales, to come on my podcast to talk about the history of the brand, the introduction of a matte finish golf ball, the success they are seeing in Korea, and their relationship with Marvel.

Best known as The #1 Color Golf Ball on Tour and The World’s First Ever Matte Finish Golf Ball, Volvik also makes a lineup of balls for better players, including the XT Soft. Did you know the XT Soft appeared on the 2020 Golf Digest Hot List?

After the show was released on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, Volvik sent me 2 dozen XT Soft golf balls to sample. It’s the ball I’ve been playing ever since and absolutely love the way it feels off the clubface, the distance and how it performs around the greens. The ball is also durable. I will talk about all that and more in my detailed review of this golf ball below.

Before I get ahead of myself, I wanted to share with you some facts about this ball. All of this can be found on the back of the box, but hopefully it will help you get a better understanding of what to expect when I review the ball.

• Explosive Distance delivered by Volvik’s Extreme Power Core
• Accurate Greenside Control with VU-X Urethane Cover
• Cuboctahedron Dimple Design provides Ball Flight Stability
• VU-X Urethane Cover maximizes Feel & Soft Shaping Control

This ball features the Volvik Alignment System (V•A•S) created as a Visual Key off the Tee.

Look

Having not played Volvik golf balls before, I honestly expected a matte finish. They’ve done such a great job prompting that, I just assumed all their golf balls had that. Upon further investigation, the cover seemed to be soft, almost mushy, which concerned me about the quality and playability of the golf ball. More on that later, but for someone that demands spin on short irons, and around the green, it did give me hope.

Since I can remember, I have been playing a white golf ball. But she sent me a dozen white and a dozen yellow. I’m adventurous, so I started playing the yellow ball. I must admit, it is easier to see off the clubface, and easier to find if you miss the fairway. I’ve been struggling off the tee lately, so I’ve been missing a lot of fairways. 

Off the Tee

At The Fountaingrove Club, my home course, depending on the tee I play, I rarely hit the driver. 2 maybe 3 times a round. But that means I need accurate yardages with my 3 and 5 woods to ensure I know where to land the ball for my second and third shots. 

For the past 10+ years I’ve been playing the Titleist Pro V1. When I was in Rhode Island a couple years ago I did a ball fitting, and they said the Pro V1x was the ball I should play. It is longer off the tee, but it just doesn’t spin around the greens as much. When I started playing the XT Soft golf ball, I used Titleist as the bar. 

It takes a few holes at The Fountaingrove Club to really unleash, but the ball did perform well for the first few holes. The first round I played with it I only played 9 holes, so it didn’t give me a chance to get a true sense of the performance. But my next round was at Yocha Dehe Golf Club, a daily fee/resort course in Brooks, California. I would hit the driver several times out here, and it would give me a real chance to judge the distance off the tee. 

After a few rounds, it performs. It might not be as long as a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, but it has me hitting similar irons into greens. It does feel great coming off the clubface, though. I’ve had a chance to hit the matte finish, and while it is a novel concept, it just isn’t for me. I prefer the “pop” that a golf ball gives coming off the clubface, and the XT Soft has it.

Long Irons

I don’t hit a lot of long irons at The Fountaingrove Club, but depending on what tee I play, I will hit 4 or 5 iron off a couple tee boxes. 14, for example, is the hardest hole on the golf course. It is a par 5, measures almost 600 yards from the tips, but requires a precise tee shot. I tend to hit 5 iron, 3 wood, wedge! I either birdie it or hook it left and make double. 

What I like about the ball is the feeling at impact, especially with long irons. It has a “pop” to it off the tee, and while it isn’t as soft as the Pro V1, the distances are similar.

Short Irons

According to Collins English Dictionary, a short iron is, “a club, as a pitcher, pitching niblick, or niblick, with a short shaft and an iron head the face of which has great slope, for hitting approach shots.” To me, it starts with the 7 iron. Similar to the long irons, the feeling off the clubface is consistent. The sound is hard to describe, but when you hit it well, you can simply hear it. Also, the spin is consistent with some of the other top of the line golf balls on the market today. 

The Pro V1 tends to hit and stop, while the XT Soft hits and releases. But only by a few feet. Every time I fix a ball mark I think to myself, “It didn’t spin as much as I’d like, but it hasn’t impacted my next shot.” Hole 9 at The Fountaingrove Club comes to mind. The hole is long with water left and a large valley in the front of the green. Last weekend I hit a 7 iron to the middle of the green. It jumped forward, and probably saved it from going off the green. Not sure I am good enough to justify a ball that stops and spins back. 

Around the Green

This is where spin matters most for me. Again, not sure why I expect the ball to hit, check and stop. But I do. This ball doesn’t do that. Not saying other balls do that, either, but similar to the short irons, the ball will hit, check and release 3 or more feet. Since I don’t practice, I will plan for that when playing. Granted, when playing with a Pro V1, or another premium golf ball, I will go back to expecting the ball to stop. If it doesn’t, I will make a myriad of excuses on a tough lie or poor pin locations. 

While the ball doesn’t spin as much as I’d like, it does perform well around the greens. It is consistent, and if you learn anything by reading this review, this ball is that. Consistent every time I tee it up.

Putting

The other day I was joking with a coworker about green speeds. They were close to 13 on the stimpmeter, and he reminded me to stay below the hole. I laughed and said, “Well, recently I’ve been doing this. Hit the first putt, and if it doesn’t go in the hole, pick it up. It’s good. It’s a great way to eliminate 3 putts.” Kidding! 

Distance control is key for me. For example, if you are above the hole on 1, good luck making par! Everything slopes back to front and with slick greens, even though they hold, they roll true. This ball does roll true and the sound, and the feeling coming off the clubface, is constant for long lag putts and shorter “firm and at it” putts.

Durability

The ball is durable. No question. I remember the days using the same golf ball 3 or 4 holes was enough. Funny story… The first XT Soft I played lasted almost 5 rounds! It was getting a little beat up when I teed off that day, and I was happy to lose it so I could start over, but the ball, sans any encounters with trees or cart paths, really does last for several rounds. Depending on what course you play, and how many golf balls you typically lose, at only $37.99/dozen, a dozen could last you a long time! 

I tend to mark my golf ball with a single black line. I don’t get too fancy with a Sharpie. While I like the idea of the Volvik Alignment System, for me, it gets in the way. I am going to mark that out with a single black line every time. Haven’t thought about how that might impact my tee shots. Might need to try that next time out.  

Conclusion

I’ve been playing this ball for a few weeks now. The ball is good. Simple as that. The ball is long off the tee, spins on long and short irons, and is controllable around the greens. The price is right, too. If you are looking to make a change, or just want to try something new, I highly recommend giving the XT Soft golf ball a chance. It will be in my bag this winter. 

With a tagline of “Change the Game,” Volvik is making golf fun again. The next time you need golf balls, consider putting a dozen XT Soft in your basket.