Does adding color to a golf ball actually change the way it performs?
In this video, I put two versions of the Vice Pro head-to-head: the standard white Vice Pro and the limited-edition Shade Tracer Drip model. They may share the same name, but the big question is whether the added color and graphics have any measurable impact on performance.
I’ll be comparing these two golf balls through my usual testing to see if there are any differences in ball speed, distance, spin, and overall performance. Is the colorful limited-edition version simply a cosmetic change, or does adding all that color actually affect what happens when the ball is struck?
Golf ball graphics and colored finishes are becoming more popular than ever, but there’s always been one question in the back of my mind: **does the paint actually matter?**
Let’s find out.
If you’re a fan of Vice golf balls, golf ball testing, or just want to know whether you’re giving anything up by choosing a colored or limited-edition golf ball, this one is for you.
**In this video:**
* Vice Pro White vs. Shade Tracer Drip
* Ball speed comparison
* Carry and total distance
* Spin differences
* Does added paint/color affect performance?
* Is there a measurable difference between the two?
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#ViceGolf #VicePro #GolfBallReview #GolfBallTesting #Golf
00:00 Introduction
02:15 Compression Testing
04:30 Pricing and Design
6:46 Chipping
08:43 Putting
11:23 Sound and Feel
13:10 25 Yard Chipping
15:00 60 Yard Pitching
16:17 9 Iron Performance
17:44 7 Iron Performance
18:31 4 Hybrid Performance
19:40 Driver Performance
21:43 Line of Judgement
22:17 Accuracy and Dispersion
24:57 Durability
25:45 Conclusion and Player Profile
With YouTube being overrun with paid influencers giving “honest” reviews, (which cannot be trusted) your channel is refreshing. Thanks and keep up the good work!
I loved the galaxy ball look so much but it’s impossible to find in grass, switched to cotton candy and I think it’s as good as the AVX just doesn’t feel as good
That was some great putting Nick!! It was really fun to watch. Thanks for giving us the truth 🎉.
Hope the pro plus does better!
I would lean more to robot testing , but who the heck swings like a robot
The past two years have confused me about their line. Pro and Pro plus I raved about and found them to be very good. Now it seems hit and miss. Pro shade is ok and I did have a HIO. Pro plus 2 years ago was a rocket. Loved it. Now it’s meh.
Bridgestone Tour B RX ,BR XS and Srixon Q Star Tour are all better golf balls than Vice Pro. You can still get prior generations for $35 a dozen. Vice to me has become kind of a gimmicky brand.
I like your Adidas Vice Drip polo you got for tris review.
You nailed it, Nick! Agree that Vice is trying to do designs instead of making better balls. I no longer see them as a brand worth buying.
I've been playing vice for the last year or so, I want a tour-ish quality ball that is also EXTREMELY high vis. I have the hardest time seeing white or yellow balls, so having the bright red and pink in the Vice balls is a good portion of the reason I buy them. If Titleist made a neon pink pvoV1 I'd buy them in bulk. Any recommendations on something eye searingly high vis if you're not satisfied with the QC of Vice?
Those color balls were horrible on the chipping. Wow! No way, Jose.
You should test z star divide vs regular z star. Divide gets trashed by you know who MyGolfSpy
Not Vice related. But I do want to say that I played the Tiger Cliff Pro after you told your subscribers about emailing them to get a free dozen. WOW. Just like you Nick, I fell in love with this ball. I just went and bought two more boxes. I think I found my ball for the rest of the year 😉
Thanks for all that you do my friend. Always looking forward to your content!
Scarface is a fun movie to quote, but it's way overrated as far as being even close to really good gangster movies.
Deviled eggs are good, but someone always brings them to Thanksgiving and they are instantly out of place and that makes them overrated.
The creature from the Black lagoon is a cool looking fiend, but when you line them up against Frankie, Drac, and the howling Wolfman he is way overrated as a classic
Universal monster.
Vice used to be the scrappy underdog. But as the prices have creeped up they've become way overrated. They're just isn't a real reason to pick up a Vice golf ball unless you're a big big fan.
“Wonky” and “Bonkers” are not words you want to hear in a review. Ha! Vice needs to do better
I bought some vice pros with paint specks and ill take triad over it all day long.
Food for Thought, One Maker two different color balls, same model, differences between the colors, I'm okay with that. I play by the dozen, if a ball plays near the same ball to ball out of that dozen, that's okay, that's what I want. Now if I get a ball of the same model and maker out of a different dozen, I'm not expecting the same results because it's a different dozen, it will be somewhat the same and I'll adjust ,but that's on me, to expect it to perform the same is not realistic, somewhat close, but both very playable. Vice is still a damn good ball and a decent value. Vice has been busy, Vice is working on being diverse, Vice is working on staying relevant in a cutthroat market, Vice is working on staying alive, I'm good with that
As a fairly new Senior player who’’s a High Handicapper, I’ve been playing Srixon Q-Star Divide and I’m pretty happy with them. I just bought a dozen of the Vice Pro Tracer that you tested. I’m hoping that I will get slightly better results as my Q-Star 🤞🏻
Kind of glad I did ALL my testing putting, short game & on course, watched a load of your current and back catalogue reviews before I made my new ball choice! I ended up with the AVX, a slightly more expensive option sure but the QC pays for itself! I never tested the Vice though but there are a few UK reviewers who rave about it! I might be wrong but there seem to be “levels” of interaction with Vice and some get preferential treatment, “out of stock clubs” club fittings in Germany etc that mere mortals cant! This skews reality for the rest of us! Your face at the end, the realisation and sorrow! I feel you pain, onward and upward mate! You’ll find the “new” Vice!
Can I find a list of your favorite golf balls somewhere?
Thanks very much loved the different angle watching the ball land and stop when you were Chipping.
Great job keep well Saul
I’ve mentioned this year before maybe it was the end of last year but I noticed the vice pro plus from 2024 were much better models than the 2025 counterparts. It’s sad to see how far vice has fallen in the last couple of years. Great video overall!
Love your content and your videos. The vice pro and pro tour are very firm balls and sometimes feel like you're hitting a rock. If it's a really hot day, I'll use them because they'll soften up. But any other time of the year, they stay in the bag.
I was a faithful Vice Pro+. Highly disappointed with the decline in quality and prcing increase. Switched to the Pro+ Lime and was completely disappointed with how quickly the paint came off. Went back to the White Pro+ and the ball does not hold up like they did 3-4 years ago. Went back to Pro-V1 models , both white and yellow, for durability and no wearing of the color. Recently did ball fitting and now playing Srixon ZStar.
I wonder if the pro tracer (non painted) Is right on with the regular pro?
Have a question if money is not an option who cares what it costs what is your favorite ball
It'll be interesting once tm says "enough is enough," like what they did to initial Kirklands and Snell. Goodbye Vice, Maxfli and that Irish company claiming to have some technology… Seed ! Well maybe Maxfli could get through it thanks to Dick's. But who knows?
I happen to be working my way through a box of the white Pros and have been inconsistent as hell. I was playing well with a box of Triads and then made the switch when I ran out. Probably just my own fault and the fact that I am a 15 hdcp but after watching this video it is making me wonder.
Wondering different factories?
Great review, but the more editions and colors Vice Golf releases, the less interesting they become to me—even though, given my low clubhead speed, the junior ball would actually be quite interesting for me.
If you test the Wilson Triad again, could you please check here to see if the yellow and white versions differ?
Thanks!
I like the '24 vice pros
Just starting the vid, and I’m a vice ball player…but yeah, I feel like they went from cool underdog company to drunk frat guy.
What do you mean vice is not a DTC company anymore?
I like all the re-reviews you've been doing. Any chance you can work the Snell MTB Black LTD in there somewhere?
I see that Snell is bringing the MTD Black back with what they say is a premium cast urethane, which is apparently different than the TPU-X urethane on their other urethane balls. I hope it's as good as the old MTD Black was. Hope you will be testing it soon!!!
For me they are a bit expensive if you compare to say Tiger Cliff, Seed or Snyder. However they are seriously good looking balls. Driving for show putting for dough, made me smile 😊.
i got 4 boxes of the vice pro with the alignment circles to play this year in my weekly wednesday night. at minimum 1 of 3 has those lines not actually parallel. was a big disappointment as an alignment aid visually and can't wait to get through the last two boxes
Please do the Wilson lineup
Unfortunate, I love Vice balls and pretty much play the pro air tracer exclusively, really hope that gets better results lol.
Great review, we want honesty!! I know you like Vice but if they're not good, they're not good. Maybe success has gone to their heads!! Keep up the good work!!