I Bought the Amazon Basics Golf Balls & I’m SHOCKED!

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In this video Rick Shiels PGA Golf Professional reviews the brand new golf ball from Amazon Basics! Can this super cheap golf ball perform well & how well does it stack up against the Titleist Pro V1?

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Hi I’m Rick Shiels, welcome to my channel! This YouTube channel is designed to help you play better golf, also to help you enjoy your golf more!

I specialise in golf equipment reviews, golf instruction & I play against some of the best golfers in the world!

I also want to make you play better golf by providing coaching video on all topics about golf, how to fix your slice, fix your hook, help you drive the golf ball longer, hit your irons more pure, hit your irons closer to the hole and help you draw and fade your golf shots.

I will also help you lower your score by chipping better by stopping you duff and thin chips, pitch the ball closer and also create backspin. Also I will provide you help to putt better and hole more putts!

So, I’ve been testing golf product now for 13 years, and I’ve got to say this is the most intriguing and highly requested video possibly ever. In my hand, I’ve got the brand new Amazon golf balls. I never thought Amazon would be making golf balls. Um, let’s see what they’re all about. Now, over those 13 years testing products here on YouTube, I’ve bought a lot of products from Amazon, but I’ve actually never had Amazon products. This I I can’t believe this. This is This almost It’s caught me a bit off guard. When I first saw an image of these online, I honestly thought these were AI generated. I thought, you know, when you put those things in, like, show me what Amazon golf balls would look like, and it would spit out an image of this. I mean, they’ve come in a box, a brown Amazon box, and inside you’ve got three sleeve, four sleeves of three, 12 balls in total. And literally, they are the simplest packaging ever. It just says Amazon basics. That is it. Just a cutout window. And straight away you can see the golf balls. And you know, why can’t you buy golf balls from Amazon that are branded by Amazon? cuz I’m quite intrigued to see where this golf ball sits. Because from a price standpoint in the US, these are $12 a dozen. $1 a golf ball. In the UK, they’re actually a little bit more expensive. They’re $17 for a dozen. It’s about $20. We’re getting stung here in the UK. And I’m sure that price will come down a little bit over time. But these are $1 a golf ball. So, but where where do they sit in that price range? because you know in that kind of category you’ve got pretty decent tricks and golf balls you can get. But is this ball even potentially better? Because I believe these golf balls are made by the same company that make the Kirkland Signature golf balls from Costco and they’re really really good. Like they’re almost like a Prov1 equivalent to some degree. So let’s give these a test. I’m going to test them here in the studio, get some numbers on GC Quad, take them out on the golf course, get feel etc. And in the final test will be with the driver. What these golf balls fly like with the big stick. Now Amazon are saying these are low compression to deliver exceptional distance and straight flight. Optimized spin for greenside control alignment aid to improve putting. And like I said, they are made by SM Global, the same guys who make the Kirkland Signature Balls. Right, I’ve inspected the basic packaging. Let’s have a look at the ball itself. I mean, that’s it’s mad seen an Amazon logo on a golf ball. It’s just got the kind of Amazon, is it a smiley face, delivery line, etc. And then the number. It’s got core soft on the side with the alignment. The alignment isn’t great. It’s really, really thick and bold. You know, if you were lining that up on a putting green, it will do a bit of a job, but a thinner line would be better. Um, I mean, looks wise, it’s very, very shiny. Feelwise, even just sticking my nail in it, it’s firm. And I can tell that straight away. Give it a bite. Yeah, that’s rock hard. Let’s see how it performs. Even if I Oh, actually. Wa. I tell you what, that sounds really soft. What the hell? I’m going just get a Pro V1. [Applause] What the hell? The Amazon sounds and feels softer. That’s weird, right? We need to hit some shots. Also, we know these golf balls are cheap, but also how durable are they? We’ll find that out on the golf course as well. Right, first ever shot with an Amazon golf ball. Spin a bit. Spin a bit. Honestly, something doesn’t quite marry up there because the feel and I I would say I’m pretty well tuned in to the feel of a golf ball just honestly by sticking my nail in it or honestly biting it. The cover feels hard. It does. It feels firm. The the keeping up the golf ball soft as anything that shot so so soft. Now, typically soft can mean slow. So, we need to keep keep an eye on that. I’ll be honest, I’m a bit of a sucker for a softer golf ball. Certainly around the greens. Putting chipping with a softer ball for me personally feels so much nicer. So, as long as that speed stays high, wow, Amazon could be on to something. I mean, it’s almost muted when you hit it. There’s almost no sound. I mean, for a 100 yard wedge shot, these are coming out a little bit hotter. That was carried at 107. First inspection, not bad numbers. I’m looking at spin. I’m looking at ball speed. I’m looking at height. So far, pretty good. That was the worst strike, but the best result. I’m just going to hit a few more so we can collect some numbers with this ball. Just hitting a sand wedge. That’s going to be pretty good. Very nice. Right, we’re up to seven eye next. This is where we might start to see does that softness in feel, does that affect distance? Let’s find out. It will be more noticeable the longer the shot. Seven irons and moving into drivers next. That’s where if this ball is slow, it will be found out. It’s going to find the green, but it wasn’t my best strike. Little bit bottomed, but with pin eye. Oh, that felt good. That was a proper golf shot. Jeff Bezos, what have you done so far? I’m very impressed. And by the way, Jeff Bezos, if you’re watching this video and you want to learn how to play golf, first off, subscribe to this channel. Appreciate that. And give me a call. I can help you. I can be your private golf coach anytime, honestly. Anytime, anywhere. [Music] That’s a really nice golf shot. Exactly the same as the last one. Just just for a minute, just for my own sanity a little bit, I’m going to hit some with the Pro V1. This is the ball I always use. It’s been around for 25 years and different iterations every couple of years. This is regarded by most as the number one golf ball in golf so far. I am incredibly impressed. Let’s take the Amazon golf ball out on the course, do some chipping, putting, durability, bunker shots, etc., and then we’ll come back to the studio, hit some driver shots, and then dive through all of the data, all of the numbers. Just like that, round the golf course. We’re going to do some chipping, putting durability test with these balls. Um, like I said, what we’ve seen in the studio so far has been pretty impressive. But how do they feel out on the golf course? Uh, it’s a little bit of a chilly day, but let’s see what they do. I’m going to go Let’s hit some little 56 chips first. This might be the first time Amazon golf balls have ever touched grass here at Wesley Park. Marriott bit heavy-handed. Felt so soft off the face. My initial thoughts is honestly they are so soft off the face. Like ridiculous. It almost you almost can’t hear it. Like you almost can’t hear the strike. Uh first three shots. A little bit of a guide up. We’ll hit some more some more chips. Might go a bit further back actually. just don’t One thing I’m I’m not seeing is that initial kind of like grab like that there. I thought I hit that really well. I’m expecting to see it kind of grab its teeth in a little bit more. And then when I don’t want it to grab, it grabbed. Okay, let’s go a little bit further back. Let’s hit a pitch in there. Okay, little bit more promise from further back. That actually at least dug its teeth in that time, which was good. Okay, just my own sanity, I’m going to try. I’ve got three Amazon balls. I’m going to play the same shot. I’ve also got a throw v1. Let’s just see. I I know in this condition, these balls should be spinning, stopping quicker. At the moment, I don’t seem to be getting that spin. So, I’m just going to hit three of the Amazon balls again and then I’ll hit the Pro V1. Good chunk. If you’re going to see the spin on the ball, Rick, it’s a good idea to try and hit the green. That’s really well struck. Spin. It’s not quite grabbing. Oh, Rick. This is the Pro V1 now. Well struck one just different in it. It’s just different like one bounced up drop and stop. The Amazon do drop and roll. Okay. Chipping is I’ve got mixed thoughts on it. Like the actual feel off the face is gorgeous. Almost soft and spongy. Yet when it lands like it’s it’s not creating any real traction. It’s not terrible, but it’s not super spinny. Something to adjust to. Put in next. Um, I’m pretty confident to say this before I even put that alignment line is the thickest, boldest, least precise alignment line I’ve ever seen. But at least it’s on there. Um, I’m going to line it up with that anyway. I I just personally prefer much kind of thinner line, but that is a big chunky one. should maybe it’s easier to line up. Who knows? Even looking down at the ball, I’m reading where it says core soft. [Music] Well, they work. They’re round and they roll. Uh, and they’re soft. Like, they’re really soft. What I was thinking then when I stood over the ball, wouldn’t it wouldn’t an Amazon Prime ball sounded so much better? Like if it said Prime on the side, I think that would have looked so much cleaner instead of it saying core soft or Amazon basics. Lovely roll, great feel. I must admit, I’m a I love a softer golf ball when putting. And that is honestly the softest golf ball I’ve ever puted with. It’s like when you go to a a crazy golf course and you get those one piece golf balls to put with it. Almost feels like that. Almost like rubbery. But it that that also doesn’t make sense because the cover is is hard. It’s like it’s not it’s like it’s not making sense to me. The cover’s hard yet it feels soft. I mean it rolls it does they roll nice. Just you just have to get used to it. I think on slower greens and if if a player had a soft insert on the putter, this would almost feel like two marshmallows hitting each other. It’s just something to be aware of. Okay, I’m going to go from short to super long. Oh, nasty lip out. Yeah, I think that’s the fear on the longer puts. [Music] That was a nicer adjustment. What was the um was it spider low torque putter I tested recently when I was in America. I said how soft that putter was. I almost feel like if you were using that putter with these balls, it’d feel like you’re putting with the head cover on. I kind of think that’s putting done. They’re soft golf ball. They roll. The alignment’s too thick. Next up, durability. By the way, if you love your equipment, be sure to subscribe to the HIT channel. Uh, it’s my golf equipment review channel. Honest, independent, trustworthy. Jump over there. We’ve just over 300,000 subscribers on on there now. And we release videos twice a week all about equipment. So, if you are a golf equipment junkie, it’s heaven if you love your golf equipment. [Laughter] One shot and I lost it. It’s not very durable. [Music] A little bit of war wounds. Not a not loads, but enough for me to start questioning whether I’m going to continue to use that golf ball. There’s just a few little nasty ones here. We’ll get some close-ups as well. But yeah, there’s a few nasty nasty marks there. Still playable. So that’s the biggest difference between like a 4 pound golf ball for a W1 and a and a dollar golf ball. Like am I what am I expecting? It is going to scuff up a little bit. Still playable, but there’s damage that’s seen. Right. I’ve always wanted to say this. Back to the studio. Okay, driver time. Now what I’m going to do here, I’m going to hit a bunch of shots with the Pro V1. Now, what I’m trying to not do here is is fall into the trap of trying to compare a what four pound golf ball in a Pro V1 compared to a one pound golf ball. That’s not a fair comparison. But I know as a benchmark if I hit my driver well what it does with the Pro V1. So, let’s hit that first. Get a kind of benchmark number and let’s just see how how the Amazon ball does compared to I’m not comparing it, but I kind of am comparing it. You go. Let’s go Pro V first. And surely the Amazon golf ball can’t get anywhere near the Prov1, can it? Okay, Amazon basic time with the driver. Uh just hit some really nice shots with the Pro V1. Let’s see how the Amazon ball compares. I think this is if we’re going to see a difference, it’s going to be with this club. Okay, not my best strike that one, but it’s not bad. That was a really good drive. [Music] pretty good. That’s finding the fairway. Amazon, what have you done? What have you done? Um, some really impressive uh stats, some really good data. Um, let’s look through the wedges first. So, I actually did hit Prov1 with wedges as well. Uh, the Amazon ball was spinning. Big factor when you’re hitting a wedge shot. 9,700 RPM. So, it’s solid, right? Not bad at all. The Prov1 had a,000 more RPM spin. So, that ball’s going to stop quicker around the green. We see a very similar pattern with the 7iron. As much as the carry distance was exactly the same, 175 yards with the Prov1 and the Amazon Ball, the spin rate with the Amazon Ball was 800 RPM less. Now, again, for most golfers, they’re not going to really notice that. As long as the height is nice and high, the ball will still stop, just not as quick. So, that’s definitely a big factor. The big test though, the driver. When we look at the driver, I am staggered genuinely how little difference there is. I really, really am. The Pro V1, I’m swinging it fairly fast today. A couple miles per hour faster than normal. I’ve been working on my swing speed a touch. Has average carry distance 288. Spin rate 2,100 with the Prov V1. Ball speed, I wasn’t maybe always middle in every single shot. So, the ball speed was averaging 158 miles per hour. With the Amazon hitting it almost exactly the same, same swing speed, etc. Carrying just three yards less, spinning just 200 RPMs less. Ball speed just two miles, well, not even two, one.3 miles per hour less. I’m blown away. And and it’s I was saying this before, it’s not even like if this ball does really well, Tyler can come in and go, “All right, we’re gonna buy you out.” You’re not buying Amazon. You’re not going to buy an Amazon ball out. This This is very impressive. It’s not perfect. It’s not. And I think a it’ll take a lot of pe a lot of time for people to trust an Amazon golf ball. A bit like what they did with Kirkland Signature few years back. It took a while, but I think they’ve made a very very solid product. Guys, thanks for watching. Stay tuned. Lots more to come. I can’t wait to test the Amazon wedges, Amazon basic irons, Amazon driver. I’m sure all that is to come. Very good. Very good, Jeff. Again, don’t forget to call me if you want lessons.