The Green Fee 
Its about that time of the year where golfers begin to start setting up their bags for the upcoming season. Its time to figure out what clubs get to stay in the bag and which ones they may replace. Its also a good time to figure out exactly which golf ball to use for the season.
That search for me led me down the rabbit hole of Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) golf balls. After doing my research I decided to buy some Vice golf balls. I dont know if these will replace my OEM golf balls but I wanted to give it a go.
How does the business work?
Before I start showing numbers I think its only fair to tell you a little about Vice. In layman’s terms they make golf balls and ship them direct. They take out the middle man (Golf Stores) and the consumer is able to actually purchase a high quality golf ball at a great price. Now one big not so very secretive secret in the golf world is the use of Open Source manufacturing. Smaller golf companies like Vice dont actually design and create their own designs. They go to a manufacturing plant in Asia, in Vice’s instance its Taiwan, and they use a design the company already has then they stamp their name on it. This isnt inherently bad but it does give the company limited insight to what is happening with their product. This can cause QC issue but does limit production costs and those savings can be passed on to the consumer.
How did it perform?
The most important thing is performance. I took a Vice Pro Plus and compared it to the industry leader ProV1x as well as a high quality golf ball that I personally love the Srixon Z Star XV. I did the test with my Cobra F8+ Driver, Srixon 765 Irons, and a Taylormade Hi-Toe Wedge. The simulator I was hitting off was showing spin numbers that seemed low. That can obviously skew the distance results but the balls were tested in the same circumstances at the same time so it is still an apples to apples comparison
First off lets look at 7 iron stats
| Ball | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin |
| Vice Pro Plus | 118 | 16.1 | 4494 |
| Titleist Prov1x | 117 | 15.9 | 4517 |
| Srixon Z Star XV | 115 | 15.8 | 4560 |
Just looking at the table, Vice has all the ingredients for more distance. Higher launch and lower spin combined with higher ball speeds equals more distance no matter what. The only concern would be getting it to stop on the green. With that being said I still believe the spin was being read too low.
Now lets move to Wedges. This is where a ball can make all the difference in the world. It can be the difference between a bogey and a birdie.
| Ball | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin Rate |
| Vice Pro Plus | 92 | 29.2 | 5931 |
| Titleist ProV1x | 91 | 29.2 | 5974 |
| Srixon Z Star XV | 90 | 29.3 | 5998 |
The numbers look fine here. The spin obviously is low but everything seems pretty close to the major OEMs. The wedge test though was one spot where I did have some concerns with the Vice. I had 1 shot go a full 8 yards further than the others. I also had one go 7 yards shorter. That variance is concerning. Its something that could require further testing
Time to see how the ball performed with Driver. If you need to knock a few 100’s of RPMs the ball is a good place to look. Lets see how the Vice performed!
| Ball | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin |
| Vice Pro Plus | 147 | 12.8 | 2087 |
| Titleist ProV1x | 146 | 12.5 | 2209 |
| Srixon Z Star XV | 144 | 12.1 | 2358 |
With the Driver is where I believe the high launch and low spin of the Vice really worked. The ball stayed on line and really blew the other balls out of the water. It was the most consistent performer. It also produced th emost distance again due to the high launch low spin.
On course performance
I did have the opportunity to take all 3 balls on the course and test them out there as well. On the course I honestly couldnt notice much of a difference between the. For Vice this isnt a bad thing. The best thing I can say about a Vice is that it worked just as well as a ProV1x. The ball held in the wind and performed green side. The wedge issue that showed up in testing just didnt show its self on the course.
The Vice is a little firmer in my opinion than the others. If that is a problem then I might suggest the Vice Pro.
Final Thoughts
Overall I am very impressed with the Vice. Numbers wise it was great. The wedge issue I had in testing didnt show its self out on the course for whatever reason. I really struggled to find a complaint throughout testing. The biggest issue I had was the durability. After all the test the Vice was probably the most “beat up”. It was still useable just a little more beat up than the others.
The pricing model of Vice makes this ball super affordable. If you purchase 5 dzn or more the price comes out to $25 a dozen. For about 50% of the price of the ProV1x its hard not to recommend this golf ball as an alternative to check out this season!