50 Words or Less
The PXG Xtreme golf balls are very strong performers. Tour-level across the short game and long game. Excellent feel.
Introduction
Over the last few seasons, PXG has been pursuing two goals: offering the highest performance gear in their 0311 line and delivering great value in the 0211 line. With the introduction of their new Xtreme Golf Balls, they’re doing both things at once. PXG claims their balls meet or exceed the performance of the #1 ball in golf, all while costing $15 less per dozen. They also aim to simplify the buying process by offering just one model. Can this ball really be all things to all people? I tested them to find out.
Feel
If you’re going to try to compete with the #1 ball in golf, you need to get the feel right. Few high level players are going to game a hard ball, even if it does perform. PXG knows that, and they nailed the feel.
Off the putter, the PXG Xtreme Golf Ball is a dead ringer for the Pro V1x. It’s soft while still feeling responsive. There’s a quiet “tock” off a milled putter face. That same mix of soft and crisp is present with the wedges and irons.
A Few Words on Testing
Before continuing the review, I want to credit PXG for their commitment to publishing data. With almost every release, they’re willing to share cold, hard numbers to show how they’ve improved on previous efforts or how they compare to their competitors. That’s true of the Xtreme Golf Ball, with PXG’s site offering comparisons to the Pro V1 and Pro V1x in wedge, iron, and driver testing.
The data they’ve shared is taken from robot testing and, as I’ll discuss, it differs from what I saw in a couple ways. This does not discredit either test. In fact, it’s to be expected. Some golfers hold out robot testing as the be-all-end-all, but it’s not. When you test with robots, you have to make numerous choices: club, swing speed, angle of attack, etc. The robot can recreate those inputs almost perfectly, but it’s still just giving you data based on those inputs. My testing is no different: I report what a piece of gear does with my swing. My one data point is not any more or less important than the robot’s or anyone else’s. In the rest of this review, I’ll speak to my data and PXG’s, and you can make your own decision about whether or not to give their ball a try.
Short Game
One of the most exciting pieces of data shared by PXG is the stopping power they found in their golf ball. They report wedge spin that’s slightly higher than both the Pro V1 and Pro V1x. In my testing against both new Pro V1 models [review HERE], I found the PXG spun slightly less in the short game.
Whether you look at my data or PXG’s, it’s most important to recognize that the differences are not huge. All three of these balls are peers. PXG’s data shows they have an edge of about 100 RPM. My testing showed the PXG about 300 RPM behind. There are many possible explanations for this discrepancy, but the practical takeaway is that the PXG Xtreme Golf Ball has plenty of short game stopping power.
Long Game
In PXG’s iron testing, they found that the Xtreme Golf Ball produced spin rates between the Pro V1 and Pro V1x, carried slightly farther than both, and stopped just as quickly. My testing mirrored these results almost perfectly. The Pro V1x and PXG Xtreme produced almost identical iron spin numbers, both a couple hundred RPM higher than the Pro V1. Carry and total distances were not meaningfully different.
Finally, turning to the driver, I found my biggest discrepancy with PXG’s robot testing. PXG reported driver spin that was over 300 RPM higher than the Pro V1 and ball speed almost 1 MPH faster. In my testing, I saw equal ball speed across the three models, but the PXG was in the lower spin range alongside the Pro V1.
I’ll reiterate, these are not big differences that you’ll be able to see on the course. Unless you’re an extremely high level player, you could play any one of these three balls and not know the difference.
Conclusion
While this review ended up deep into the weeds, the big takeaway is this: PXG has built a golf ball that can rival the Titleist Pro V1. The PXG Xtreme Golf Ball performs well across all aspects of the game, and it feels great. Perhaps most notably, they’re offering this ball for $15 less per dozen than the Pro V1. That’s innovation that everyone can appreciate.
Visit PXG HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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27 Comments
Hey Matt,
How was durability during your testing? That’s an area where a number of the DTC ball companies have fallen short of the big names. Great numbers don’t mean much when the ball is scuffed beyond usefulness after two holes. Thanks, take care, and have a great day.
Sean,
I found no scuffing or other durability issues in my testing.
Best,
Matt
I played same ball all day and never came close to taking it out of play. Durability was all I could hope for in a ball with this much greenside action.
Thanks Matt,
I guess the only thing left is to get a sense for their manufacturing consistency across balls/dozens, which is an area Pro Vs excel. If that’s good, it’s a done deal for PXG. Did your testing provide any way to know or test that?
Jim
Jim,
My testing was conducted on one dozen balls. I didn’t find any outlier balls in my dozen.
Best,
Matt
I wonder if their published testing comparisons are against last year’s Pro Vs, which be another reason for the difference. Would not have been easy to test and publish so quickly after the new Pro Vs came out.
Just played 2 rounds w this ball and it’s excellent. Your review is spot on. Bottom line for me personally, no way in hell am I spending $55 box for new prov1’s and I’m looking forward to taking all my golf buddies money w PXG on the ball. 👍🏻
I had a feeling it would be a good ball, but it’s nice to see some thorough reviews like yours. I won’t spend $55 for a box of ProV1’s (unless I have pro shop credit), but I probably won’t spend $40 on PXG either. I do prefer a premium urethane cover ball, but I can usually find them at $30 or less. I think Titleist dominance will continue and PXG (and other DTC balls) will more likely cut into sales for TM, Cally, Srixon and Bridgestone.
At 35 or lower this would be a winner many would try. Can find equal or better at 40 price range.
FYI if you are past or present military, law enforcement or first responder, PXG offers these for $35 a dozen through their PXG heroes program. It also gave me a nice discount when I bought my Gen 3 irons.
I’m waiting on delivery of the PXG. However I did test the Pro Vl I have been using this ball very successfully for years. After switching from the Pro Vx. The 2023 ball however felt almost like a Stone compared to the 2022. I did not like the flight down on the long irons or my 3 wood. I’m looking forward to trying to find a ball that performs but I must have the feel. The long and short of it is I played the 2023 ball for six holes 4 over par. I took the 2022 ball out and played the next 12 holes 4 under.
Where do they sell these balls, Is it through PXG or are they selling them at the major sports retailers? Thanks
Gary,
Through the PXG website and Amazon, starting in March.
-Matt
White only? Any plans to introduce yellow.
I’ll buy when yellow is out…. My 60+ year old eyes need that
They need to be put in stores across the country when ready.. Because dealing with PXG shipping takes to long.
If you have a PXG store in your area, they will have them.
I got my irons within 5 days, however their shipping costs (on clubs at least) are astronomical. Its beneficial to order them from Amazon once they go on sale there to avoid the shipping.
I bought from Amazon had them the next day
Hi Matt some are saying the PXG ball is made in the same factory as the Kirkland ball. Would you say the PXG ball has the same characteristics as the Kirkland ball ?
Rick,
I’m not an expert on the Kirkland ball, but my understanding is that the Kirkland ball was actually several different models over time. Whether that’s true or not, I never tested any of them extensively enough to give a definitive opinion on that.
Best,
Matt
I’ve seen an assessment saying that it shares a dimple pattern, but the materials, cover thickness, insides, etc. are all different than Kirkland.
Hi matt,
How do they compare to the Vice Pro Plus? At $29 a dozen vs $40, do you see a difference?
Thanks,
Rick
Rick,
I have a full review of the Vice Pro Plus here: https://pluggedingolf.com/vice-golf-pro-and-pro-plus-golf-ball-review/
The Pro Plus is recommended for speeds of 110+ MPH, so it may not create as much speed as the PXG for average golfers.
-Matt
Hello Matt.
Love the review. I’m a 5 handicap and my driver speeds are around 114 mph and my 7 iron around 92. I’ve had to get balls that fit in those speeds. With one PXG model will my swing speeds work with the PXG?
Eric,
Yes, I think it will be fine.
-Matt
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this article!
It’s the little changes that produce the most significant changes.
Thanks a lot for sharing!