Snell MTB Red & Black: Tour Quality Without Tour Costs

It’s no secret that the Titleist ProV1 is the gold standard for golf balls.  That said, ProV1s are a bit on the pricey side: approximately $50 a dozen.

And there’s nothing wrong with that, but $50 for a dozen balls can add up pretty quickly.

As a result, some smaller-market brands have broken into the once impregnable golf ball marketplace by offering tour-quality golf balls at a lower price point via direct-to-consumer retail, instead of charging an extra $15 per dozen for marketing and middle-man markup fees.

So if you happen to be interested in trying one of these smaller-market golf ball manufacturers, there’s one company that should definitely be on your short list: Snell Golf.

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Snell Golf was founded in 2015 by Dean Snell.  For those of you not familiar with Dean, he’s been instrumental in golf ball development over the past 25+ years while working for TaylorMade Golf and Titleist, during which time he’s been granted more than 40 U.S. patents concerning golf balls.

In sum, Dean Snell knows golf balls.  And when Snell Golf first started out, the My Tour Ball (MTB) took the world by storm when it demonstrated that it could hold its own with balls that cost nearly twice as much.

But like any smart entrepreneur, Dean didn’t rest on his laurels and, instead, listened to what golfers wished the MTB offered, like more green side spin or a softer feel.  So after a few very successful years, Dean took all the feedback he received and developed some new products to replace the original MTB: the MTB Red and MTB Black.

First, the MTB Black.  Similar to the original MTB, the MTB Black is a 3-piece ball.  However, the Black’s noteworthy feature is its 7% lower compression core, which will help lower spin and help golfers squeeze a little more distance out of their drivers.

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In contrast, the MTB Red is a 4-piece ball with a new inner mantle layer that features Snell’s Dual Feel Technology.

While the core is designed to keeps spin down on your longer shots (e.g., driver, fairway woods, long irons), the outer mantle is designed to increase spin on shots with your scoring irons (7, 8, 9 irons and wedges).

A post shared by Snell Golf (@snellgolf) on Jan 17, 2018 at 6:11am PST

While conducting this review, I not only had the chance to test out both the MTB Red and Black, but also the incredible opportunity to briefly speak with Dean Snell about the new MTBs, in addition to golf balls in general.

Generally speaking, nearly all modern golf balls are going to achieve the same “maximum distance,” which can be attributed to USGA conforming golf ball requirements (e.g., initial velocity limitations).  Instead, the real test for a golf ball is how it performs from 150 yards and in (i.e., your approach shots).  As a result, Dean recommends every golfer focus on shots from this distance as their primary test to identify which ball best suits their game.

That’s because while one golfer might be spinning the ball too low and, as a result, require a golf ball that spins more to help hold greens, another golfer might require a golf ball that spins less to help them maintain control over the golf ball.  Remember, excessive spin can cause a loss of distance, a “ballooning” ball flight (the ball starts low but, because of excessive spin, rapidly flies higher and higher before stalling out), and, consequently, loss of ball flight control.

As a result, golfers should consider trying MTB Test Pack to compare the MTB Red and Black and help identify which ball best suits their needs.

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Having the opportunity to try and compare the MTB Red and Black back-to-back was immensely helpful for me, as I was able to quickly identify ball flight patterns that each ball generated.

While the Black did feel a bit firmer, I noticed that I was consistently getting the penetrating ball flight that I’m looking for.  Furthermore, after having the opportunity to spend some time in a Foresight Simulator, I’ve been able to identify that I could benefit from a slight reduction in spin.

At the same time, I really, really enjoyed that the MTB Red felt a bit softer, and this really helped me feel more comfortable when I was chipping from 25-50 yards.  Unfortunately, I also had some difficulty controlling my mid-irons (7 to 9) when I was attacking a pin from the fairway or hitting off the tee on a shorter Par 3.  And while I don’t have any data that could demonstrate that this is just my subconscious or quality of strike at fault, after a few rounds I just felt like I had a bit of advantage with the MTB Black.

Ultimately, the Snell MTB Red and Black are both high performance balls at an incredible price.  So if you’re unsure which one might best compliment your game, just opt for the MTB Test Pack and play a few rounds.

Regardless of which one performs better for you, I can assure you that you’ll be very impressed with Snell Golf.