
I recently watched Bubba Watson tee it up with a bright pink golf ball which got me thinking, is this guy so talented that he can bend any golf ball any which way but, and do it with a ball you would get at your local crazy golf course??!!
After some research into the ball I learnt that he was an ambassador for a Korean ball manufacturer named Volvik.
After scouting around at my local golf stores I found a supplier that sold them and asked which particular ball Bubba used.
I was told that it was the S3 model which is acclaimed to be the equivalent to a Pro V, which is my current ball preference, so I thought: ‘Hey, why not, I have a stableford competition this weekend and it might be a bit of a laugh to tee it up on the first with a ball brighter than my usual clothing attire’.
So I picked up a sleeve of three and put them in the bag ready for Sunday.
When I arrive at the course, raring to go, I go through my usual practice routine, few balls on the range followed by 10-15 minutes putting on the practice green.
I reached into my ball pouch, pulled out the sleeve and started to putt, instantly I got a few looks and odd glances, one of my buddies even shouted over and made a joke about me having balls to use those balls, but anyway, it didn’t perter me and I continued to roll some 8 foot putts.
At first I wasn’t expecting a great feel, I mean these things look ridiculous but I was instantly taken aback, I thought I had mishit my first putt even, it came off the face with that soft feel you get with any high end ball, such as a Pro V or TP5.
1 up to the Volvik!
My earlier feeling of novelty over quality had been dampened, these things feel good on the greens.
Although they look a bit garish and in your face the soft urethane outer layer was surprisingly top quality.


So onto the first tee, after marking with my usual 5 dots with the blue sharpie I took out my 3 iron, teed up the ball and made a few practice swings.
One of my playing partners jested that I had teed up a satsuma instead of a golf ball, again another talking point that may break the ice with a playing partner that maybe you haven’t met before.
After my usual pre shot routine, I stepped over the ball and made my swing, the ball took off, I must add that it was a particularly sweet shot, pretty much out the middle and the ball took off as normal with a lovely trajectory!
Through the air the ball really stood out on a fairly over cast day with a grey background this bright orange thunderbolt resembled a Terry’s chocolate orange taking off through the air.
2 up for the Volvik!
After playing a few holes with the S3 I really was impressed, it gave very similar performance to my usual Titleist Pro V 1s, with a soft feel around the greens and good distance. It’s colour is a novelty, it is slightly off-putting when your stood over the ball and I think I would go for them in white next time.
As balls go, they are good, the only reason I would stick with my Pro Vs is for economic reasons, they are not cheap, at almost £15 for a sleeve of 3 they certainly do not outdo a Pro V and I think that Volvik would certainly have more success in the market if they were too consider a lower cost point.
All in all a great ball with a nice choice of illuminous colours, would use them again and may even consider replacing them as my preferred choice (if the price was more competitive). Well done Volvik and I can see why Bubba champions them.