Equipment
Golf ball guru founds Snell Golf, will sell tour balls for $31.99
If premium golf balls were more affordable, golfers would be more likely to buy them.
That’s the thought behind new golf ball company Snell Golf, which was founded by veteran golf ball designer Dean Snell.
Snell has spent the last 25 years designing golf balls for Titleist and TaylorMade, where he was involved in the development of products such as the Titleist’s Pro V1 and TaylorMade’s Tour Preferred.
His new company will sell golf balls direct to consumers in the continental U.S. through its website at a price point that’s significantly less than what golfers are used to paying.
[quote_box_center]“The performance and materials are there,” Snell said. “But I can sell my golf balls more affordably because I don’t have to pay millions of dollars for advertising and marketing.”[/quote_box_center]
The company’s premium offering, “My Tour Ball,” will sell for $31.99 per dozen, a price that includes free shipping. It’s a three-piece model with a cast urethane cover that Snell says delivers the performance of golf balls that sell for $40 or more per dozen.
[quote_box_center]”I’ve designed golf balls for best players in the world and I want to bring that performance and technology to golfers at an affordable price,” Snell said. “A lot of good players don’t buy the good stuff … but they could actually use that performance because it actually helps them.”[/quote_box_center]
“My Tour Ball” has a low-compression core (low 80’s) and a firmer, ionomer middle layer that work together with the ball’s cast urethane cover to give golfers long distance off the tee, consistency with their irons and maximum spin around the greens.
Snell Golf will also sell a two-piece golf called “Get Sum” for $21.99 with free shipping.
[quote_box_center]“[Get Sum] is for the 8-to-10 handicapper or higher, or someone who doesn’t want to pay $10 more per dozen,” Snell said.[/quote_box_center]
The ball uses a large, soft core and suryln cover to deliver a softer feel. According to Snell, Get Sum has a slightly higher launch angle and a lower-spinning trajectory through the bag that limits hooks and slices.
[quote_box_center]“The spin rates [of the two balls] are almost the same with the driver, so they’ll both go the maximum distance off the tee,” Snell said. “The difference is shorter shots. With My Tour Ball, golfers won’t give up any performance.”[/quote_box_center]
The golf balls will be made overseas with distribution in New Bedford, Mass. They will begin shipping March 15.
Visit SnellGolf.com for more information.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.
TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.
The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.
One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.
Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.
See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:
MySpider Tour
MySpider Tour X
Equipment
Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory
In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.
McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.
So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?
Driver
2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)
McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.
What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)
The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.
Fairway woods
2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X
The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.
The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.
Irons
2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.
With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.
Wedges
2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.
Putter
2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X
Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.
Ball
2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)
As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.
Grips
2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC
Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.
What’s the story behind Webb Simpson’s custom-stamped irons?
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Scott
Dec 30, 2015 at 5:45 pm
Well I found one of these balls…..played it and I loved it….and have now purchased dozens….great ball.
Edward
Jul 1, 2015 at 1:52 am
Try them…. I’m telling you they are great balls NOT a cheap knockoff. And the name is fun not all stuffy like the presumptuous big companies. My tour ball is a great name and it is just that his, mine or yours but they are the real deal and you can catch a special online that gets them in the 25.00 range. Ball snobs need not apply but if you want a great ball these are for you..
SupD3
Mar 30, 2015 at 9:20 pm
I’ve played now 3 rounds with the Snell My Tour Ball. I gotta say I like it a lot. Compared to the most recent Tour Preferred ball there is very very little difference. Actually can’t pinpoint any. Plenty long, cover feels similar and no difference in spin on short shots.
BTW, with respect to those who claim to buy Pro V’s for 20-30 a dozen. If you don’t care about precision I guess it doesn’t matter. If a golf ball sits in a lake for a month or in the woods for a few months it is not going to perform like a new ball. Let’s say you normally hit a 7 iron 167 on the nose. You come up a to par 3 with water in front. You nail a 7 iron but for some reason it only flys 164 (12 feet short) and lands in the water. You can’t figure out why, you thought you hit it well? Must have been the wind? Maybe it was that “new” Pro V you bought on ebay?
I get that not everyone is looking for precision. I understand that not all x-outs or refurb balls are bad. For me however, this game is hard enough. I’d just assume remove a variable that I actually can control.
Snell from here on out!
terry
Mar 24, 2015 at 1:00 pm
its very possible these are just standard balls being mass produced and marketed by several different companies like Kick X Tour. But snell has a story. Maybe that’s what they are relying on. I like stories. I buy stories.
1badbadger
Feb 20, 2015 at 8:24 am
“The spin rates [of the two balls] are almost the same with the driver, so they’ll both go the maximum distance off the tee,”
A 3-piece urethane covered ball and a 2-piece Surlyn covered ball are going to spin very differently. I’m surprised that a man with his credentials would make a statement like that. But on his website he makes THIS comment to a player who asked about sidespin: “A golf ball will not ever eliminate hooks and slices, but it can help reduce them. Try GET SUM… its lower spinning and great soft feel…”
Dean
Feb 23, 2015 at 11:33 am
1badbadger. Dont be surprised. Today, all 2pc, 3pc, 4pc and 5pc balls are able to be designed with low driver spin rates. So if you are able to get the ball speed high, and the spin rates are similar, then the drivers will all go about the same distance. In the past, tour balata type balls used to have driver spin rates of around 4000 rpm, and 2-pc balls were around 2800rpm… Today, just about every ball out there is around 2800 rpm… We use core compressions, layers, and materials to develop different constructions to have this lower, preferred spin. When you have a 2-pc design, typically having a low driver spin also means low spin all the way through the set… and conversely, the multi layered balls allow us to create a different spin curve within the whole set of clubs.. Thus higher spin than these low spinning two pc balls… So hitting a low spin, two pc ball like GET SUM will help you hit straighter shots throughout the set, cause the spin is lower as you progress through the set. So longer irons will have less spin, and help the hooks and slices…. So hope this helps, and thanks for going to the website and reading up on the forum questions…
LLang
Feb 15, 2015 at 8:57 pm
Guys I just hit these balls this weekend on a florida golf trip. I am an 8-10 handicapper who has always played the prov1x. The my tour ball is very comparable was long off the tee with great feel around greens.
Connor
Feb 9, 2015 at 3:37 pm
My best round of golf came in a college practice round with a corn-cobbed NXT. Lol. Good luck to Snell!
AJ
Feb 8, 2015 at 8:49 am
You cant turn on the companies that made your career and steal the market share they earned through hard you. And you certainly cant sucessfully convince anyone these are truly the same quality at a lower price especially without advertising to communicate with the market, endorsements and brand recognition. Lower price will always be percieved as lower quality no matter what you say. And the guy who got his provs on craigs list probably paid for repainted rangeballs. #dumdum
kappy
Feb 26, 2015 at 1:43 am
AJ,
if people never branched out and took chances on their own than there would never be anything new out there. don’t forget, the Dodge brothers left Ford in 1915. Guess they did pretty good for themselves and provided a great product over all these years.
terry
Mar 24, 2015 at 12:43 pm
I would say this guy did more for titleist than titleist did for him. And when you pay for a ProV you’re paying so you can hear every pro in a commercial say “i play a titleist”.
Steve
Feb 5, 2015 at 11:37 am
There have been a number of startup golf ball companies launching “tour” balls simply trying to compete on a lower price. I think some of these balls are just as good as any pro v1, since they’re all coming out of similar factories, (it’s a commodity- solid rubber core construction), but perception tends to outweigh rational decision making. If their brand’s comes off as cheap they may struggle to gain traction. OnCore Golf, a company I helped co-found, has launched a truly unique golf ball, the MA-1.0, with a hollow metallic core construction. The ball is 44.99 a dozen, USGA conforming, and has been tested to truly improve dispersion off the tee, and on approach shots. We’re a youthful, fun brand, providing a highly engineered product. Check our website out or email us if your interested in a trial sleeve ([email protected]). I enjoy seeing the diversity of golf balls and startups competing against the goliaths of the industry, power to um.
Best,
Steve
Rusty Putter
Feb 4, 2015 at 11:17 pm
Craig’s list deal got me 200 PRO V s for $125. Gotta love crack head zombies who walk SOCAL streets.
Ben
Feb 4, 2015 at 10:09 am
Personally, I don’t care what they’re called. You could call it knuckler, super slice or duck hook, or under water… As long as it plays well, I’m in.
I just ordered a sample pack.
Roosterredneck
Feb 3, 2015 at 8:19 am
The name stinks what about S80 – this is reflecting the owners name Snell and the compression 80
Priced too high- until this is proven to be worth it’s price, drop the price. too many other balls at or below this price that people play and love. Changing to another ball requires an entry price less than
the present pricing of our favorite ball (limited time only) . THEN AGAIN WAIT TO SEE IT ON TOUR AS AWINNER .
MBA-J
Feb 3, 2015 at 8:07 am
If you Snell…what the ROCK is cooking…
leftright
Feb 3, 2015 at 7:49 am
It’s about image with many in golf. I used to be hung up on image until I got older and wiser. I stocked up on the Srixon Z-Stars for $30 a dozen until they are gone from the stores. Great ball and tour events have been won with it and some of the Cleveland guys play it. I might buy some just to check them out.
Bruce
Feb 3, 2015 at 3:17 am
$27 for a split dozen might be worth a test.
Luke
Feb 3, 2015 at 12:53 am
$31.99 for a “tour ball” is not cheap, do a little shopping around and you can find name brand “tour” balls for 20-30 bucks. I’m sure these balls are just as good as the tour preffered x balls I’m using now..except I paid 24.99 a dozen.
kappy
Feb 3, 2015 at 11:12 am
where are you buying tour preferred X for $24/dz? back alley?
Its funny that people have all these comments without playing these balls yet. As Snell states, “Let it Develop”.
try them then post some more comments. Curious to see what is said then. This guy obviously has the credentials to make balls of any caliber.
Roge Brightman
Feb 2, 2015 at 11:33 pm
I have played Titleist golf balls for over 50 years now. I will however give my friend Dean Snell[s product a try. After all he does know what he is talking about.
Alex
Feb 2, 2015 at 10:35 pm
I’m not going to knock Snell as a name, because it’s named after him.
But “my tour ball” and “get sum” are dumb.
It makes the ball seem cheap and many will disregard based on that alone.
Just call them the Snell One and the Snell Two or something. Don’t make it sound gimmicky.
Kelly
Feb 3, 2015 at 8:50 pm
Agree 100%
Justin
May 27, 2016 at 10:32 pm
Well you sound beyond pretentious. Bet that helps your game. I always noticed when I looked down on others I gained a few extra yards…
Philip
Feb 2, 2015 at 8:11 pm
Well, he partially owns the most relevant recent patents so definitely worth checking out.
marcel
Feb 2, 2015 at 5:24 pm
nice – id love to give them a go but they wont be in Australia i guess anytime soon ;-(
Shallowface
Feb 2, 2015 at 4:08 pm
I wish them well, but those who are hung up on what others think about them (and there are a lot of them) will never give it a chance. It’s Pro V or nothing for that group.
slider
Feb 3, 2015 at 12:29 am
I am in that group
Will
Feb 2, 2015 at 3:54 pm
you dont need to pay $45 to play a tour ball. ebay is your friend. for example… the ball that works for me is the lethal. i tried the new perferred X and didnt like it. for what its worth ive also always disliked the Prov1. regular one spins too much. X doesnt spin enough. bought 12 dz lethals on ebay at a price of $25/dozen
MHendon
Feb 2, 2015 at 4:49 pm
Yeah I don’t know if they’re still doing it or not butt Taylormade was selling bulk packs of Lethals a couple months ago. I bought the 50 ball pack for $100. 2 dollars a ball is hard to beat and its a great ball.
Golfraven
Feb 2, 2015 at 3:01 pm
First of all the name sucks. I have seen similar companies spinning same business model and claiming their balls compare to v1 or NXT but at lover price. I tested some of those and can say that I was not impressed by looks, feel and performance nor didn’t have full confidence making a switch. I see here only 20-30% difference in price which is not really great selling point. If you want titleist and can afford it, well buy it, otherwise there are plenty of other well performing balls from great manufactures at good price.
Joe
Feb 2, 2015 at 1:51 pm
The name is terrible. It sounds like the name of the ugly best friend in a chick flick.
Jafar
Feb 2, 2015 at 1:08 pm
Finally, someone in golf appealing to peoples wallets. Definitely interested, will be sure to buy some for the upcoming season.
greg
Feb 2, 2015 at 12:04 pm
Brand name balls equate to known performance, guaranteed quality, and status.. That is huge That said, I’ve been !bothered by prices lately and see no reason why I should pay extra for balls that Bubba, Phil, and Sergio are paid to tell me to play.
I like the idea that someone, with credentials, offers a product without these costs factored in. I’ll try ’em.
Jeff
Feb 2, 2015 at 1:46 pm
Well,
Wilson staff Duo,
Srixon soft
Calloway soft and now Snell.
Could be a price war
Andrew
Feb 2, 2015 at 11:56 am
Agree on the terrible name. And tbh, I’d rather spend my $43 on pro-v’s that are made here in the US.
slider
Feb 3, 2015 at 12:30 am
agreed
Jason
Mar 4, 2015 at 8:36 am
Pro-V1’s made in the U.S.? Only a small fraction of Titleists are made in the U.S. with the remaining plants expected to be gone in a couple years.
Brutus
Feb 2, 2015 at 11:51 am
I like the fact that the tour ball is lower compression. I’ve noticed better performance with my swing at a lower compression. I’m gonna give it a try since the Bridgestone RX’s are 50% more than these and too much in my book. The name probably isn’t the greatest, but if it helps get lower scores,
than who cares??!!!
Chomper
Feb 2, 2015 at 10:51 am
Agree on the branding, but that is why it is so cheap right?
ken
Feb 2, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Because Snell DOES NOT pay tour players to use their golf ball. Simple.
Here’s an example. Before Adams Gold started paying pros to use their clubs, Adams equipment could be had at a reasonable price. I bought a new set of irons some 10 years ago. Granted, these Tight Lies players model irons were a discontinued model and that lowered the price significantly, The off the rack price was still reasonable
Eli Yates
Feb 2, 2015 at 1:08 pm
the Tight Lies tour irons the ones with the graphite tips… I got some back in the day… those irons were awesome. I actually taped them off and painted the graphite and customized them they looked like a blue and white candy cane. I wish I still had them.
Matt
Feb 2, 2015 at 10:43 am
Well, he might want to spend a bit of money on branding. Snell, My Tour Ball, and Get Sum are all terrible names.
MHendon
Feb 2, 2015 at 12:37 pm
I agree with you about the branding. However obviously he wanted to use his name so I imagine that will stay. I will say I’m interested and might give them a try since he has been involved in designing my two favorite balls on the market.
Jafar
Feb 2, 2015 at 1:09 pm
Disagree about the name. If he’s honest about his story, that is what I am buying.