I’ve heard the Vice Pro golf ball is most often compared to the Pro V1 when it comes to performance.
The Pro V1 is the golf ball that I personally prefer to play, so testing out this Vice Pro golf ball seemed like the perfect project for my golf game.
I’ll shoot you straight – the Vice Pro is not the Pro V1, but it still has some great performance benefits and some reasons why you may want to consider purchasing it. Let’s take a look at everything the Vice Pro has to offer.
Vice Pro Features
The Vice Pro is a three piece golf ball considered to perform like a premium ball with the price tag of an average one. The Vice Pro and the Vice Pro Plus are the two top balls from Vice and are designed for golfers who are looking for performance from both the tee and around the green.
3 Piece Golf Ball
With an interior High Energy Speed Core (HESC), the Vice Pro is equipped to fly a long way. However, in addition to the distance technology, you’ll also find that the Cast Urethane cover is incredibly thin.
Overall, having a three piece golf ball typically means you can get some distance from the tee boxes, but also get better spin around the green.
Cast Urethane Cover
The cast urethane cover on the Vice Pro is incredibly thin, helping players of all abilities get some extra distance out of their shots. However, more important than distance, the cast urethane cover makes your impact with the ball that much softer.
If you like that smoother, buttery feel, cast urethane is likely what you’re looking for.
Stick to The Green Technology
In the Vice Pro golf balls, there is a technology called Stick to The Green that essentially helps a golf ball to spin back when you get closer to the golf hole. All three and four piece golf balls should offer more spin than two piece, but the Stick to The Green technology really helps narrow down performance.
Optimal Alignment
On the green, you’ll benefit from the Vice Pro alignment line. The line ensures you can get your ball started on the right path and head for the hole. Alignment lines can also be used when placing your shot on a tee.
Vice Pro Performance
Now that you have the basics of the technology included in the Vice Pro, let’s take a deeper look at what you can expect on the golf course. I took the Vice Pro out and played several 18 hole rounds before finalizing my opinions regarding performance.
Feel and Sound
The feel and sound of the Vice Pro are probably some of the best in the Vice line. Even outside of the Vice line of golf balls, these still compete and have an impressive overall feel. The Vice Pro is a softer feeling ball, but it still allows you to feel in control of your shots.
In other words, it’s not so soft that it loses its power or strength.
In addition, the sound is very neutral. It’s not a clicky noise, but also doesn’t sound overly loud or thumpy when you hit it.
Spin
With a more premium three piece golf ball like the Vice Pro, I expect low spin from the tee and higher spin around the greens.
Spin from the tee is about average. Most of my drives released and continued rolling down the fairway, but it’s not the lowest spinning ball in the game.
Spin on approach shots with irons are good. As long as you have enough swing speed (in the 95 mph range with a driver), then you should have no trouble spinning this one close to the green.
When it comes to spin around the greens, the Vice Pro is about as good as it gets from Vice. The spin rates here are quite as high as with the Pro V1 on those short shots, but it’s not too far behind.
Greenside Control
The combination of higher spin mixed with the softer feel of the Vice Pro is what really offers great control around the greens.
I love this type of control for golfers in the mid handicap range that are just starting to pay attention to what it takes to shoot a lower score. If you’re starting to play your game differently and realizing how precision can make all the difference around the greens, the Vice Pro is a good golf ball to use.
Distance
Distance is really important, but when you go to slightly higher compression three and four piece golf balls, distance doesn’t always get better.
In the case of the Vice Pro, I was really impressed with the total distance from the tee. My swing speed is right in the range of the recommended for the Vice Pro (95 to 110 mph), so getting distance from the tee and with iron shots wasn’t a problem.
I will caution that if you’re a slower swing speed player, you may struggle to compress the Vice Pro enough to get your full distance potential from this ball.
Price
Pricing is fair from the Vice Pro. With the spin around the greens being a little higher and the cast urethane cover material, the Vice Pro is priced right where it needs to be.
For more advanced players who are accustomed to having to pay more than $50 per dozen, the overall pricing here (~$38/dozen) is quite impressive.
What I Like About The Vice Pro
Overall, I really like the Vice Pro golf ball and have no problem playing the ball.
Do I trust it fully for my next tournament? Almost.
Here are the things I love about Vice Pro.
Distance from The Tee
I don’t give up any yardage choosing a Vice Pro over the premium, full-priced golf balls on the market. As long as you have more than 95 mph of swing speed, expect this one to go a long way.
Overall Feel
With the Vice Pro, you get a softer overall feel around the greens. However, from the tee and on approach shots, the feel is just slightly firmer. For better players who want to feel as though they are in control of the shots they’re hitting, this is a strong attribute.
Spin Around The Greens
Overall, the spin around the greens is impressive. I’m able to stop wedge and sand shots with the Vice Pro in play. Of course, the more speed I have, the easier it is for the ball to stop. However, the thin cast urethane cover makes up for the lack of premium spin technology on those short chips and pitches.
What I Don’t Like About The Vice Pro
The Vice Pro is a good golf ball that I would recommend. Here are the only two things that I think deserve a word of caution.
Iron Distance
Sometimes, the iron distance from the Vice Pro isn’t quite as good as I would expect it to be. Mostly, I think you just have to make really solid contact with plenty of speed, and then you should benefit from the technology found in this ball.
Thinner Cast Urethane Will Cut
Golfers with higher swing speeds or those who are prone to cutting a golf ball may struggle with the Vice Pro. I’m usually pretty easy on golf balls aside from the occasional tree or cart path, and I can keep the Vice Pro in play for a few rounds.
For less experienced players who may have a less than pure strike or golfers who have very high (more than 110 mph) swing speed, you may go through a dozen Vice Pro golf balls a little faster.
Overall Rating and Thoughts
This is one of the better balls that Vice has to offer, and it really has the technology needed to help the better player take their game further.
Don’t be thrown off by the Vice Pro costing less than other premium golf balls on the market. It has plenty of great technology to take your game to the next level.
I would highly recommend giving this one a try.
Overall Score: 9/10
Brittany Olizarowicz
Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1