The possibilities of what Social Media can and can’t do are striking. The other day I tweeted a question about the new Wilson Staff FG Tour Golf Ball….A day later Wilson Golf tweeted me back with an offer to try their product. Well it came in the mail, so I had to go out and try’em.
Golf balls are like frozen pizza’s. Go get what you need (toppings), buy them on sale or pay full price. Pop them in the oven, wait, then take it out and feast!
Mini Overview
Now it’s early early spring in Chicago…the weather was nice this past week (currently snowing) and I headed out to the local muni to hit the range and putt/chip. I brought along the Wilson Staff FG Tour two pack to give the balls a whirl.
Wilson Golf was once the King of the Hill…I can still remember playing their clubs and balls (ouch that really made me feel old). Now they have come out with a Tour Performance ball the FG Tour Ball. This is a 3 piece Urethane ball with a 318 dimple design. MSRP is $49.95 which places it on par with the High Performance balls from Titleist and Callaway. Normally this would be a difficult price point, but actual selling prices on the FG Tour ball are well below that of Titleist and Callaway’s Premium balls. I found the FG Tour for sale on Ebay for $34.00 a dozen. By 6 dozen and get free shipping as well as a price per dozen of $30.00 US…now that’s more like it!
The FG Tour info from the Wilson Golf Website
Like all premium urethane golf balls, FG Tour™ utilizes a cast urethane cover and multilayer construction to maximize distance, durability and performance demanded by the game’s very best players. The difference is the FG Tour’s exclusive low compression coupled with Traction Control Technology™, making it the only urethane ball on the market to offer balata-like feel with tour-caliber spin.
Their Traction Control Technology™ basically means they have a lower compression ball, which deforms (adheres) to the face longer. The ball actually sticks to your club face longer, causing the groves on your club to marinate with the ball…resulting in more spin.
Wilson Golf Website
The innards of the Wilson FG Tour have high-velocity soft core surrounded by DuPont’s HPF mantel. The mantel provides higher spin. Coupled with a Urethane cover, the Wilson FG is a players ball with an emphasis on feel.
The Review
This is a partial review. Due to the weather and my lack of ball striking…I just couldn’t get myself to actually go hit full shots with the FG Tour. So I did the next best thing…I hit some puts and chips.
I compared the FG Tour with two of my trusty favorite balls the Titleist Pro Vx and Callaway Hex Tour 56.
After an hour of hitting short putts, long putts, medium chip shots and long chip shots a few qualities stood out.
The FG Tour is a soft feeling ball. I feel it has the softest feel of the three. The only downside is the lack of “click” when striking the ball…it’s more of a muffled thunk. The FG has similar checking capability as the ProV, but less than the Callaway Hex. The FG Tour seems to run out a little longer on chips, but not overly long like a harder ball.
My Opinion
Again remember this is a mini overview. I can’t wait to try this ball on the course. I would rank the ball as slightly inferior to the Premium Balls of Titleist and Callaway….it mostly has to do with the sound the ball makes at impact. I have my comfort level with the other balls, due to years of use. The FG Tour is unlike any ball I’ve tried from Wilson in like 20 years. Old habits are difficult to break, especially in personal preferences! I just didn’t feel that the ball synced up with my somewhat rusty stroke the same way as the Hex (my personal favorite ball ever)
Is it a deal breaker? Heck no, I think that for around $35 dollars a dozen, this ball has some potential. If it is $10 less than ProV’s or Hex Tours…then it has its place. The clean look and bright white cover are simplistic, yet classic.
I’ll update y’all when the FG Tour takes the maiden voyage onto the course….then the real review will have more details and comparisons. Until then, if you want or need a softer feeling ball and don’t care for a little thunk in the trunk, then give the Wilson Staff FG Tour a spin. Go to the website and request a players pack…It wouldn’t hurt to try them.
