Alright, let me tell you about my little experiment lately. My drives, honestly, they’ve been kinda pathetic. Felt like I was swinging hard but the ball just wasn’t going anywhere. Leaving yards out there, you know? Frustrating stuff. My usual balls, the ones I normally play, just weren’t giving me that pop I needed, or maybe it was just my swing, who knows.
So, I was wandering through the golf section at the local big box store, not really looking for anything specific. Then I saw this box of golf balls – Nitro Maximum Distance. The name kinda jumps out at you, right? And they were cheap. Like, really cheap compared to the premium ones I sometimes lose in the woods. I thought, “Maximum distance, huh? For this price? What’s the catch?” But hey, for less than a buck a ball, I figured, why not? Worst case, I lose a few cheap balls. Grabbed a box.
Trying Them Out
Got home, opened them up. They looked like golf balls, white, round, dimples. Felt a bit hard, maybe? Not super soft like some of the fancy tour balls. But fine. The real test was gonna be hitting them.
First chance I got, I headed over to the driving range. Didn’t want to waste a proper round if they were total garbage. Dumped a few Nitros next to my usual gamers for comparison.
- Driver Test: Started hitting drivers. First impression off the clubface? Definitely a harder feel. Got that distinct ‘click’ sound, not the ‘thwack’ I’m used to. Watched the ball flight. It seemed okay, maybe a little lower trajectory than my usual ball. Distance? Honestly, on the range, it’s tough to say for sure. Some looked like they might have carried a few yards further, maybe 5-10 yards? But others were just… average. No magic bullet discovered immediately.
- Iron Test: Hit a few 7-irons too. Same deal. Felt hard, clicky. Ball flight seemed fine, maybe a bit penetrating. Distance seemed pretty similar to my normal ball with the irons, maybe negligibly longer on a couple of good strikes.
On The Course Experience
Okay, range was inconclusive. Decided to actually play a round with them. Went out for a twilight nine at my local muni. Less pressure, good for testing.
Off the tee: This is where the “Maximum Distance” name comes into play, right? On the first par 5, I really went after one. Caught it pretty good. The ball took off low and just kept running when it landed. It definitely seemed longer than my usual drive on that hole, maybe by a good 10-15 yards total distance including the roll. Had a couple more drives like that during the round – when I connected well, it did seem to eke out a bit more distance, mostly through roll, I think. But mishits were still mishits, no ball is fixing a bad swing.
Approach shots & Around the Green: Here’s the trade-off, and it’s a big one. These balls felt like rocks off my wedges. Trying to hit a soft-landing pitch shot? Forget it. The ball just seemed to jump off the face and run out forever. Very little spin, very little control around the greens. Chipping was a challenge; everything wanted to run past the hole. Putting felt okay, a bit firm off the putter face, but predictable enough.
My Thoughts After Trying Them
So, did the Nitro Maximum Distance balls live up to their name? Kinda, yeah. I did seem to get a bit more distance off the tee, especially on well-struck drives where the extra roll helped. They fly straight enough.
But the feel is hard. Really hard. And the performance around the greens is just not there if you want any kind of stopping power or finesse. It’s purely a distance ball, focused on getting it out there off the tee at the expense of everything else.
Who are they for? If you’re a beginner, or someone with a slower swing speed who really needs every extra yard they can get off the tee, and you’re not too worried about spinning the ball on the green, these might be worth trying. Especially given the price. You won’t cry if you lose a sleeve.
Will I keep playing them? Probably not as my main ball. I value a bit more feel and control around the greens than these offer. But I might keep a few in the bag for scrambles or just for fun when I feel like trying to smash one without worrying about losing an expensive ball. They delivered some extra distance for cheap, just gotta accept the downsides that come with it.
