We've seen golf balls become more and more expensive over the last two decades, but unfortunately as much as technology in golf clubs improves, there is one thing certain in amateur golf - we're always going to lose them. At over £50 per dozen for the premium options, it makes it even more heart-breaking when when we lose one. First tee, last tee, the pain still remains.
“Losing expensive golf balls isn’t fun” are the words of Dean Klatt and a couple of his mates, who decided to do something about this 'problem' for golfers. In 2015 they came together to form Seed.
High performing golf balls for less money. Cost cutting by not advertising, using recycled cardboard for their boxes and selling direct to consumer through the internet. All of Seed's focus and money goes into the R&A of the golf ball itself.
Golf balls are the most regulated piece of equipment in our golf bag. The size, weight, shape, distance, spin are all regulated by the governing bodies. This creates a level playing field in technology. Seed's subscription based e-commerce business model allows a high standard of product to be delivered at a cheaper price (£30 per dozen or £25 if you subscribe)
When looking at the Seed website the purchasing model looks very familiar, it’s like Amazon. You can subscribe or you can buy the box of balls individually with customer reviews and star rating on each product.
There are five different golf balls to choose from, in this review I am going to be giving you my verdict on the SD-02 golf balls and how they perform.
The Tech
The Seed SD-02 'The Pro Tour' Golf Ball is a four-piece golf ball which is said to be suited to the same golfer who plays Titleist Pro V1x or TaylorMade TP5x . It also supposed to be the ball for 'distance-freaks' which is all of us, lets be honest.
It has a soft cast urethane cover with 336 dimples, 50 less than a Pro V1x. Two DuPont covers sit between the cover and a high energy rubber core and the ball is designed for lower driver spin and lower ball flight, increased short game spin for more control around the greens.
Purchase advice is easily available on the website with an excellent table to break down technology and suitability between their golf balls and others available on the market.
Seed SD-02 The Pro Tour Golf Ball Review
Looks and Feel
Before I even look at the golf ball, let's discuss the packaging - it has a very 'different' approach to those of the major manufacturers in the market. The styling looks independent and it's made from recycled cardboard with some simple black and white colouring. To me it looked as if the brand has tried to save money on the packaging.
However, this isn’t a problem for me and I do like the number being printed on the box of three in my dozen. I have boxes labelled 1,2, 3 and 4 which makes it easy when wanting to play a different number for a provisional ball.
The SD-02 ball itself has a nice white shine, with Seed written in black and a black and green bullseye sign above it. There is also a black alignment line on the side.
In terms of feel, I didn’t notice much difference between the Titleist Pro V1 and the Seed SD-02 ball. There was no click to the strike and it felt nice and full. In all honesty, I wouldn’t have noticed the difference between a Pro V1x and a Seed SD-02 if blindfolded. I would say it felt firm like this kind of ball should do.
The Data
Testing the SD-02 alongside a Titleist Pro V1 and the Seed SD-X1 golf ball, I made some interesting findings.
A couple of bad strikes from in my indoor testing resulted in a 137 yard carry average. But I did have some over 140 yards which is a better number for me.
The 7 iron average spin rate was 5362 rpm, height was 72 feet, and ballspeed was at 100 mph.
Comparing this to the Seed SD-X1 golf I found it was higher launching and so flew 4 yards further in the air. As stated on the Seed website this ball compared nicely to the Titleist Pro V1x.
Performance
Performance once again was very similar to that of the SD-X1 and therefore the Pro V1. But what was very noticeable when hitting my wedges outside was the damage I was making to the Seed ball. After 10 shots it was already marking up, by the time I had hit 20 shots I had scuffed the ball multiple times. The grass colour had started to wear on the dimples.
I would’ve wanted to have change the ball if I was in competition. The Titleist ball still looked brand-new in comparison.
Seed SD.02 Golf Ball Verdict
Seed have been clever and tapped into the Amazon purchaser in us all, we are now comfortable buying online and enjoy the convenience of receiving packages direct to our homes.
The SD-02 golf ball is a high performer but there are no frills or hype here, you certainly won’t feel as bad losing one of these golf balls as you would if it were a Pro V1 - but is that a good thing?
You will be however, disheartened by how much it marks up, if you only change your ball when you lose it this is okay. But if you change it when it is cuts up then the value for money on this product drops.
When testing the ball I had on my mind "it’s not a Titleist..." and this mental barrier affected me at the start of my review but I soon realised it was my mind that I needed to change. This is the test we have seen with supermarket products.
If people test baked beans blind folded they would struggle to know the difference between Heinz and Tesco Value. The only downside I could really find with this golf ball is it’s relatively poor durability - it marked up from my strikes quickly.
This slightly took the shine off what was a good day exploring a new golf ball to the market.
Would I Use Them?
I could for it’s performance as I am a ProV1x player but it cuts up on my wedges. I don’t lose many golf balls so I would want the durability in the cover.
Who Are They Aimed At?
Golfers who want a quality, high launch, low spin ball at a cheaper price and that tend to lose too many balls in their round.
The subscription is great for the golfer that is always buying from a pro shop before they a start a round and so are paying inflated prices. I suppose it's a little like buying your food in bulk compared to constantly nipping to corner shop.
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Seed SD-X1 The Pro X1 Golf Ball Review
Callaway Chrome Soft X LS Golf Ball Review