Product Tests - Golf Balls


Ben Hogan Apex Tour

Manufacturer's Description
The Apex Tour features a 4 piece dual core urethane cover construction. The smaller Soft Energy Transfer Core in the center is said to provide faster ball speed of the driver and lower spin off of long irons to improve distance and control. The Outer Super Core provides superior resilience and response. The High sVelocity Inner Cover provides superior distance. Finally the ultra thin Urethane Outer Cover provides exacting sin and control on scoring shots while the HC350 dimple design provides a parabolic penetrating ball flight for optimized distance on full shots.

Suggested Retail Price: $58

Information:
Test Location: Course
Comparison Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Reviewer 1 Info: 5'10" 155 lbs, Age 34, Handicap 2
Clubs Used: Titleist 975J driver, Titleist 975F fairway woods, Titleist 762 irons, Titleist Vokey Design wedges, and Scotty Cameron Studio Stainless putter
Reviewer 2 Info: 5'8" 155 lbs, Age 38, Handicap 7
Clubs Used: Titleist 975LFE driver, Callaway Steelhead fairway woods, Traditional Tour Cavity irons, Feel wedges, and Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum Mil-Spec putter
Reviewer 3 Info: 5'9" 180 lbs, Age 54, Handicap 12
Comparison Driver/Ball Used: TaylorMade 360 Ti 9.5°/Maxfli Noodle

 

 

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our review methods can
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Ben Hogan Apex Review Tour Golf Ball Review:

Distance:
The Apex Tour provided above average distance off the driver, fairway woods, and long and middle irons. The distance off of the short irons were average. We did not find any significant difference in comparison to the Titleist Pro V1 with the exception being the short irons in which we found the Apex Tour to be about 5 yards shorter than the Titliest Pro V1. We attributed this observation to the stopping power of the Apex Tour.
Feel:
First, we putted with the Apex Tour and Titleist Pro V1 and found that we could easily pick out Apex Tour ball because of its significantly softer sound, much like the older balata wound golf balls. The Pro V1 has more of a "click" sound to it. We also found that the same soft feel translated to the other clubs as well but was not as noticeable off the driver. In general, there seems to be less feel using today's larger headed drivers. While the feel was soft it was not mushy as some golf balls are.
Spin
The Apex Tour has tremendous spin to it. We found that the ball hits the green and stays. It does not exhibit much release. It checks on the greens very nicely and will even spin back some. We found that the the Apex Tour spins more on the green than the Pro V1. The Pro V1 typically hits and then releases some but the Apex Tour mostly just stays within a foot or two of where it is hit.
Durability
The Apex Tour is not the most durable golf ball. After a few holes and couple of wedge shots, the golf ball had some groove marks. We found the Apex Tour to be less durable that the Pro V1. The images below show both balls after 9 holes of play. Note the multiple groove marks on the Apex Tour. The Pro V1 has some wear but not as significant. That being said, we did not notice any performance issues with the Apex Tour playing a single ball for a full 18 holes.


Looks

The Apex Tour has a classy look to it. One of the first things that you notice is the Apex Tour has a unique dimple design featuring alternating large and slightly smaller dimples. Next, you notice that Spalding used the elegant "Hogan" signature script found on the company's forged irons and leverages the popular Apex brand with "Apex Tour" located on the golf ball's side. This is a is a significant improvement over the previous generation Hogan golf ball (Circa 1990) in the looks department. The packaging features the "Ben Hogan" signature script in silver and "BH" starburst logo in gold on a black herringbone pattern background further adding to the classic Ben Hogan style.

One minor issue that we noted is the tendancy for these golf balls to lose their whiteness rather quickly much like the older balata balls. The image compares the whiteness of the used Hogan Apex Tour and Titleist Pro V1 golf balls.

Summary:
With the introduction of the Ben Hogan Apex Tour and return of the Hogan brand to the golf ball category, we feel that Spalding has produced a winner. The ball has seen considerable play on the PGA Tour with Len Mattice winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic with it the weekend after it was introduced. Ben Hogan himself would have approved of the classy packaging and all around performance of this golf ball. We think the

Apex Tour will appeal to lower to middle handicap golfers with medium to high swing speeds. Those golfers that are still clinging to the old balata wound golf balls need to give this ball a try. The soft feel of this ball is especially nice around the greens and produces a muted sound off of non-insert or harder insert putters. We hope that future versions of this golf ball will address the durability issue through an improved cover. The bottom line is the Apex Tour has made Spalding a player to be noticed in the premium golf ball category. Additional information on the Apex Tour golf ball and Ben Hogan Golf can be found on their website at www.benhogan.com.