PXG Xtreme Golf Ball Review

 PXG Xtreme Golf Ball Review

Breaking into the premium ball market would be no mean feat due to the popularity of the established Pro V1 and Pro V1x franchises alongside the likes of the Taylormade TP5, Srixon Z-Star and Callaway Chrome Soft. But if any brand had the resources and ambition to compete with the major players in this congested category, it would be PXG. It's not a brand that does things by halves and the aim has been for it to make a ball that performs off the bag, competing with the most popular balls on the PGA Tour.

The Xtreme balls come in the packaging you would expect from PXG, a stealth black box with white writing, synonymous with all its other products and headcovers. As someone who has played the Titleist Pro V1x ball for many years I was eager to test the Xtreme ball and see if it lived up to the hype. On initial inspection the PXG felt and looked different, looking a lot more of a ‘pearly’ white, as opposed to the slightly duller white of the Titleist. Despite being a urethane-covered, three-piece ball, the PXG felt noticeably firmer, which made me question whether it would be as good with short game shots as my current ball. So I went straight on the course and put it to the test by playing 18 holes and hitting a number of different shots on a Trackman launch monitor to pull quantifiable data.

The greens I tested on, given the time of year, were on the softer side, but I was immediately impressed with the grab and spin I received from the Xtreme ball. I hit a series of lower bump and runs, as well as more lofted shots and the ball reacted better than I thought it would. When hitting 50 yard shots on Trackman, I saw average spin rates of 5795 rpm (revolutions per minute) which was in fact 100 more than the 2023 Pro V1x. I hit around 10 greenside bunker shots where the ball reacted very similarly to the Pro V1x, although when I went to clean the balls to do some putting, I noticed a little more wear and tear on the PXG ball as opposed to the Titleist.

While putting, the Xtreme ball seemed to feel a smidge firmer than the Pro V1x, yet it was more the sound where I noticed the difference - it was a little louder, giving you more feedback. The Xtreme ball felt more ‘clicky’ than the Pro V1x and it did feel a little harder to control my pace from long range initially, rolling out more than I expected. The alignment aid on the ball was very handy for setting up to target and will save a few minutes drawing a line on your ball walking to the first tee.

Moving into seven iron was where I started to notice more of a difference in the balls. Despite spin rates nearly identical at around 6917rpm, the Pro V1x started to distance itself when it came to ball speed and carry distance. The Pro V1x actually produced just under 4mph more ball speed than the Xtreme averaging 124 mph and produced an average carry of 169 yards. When on the course there really wasn’t much difference in terms of trajectory, and the Xtreme ball handled the blustery, windy conditions pretty well. The ball stayed low when trying to flight down it and was just as easy to send into the air when needed.

I think the fact that this is the first PXG ball to come to market and it has performed as well as it has, means it deserves some serious praise. When hitting my TaylorMade Stealth 2 Driver the Xtreme ball did a pretty good job in keeping up with the Pro V1x. There was very little difference in carry, with the PXG ball averaging 289 yards compared to the Titleist with 292. The Xtreme ball in fact produced 1mph more ball speed than the Pro V1x with 170mph but due to 200rpm more spin it fell slightly short in overall distance.

The PXG Xtreme ball certainly exceeded my expectations as a completely new ball that has come to market and should certainly be considered not only one of the best premium golf balls, but one of the best golf balls for all levels of golfer thanks to its strong performance in all areas of the game. They are available to purchase as a dozen through the PXG website and authorized PXG retailers with an RRP of $39.99/£44.99.