I'm Looking At My Balls And I'm Not Impressed

I'm about a 22-handicap these days.  Fairly long hitter, reasonably accurate with irons, not so much with driver or fairway woods.  Horrible little short game that embarasses me whenever it can.  Average putter, with flashes of brilliance.

Courses are fairly dry/hard in the summer here.  Greens are receptive to a shot coming in high or with good spin, both of which I can do with irons.

I've used and liked the Pinnacle Exception (first release) and the ProV1x (first release).  What I currently posses is a motley assortment of hacker balls, found balls, and ProV1s that I'd spin off the side of the Earth with a driver.

Looking for something reasonably spin-resistant off a driver (because I lose them off the tee), but that feels like something other than diamonds.  Lower price is nice, but for as little as I get out, it really isn't a driving factor.  So what's been released in the last couple eyars that'd suit me?

Not a new product, but I fell in love with the Precept Laddie Extreme last year. It's a low compression ball, which may turn you off, but it doesn't feel like a sponge like a lot of them.

Solid off the driver, low spinning, good travel. Also provides a decent amount of bite on greens. It won't hold a green like a pro V1, but much better than the Noodle and other similar balls. Feels soft on iron shots, but not too soft.

I just picked up two dozen for $19.99, which leads me to believe they're being phased out. I hear the XP3 plays similarly, but I've never tried them so I can't confirm that.

Walmart golf balls?  You know that's not going to happen.

I've got to give you an extra karma, just on the wording of your thread starter
Re: I'm Looking At My Ball And I'm Not Impressed.

The best I've used, with the characteristics you mentioned, is the Nike Super Soft.
I really liked the Maxfli Noodle, but it seemed that each year brought out a bit of a different ball. I'm not impressed with any of them anymore.
Another decent choice is the Volvi Crystal.
In the more expensive category, The Bridgestone B330 is a real winner.

Has the Volvik Crystal gone through any evolutions?  I used a sleeve of pink ones in a scramble maybe three years ago and kinda liked it.



Side question: what's a decent-feeling pure low-spin ball?  I never really looked at that genre before, but it's not like my shortgame is letting me nuance the ball.  I may as well go for straight-is-good technology.

Just name a store where I may or may not find them, and I'm set.  Thanks!

I've been using the newest crystals, and they seem very similar to the ones I've used in the past. They are a low spin ball that has a nice feel. Distance is very good, and feel off the driver is not harsh. While it's not a dead straight ball, sideways movement is controlled.
A well struck iron shot sounds and feels great, and the ball will check up on the greens from about any full or half short iron shot. The only place it comes up short, (long, actually), is chipping. The ball tends to run out a little unpredictably, for me. Of course, I don't spend nearly enough time practicing my short game to become predictable.
Unfortunately, the only ones I can find around are either all white or multi-colored. I like the orange ones the best, and the purple ones are a bit hard to find. I don't consider myself 'good enough' to play the pink ones. One of the things I've always felt is that when your game sucks, don't do anything to bring attention to yourself. This includes loud clubs, pink balls, and plus fours. Unless your game backs you up, "descretion is the better part of valor".
I've seen, on the Golfsmith website, Crystals in all orange, all yellow, and all pink. I don't know if the Golfsmith stores have them like that, but it's worth a try if there is one near you.