Wilson Staff Zip

[Bidou]

Has anyone tried the new W/S Zip?

I usually play the 50/50 which I find great but I'm looking for something a little more durable but don't want to sacrifice feel. Sounds like a match but was wondering what the OG community has to say about it.

Golf Digest Gold Winner so it must be pretty good.....

[doublepar]

I've only played 9 holes with one, so take the following comments for what they are - a brief first impression.

This ball is very different than any other that I've ever played. It is soft - VERY soft. Not so different from other soft balls off of the driver or irons, but putting with this ball is difficult to get used to. It really does feel something like hitting a nerf ball and I found it a little tricky to judge distances with it. That said, I really should have taken at least a few practice putts with the ball before gaming it.
Durability wasn't bad given the softness of the cover. I would imagine that you could get a round or two out of a ball depending on how many times you hit it with a sharp-grooved wedge. One unexpected perk with this ball is how easy it is to find it when it's sunny - the finish is really shiny. Between the finish and feel off the putter it is notably different than anything else out there. One of the reasons I bought a sleeve of these to try was that it was supposed to be lower spinning off the driver and high spinning off of wedges. I've been fighting a nasty fade with my driver so far this spring and I found this ball definitely slowed my fades long before they got into slice territory. However, I had a lot of trouble keeping the ball from running off the green - I'd always find it against the skirt at the back of the green. At $8/sleeve I would definitely recommend giving them a try since they are so unique, but I don't know if I'd buy them again - I've got too many 2007 tour balls that I bought for around the same price (or less) that I like better (i.e. the 2007 Nike One black are still on the shelves at Golf Town for less than the Zips and I definitely prefer them).

Hope this helps.