50 Words or Less
Piper Golf makes a range of golf balls at prices significantly lower than the big names. Strong, consistent performance at each level. Piper Black and Piper Gold are comparable to the most expensive golf balls.
Introduction
Direct-to-consumer golf balls are not a new thing. In fact, golf feels overloaded with DTC ball companies. So, if you’re Piper Golf, how do you stand out? You start by offering a line up of golf balls that covers every golfer. Follow that up with a helpful website that has things like a clear list of golf ball features HERE and a fitting guide HERE. Finally, break out of the uptight golf mold with an irreverent, relatable social media presence (follow them on Twitter HERE).
The Piper Golf Ball Line Up
So that everyone is on the same page, let me run down the four golf balls that Piper offers. The comparisons come from Piper’s website.
Piper Green is labelled as the “Beginner” ball, comparable to Titleist Velocity and Callaway Supersoft.
Piper Blue is for the “Intermediate” player and is similar to Titleist Tour Speed or Callaway Superhot
Piper Black is the “Advanced” ball and is compared to the Pro V1 and TaylorMade TP5x.
Finally, Piper Gold is the “Pro” ball, akin to Pro V1x or Callaway Chrome Soft X.
Feel
While each Piper golf ball has a unique feel, there’s a clear divide between the surlyn-covered balls (Green and Blue) and the urethane-covered balls (Black and Gold).
With a putter, both the Green and Blue are firm with a medium-volume, low-pitched impact sound. Blue is slightly quieter than Green with a feel that’s more solid, less hollow. Switching to Piper Black, the feel is much, much softer, and the sound of impact is a very quiet “thud.” Piper Gold feels very similar to Black though it’s slightly firmer with a bit more “knock” at impact.
In the short game, both the Green and Blue have a clicky impact sensation. Blue is slightly softer than Green, but both are fairly firm off a wedge. Piper Black and Gold have a premium feel around the green – soft, solid, with a quieter, lower-pitched click. As with the putter, Piper Gold feels a bit firmer than Black.
Short Game
The difference between the surlyn and urethane covers is even more stark as we turn toward the short game. On pitch shots and full wedge swings, Piper Green and Piper Blue performed very similarly. Piper Blue spun slightly more, but the difference was less than 5%. Both balls are quite low spin, just as Piper advertises. This is done to help the higher handicap player keep their shots straighter and potentially longer.
For the low handicap player who wants wedge spin, Piper Black and Piper Gold are ideal. On a pitch shot, these balls spun roughly twice as much as Blue and Green. On a full wedge swing, they spun about 75% more. Piper Black and Gold stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Tour-balls from the big OEMs in terms of short game spin.
Across all four balls, I was most impressed with the consistency. My spin rates were barely changing from shot to shot, excluding poor swings. That kind of predictability is essential to building trust with a golf ball.
Long Game
As we move further from the green, the four Piper balls separate themselves a bit more. With an iron, the 2-piece Green remains the lowest spinning model. For me – a low spin player by nature – it created laughably low spin. 6-iron shots ran out like they were hit by a 3W. However, for players that create average or high spin, the Green will help them produce longer, straighter shots. Piper Blue spun 5%-10% more than Green with a mid iron. Spin was still low, but it offers a little more versatility for the improving player.
With the Piper Black and Piper Gold, iron spin is firmly in the average range for a Tour ball. Both spun substantially more than the Green or Blue. I found the Gold to be slightly higher spinning than the Black, but the gap was less than 5%.
Finally, we get to the driver. I’ll start with my standard preface: I’m a low spin player with the driver, so you may see larger gaps or entirely different results than I did. For me, the Piper Green was the lowest spinning ball in the group, and it’s among the lowest spinning balls I’ve tested. If you’re a high spin player or someone fighting a big hook or slice, this could be a major improvement. Piper Gold and Blue spun a bit more than Green – about 200 RPM – making them low spinning but not insanely low. Piper Black was the highest spinning off the driver, producing what I regard as average driver spin for a Tour ball. It’s also worth noting that I got better ball speed with the Black and Gold than Blue or Green. The difference wasn’t huge, but it was a consistent 2-3 MPH. This fits with Piper’s recommendations – they suggest the Black and Gold for players with 7I distance over 165 yards.
Value
Piper’s golf balls, starting from the least expensive Green to the most expensive Gold, cost $20, $25, $30, and $35 per dozen. Every model is offered at a discount if you buy in bulk, starting at three dozen. If you buy six dozen, you get a full 20% off. That means you can get the Piper Black, a ball that is Tour quality, for as little as $24/dozen. That’s half the price of a major OEM Tour ball!
If you’re not sure which Piper golf ball is for you, they offer a sampler dozen for $30.
Conclusion
Piper Golf, though young, is doing a lot of impressive things. Not only do they offer a golf ball to fit every player, they’re doing it at a lower price. They’re also cutting down on the confusion, making it simple to choose the right ball. With a 30-day money back guarantee, there’s nothing to lose in giving Piper Golf a try.
Visit Piper Golf HERE
Matt Saternus
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Hi Matt,
Can you say something about their durability regarding their covers of each ball, scratches and other damages/remarks.
Are they sooner wearing out so that you will have to replace them sooner than other balls.
Dennis,
The durability is as good as any major OEM golf ball. I put them through extensive testing for this review and did not scuff or cut one.
-Matt
Matt,
Did you notice any increased length off the tee from the Blue or the Green? I’ve played with the blue and swear I was getting 5% longer shots with my irons when I made solid contact.
Andrew,
As a low spin player, I did not, but I can definitely imagine a higher spin player seeing a noticeable bump in distance with those lower spinning balls.
Best,
Matt
They sound like a nice ball, but I probably won’t try them. If they offered a 2-3 ball sleeve at a discount then I’d give it a go. Otherwise I’ll wait for the big brands to have a sale or grab 2 dozen Maxfli Tours for $50-$60.
Hey Kevin thanks for thinking about us
We aren’t doing sleeves right now but 2 dozen blue balls comes in right under $50 and no shipping included.
Follow us on socials to stay in the loop on discounts coming later this year!
can you buy just a sleve to try for future buy
William,
They don’t currently offer that on their website, but they do have a sampler pack with a sleeve of each model.
-Matt
Hey William
We only sell in dozen units at this time. Folks who have wanted to dabble have been enjoying the Sampler Pack where you get a sleeve of each ball. Hope this helps
For any advanced golfer it would be a waste of half the dozen.
I’m play between 3 to 5 HDCP I would like to try the black and gold. The other surlyn covered balls would be meaningless. Hopefully sleeves to try eventually come. Otherwise not enough incentive to try.
I answered their ball fit questions and their recommendations were: piper Green (meant for beginners) and Piper Gold (Pro V1x) Huh??
Hey Bruce – perhaps you were looking for distance over all else? Shoot us an email at balls@piper.golf and we can get you fit.
Personally I’ve tried all 4 models. All 4 are great. I just hate it when weekend or same course since 66′ people blame the ball. I work in golf and play. If you’re dissatisfied with the ball it’s because u are using the wrong make up for your swing. I know the cover is important but refusing to try something because it’s not $60 is crazy. And as far as a sleeve. Have you ever seen any player use the same 3 balls for years?.. If they say so.. you shouldn’t play with someone who fibs. You can land a top flight or max fli better than prov1 or x. It’s all about having the correct ball for your swing. Not what’s between the ears. Sorry. Just don’t like people downing something they refuse to learn about. If you’re that picky about ball then usually that person cares more about what people see or think over if they hit the ball well or not. Piper golf is just the start of a new Era of proving the club is the important piece we keep overlooking. Not the ball.. give Tiger a Piper green and c if he hits it just as good.. promise he would..thanks Piper for helping down to earth golfers who just want to lower their scores
Manufactured oversees or state side?
I got a chance to play the Piper Blues back when they launched in May and was really impressed. I had definitely been playing a ball that spun too much before, cycling between Pro V1s, Pro V1 Xs and Chromesofts. I’m glad I gave a lower spin ball a try. I’ve probably got 5-10% more off the tee and am a half club to a full club shorter on irons. Not sure if it was entirely the ball but i dropped from an 8.2 index to a 6.6 in the last few months.
Wondering if you sell and ship to Canada?
Where are the balls made? This is a very important consideration for me.
Can they be purchased in Scotland or just USA?
David,
I’m not certain what the status of international shipping is. I would recommend sending them an email or a note on social; they’re very responsive.
Best,
Matt
Who makes them and where?
I did not notice an increase in Distance over my normal Titleist Velocity or Volvik Vivid. What I did notice was a decrease on the fade and draw of the ball with my driver. My normal fade was reduced by 20 yards or so. I hit more straight shots than normal.
I did however have scuffs on my ball from use of Titleist Vokey wedges, to a lesser degree my Taylormade 2020 M4 irons. I am using the M4 fairway woods and the Taylormade Sim2 D driver. I played my last round with the Piper Blue and shot an 85. My normal is 85-87 on the par 72.
I am ordering and going to try the Green next round.
When will the golf ball be on the USGA Conforming Golf Ball list?
Any plans for colored golf balls? As I get older yellow is my preferred color. I found Maxfli Tour very good for my game.
When will Piper exporting to Australia???
Keen