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50 Words or Less
The V-Motion offers tour-caliber performance without the tour-caliber price tag. The E-Motion is a solid choice for all levels of golfers.
Introduction
Can I share something with you? I hate writing golf ball reviews. Why? Because there are no surprises: tour balls perform like tour balls and cheap balls perform like cheap balls.
This time, however, it’s different. By bringing back the E-Motion and V-Motion golf balls, formerly made by Innovex, Rife is bringing the surprise (and fun) back to golf ball reviews. You might ask, “What could be surprising about golf balls?” Answer: a ball with tour-caliber performance for under $35/dozen.
Feel
With its urethane cover, the V-Motion is softer than the surlyn-covered E-Motion, but they’re not as distinct as you might guess. The V-Motion has a feel similar to a Pro V1: definitely tour-ball soft, but not a total marshmallow like TaylorMade’s Penta or Lethal. The E-Motion is one of the best feeling non-urethane balls I’ve tried. It offers a higher pitched, clickier sound off the putter than the V-Motion, but it’s miles away from typical cheap ball harshness.
Long Game
I put the V-Motion into play prior to any launch monitor testing and found that it performed exactly as I’d expect a tour ball to perform. Launch monitor testing confirmed what I found on the course: the ball maintains relatively low driver spin and delivers consistent spin on mid and long iron shots.
As you would expect, the E-Motion is slightly lower spinning off the driver, but very comparable in all other facets of the long game. Extensive testing of dozens of different balls has shown that in the mid to long irons, there is rarely any significant difference between models. These two balls from Rife bear out that expectation.
Short Game
The area where tour balls separate from the lower tier balls is in the short game, and the V-Motion did just that. On full pitching wedge shots and long pitches, the V-Motion spun just as much as the tour balls I normally play. On the course, I hit a couple shots where it spun even more than expected.
The E-Motion performed well in short game testing, but ultimately proved to be what it is: a mid-level ball. Spin was roughly halved on pitch shots and was about 10% lower on full swings with a pitching wedge when compared to the V-Motion.
Who This Ball is For
According to Rife, the V-Motion is targeted towards mid to low handicap golfers, which I think is accurate. For the high handicap player, there’s no need for the urethane cover.
The E-Motion ball is a good choice for mid to high handicap players, or anyone looking for a low cost ball that still offers good durability and performance.
Conclusion
Regardless of what ball you currently play, the E-Motion and V-Motion are worth a look the next time you’re stocking up. The real big news, though, is for those who play a tour ball: you can save over $10/dozen with the V-Motion and sacrifice nothing in terms of performance.
Kudos to Rife and Innovex for offering a ball that performs above its price tag.
Price, Models, Availability
The V-Motion retails for $32.95/dozen, and the E-Motion is $19.99/dozen.
Both are available now through Edwin Watts.
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Matt Saternus
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Nice review Matt, and great price point! It’ll be interesting to see what direction the golf ball market in general goes in the future – will the competition pull the tour level prices down overall, etc.
For me, saving $12 per dozen makes a big difference in what ball I’d choose – especially if the performance is still right up there.
Did you notice any durability issues with the V-motions?
Other than an inability to float, no.
One of the things that amazes me most about modern golf balls is the combination of durability and performance, and the V-Motion definitely has that.
Have you played the Wilson FG Tour/Tour X balls? I’m curious how these stack up since the Wilson’s can be found for sub $30 a dozen.
Great question, thanks.
I have played both extensively. The Tour X has been my go-to for over a year.
I didn’t put them head-to-head on a launch monitor, but on the course there was not a substantial difference between the V-Motion and the performance I normally get from the FG Tour or Tour X.
Hope that helps.
I am at the point where V-Motion would be good for my game. The price point is perfect!!
I tested the V-Motion and E-Motion late last year. For me, the ball seemed flat and didn’t go as far as comparable balls.
I even switched back to ProV1x and Bridgestone E5’s, to see if my swing was just off. Nope…those balls were as expected.
Spin on the V-Motion seemed lack luster, didn’t expect on the E-Motion – but when someone says ‘tour’ ball, I think spin and feel. Having said that, it did feel soft – but spin wasn’t there for my game.
As for me, single digit handicapper with 104mph driver swing.
At around $35 a dozen, I was hopeful, but admittedly underwhelmed.
Try it – maybe you’ll find it fits for your game. Not sure where they sell them, as I’ve yet to find them in a GolfSmith, Golf Galaxy or Dick’s Sporting Goods.