50 Words or Less
Saintnine golf balls are strong performers with the added fun of “Mental Mates” graphics. U-Pro is a unique offering. Extreme Soft Gold can hold its own with the best Tour balls. Very high spin.
Introduction
Every golfer has struggled through a bad round or tough hole. And if you’re lucky, your playing partner or caddie was there to give you an emotional boost to push through it. But what if that boost could come from your golf ball?
That’s the idea behind the graphics on the golf balls from Saintnine. These nine “Mental Mates” are each meant to trigger a different positive feeling. At Plugged In Golf, we asked the question, “Do these golf balls perform or are they just fun to look at?” Here’s what we learned.
Looks
Golf balls typically don’t get a “Looks” section, but Saintnine is different. The Mental Mates are colorful, slightly abstract representations of nine different animals. Each animal is paired with a different positive mental state such as calm or focus.
For each Saintnine model, there are four different Mental Mates in the dozen. The Extreme Soft Gold has the eagle, crocodile, rhino, and elephant. In the U-Pro, you get the lion, crocodile, eagle, and puppy. For me, the graphics are fun, they make your ball easy to identify, and they’re small enough that they aren’t a distraction. Also, my kids love them.
In addition to the graphics, Saintnine offers a variety of colors. The Extreme Soft Gold – their Tour level ball – only comes in white. The U-Pro – the other model I reviewed – comes in white, yellow, and pink. Red, green, and orange are offered in other models.
Feel
Let’s start with the Saintnine Extreme Soft Gold, a ball which they compare to the Titleist ProV1. On the greens, this ball gave me a very soft feel and produced a dull “tock” at impact. From wedges through the driver, the feel was average for a tour ball – it wasn’t noticeably firm or soft.
The Saintnine U-Pro, which is compared to the Titleist Tour Soft, was noticeably quieter than a ProV1, creating a “tock” so dull that it was almost a “thud.” The feel was very close to the Extreme Soft Gold – I had to really focus to notice any difference. If you want premium feel on the greens without spending a fortune, the U-Pro is a great choice.
Short Game
I had the chance to play both Saintnine golf balls on the course before launch monitor testing. In the case of the Extreme Soft Gold, both experiences lined up perfectly. This was not the case with the U-Pro, which I will explain.
The Extreme Soft Gold is billed as the “highest spinning Tour level ball” by Saintnine. This is exactly what I saw on the course and the launch monitor. Every full wedge that I hit backed up, and my pitch shots sat and stayed like well trained dogs. The launch monitor confirmed that the Extreme Soft Gold has several hundred RPM more than the #1 ball in golf.
With the U-Pro, my results were discordant. On the course, pitch shots ran out further than expected. However, my launch monitor results showed that the U-Pro is the peer of nearly any Tour ball. I always defer to the launch monitor because it’s a larger sample size and the environment is controlled, and I will give the U-Pro another shot on course when the weather allows.
Long Game
With the long clubs, the Saintnine Extreme Soft Gold impressed me on the course and on the launch monitor. Off the tee, it easily hung with my normal tour-style golf balls. Ball speed and spin were nearly identical. On the course, I didn’t have to think twice about distances compared to my gamers.
The Saintnine U-Pro lived up to its billing, delivering “high trajectory ball flight without sacrificing…spin.” For me, the U-Pro had measurably and noticeably higher spin with the irons and driver. The launch monitor showed that the ball speed was in a good range, but the spin did cost me some control and distance. While this is not in Saintnine’s description, I am going to infer that the U-Pro is meant for players with slightly less swing speed than I have. For those players, this extra spin should be a benefit, not a cost.
Conclusion
If you’re like me, you saw the Mental Mate graphics and thought, “Is Saintnine just a gimmick golf ball?” I can tell you it’s not. The Saintnine Extreme Soft Gold can compete with any tour ball, and it’s outstanding if you want short game spin. At $25/dozen, the U-Pro is unique in offering a urethane cover and tons of short game spin at an affordable price.
Visit Saintnine HERE
Matt Saternus
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Matt, I’m not the same caliber of player you are however I tested UPro vs. V1x at the practice bay in PGATSS and the spin numbers were indistinguishable with my wedge/irons. It’s really interesting amateur ball , 2 pc with a Urethane Cover. Made by another Tire Company, Nexen.
Thanks for the info, Mark. I was going to ask Google who the manufacturer was, and you saved me a trip. Thank You.
I was going to buy a box of these to try . Now I know which box to try .
Thanks Matt
Hi Matt-
In regards to the U-Pro and swing speed. What is your swing speed?
Thanks for all of your great reviews.
Merlin,
With a driver, I can get to 110 MPH.
-Matt
Wait, TW plays higher spin off driver as to NOT go so far off line. Just wondering how it was negative for you dispersion wise?
CJ,
I can’t speak to Tiger’s equipment preferences, but my testing has shown that a higher spin ball will curve more and thus has more potential to go in the woods.
-Matt
Living in South Africa. Where can I buy these balls
Willie,
I would recommend checking out their website for a South African dealer or to try ordering online.
-Matt
Willie, you just can’t. None of these DTC balls are available here. Sometimes somebody brings them (as in any off the DTC) in privately, but it always end up being less than 10% cheaper than the well known brands.
All these DTC balls are not really cheaper than the big boys when those are on promotion. You have to buy like 5 dozen to see some separation on price. I just do not get it. And here in SA, it is even worse.
Tip, buy the well known brands ones a year in bulk when your preference goes on sale, when it invariably does.
I’m a 74year old handicapped player shooting in th mid 80s, I’m looking for increased distance and good green side spin as my shot game is my strong point. I’m thinking your Q soft or could you suggest a different model as I can’t find any reviews except for the tour models which wouldn’t work with my slow swing speed, driver distance about 190 quite straight. My best distance ball is a siren soft feel, but hah very little greeside spin.
John,
Have you tried the Bridgestone e6 or e12? Those are very good balls for slightly slower swing speeds.
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt. I recently fell in love with the Vice Pro Plus balls. To me, they compare with the Titleist Pro-V 1 left dash. I do like the promotion you have, especially with the graphics on the ball. They might be fun to try. What do you have that would compare to the Pro-V 1 left dash?
Rusty,
Neither of the Saintnine balls that I tested are particularly similar to the Left Dash.
-Matt
I’m a big fan of Saintnine Golf Balls. I’ve tried a few different brands and Saintnine is by far my favorite. They’re very consistent and have a great feel. I highly recommend them!
While the Performance of Saint Nine seems very good, what about the the durability of the cover, many of the balls with the urethane covers scuff fairly easily and are not playable after 1 round.