Any difference?

[tim583]

And difference between 50 elite and zip other than a little difference in compression and price? I tried searching and came up empty.

 

Thanks, been learning a lot here.

[erock9174]

The 50 elite is a 2 pc ball and the original Zip a 3 pc but I read on here yesterday that the Zip still being sold is now a 2 pc. I bought the double dozen from Walmart last year and still have some around. The box does not say whether its a 2 or 3 pc.

[oldyaler]

[quote name='erock9174' timestamp='1374284467' post='7495654']
The 50 elite is a 2 pc ball and the original Zip a 3 pc but I read on here yesterday that the Zip still being sold is now a 2 pc. I bought the double dozen from Walmart last year and still have some around. The box does not say whether its a 2 or 3 pc.
[/quote]I was the one who mentioned it being a 2 pc. One of the reviews on Wilson's website said it's now 2 pc. I sent an email to Wilson to find out for sure. Hopefully they'll send a reply.

I've never played a Zip but spec-wise they're very similar. The 50 has an overall compression of 75 and the Zip is 68. Both have a cover hardness of 83. The 50 Elite is my ball of choice.

erock9174, did the older Zips have the shallow pan dimples like the 50s? The new Zips do.

[tim583]

Let me know if Wilson replies. I'm curious!

[oldyaler]

I just found an article on worldgolf.com, dated April 2009, that states the Zip is a 3 pc. ball. It seems the only difference between new and old is the new ones have 302 dimples and the old ones have 312. Still waiting for a reply from Wilson.

[oldyaler]

[quote name='tim583' timestamp='1374291128' post='7496362']
Let me know if Wilson replies. I'm curious!
[/quote]Me too.

[oldyaler]

Update: Wilson finally replied to my question. The new Zips ARE 2pc. construction.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

With the original 3-piece ZIP they were providing a ball at a good price, with the much-touted "low compression" thing in spades, that also performed (in my experience) better than any low-compression 2-piece competitor. And it pretty much was no more popular and would not fetch any better price than the generic 2-piece "low compression" alternatives. So obviously Wilson wised up and said hey, if we can charge just as much for a 2-piece ball that's cheaper to make we'll do it.

[erock9174]

[quote name='oldyaler' timestamp='1374289547' post='7496218']
[quote name='erock9174' timestamp='1374284467' post='7495654']
The 50 elite is a 2 pc ball and the original Zip a 3 pc but I read on here yesterday that the Zip still being sold is now a 2 pc. I bought the double dozen from Walmart last year and still have some around. The box does not say whether its a 2 or 3 pc.
[/quote]I was the one who mentioned it being a 2 pc. One of the reviews on Wilson's website said it's now 2 pc. I sent an email to Wilson to find out for sure. Hopefully they'll send a reply.

I've never played a Zip but spec-wise they're very similar. The 50 has an overall compression of 75 and the Zip is 68. Both have a cover hardness of 83. The 50 Elite is my ball of choice.

erock9174, did the older Zips have the shallow pan dimples like the 50s? The new Zips do.
[/quote]

I'm still not sure which ones I even have. I do know mine have the shallow pan dimples. Mine came in the double dozen chrome and black box from Walmart. 302 dimples. My guess is I have the 2pc version.

[MetalManic]

[quote name='Fourmyle of Ceres' timestamp='1375370208' post='7583334']
With the original 3-piece ZIP they were providing a ball at a good price, with the much-touted "low compression" thing in spades, that also performed (in my experience) better than any low-compression 2-piece competitor. And it pretty much was no more popular and would not fetch any better price than the generic 2-piece "low compression" alternatives. So obviously Wilson wised up and said hey, if we can charge just as much for a 2-piece ball that's cheaper to make we'll do it.
[/quote]

Darn!!!! Just bought a pile of Zips online, on the basis of some of the (obviously older) reviews here. Didn't look carefully enough to notice that the ball had been changed to a two piece. Does sound like a bit of a rip-off, I mean why bother to make both the Elite 50 and the new 2 pc Zips, they sound like they are basically the same.

Oh well, I bought them also because I tried and liked Elite 50's. Hopefully the Zips will feel and play similar.

[oldyaler]

[quote name='MetalManic' timestamp='1376732478' post='7692732']
[quote name='Fourmyle of Ceres' timestamp='1375370208' post='7583334']
With the original 3-piece ZIP they were providing a ball at a good price, with the much-touted "low compression" thing in spades, that also performed (in my experience) better than any low-compression 2-piece competitor. And it pretty much was no more popular and would not fetch any better price than the generic 2-piece "low compression" alternatives. So obviously Wilson wised up and said hey, if we can charge just as much for a 2-piece ball that's cheaper to make we'll do it.
[/quote]

Darn!!!! Just bought a pile of Zips online, on the basis of some of the (obviously older) reviews here. Didn't look carefully enough to notice that the ball had been changed to a two piece. Does sound like a bit of a rip-off, I mean why bother to make both the Elite 50 and the new 2 pc Zips, they sound like they are basically the same.

Oh well, I bought them also because I tried and liked Elite 50's. Hopefully the Zips will feel and play similar.
[/quote]Let us know what you think of them. It seems to be getting easier to find the Zips than the 50s lately. The C:25s (another good ball) were supposed to replace the Zips, but, I have a feeling that Wilson is discontinuing them. The only places I can find them now is TGW ($21.95) or direct from Wilson for the not too bad price of $14.99.

[turnbowm]

Have been using the Wilson Zip ball for several seasons and was disappointed to learn that Wilson had [i]quietly[/i] changed the construction from 3-piece to 2-piece. The USGA Conforming Ball List also indicates that it is now 2-piece construction. Have some boxes bought several years ago and the UPC number is 8381358389 versus 8381362460 for the double-dozen boxes bought at the end of last year. The boxes are identical in every way except for the UPC number change.

Will contact Wilson CS on Monday and see if they can shed some light on the change and when it occurred.

[oldyaler]

I asked about the new Zips on Wilson's Facebook page and this was their response:




The Wilson Zip was launched as a 3-piece golf ball when it was introduced to the market a few years ago. The unique soft core technology made Wilson Zip the softest compression ball on the market with excellent distance performance. With the introduction of Wilson C:25, which was the next generation of 3-piece Surlyn golf ball from Wilson, the Zip golf ball was changed in construction to a 2-piece golf ball. Also the price was adjusted down. The new Wilson Zip shared the same technology as the first version except that it now was a 2-piece golf ball. Thanks for the question!

[turnbowm]

[quote name='oldyaler' timestamp='1376763533' post='7694384']
I asked about the new Zips on Wilson's Facebook page and this was their response:




The Wilson Zip was launched as a 3-piece golf ball when it was introduced to the market a few years ago. The unique soft core technology made Wilson Zip the softest compression ball on the market with excellent distance performance.[b] With the introduction of Wilson C:25, which was the next generation of 3-piece Surlyn golf ball from Wilson, the Zip golf ball was changed in construction to a 2-piece golf ball[/b]. Also the price was adjusted down. The new Wilson Zip shared the same technology as the first version except that it now was a 2-piece golf ball. Thanks for the question!
[/quote]

Good info. I should have realized that by looking at boxes purchased several years ago that had[i] no[/i] mention of "multi-layer" or "mantle". The C:25 ball was introduced in early 2010, so it looks like the Zip has been a 2-piecer for the last three and a half years. Those sneaky devils!

[MetalManic]

[quote name='oldyaler' timestamp='1376758782' post='7694042']
[quote name='MetalManic' timestamp='1376732478' post='7692732']
[quote name='Fourmyle of Ceres' timestamp='1375370208' post='7583334']
With the original 3-piece ZIP they were providing a ball at a good price, with the much-touted "low compression" thing in spades, that also performed (in my experience) better than any low-compression 2-piece competitor. And it pretty much was no more popular and would not fetch any better price than the generic 2-piece "low compression" alternatives. So obviously Wilson wised up and said hey, if we can charge just as much for a 2-piece ball that's cheaper to make we'll do it.
[/quote]

Darn!!!! Just bought a pile of Zips online, on the basis of some of the (obviously older) reviews here. Didn't look carefully enough to notice that the ball had been changed to a two piece. Does sound like a bit of a rip-off, I mean why bother to make both the Elite 50 and the new 2 pc Zips, they sound like they are basically the same.

Oh well, I bought them also because I tried and liked Elite 50's. Hopefully the Zips will feel and play similar.
[/quote]Let us know what you think of them. It seems to be getting easier to find the Zips than the 50s lately. The C:25s (another good ball) were supposed to replace the Zips, but, I have a feeling that Wilson is discontinuing them. The only places I can find them now is TGW ($21.95) or direct from Wilson for the not too bad price of $14.99.
[/quote]

Will do, my Zips are nearly here (it's a tracked Fedex international shipment), so I should get a chance to hit them on the weekend.

[MetalManic]

OK, Fedex delivered my Wilson balls across the South Pacific to my door right on time (there's gotta be a Cast Away joke in there I can't see..).

A bit of background. I've mainly played Srixon AD333's for a few years now, PD Soft and recycled Pro V1s before that. My son won a few Elites in a junior tournament. I stole them for a hit, and really like them. Thus the uber-order for the Zips, thinking they were the next ball up the quality chain. Length wise I am a pretty short hitter by WRX standards (!), my 'goto' club from the 150m (165 yard) marker is smooth 6 iron.

Played 9 holes late Friday, weather was crap so that was enough. Alternated between my few Elites, and my new Zips. Luckily I played really well for first 7 holes, and hit 5 greens in reg. So here is my first impressions of these balls.
[b]Iron play[/b]. With the Zips, a 100m (110 yard) wedge well struck into into wind landed on the green a backed up a few feet. A slightly thinly struck wedge hit into a backward sloping green stopped within a few feet. Hit a few pitches with the Elites, similar behaviour. IMO, both balls behave in a similar fashion with irons, they have that spongy feel you either love or hate (I love). Distance was excellent for me, seemed very playable even with a good wind blowing.
[b]Off the tee[/b] This is the part of the game where frankly I feel the ball is of little importance to me. My drives always seem to go about the same no matter what ball, its the quality of the strike that counts. Saying that, on the 8th hole I smashed a Zip with a 5 wood off the tee right over the tree on the dogleg (my usual line, I often use driver) and the ball sailed past my friends drive straight into the tee-tree on the far side of the fairway (end of my good run...). No way these balls are short. IMO the Zip had a slightly softer sound (feel?) off the driver, but not a huge difference.
[b]Short game.[/b] On the course, I could not tell any difference between the Zip or Elite.

This morning, I spend an hour around the practice green, hitting shots between Zips, Elites, and that old gold standard, some Pro V1s. What I thought...
[b]Low chips[/b], (Just hit a few) Elite and Zip both have that beautiful spongy feel and behave the same as far as I could tell. Pro V1s feel a bit firmer
[b]Short lobs. [/b]Although I try to my Callaway 64 degree wedge sparingly for lobs on the course, I practice this shot a lot (it's fun!), and can get you out of trouble when you need it. It's probably the strongest part of my game. Again, the Zips and Elites had a lovely spongy feel on contact. Relative to the Pro V1, the Wilson balls travelled with significantly higher flight, then landed softly and rolled out. The amount of roll seemed pretty consistent. Quality of strike was much more a factor than any difference between the Wilsons. Maybe the Zip had a few more revs, but it was a close run thing, really no significant difference. By contrast the Pro V1 comes in much lower, then grabs like hell, usually on the second bounce. IMO, on the courses I play the Wilsons are fine, but a pro or really low handicapper playing on a sandbelt course like Royal Melbourne with those rock-hard super fast greens would probably need the spin of a premium ball to prevent excessive roll-out.
[b]Putting[/b]. No way in a "blind test" would I be able to tell a Wilson Zip or Elite apart. I just love the solid contact these balls have. Once you get over the quietness of the strike and stop worrying if you need to hit them harder or softer than 'normal' they are a joy to putt with. Obviously the Pro V1 is no slouch on the greens, it has a distinctly firmer feel off the putter than the Wilsons.

[b]Summary[/b]. IMO the Wilson Elite and Zips are very similar. Maybe the Zip is a tiny bit softer (especially off driver), maybe a few more revs (spin) than the Elite, but its a close run thing, If a Wilson "whistle-blower" came onto this thread and stated the Zip and Elite were the same ball I'd be pretty surprised, but not shocked to the point of needing immediate therapy. More likely, the two balls are manufactured in different plants, using similar materials.

[oldyaler]

Thanks for the review MM. I'll have to give them a try. Lately it's much easier to find the Zips in my area than either the 50s or C:25s. The C:25s are also very good. They have a firmer feel than the 50s but, for me, distance off all clubs is the same with a little better bite in the greens.

[turnbowm]

MM - Excellent comparison of the Fifty Elite and Zip balls , which mirrors my experience and impressions. The slightly softer feel of the Zip off the driver is explained by the slightly lower compression... 67 (Zip) vs 72 (Elite).