Snell Golf is not your typical value golf-ball brand. That’s because company founder Dean Snell has his name on the patent for the Titleist Pro V1. Combine that with nearly three decades of experience in golf ball design for Titleist and TaylorMade and over 40 patents and Snell brings a certain credibility to golf ball design.
Which make the introduction of his MTB-X ball noteworthy. Designed to replace the MTB Red model, Snell used consumer feedback on his MTB Red ball to guide the new design.
“I get lots of people writing in and I read every one of them and write down notes,” said Snell. “It’s like having our own focus group. This is designing balls for everyday golfers. Having Dustin Johnson tell me he needs more or less spin on his 8-iron shot is not going to help me design a ball for everyday golfers.”
Among the feedback Snell received was that the Red tended to balloon in the wind, and the cover lacked some feel and durability. There were also comments that the ball’s white color was too bright, therefore making it look like a less-expensive ball.
Along with addressing the color issue (and adding a yellow option as well), Snell took to the performance challenge, utilizing the same 360-dimple pattern on the MTB Black as opposed to the 338-dimple pattern on the Red. The new dimple pattern is designed for low drag, low lift for a more controlled ball flight to reduce “ballooning” in the wind.
The big change, however, was the cover. The MTB-X employs a thin, cast urethane cover (instead of thermoplastic urethane) that allowed for a soft core with a thick, firm mantle layer. “It’s like having a soft, two-piece ball under the urethane cover so you get the distance boost while maintaining the greenside spin and feel,” said Snell.
The cost for one dozen MTB-X balls is $33 or $28 per dozen for a pack of five dozen at snellgolf.com.