Seven Vice golf balls compared on construction, cover and the balance of distance and control each model aims for.
Vice sells direct, but the full range is on Amazon as well, and this page covers every distinct model that is in stock there: Pro, Pro Plus, Pro Soft, Pro Air, Pro Zero, Tour and Drive. Color editions of the same ball are left out, because a Drip Red Pro Soft is the same ball as a white Pro Soft. Prices run from about 18 dollars a dozen for the Drive to about 40 for the Pro Air.
Vice golf balls: the seven models at a glance
Two numbers sort the Vice range. The first is how many layers the ball has: two pieces on the Drive, three on most of the line, four on the Pro Plus. The second is the cover. Surlyn covers on the Drive and the Tour are hard, durable and cheap and give up greenside spin; cast urethane covers on the Pro family are thin and soft and grab the green, and they scuff sooner.
The third question is your swing speed, and Vice states it per model rather than leaving you to guess. Drive, Pro Soft and Pro Air are aimed at low to medium speeds, Pro at medium speeds, Pro Plus at high speeds, and the Tour is sold as a fit for any speed. Below you get three picks for the most common cases, then the full table, then each ball in detail.
- The one most golfers should playVice Pro
- High swing speeds and the most layersVice Pro Plus
- Softest feel at medium and low speedsVice Pro Soft
- Cheapest ball in the rangeVice Drive
| Ball | Construction | Cover | Swing speed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice Probest overall | 3 piece | Cast urethane, extra thin | Medium, advanced players | Maximum wedge spin |
| Vice Pro Plushigh swing speeds | 4 piece, 336 dimples | Cast urethane, extra thin | High | Distance with a lower flight |
| Vice Pro Softsoftest feel | 3 piece | Cast urethane, extra thin | Low to medium | Soft feel with urethane spin |
| Vice Pro Airhighest flight | 3 layer, 318 dimples | Cast urethane | Low to medium | Distance through less spin |
| Vice Pro Zerocheapest urethane | 3 piece fused urethane, 344 dimples | Fused urethane | Not stated | Windy days on a budget |
| Vice Tourbest value | 3 layer | Surlyn | Any speed or skill level | Distance and control mixed |
| Vice Drivebest budget | 2 piece, 368 dimples | Tough cut-resistant soft core | Low to medium | Longer roll, lowest price |
The seven Vice golf balls in detail
- Construction3 piece
- Covercast urethane, extra thin
- Playeradvanced golfers with medium swing speeds
- Strengthmaximum wedge spin and driver distance
- Feelsoft off the club with spin control
- Alignmentclosed alignment line
Best for: The single ball to buy if you play Vice and do not have an unusual swing speed
The Pro is the center of the Vice range and the ball the others are variations on. Three layers, an extra thin cast urethane cover, and a design brief that Vice states outright: advanced golfers with medium swing speeds who want maximum driver distance and maximum wedge spin from the same ball.
That is the trade you are buying. A thin urethane cover grips the grooves on a wedge and stops the ball on the green, and it also picks up scuffs from cart paths and bunker rakes faster than a hard Surlyn cover does. If you lose or retire balls quickly anyway, the Tour further down this list makes more sense.
Pros
- The extra thin cast urethane cover is what produces short game spin, and this is the cheapest way into it apart from the Pro Zero
- Vice names the target group plainly: advanced golfers with medium swing speeds, so you know before you buy whether it is for you
- Spin control and soft feel come from the same cover, so the greenside behavior matches the feel off the putter
- The closed alignment line is a genuine aiming aid rather than a logo
Cons
- A thin urethane cover scuffs faster than the Surlyn on the Tour and the Drive
- Vice does not publish a dimple count for this model
- Around twice the price of the Drive per dozen
- Construction4 piece
- Dimples336
- Covercast urethane, extra thin
- Playerhigh swing speeds with the highest performance requirements
- Flightlower ball flight trajectory
- Strengthoptimized for even longer distance
Best for: Golfers with a genuinely high swing speed who spin the ball too much off the tee
The Pro Plus is the Pro with an extra layer and a different mission. Four pieces, 336 dimples, and the tuning goes toward longer distance with a lower ball flight, which is what a fast swing needs when the standard ball balloons.
The important part is the warning in Vice's own description: this is for high swing speeds with the highest performance requirements. Buying up the range without the swing speed to match does not get you a better ball, it gets you a ball you cannot compress. If you are not sure which side of that line you fall on, play the Pro.
Pros
- The only four piece ball in the Vice range, which is what allows distance and greenside spin to be tuned separately
- A lower flight trajectory holds up better into wind than the higher flying Pro Air
- Green grabbing control is retained despite the distance focus
- 336 dimples is a published figure rather than a marketing claim
Cons
- Built for high swing speeds, so a slower swing will not compress it and will lose distance
- Same thin urethane cover means the same durability compromise as the Pro
- Costs more than the Pro without being better for most players
- Construction3 piece
- Covercast urethane, extra thin
- Playermedium and low swing speeds
- Strengthoutstanding spin control with extra soft feel
- Finishglossy, offered in white, neon lime and neon red
- Alignmentclosed alignment line
Best for: Slower swing speeds that want urethane greenside spin without a firm ball
The Pro Soft is the answer to a specific complaint: the Pro feels firm to golfers who do not swing hard. It uses the same three piece construction and the same extra thin cast urethane cover, but the core is built for medium and low swing speeds, and the result is a noticeably softer ball off every club.
Nothing about the short game changes, which is the point. You still get the outstanding spin control that comes from the urethane cover; you just get it in a ball that compresses at a swing speed the Pro was not designed for. Vice offers it in a glossy white plus neon lime and neon red.
Pros
- Keeps the extra thin cast urethane cover of the Pro, so the short game spin does not disappear with the softer core
- Aimed at medium and low swing speeds, which covers most club golfers honestly
- Extra soft feel is noticeable on putts and short chips, where feedback matters most
- The glossy finish comes in neon lime and neon red as well as white, which makes it easier to find in rough
Cons
- A softer core gives up ball speed at higher swing speeds
- Same urethane durability compromise as the rest of the Pro family
- Priced with the Pro rather than below it, despite being the slower swinger's ball
- Construction3 layer
- Dimples318
- Covercast urethane
- Playerlower to medium swing speeds
- Flightincreased trajectory, reduced spin for pure distance
- Alignmenttapered crisp edge alignment aid
Best for: Slower swings that lose distance to a low, spinning ball flight
The Pro Air is the newest ball in the Vice range and the most specific in what it does. Its 318 dimple pattern is built to raise the flight and reduce spin, which is aimed squarely at golfers who lose distance because the ball comes off low and spins too much.
What separates it from a normal distance ball is the cover. Vice kept cast urethane, so the ball still behaves like a premium ball on the green rather than skidding like a two piece Surlyn ball. It is the most expensive model here and the trade is written into the design: less spin means less stopping power when you do want the ball to bite.
Pros
- A 318 dimple pattern is a real design difference, not a color change: it raises flight and cuts spin
- Keeps a cast urethane cover, so this is a distance ball that has not given up the greenside surface
- The 2025 model is the newest ball in the range and the easiest to get in full stock
- The tapered alignment aid works as an aiming line on the tee and a guide on the green
Cons
- Reduced spin is a trade, and it costs you stopping power on approach shots
- At around 40 dollars it is the most expensive ball in this list
- Designed for lower to medium swing speeds, so a fast swing is better served by the Pro Plus
- Construction3 piece fused urethane
- Dimples344
- Flightmedium high ball flight
- Windminimal ball flight deviation in windy conditions
- Strengthoutstanding distance off the tee
- Coverfused rather than cast urethane
Best for: A urethane ball for people who lose too many balls to pay Pro prices
The Pro Zero sits between the Surlyn balls and the cast urethane Pro family, and the price says so: roughly 26 dollars a dozen against about 38 for the Pro. The cover is a three piece fused urethane construction, and a 344 dimple pattern gives it a medium high flight.
The claim worth noting is wind. Vice describes it as having minimal ball flight deviation in windy conditions, which is not said about any other ball here. What Vice does not claim is the high wedge spin the cast urethane models are sold on, so treat this as a distance ball with a soft cover rather than a cut price Pro.
Pros
- The cheapest way into a urethane cover in the Vice range, at around 26 dollars a dozen
- Minimal flight deviation in wind is the one claim Vice makes for this ball that no other model here gets
- The 344 dimple pattern produces a medium high flight that suits most club golfers
- Distance off the tee is the stated focus, so it is not a short game ball priced as one
Cons
- Fused urethane is a different process from the cast urethane on the Pro, and Vice makes no wedge spin claim for it
- Vice does not state a target swing speed for this model
- Fewer color and packaging options than the Pro family
- Construction3 layer
- CoverSurlyn
- Playerany swing speed or skill level
- Balancemix of distance and control
- Flightbalanced trajectory between spin and distance
- Alignmenttapered crisp edge alignment aid
Best for: Golfers who want a three piece ball but keep losing them
The Tour is the ball to buy when the urethane models are more ball than your game needs. It keeps the three layer structure and adds a Surlyn cover, which is harder and considerably more durable, and Vice positions it for players at any swing speed or skill level looking for a mix of distance and control.
In practice it plays firmer than the Pro and stops less on the green, and it survives things that would put a urethane ball in the bag for practice. For most weekend golfers, the difference in score is smaller than the difference in cost across a season.
Pros
- Three layers with a Surlyn cover means most of the structure of a premium ball at around 28 dollars a dozen
- Surlyn is the most durable cover here, so a scuffed bunker shot does not retire the ball
- Vice sells it for any swing speed or skill level, which makes it the safe gift or society ball
- The same tapered alignment aid as the premium models
Cons
- Surlyn cannot generate the greenside spin of the urethane covered Pro models
- A balanced flight means it does not fix a specific ball flight problem the way the Pro Air does
- Firmer feel on putts than any of the Pro family
- Construction2 piece
- Dimples368
- Coreextremely tough and cut-resistant soft core
- Playerlow to medium club head speed
- Rolllonger roll and softer feel
- Pricethe least expensive ball in the Vice range
Best for: High handicappers, winter rounds and any course where the water comes into play
The Drive is the entry point and it is honest about what it is. Two pieces, 368 dimples, a tough cut-resistant soft core, and a design aimed at low to medium club head speeds. Vice sells it on longer roll and a softer feel, which is exactly what a two piece ball can deliver.
Where it fits is obvious once you have lost a few sleeves. If you play a course with water or trees in play, or you are still working out where the ball goes, spending 18 dollars a dozen instead of 38 changes how you play the shot. What you give up is the short game: this ball runs out where a urethane ball would check.
Pros
- Around 18 dollars a dozen, less than half the price of the Pro family
- A cut-resistant core is built for the mishits that put balls into trees and cart paths
- 368 dimples is the highest count in the Vice range and supports the longer roll it is sold on
- Designed for low to medium club head speed, which is where most beginners actually are
Cons
- Two pieces and no urethane cover means the least greenside spin of any ball here
- Longer roll is a benefit off the tee and a problem on approach shots that need to stop
- Feel is soft for a two piece ball but still firmer than the Pro Soft
Checklist: What Makes a Great Vice Golf Ball
- Durability: Look for Vice golf balls with robust covers, like Surlyn or urethane. These materials ensure resilience against frequent impacts, scuffs, and abrasions, prolonging the ball's playable condition.
- Distance: Distance in this range comes from the dimple pattern and the number of layers rather than from one headline technology. The Drive uses 368 dimples for a longer roll, the Pro Plus 336 for a lower flight at high swing speeds, and the Pro Air 318 to raise flight and cut spin.
- Spin Rate: Consider balls with a balance of low driver spin and high wedge spin. Key design elements like the number of dimples and the mantle's composition will heavily influence spin control on the greens.
- Feel: Identify balls that offer a soft feel upon impact, important for short games. Balls with soft-core technology or a thin urethane cover can provide the tactile feedback needed for subtle, precise shots.
- Visibility: Most Vice models are sold in color editions as well as white, and the Pro Soft comes in a glossy neon lime and neon red. The alignment aid matters more day to day: the Pro family uses a closed alignment line, the Tour and the Pro Air a tapered aid with crisp edges.
- Compliance: Ensure that the golf balls are in conformance with USGA and R&A standards for legal play. Vice's adherence to these regulations means you can use the balls in tournaments and formal games.
FAQ
What qualities should I look for in a durable golf ball?
Choose golf balls with robust covers made of Surlyn or urethane to ensure resilience against impacts and prolonged playability.
How does spin rate affect golf ball performance?
Golf balls with a balanced spin rate provide control, with low driver spin for distance and high wedge spin for precision on the greens.
Are bright colors or patterns beneficial for golf balls?
Yes, golf balls with bright colors or distinct patterns enhance visibility and focus, making them easier to track during play.
