OnCore Vero X1Review

OnCore Vero X1 Review

OnCore Vero X1 Golf Balls
Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: In a blind test, I’d be hard pressed to distinguish from the Pro V1
Manufacturer’s site
on Amazon

Since 2009, OnCore golf in Buffalo has been creating a line of interesting and often innovative golf balls. Their most famous product is likely the hollow metal core ball they released in 2012.

OnCore’s Vero X1 does not have a metal core, but is no less ambitious. The ball is meant to challenge the supremacy of the Pro V1 in the premium ball category.

I think the Vero X1 stands up well in comparison to the Pro V1, especially at $10 less. That said, I think the Vero X1 could find a wider audience with a more aggressive price point. I think it deserves that audience. My play tests were quite favorable; its a ball I would happily play all the time.

With the caveat that I have been playing the Vero X1 in cool (ok. it’s cold), late Fall Michigan weather, I’ve been impressed with the ball’s performance.

My comparison balls for this were the Pro V1 (to which OnCore compares the Vero X1) and the Vice Pro, which is my usual orb.

Off the tee, the Vero X1 produced a medium-high ball flight, with lots of roll. That’s right in line with my usual driver shot shape (at least since I put the Tour Edge C721 in play) and in that, compares favorably to the Pro V1. I think it is a little longer than my Vice Pro, which also flies a little higher.

With the irons, the Vero X1 produces a relatively low, but very straight flight. My test irons were Wilson D7s with graphite shafts.

To test Vero X1 performance off the irons, I spent some time at Washtenaw Golf Club’s par-3 fourth alternating between balls.

The fourth has long been a favored place to test shots with short and mid-irons. From the senior tees, it’s a 130-yard uphill shot. From the mid-and-back tees, it’s a 150+ flight from elevated tees across low ground and back up to the green.

It is a good hole for testing iron shots because it asks for distance control, height and accuracy. If a shot is off, the ball will skip off the sides of the mount.

My usual club selections are designed to lob the ball high and into the front end of the green for an uphill putt. A shot that’s long will create a downhill putt that simply can’t be stopped unless it hits the hole.

On mid- and short-iron shots, the Vero X1 irons produced the same relatively low flight and good roll that I saw off the tee. My comparison balls climbed higher and fell faster.

A lower flight with more roll is not a great recipe for that small, elevated green, but I actually don’t mind the combination for a majority of golf shots. I have never had the swing speed to stop — let alone back up — a ball into the green. The best I can hope for is a relatively quick stop.

On pitches and chips the Vero X1 performs very much like the Pro V1. The urethane cover feels soft and reinforces ball control. It’s got some pop, too.

I also very much like the feel coming off the face of the putter. The ball has a nice, gentle feel; no clickiness at all.

OnCore says that the Vero X1 has an effective 85 compression. That’s a good spot. By comparison the Pro V1 reportedly has an 87 compression and the Vice Pro an 86. All three have urethane covers.

Under the hood, the Vero X1 doesn’t have a hollow metal core but it does have a metal infused mantle. In all, there are four layers: the cast urethane cover wrapped around a “nano-engineered” transition layer, the aforementioned mantle and a “super fast” core.

In an interesting take, OnCore touts a perimeter-weighting technology and moment of inertia that results in lower driver spin rates, less dispersion, and a more stable flight.

“Moment of Inertia” is a phrase usually associated with clubheads and refers to their resistance to twisting. Perimeter weighting is a feature of clubhead design in which the bulk of the weight is moved away from the center of the club. This tends to improve forgiveness on off center hits.

I’ve never thought of those two in relation to balls, but the metal infused mantle surely would have the effect of moving weight toward the perimeter. If the physics work the same on balls as on clubs, the result would be a more stable flight and thus less dispersion.

OnCore says that an independent study by Golf EQ shows that the Vero X1 outperforms the Pro V1 and Pro V1x incomposite golf rankings. The Vero 1x scored a 372.68, while the Pro V1 and Pro V1x scored 350.83 and 362.26 respectively.

The Golf EQ study also showed that the Vero X1 had 60% less side spin than the Pro V1 models.

There’s a lot to like about the OnCore Vero X1. If you regularly play the Pro V1 I think it is worth trying.