If you have ever searched online for a golf ball, you undoubtedly have been inundated with Cut Golf ads on your Instagram or Google Ads. They are one of many direct-to-consumer golf ball manufacturers and possibly the most successful. They have been mentioned on the Golf Digest Hot List the last few years.

I finally relented to the onslaught and got a free trial sleeve of the Cut Grey. It was only $4.95 for the shipping and came in less than 10 days.

The first surprise was that postage was due even though I paid for shipping. This feels like a problem with the shipping just for the free trial sleeves. You can order the standard 12-packs from Amazon Prime. The free trial sleeves come in standard first-class mail in just a padded envelope direct from the company.

I just opened the package to check them out thinking my review would actually start when I started putting and chipping them on my living room fake turf green, but the craziest part of the review happened immediately after the first one hit my hand.

The Cut Grey was sticky like the paint wasn’t dry, but it was. It doesn’t feel in the hand like any other golf ball I have ever touched. When you see “feel” in a golf ball review it is literally always in reference to the way it feels when the club is interacting with the ball because that’s what obviously matters the most, but this was so strange. I even got some fresh Pro V1s out because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t crazy.

It couldn’t feel more different from a Pro V1 when you are holding it, but when actually using it around the green it feels just as good. The urethane cover makes all the difference. The fact you can buy a three-piece, urethane cover ball for less than half the price of Pro V’s is insane.

As you can see in my “What’s in the Bag” post I typically game a Pro V1x, but I’ve played nearly every decent major manufacturer golf ball on the market at least once. I would much rather have a “too soft” golf ball than something that feels like a rock, so the Pro V1x at over 100 compression is by far the hardest ball I have ever liked. But because it’s Titleist and urethane covered, no one would ever describe it like a “Rock Flite.”

The Cut Grey is 80 compression according to their website. With above-average swing speed, there is a slight concern that anything made low compression will lose me distance. At 80 it’s not far off a Pro V1 (90), so that is less of a concern than some balls that dip way lower than that.

I played a couple rounds with them when it finally was warm enough. Off the tee and with the long irons, I didn’t see any major difference from its high-priced competitors. I didn’t see any drastic yardage losses. It definitely didn’t add distance, but it might for someone who can’t get enough compression with the slightly harder tour balls. I got good spin with my irons like I did with my wedges. I even ripped back my second ever iron shot with the Cut Grey using a 9-iron. Generally, I only get enough backspin to spin it back significantly with my wedges.

Verdict: The Cut Grey is definitely as good as advertised. It is still astounding how much cheaper it is, and you still get that much feel and performance. It is a must buy if you are looking for a cheaper golf ball without sacrificing performance.

Having said that there is a drawback. As some other reviews you can find say, the cover has some durability issues. My Titleist Vokey wedge has a tendency to chew up balls. When it’s cold and I really hit down on one I have even sliced up a Pro V. Unfortunately, this happens in moderate temperatures (65 degrees) to the Cut Grey. If it just shaved off the cover a little bit it wouldn’t bother me, but it looks like I played the 50-yard shot with my knife.

But I don’t really see this as a reason not to buy them. If you’re worried about price, you probably got tired of losing Pro Vs. Chances are you will lose one before it becomes unplayable under your standards.

Ultimately, I’m not buying more because they felt a little too soft with my putter and driver. I like feeling something. The Odyssey Two Ball has a soft insert and I struggled a bit with distance control. My driver felt like I over-compressed it a little. It might just have been a few below average driving days, but I feel I didn’t get everything I could out of them. Plus, I like to feel a little something off the face and with the Cobra F9 it was almost like nothing was on the tee sometimes.

If you are someone who only plays Pro Vs and has forever, the different look (the graphics look huge compared to the somehow subtle but iconic Titleist logo and Pro V1 putting aid line) and feel might throw you off before you even tee it up. I know it sounds like I am being a crazy person and maybe I got a weird sleeve, but it was literally the first thing I noticed as soon as they hit my hand. They don’t feel like any other golf ball I have held in my hand in my 27 years on earth.

I definitely want to try the Cut Blue which is the same price for a pack ($19.99) but four pieces like the Pro V1x and 90 compression. Cut also dropped a Cut DC (Dual Core) last year for 10 bucks more and has basically identical stats to the Pro V1x in layers and compression. I will try those in the spring when I’m not squeezing in rounds once every couple of weeks when the mercury climbs barely above 40 degrees.

Here’s a video from the TXG guys with a further breakdown. I don’t own a $20,000 GCQuad setup, so I am going off my own personal taste and feel. They are much better golfers with the tech to give spin rate and balls speed, so it’s worth a watch.