The Snell Golf MTB-X golf balls are a relatively new line of high performance golf balls that were only released in the U.S. market in 2019. How do these golf balls compare to others on the market? Is it worth investing in them? This review will give you all the information you need to make an informed decision about whether or not these are right for your game, and if they’re not, what other options there are on the market.
Snell Golf: Behind The Brand
Snell Golf is a relatively young company, having only launched in 2014. However, it has quickly become one of the leading golf ball manufacturers on the market today. The company was founded by Dean Snell, who has been called “The guru of golf ball performance” by Golf Digest. Snell is a former engineer for Callaway and Titleist, as well as the founder of his own company (DG Sports) which manufactures many different types of equipment such as irons, balls, wedges and more. Dean is the co-inventor of the Titleist Pro V1, and has brought dozens of golf balls to market, holding over 40+ patents. Safe to say, this guy knows how to build a great golf ball.
Snell has put his 30 + years of experience in designing golf balls to work for this company. The result is a high performing, friendly-for-most-golfers ball at an affordable price point. In particular, the MTB-X is one of the stand out golf balls produced by Snell, which directly competes with the Pro V1x.
Snell MTB-X Golf Ball Review
Technology
The Snell MTB-X is one of the top golf balls produced by Snell, which are high performing and extremely durable. These are a three piece ball with an Ionomer cover to help produce more distance off your tee shot.
The core of this MTB-X has been made smaller in order to promote low-spin off the driver face, while generating faster ball speeds. In testing, we played the Snell MTB-X side by side with the Titleist Pro V1, and frankly we enjoyed the feel off the face a little bit more with the MTB-X. They both produced similar results in terms of overall distance, which is to be expected. The MTB-X feels like a little bit more spinny of a ball, even though that isn’t the case.
Off the Tee Performance
The MTB-X is a very versatile, workable golf ball that has been designed to help you control your distance and accuracy off the tee. It’s three piece construction helps promote more speed and greater spin than its competitor (the Pro V1) which we think gives it an edge in certain situations.
The MTB-X feels hot when it comes off the face, and promotes a low spin penetrating ball flight. This means that the ball will want to go straight, and won’t have a tendency to hook or slice. We found that when hitting into the wind this golf ball performed very well in terms of control- it didn’t balloon like some other competitive “X” models tend to.
All in all, from a distance perspective, there is very little that separates the MTB-X and other Tour-Level golf balls. This ball sits among the very best in terms of distance, thanks to the ball speeds it can generate.
Around The Greens Performance
Around the greens is what separates a tour-caliber golf ball from a lower quality ball, and the MTB-X delivers when it comes to short game. I loved the feel with short irons and wedges, with spin being easy to control even on full shots from difficult lies.
I will say, this isn’t the spiniest golf ball you can get. You get plenty of spin and wont struggle to hold a green on approach, but there’s less raw stopping power in the MTB-X than I expected. Still- plenty of check, plenty of control, and certainly playable from all lies and conditions.
When putting, we noticed very little difference in feel between this ball and other top balls on the market today. A nice soft click off the putter face, which I liked.
Pricing
The Snell MTB-X is one of the most affordable Tour-caliber balls on the market today. It’s a great ball for those looking to play top level equipment without having to pay an arm and a leg, or break their wrists with some bigger name alternatives.
A dozen of the Snell MTB-X’s will run you somewhere around $35, which is highly competitive compared to it’s peers. From a price standpoint, this is an amazing value play.
Who Should Play the Snell MTB-X?
We think this golf ball will be best suited for golfers who favor a lower spin, penetrating ball flight who want to play in windy conditions. The Snell MTB-X isn’t going to be as soft around the greens or produce quite the stopping power that some other premium golf balls do, but it’s certainly workable and will provide you with good feel for your short game shots.
Mid handicappers or even low handicappers would fit into this ball well. If you’re looking for a very high ball flight, I’d shy away from these.
Alternatives
Titleist Pro V1
The number one alternative to the MTB-X is of course the Titleist Pro V1. The Pro V is the most popular ball on tour, and there’s a reason for that. You can’t go wrong with either of these balls- they’re both Tour level equipment at an affordable price point.
I think I might prefer the Snell to the Pro V just because it feels more controllable off the tee, but I still think the Pro V is a great choice. Want a better look at the Pro V1 or the Pro V1x? Here’s our full comparison.
TaylorMade TP5
The Snell MTB-X is often compared to the TaylorMade TP series golf balls, another ball designed for maximum distance and control. You really can’t go wrong with the TP series- the TP5 is on a very short list of golf balls I like to play with, and for all the right reasons.
If you’d like an in-depth look at the TaylorMade TP5, check out our full review here.
Final Thoughts
For a long time, Snell has been under the radar. Their products are first class and on par with big name competitors from Titleist or TaylorMade that have been around for decades longer. The MTB-X is an amazing golf ball for those looking to play Tour level golf balls without breaking the bank. It’s more affordable than almost any other high end golf ball on the market, making this a seriously attractive option for the value golfer. If you want an amazing bang for buck option, go with the Snell MTB-X.
Thanks for reading!
