I was wondering what kind of process everyone was following to test the prototype golf balls.

I just played two balls for every shot during a round, and played them in random order to ensure it wasn't a first ball/second ball type of thing.

Test Ball - unknown all black markings

Regular Ball - prov1x

Notes during testing:

1. test ball had a much harder core, but a cover material that was soft.  As a result, it felt good off the putter, but terrible off the irons and driver in comparison to the prov1x (which felt much softer off of the other clubs).

2. test ball had lots of spin and I backed up many iron shots.  In comparison to the prov1x, I'd say it spun as much if not more.

3. Distance was a wash, the difference was negligible on irons and woods.

Summary:

The test ball sounded more muted on short shots, giving you the impression it was softer ball.  I really think it's an audible trick, as the ball felt like a rock off full shots like it was either a higher compression ball than the ProV1X, or it was actually a 2 piece ball wrapped in a ProV1 cover kind of thing.

Personally, the ProV1x was a better ball all around for me because of feel.  It felt softer tee to green, and just felt and sounded "right" to me.  I'm really curious now to know what that golf ball was if it's something in their current line.