Vice Golf has three new magazines launched today and it’s a bigger deal than I thought it would be. Over the last decade, Vice Golf has established itself as the Kings of DTC (direct to consumer) golf balls. Many players around the world are playing or at least familiar with Vice golf balls.
For a while, numerous companies tried their hand at selling golf balls online, but Vice Golf eventually came out on top. I believe their success was a result of offering reasonably priced, high quality golf balls in a fantastic variety of colors.
Personally, I’m looking forward to it Cotton candy color scheme to be added to the Vice Pro line.
Next came the Vice golf clubs
Building on the success of their golf balls, Vice Golf then introduced irons, wedges, woods and machines to their catalog.
I spent a good part of last season playing “Miami” Vice cuffs and wedges that were custom tailored for me completely online. I have found clubs to be a great combination of fun and functionality.
Basically, Vice’s clubs were just like their golf balls.
Vice Golf’s first group of punters were very striking and unlike any other sportsman on the market. The VPG01 blade was a wide body blade with a steep neck and the VGP02 pushed the boundaries of MOI as well as the “traditional” golf club aesthetic. The VGP02 sets of Emerald Dynasty colors are dreamy.
As with their full clubs, you can set up a fully online Vice Golf counter answering a few questions that are then entered into the Vice Golf/HIO fitting database.
Right there Vice Golf was in since yesterday with their putters. Today things are very different.
For you to gain something, the players of Vice Golf lost something
One of the new devices, the VGP03 blade, is an obvious evolution of the Blade VGP01. The steep neck and deep toe are still there, but the profile is that of a traditional broad blade. If you need a shooter to match your strong bow swing, the VGP03 is the one for you.
The other two are new Vice Golf pawls are new zero torque models.
Although Vice Golf calls their new equipment “zero twist” rather than “zero torque,” the recipe is familiar. By using a new shaft with the VGP03ZT blade and direct body connection for the VGP04ZT hammer, Vice has positioned the shaft’s insertion point at the meter’s center of gravity.
Alignment with the center of gravity eliminates head rotation as you swing the club. This keeps the face square in the arc of the shot and should return the face square to the target.
For some golfers, especially those who tend to miss the forehand, reducing or eliminating spin will lead to more shots on target. Players miss shots because the face opens up too much on the backswing and then stays open when hitting the ball.
By the way, Vice went with “zero twist” instead of “zero torque” because most people understand twist more than rotation.
(They may be on to something as I had to look up “swirling” to make sure it was a real word.)
Where is the usual Vice Golf cutoff?
Producing zero-spin maneuvers when zero-spin maneuvers are all the rage is good business, but it almost seems an un-Vice-Golf-like maneuver. Granted, the gauges have copious amounts of neon green, but I expect something from Vice Golf to be a bit more rebellious.
Rebellion comes when you click “Add to Cart”.
While many zero-torque gauges will set you back over $500, the new one Vice golfers it costs less than $300. Even with zero-twist technology, Vice Golf’s new gauges will cost roughly the same as their predecessors.
If you want an inexpensive way to try this style of digging, Vice Golf is here to help.
By the way, my preliminary playtesting says that Vice has succeeded in providing quality mags at a price point well below the industry average.
Here’s a closer look at the three new models with some of my initial gameplay impressions.
Deputy Golf VGP03
I started with the VPG03, thinking I would max out the torque before eliminating it. Unlike the somewhat unusual looking VGP01 blade, the VGP03 is quite traditional and very handsome as it sits behind the ball at address.
It’s well documented that I’m a fan of square heads and right angles on my shots. Parallel and perpendicular lines help me aim the target. Although the neck gives a lot of spin for me, I like how the neck looks.
When I first rolled balls with the VGP03, I had to double check that the face didn’t have an insert. The surrounding green paint makes it look like it has a face insert, and the soft feel made me think it was one.
Without insert; just a soft feeling face. The face gives off some heat, probably due to the 2.5 degrees of the attic. Most of the initial shots took a long time, but it was relatively easy to get used to the face twitch.
Overall, I’d say Vice did a solid job of combining steel and feel.
If this shooter had a hydraulic neck, I believe it would be a huge hit with more players. The 5:30 toe hang can be too aggressive for people who don’t have a strong bow swing.
Deputy Golf VGP03ZT
You will notice that most of the model name is the same as before. Vice affixed to the letters ZT to signify that this is a zero-spin blade. The S-shaped hose reminds me a bit of the type of hose PXG uses to eliminate torque/twist.
Although the clutch is attached to the heel, the twisted shape causes the bottom of the shaft to point directly at the center of gravity. This shaft position eliminates head rotation during impact.
At address, Vice did a good job of keeping his back off the stretch helpers. You still see it at the bottom of the face line, but the neck blends in very well with the similarly colored body. The dark shaft blends well as well.
One thing I didn’t mention about the VGP03 that is also true of the VGP03ZT is how flat the shooter sits on the ground. The wide and flat sole is very stable on the ground when you put it behind the ball. For both versions, I found this stability translated into a smooth stroke overall.
If you’re trying to eliminate spin with a zero-torque design, the flat sole of the VGP03/VGP03ZT will be the icing on your new stability cake.
Deputy Golf VGP04ZT
The VGP04ZT is something else. It’s like a fang-shaped shooter and a spaceship had a zero-turn baby.
It’s a super unusual looking shooter which is highly rated for me. I suppose the previous VGP02 hammer set the precedent for non-Euclidean geometries, but I was pleasantly surprised when I removed the headstock.
There’s a lot to unpack with the VGP04ZT. Let’s start with the location of the shaft insert. As I mentioned, this shaft enters the head at the center of gravity. This balances the weight of the head around the axle, eliminating twist / torque.
At address, this translates to a shaft insertion point that is well behind the face or “start”. Remember that “offset” is when the plane of the shaft is in front of the face.
One of the advantages of the starting position is that it allows the Vice to place an alignment aid in front of the axis. A traditional center pivot prop shaft sits too far forward for this type of alignment assistance.
From there, wings add to the stories of stretch and stability. The bright green parallel lines serve as guide lines for targeting. In general, the combination of lines is very effective.
Of the three models, I find the VGP04ZT the easiest to target.
Of course, the zero-twist design is also responsible for shooting their target lines.
As with the VGP03, I found the VGP04ZT’s rolls hot and spicy. The VGP04ZT also has a high face. At 1.5 degrees, that ball goes straight ahead.
The fangs/arms also make the shooter very stable. Although numbers weren’t given, I wouldn’t be surprised if the VGP04ZT was the highest-end UK vehicle that Vice has created to date.
Even with a form that looks like it’s ready to take the away team in red down to the scavenger hunt, the combination of the mass position and zero spin makes for a very consistent and accurate shot.
Did Vice Golf Change The Game Again?
Although there is some recent data, most zero-torque gauges sit at the upper end of the throwaway price province. Naturally, the price of these new substitutes will attract people’s attention. Ideally, the lower cost of entry will motivate them to finally see if that zero-torque thing is right for them.
My only question is whether these Golf Vices are enough for him Vice Golf fan?
Will fans of the Vice Golf brand buy the looks of these first models or perhaps wait and see if there are more wild looking versions on the horizon? Perhaps Vice made these initial offerings a little less colorful than they might have been to appeal to golfers who lean more traditional in their aesthetics.
Ideally, Vice can grab golfers from both camps. There’s a reason they still sell white golf balls, after all. Maybe lime green and black is just the gateway color scheme to hook the newbies.
You tell me. Did Vice hit the bold yet traditional aesthetic sweet spot?
Notice I said ESTHETICS. In terms of design, the only traditional thing about the VGP04ZT is that it has a spindle and a handle, and I really like it!
These are three good players. If the final price ends up in the $250 range (or even lower), they’re also solid value buys.
