Golf Ball Review:
Pinnacle Platinum Feel, Platinum Distance, Gold FX Long
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com

Golfers are very particular about the brand of ball they play, right? However, not everyone is on par with Tiger, Phil or Weir when it comes to being able to play a particular pill. Thankfully, today’s golf ball technology allows for a different ball for every type of golfer.

Pinnacle Golf, under the Acushnet Company umbrella, makes some of the best golf balls available. The little brother to Titleist golf balls, namely the Pro V, Pinnacle holds its own when it comes to top-performing golf balls in a variety of choices.

This month, we review three offerings from Pinnacle: the Pinnacle Platinum Feel; Platinum Distance; and Golf FX Long.

Platinum Feel

The first of two new flagship products from Pinnacle, the Platinum Feel golf ball is designed for golfers seeking soft feel and high performance control. This ball utilizes a soft, thin cover, and introduces a new large core construction. The result? The ultimate combination of long distance and soft feel, with outstanding greenside control. 

The Platinum Feel ball is designed to offer total control on all types of shots, and that’s exactly what we found during a test round. While not the longest ball we’ve tested, it certainly holds its own, and it makes up for any lost yardage with extraordinary feel. A new, soft, thin cover, large 1.595-in. core, and high coverage 332 Icosahedral dimple design (Google that one), plus a new alignment sidestamp make for an outstanding overall performer.

MSRP: $24.99 per dozen.

Platinum Distance

The Pinnacle Platinum Distance ball is just that: a distance ball offering long, straight shots from tee to green. Designed with a 1.565-in. core, resilient lower-spin cover, and the same new dimple design as the Platinum Feel, the Platinum Distance is the perfect distance companion product to the Feel ball. And for a distant ball, it’s very soft.

We put the Platinum Distance ball to the test, and had no problem spinning it with a wedge. Claims of a high initial velocity held true. This ball is long! But it’s not short in the feedback department – it’s soft enough to allow shotmaking.

MSRP: $24.99 per dozen.

Gold FX Long

Without a doubt, one of the longest balls I have ever hit was the Pinnacle Gold. Now there’s a new offering from Pinnacle: the Gold FX Long, and it’s just as long as its predecessor.

The official ball of the Pinnacle Distance Team and the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, the new Pinnacle Gold FX Long ball offers the longest allowable design as dictated by the golf gods and the Rules of Golf. A new, firmer, high-velocity core, low-spin Surlyn cover and high coverage 330 Icosahedral dimple design makes this ball one of if not the longest ball the game has ever seen.

I had some fun testing this ball. While it can be difficult to spin if you’re a high-handicap golfer, guaranteed, you will see flagsticks buckle at the knees. How long is the Gold FX Long ball? Add another 15-20 yards to your top tee shots. That was my estimation on this late-Fall day. I didn’t have to worry about losing any balls in the leaves: this ball carried every hazard imaginable, and even frightened a few geese flying south.

Want to boost dad’s ego? Throw a 15-pack (MSRP $22.99) under the Christmas tree and make sure you’re in his group next spring when he tees off with these explosive pills.

For more information on all of Pinnacle’s offerings, visit www.pinnaclegolf.com.