Sometimes a company like Titleist or Callaway will make you feel like they offer a “discount” ball. Unfortunately, simply making their bottom-of-the-line golf balls priced $10 less per dozen has never really felt like much of a discount to me.
That’s why I was excited to try the Cut Red golf ball.
Despite the name, the model I tried was a white 2 piece golf ball. The Cut Red is all about saving money. In fact, if continuing to purchase expensive golf equipment has you frustrated, you may want to keep reading.
Why listen to us? Our team has tested dozens and dozens of the top balls on the market (you can read in-depth review of each here). We keep detailed notes and findings about each one to come up with our recommendations for you.
Overall Rating and Thoughts
The Cut Red lost some points for the ability to control the golf ball and the fact that it really only works for slower swing golfers. However, when it comes to durability and value, the Cut Red is not a bad choice for players to be considering.
Here’s the great thing about Cut Red – for the price they are offered, it’s absolutely worth a try to see if this golf ball works for your game.
Overall Score: 7/10
Cut Red Features
Before I get too involved in my review, you should know that Cut Red does not claim to be a premium golf ball or have any comparison to something like a Pro V1. We have to keep the price point in mind through this review, and remember that you end up paying around a dollar a ball.
2 Piece Golf Ball
Cut Red is a 2 piece golf ball. With most 2 piece golf balls, you get a large inner core designed to produce distance and a thin outer cover or layer. The 2 piece golf ball will never have the same depth of performance that you can expect from a 3 or 4-piece golf ball.
Ionomer Cover
The exterior of the Cut Red is an ionomer material. Ionomer is used because it is lower in cost but still holds up fine for use by an amateur player. The Ionomer cover has 320 dimples and is designed o improve overall longevity, even on missed hits.
Lower Compression
The compression of the Cut Red is 60. A lower compression ball typically works best for golfers with lower swing speeds. When you read about my performance on the course with the Cut Red later in this review, you can see how that point is confirmed.
USGA Conforming
Sometimes cheaper golf balls from companies you may not have heard of may make you concerned that there are issues with USGA conformity. With the Cut Red, you don’t have to worry about that. This golf ball is ready for tournament play.
Glossy Finish
The exterior finish of the Cut Red has a classic glossy finish. The ball is a bit shiny and certainly stands out when you are looking for it on the golf course.
Cut Red Performance
I took the Cut Red and the Cut Blue out on the golf course to see how they performed. I care about launch monitor data, but for me, testing a golf ball on the course is only way to know whether or not it’s going to be a fit for my game.
One interesting thing here is that you’ll feel a certain decrease in pressure playing with the Cut Red. With the price point being so low, you won’t feel nearly as much pressure to keep the ball in bounds as you do when you have a $5 golf ball in play.
Feel and Sound
The Cut Red is a soft golf ball. In fact, it’s softer than I personally like as a low handicapper. The concept of soft feel is great until you actually feel like you are not getting enough feedback from the shots that you hit.
Overall the sound is a little dull, more like a thud than a click. The sound did not bother me at all, the feel coming off the face for the longer shots and the shorter shots was not ideal.
To be honest, I didn’t expect much here from a feel standpoint. I knew there would be some issues with the way it came off the clubface simply from the lower compression 2 piece technology. Feel wasn’t the goal when Cut Red released this golf ball.
Spin
The Cut Red is described as having mid-to-high long game spin. I would agree that the spin in the long game is high. Overall this led to straighter shots, a little higher ball flight, and a golf ball that lands and stays pretty much where you want it to.
There are pluses and minuses to a more high spin ball:
- Of course, the higher the spin, the more forgiving the golf ball can be (and easier to launch).
- However, the higher spin also leads to less roll and potentially a few yards less difference.
Greenside Control
Generally speaking, greenside from a cheaper golf ball like the Cut Red isn’t great. That held true when I tested the Cut Red out on the course. This is not your golf ball for greenside control.
You can work on learning to control this but don’t expect the ball to stop and land exactly where you want it to.
I tried out of the rough, short grass, and sand, and with wedges that are known to promote high rates of spin.
Still, the greenside control is not great.
Again, if you are a slower swing speed player and just want something that’s softer, the Cut Red isn’t bad. Just know that there is very little control on shorter shots.
Distance
The Cut Red Golf Ball claims to be a distance ball for slower swing speed players. Not only should you believe them on this claim, but you should take it as a warning.
Distance from the Cut Red golf ball will ONLY happen if you are a slower swing speed player.
In fact, if you have higher speeds, you can and will lose distance with this ball. Again, I tested the Cut Red and Cut Blue at the same time, and you would be surprised by how much of a distance loss this ball creates for faster swing speed players.
This isn’t meant to discourage you from playing with the Cut Red. In fact, some senior players who have tried the Cut Red find that it’s their favorite new golf ball on the market.
If you have less than a 70 mph clubhead speed, you can probably get plenty of distance and a higher ball flight with the Cut Red.
Total distance matters, and if you are a player who goes after the ball with a bit of speed, I would stay away.
Price
The price can’t be beaten. Although I can’t tell you this is the best golf ball on the market, I can tell you that I thought there would be more problems with the performance than there are, considering the price point.
One more thing to note here – although the cover of the ball was not perfect after a few rounds, it was certainly good enough to keep it in play. Now you have a box of golf balls that can be used for close to 24 rounds (assuming you don’t lose any golf balls). The deal just got even sweeter!
What I Like About The Cut Red
I do a lot of golf ball reviews, so I’ve become picky about the performance I expect from a ball. With the Cut Red, I was happy to see that the way the manufacturer (Cut) described the ball is very much how it performs on the golf course.
Affordability
Some golfers buy cheap golf balls just because they want to keep costs down. Others buy them because they will know they will lose them. As long as you have a slower swing speed, this is a golf ball that really helps keep things affordable on the course.
Great Option for Slower Swing Speed
I struggled to get distance with this golf ball simply because it was not the compression for my swing. However, if you have a slower swing speed, you should have no problem gaining some distance. In addition, the softer feel may help with control and even a higher ball flight.
What I Don’t Like About The Cut Red
I’ve tried to be fair about Cut Red throughout my entire review. We can’t compare the Cut Red to a golf ball that costs $5 and expect it to have the same level of performance. However, there are a few negatives that you should be aware of when playing with the Cut Red.
Feel and Spin Around The Greens
The Cut Red is not the best greenside golf ball on the market. If you are a player who demands spin, control, and a premium feel, you won’t find it with the Cut Red. It feels like a cheaper golf ball when you are close to the greens.
Overall Distance for Mid to High Swing Speed Players
Distance is a problem with Cut Red unless you have a slower swing speed. For higher or even mid-swing speed players, you will probably lose a few yards by switching to Cut Red.
Brittany Olizarowicz
Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1
