The Penfold Ace golf ball will strike a chord with those of a certain vintage. Penfold started making golf balls in the early 1900s and by the 1930s was one of the leaders. After the founder Albert Penfold was killed in WW2, his son Dick rebuilt the brand and by the 1950s they were back on top and the Penfold Ace was one of the best golf balls.
The Ace hit international stardom in the 1964 film Goldfinger where James Bond catches out Auric Goldfinger with his Penfold Heart gamesmanship on the final hole. In the real world the Penfold ball was played by future greats such as Gary Player, Nick Faldo and Seve won his first UK pro event with a Penfold Ace at the 1977 Uniroyal International Championship.
(Image credit: MHopley)
The brand lost its way soon after that following Dick Penfold’s retirement and ended up going the way of many British golf brands. However like many British golf brands there is still a nostalgia for Penfold due to its long history and the brand is being reborn again.
Whilst most of the focus is on upmarket clothing and bags, the DNA of the company required a ball and the Penfold Ace has been relaunched as a 4-piece urethane covered ball. This is not a brand new ball, but a version of an own-brand ball that is on the market made by Launch Tech of Taiwan. Other brand versions of the ball are approved as conforming by the USGA and R&A, but the Penfold Ace has not been submitted, so therefore it is not legal for competition play.
(Image credit: MHopley)
However if you would like a little nostalgia in your life then it is very much worth a go. Around the greens the feel and control were pretty good thanks to that 332 dimple urethane cover. This is the same type of cover that you find on most premium balls and compared to the leading balls from Titleist and Srixon, the performance was pretty good.
On the course it was the equal of most middle of the range golf balls and at around $40 per dozen it represents good value. The feel of the 90 compression ball was solid and the sound maybe a little firmer and more hollow, but this would be splitting hairs.
(Image credit: MHopley)
I am not really one for non-conforming products, but I’ll make an exception for the Penfold Ace. It would probably conform if they submitted it and the performance means that it is good value for money. It doesn’t try too hard and the James Bond connection brings the nostalgia, a smile to your face and the opportunity to break out your best Sean Connery impression on the…
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