The 2026 Snell PR4 ($34.99/dozen) scored 76/100 (grade C, not recommended) in the MyGolfSpy Ball Lab test of 36 balls. It was rated good for compression consistency (B+) but failed compression symmetry (F) and showed a bias in the shape of the pole at the seam in every ball tested – manufacturing problems outweigh its value price.
The Snell PR4 is a four-piece urethane golf ball that sits in the value segment at $34.99 per dozen. Snell has built a reputation on direct-to-consumer ball technology. The PR4 is their flagship. What Ball Lab can tell you is what’s going on inside the box. We measured weight, diameter, compression, roundness and balance through 36 balls and three boxes to give the manufacturing side of that picture.
Here’s what the 2026 Snell PR4 looks like under the microscope.
Snell PR4
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Compression consistency rated B + – a delta of only 6.3 points is in the top quartile of the database
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Good Ball Rate of 97.2% – only one defective ball in the entire sample
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F rated compression symmetry
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Consistent shape from pole to seam across all 36 balls. Each ball in the sample measured thicker at the poles than across the seam
The 2026 Snell PR4 earns a Quality Score of 76 and a grade of C: not recommended. The compression consistency is a real bright spot, rated at B + with a delta of only 6.3 points. What drags the score is the symmetry of compression that has classified to F with a median of 6.0 points against a field average of 1.9. A consistent pole shape bias at the seam across all 36 balls compounded the concern. At $34.99 per dozen, the PR4 offers value-priced urethane construction, but manufacturing data doesn’t support a recommendation.
Snell PR4
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Product details
- price: $34.99/dozen
- Construction: 4 piece urethane
- Compression: 87 (Signature)
- Factory: China (facility not disclosed)
- Diameter: 1.6840 in.
- Weight: 1.6062 oz.
- Bad Balls: 1 of 36 (2.8%)
The test results
U 2026 Snell PR4 scored 76 and earned a grade of C: not recommended. The score reflects a profile that shows genuine strength in one category and significant manufacturing concerns in two others.
Good Ball Rate reached 97.2 percent. One of the 36 balls was marked as bad due to multiple coating layer intrusions – a defect that occurs when the outer layer is applied before the inner layer has cooled sufficiently, resulting in irregular material intrusions visible in cross-section. A second ball from Box 3 showed something present in the core which, although not considered significant enough to flag as bad, was noted as an anomaly worth documenting.
The consistency of compression classified at B + with a delta of 6.3 points and a spread that runs from 83.3 to 89.7, one of the best results in the database and a bright spot on the report.
Where the profile falls in part is the compression symmetry which is classified at F with a median of 6.0 points against a field average of 1.9. This means that the individual balls are compressed very differently in the three points that we measure on each ball.
Diameter consistency is graded C- and tells its own story: all 36 balls measured consistently thicker at the poles than across the seam, a sample shape bias with zero exceptions. The consistency of weight classified to C +.
At $34.99 per dozen, the PR4 offers an affordable urethane construction. But the compression symmetry and a bias of consistent shape in every ball in the sample are the reasons that it does not earn a recommendation.
Find the right golf ball for your game
Use the MyGolfSpy Golf Ball Selector to compare 48 golf balls using data from our robot test 2026. Filter by swing speed and see how each ball performs from driver to wedge to find the best fit for your game.
Compression
Compression is a measure of how much force is required to deform a golf ball; the higher the number, the steadier the dance. Consistency is important because a ball that compresses differently from shot to shot produces different results from shot to shot. Ball Lab measures each ball individually and tracks both the mean and spread within the sample.
U 2026 Snell PR4 average of 87, in the firm range of our database which is softer than most tour-level balls in this test series. The compression consistency is classified at B + with a delta of 6.3 points and a spread that runs from 83.3 to 89.7, well below the database average of 9.6 and one of the strongest results in the database. Ball for ball, the PR4 delivers a consistent compression product.
Ball Lab also measures compression symmetry which tracks how well compression is distributed across three points on each individual ball. Is each ball self-consistent? The PR4 has an average of 6.0 deviation points. This is more than three times the field average of 1.9 and the worst result in this category in our database this year.
While the compression spread within the sample is narrow, individual balls show significant internal variation, meaning that the three measurement points on a single ball can tell very different stories. This is the tension at the heart of this profile: good consistency throughout the show, poor consistency in each dance.
The graphs below detail the compression measurements in our sample.
Weight
Weight consistency is another Ball Lab metric. Even small differences between a dozen balls can result in an inconsistent ball flight. Ball Lab weighs each ball to four decimal places.
U 2026 Snell PR4 average 1.6062 ounces in 36 balls, at the lightest end of the database. Each ball weighed the USGA maximum of 1.6205 ounces with a range of 1.6009 to 1.6139 and a standard deviation of 0.0038. The spread is wider than most tour-level balls in this test series with Box 1 showing the most variation of the three.
The consistency of the weight ranks at C +.
The graphs below detail the weight measurements in our sample.
Diameter
A ball that is not uniform in shape can track offline on the putting green or produce an inconsistent flight in the air. Ball Lab measures each ball in multiple axes to get a true picture of its shape.
U 2026 Snell PR4 average of 1.6840 inches, above the USGA minimum of 1.680, with a roundness deviation of 0.0041 inches. Each ball has blown the minimum but the diameter data tells a clear story. All 36 balls in the sample measured consistently thicker at the poles than through the seam with zero exceptions. This is a sample shape bias that was present in every ball we tested. Box 1 was the least consistent of the three at an SD of 0.00115 while Box 3 was the tightest at 0.00071.
The consistency of the diameter graduated to C-.
The charts below detail the diameter measurements in our sample.
Ball Lab Report Card
Each Quality Score is a weighted average of five grades: good bounce rate, compression consistency, compression symmetry, diameter consistency, weight consistency. Our scoring system penalizes defective balls more severely while giving more weight to compression metrics than weight and diameter.
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