How confident are golf ball companies really???

[MS256]

MS256: "Pro V1s are my favorite ball"

You can stop there.. Lol!

But that wouldn't tell the story that they are my favorite ball for very little legitimate reason.

[golfbarefoot]

That was a joke man... Anyway..The dude that started this thread.. His avatar says: IT TAKES A LOT OF BALLS TO GOLF THE WAY I DO" then you certainly don't want to waste your money on ProV1.. Play what you can afford and you like. No need to try and justify not playing.... I'll say it.. The #1 Ball in Golf.. Lol!

[imsys0042]

Personally I choose a ball based on how they feel putting and pitching. Most balls are lower compression than when I started playing and have a similar feel unless they are engineered to feel harder. I've never noticed a ball that noticeably was shorter than another, but I do like the way certain balls feel around the green.

[onkey]

Seems like..

What they say: _______ is the #1 in golf.

What they mean: ______ is the most used by elite players in pro and major amateur events, far above the nearest competition.

For example:

Seriously, look at those numbers....

It's stunning AND factual, so they certainly use it to market to average people.

Statistically, this doesn't actually tell a good story for the performance.  They are used by 86% of the field, yet they only win 81% of the time--the winning percentage should be higher than the usage.

[iacas]

What they don't say ... "We have a big stable of Touring Pros and Pay them a LOT of money to play our ball .... wanna' know why the price is so high? No need to guess -- marketing."

Nah. Patents are expensive. The tee-up money is pretty small, comparatively.

[ay33660]

This year, 2014, at least 2 of the major tournaments were won by a guy playing a Nike ball.  So that fact speaks volumes.

Seems to me the only reason to having pros play their balls is to influence what balls us hacks buy and play. Maybe in the future Nike balls will dominate but for now they have a LONG way to go based on what I see at my course. So far I have played over 70 rounds this year with a number of different groups and I cannot remember a single person playing a Nike ball. I would say Callaway and Bridgestone were the majority of the other balls and they trailed by a wide margin.

[Patch]

The best test results of any piece of golf equipment is the one done by the individual who is looking for a product to use.  Manufacturer's claims do not mean squat when it comes to the end user's satisfaction.

[Golfingdad]

Titelist boasts that they are the number 1 ball in golf. Well if you pay people to use your equipment they will. Same way TaylorMade claims to have the number 1 driver on tour. What I would like to know is has there ever been a true blind test on golf balls. lets say there was 100 pros and 100 amateurs capped from 1-25. now they all got to hit a bunch of blank balls with just a single number on them 1,2,3 you get the picture. Would people be able to tell which one is a pro v1 or bridgestone b330 rx or Taylormade tour preferred or nike. and so on and so on with all the tour level balls? same goes with the premium balls. sure some can tell the difference between a prov and an e6 or even a nxt but could a human really know the difference and if so would they have to be closer to a pro or scratch golfer?

Any thoughts would be great on this or if someone has tried this by blacking out the name brand I would love to know what results came of this.

Would these companies be willing to do a true blind test. where each type of ball had its own specific number and pros and amateurs alike could decide with what they really liked and why.

Just a random point:  A blind test would never work because with some balls (I'm specifically thinking of Bridgestone) it's really obvious what it is, you don't need the name to see it.

[iHack]

I wanted to play something different than a prov1. I tried sr, and vstar. I didn't like sr but liked the vstar. So I'd put a couple vstar and couple prov in bag. to compare them both I would alternate whenever I lost 1. I would keep track of how many holes I'd have the same ball for and how I would score. I found I had a more predictable flight with prov which lead to more chances at birdie. Was my score score drastically different? No, but I found I was in better positin to go after a birdie when I used the prov over the vstar or any other ball. II really wanted to like the vstar, I liked its feel off irons, I liked it stopping power. But inside 150yrds I had more confidence striking the prov. the flight is something I'm very comfortable with. maybe it's just a mental thing but so is 60% of golf. :-\

[boogielicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joekelly

This year, 2014, at least 2 of the major tournaments were won by a guy playing a Nike ball.  So that fact speaks volumes.

Seems to me the only reason to having pros play their balls is to influence what balls us hacks buy and play.

Maybe in the future Nike balls will dominate but for now they have a LONG way to go based on what I see at my course.

So far I have played over 70 rounds this year with a number of different groups and I cannot remember a single person playing a Nike ball.

I would say Callaway and Bridgestone were the majority of the other balls and they trailed by a wide margin.

I would argue that a Pro player will only use the best ball for him, regardless of brand.  These guys are trying to make a living.  They would not use a ball that did not give them the best chance at success.

For the OP, it starts at the green and works back from there.  I like the way the ProV1 and V1x feel putting, chipping and on pitch shots.  Then for approach shots, they will be able to hold the green.  As for cost, I find people selling them on Craigslist new for half price because they got them as a present or such.  I just tried Lostballs and the quality was good.  So I can play the ProV1 for the cost of less expensive balls.  I haven't bought them at full price in a while.

[Valleygolfer]

I would argue that a Pro player will only use the best ball for him, regardless of brand.  These guys are trying to make a living.  They would not use a ball that did not give them the best chance at success.

For the OP, it starts at the green and works back from there.  I like the way the ProV1 and V1x feel putting, chipping and on pitch shots.  Then for approach shots, they will be able to hold the green.  As for cost, I find people selling them on Craigslist new for half price because they got them as a present or such.  I just tried Lostballs and the quality was good.  So I can play the ProV1 for the cost of less expensive balls.  I haven't bought them at full price in a while.

I would say the pro is playing the best ball for him of his sponsor, otherwise they play the best ball for themselves.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ay33660

Quote:

Originally Posted by joekelly

This year, 2014, at least 2 of the major tournaments were won by a guy playing a Nike ball.  So that fact speaks volumes.

Seems to me the only reason to having pros play their balls is to influence what balls us hacks buy and play.

Maybe in the future Nike balls will dominate but for now they have a LONG way to go based on what I see at my course.

So far I have played over 70 rounds this year with a number of different groups and I cannot remember a single person playing a Nike ball.

I would say Callaway and Bridgestone were the majority of the other balls and they trailed by a wide margin.

I would argue that a Pro player will only use the best ball for him, regardless of brand.  These guys are trying to make a living.  They would not use a ball that did not give them the best chance at success.

For the OP, it starts at the green and works back from there.  I like the way the ProV1 and V1x feel putting, chipping and on pitch shots.  Then for approach shots, they will be able to hold the green.  As for cost, I find people selling them on Craigslist new for half price because they got them as a present or such.  I just tried Lostballs and the quality was good.  So I can play the ProV1 for the cost of less expensive balls.  I haven't bought them at full price in a while.

They play what they are paid the most to play.  The balls are all so similar in actual performance that it comes down to the money.  Titleist was once the best ball you could play, period (Titleist Balata Tour 100).  Even though that no longer applies, they are still riding the crest of that former superiority.  They still have the name recognition, so when most amateurs move up to a premium ball, the first thing they think of is Titleist.

Titleist is the #1 ball only in name recognition and in sponsorship spending, not in performance.  The rules limit what the ball manufacturer can do, so once they reach a certain point, they are all so much alike that none can honestly say that they perform better than any other.

[Valleygolfer]

All I know is that I am probably going to see a lot of project a's lost ob....

[Dave2512]

People choose balls for any reason you can think of. Most probably due to budget relative to skill, what you can afford to lose. I fall into that category. My guess is I buy two dozen balls a month. Some get lost, some get thrashed hitting paths and some just disappear. The only playability factor that matters to me is how it feels and sounds of the putter.

[BrownCoast]

They play what they are paid the most to play.  The balls are all so similar in actual performance that it comes down to the money.  Titleist was once the best ball you could play, period (Titleist Balata Tour 100).  Even though that no longer applies, they are still riding the crest of that former superiority.  They still have the name recognition, so when most amateurs move up to a premium ball, the first thing they think of is Titleist.

Titleist is the #1 ball only in name recognition and in sponsorship spending, not in performance.  The rules limit what the ball manufacturer can do, so once they reach a certain point, they are all so much alike that none can honestly say that they perform better than any other.

That is the post I've been waiting to hear. I know Titleist spends the most money on sponsorship for balls. I was not aware that the rules limited what they could do. I knew there was some guide lines that had to be followed but wasn't sure the severity of it. So basically Titleist is just holding on to their name due to past results. Maybe they'll end up like Wilson. huge name in golf many years ago, now they're trying to make a comeback.

[Ernest Jones]

That is the post I've been waiting to hear. I know Titleist spends the most money on sponsorship for balls. I was not aware that the rules limited what they could do. I knew there was some guide lines that had to be followed but wasn't sure the severity of it. So basically Titleist is just holding on to their name due to past results. Maybe they'll end up like Wilson. huge name in golf many years ago, now they're trying to make a comeback.

That's not likely to happen.

[BrownCoast]

That was a joke man...

Anyway..The dude that started this thread..

His avatar says: IT TAKES A LOT OF BALLS TO GOLF THE WAY I DO"

then you certainly don't want to waste your money on ProV1.. Play what you can afford and you like. No need to try and justify not playing.... I'll say it..

The #1 Ball in Golf..

Lol!

I never started this thread in hopes to find a ball to play. I have another thread for that. I have no illusions of thinking a premium ball will make me a better player. I actually feel ok enough with my game that I know a $15-$20 per dozen golf ball will be just fine for me.

This thread was started, not to bash Titleist but to see why so many people say its the best ball. i know its the number 1 ball used on tour (that means nothing to me) why do people claim its the best ball. If anyone looks at the chart posted on page 1 you'll see the b330 and u/6 have dots on the spin chart right next to the pro v1 and 1x. when people say pro v is the best ball and then I ask why, a very poor response is "because it is". or "because its the #1 ball in golf". All that tells me is advertising works and and people should be happy to spend $50-$60 a dozen for a ball that preforms just as good as a ball thats $40-$45 a dozen.

[BrownCoast]

That's not likely to happen.

you never know? Callaway is in financial trouble Adams got bought out. One of the head R&D; guys from the titleist golf ball department has left and now works for taylormade. I wasn't saying it will happen but I bet Wilson wasn't expecting to go from the biggest name in golf to barely being a blip on the radar. I've tried a few of their clubs the FG tour v2 and the ci 11 and the di11 with half half shaft. I really liked the first 2 and actually didn't mind the half half shaft but didn't like the di look or feel.