Bridgestone Ball Fitting

[WatchOutLeft]

So I played a course yesterday and there were Bridgestone reps there doing a "ball fitting". I didn't do it myself because it was after 18 holes and it was hot and I was ready to go, but a couple people from my group did it.

My question is, would the driver be the club to use to make your decision on what ball you should use? Anyone doing the ball fitting was told to use their driver. They were asked what ball they usually used and then were given that ball to hit 3-5 times and then a Bridgestone ball to hit 3-5 times and were given a readout of some of their stats. The first guy from my group had a swing speed of 97 with his driver and hit Pro V1 (his usual ball) and then E5. The readout said his carry distance with the Pro V1 was 198 yards and his carry distance with the E5 was 202. Ignoring price for a second is it really a wise move to switch balls to gain 4 yards of carry distance with your driver and give up the things that the Pro V1 is better for? I'm thinking not myself.

My second question pertains to the fact that the second guy from our group who did the ball fitting was my 80 year old grandfather who had a swing speed of 77. He was playing Pro V1X (I'm not sure what the deal is with my playing partners using these expensive balls by the way, we are not that good) and the guy said he didn't have nearly a high enough swing speed to compress a harder ball like that and would be better off with a much softer ball that he could compress more and get more distance. Is there any information out there on compression of different balls and what swing speed works best with different levels of compressability (if that's the right term)?

Right now I pretty much play whatever I pick up in the rough on the course that other people have left behind or I buy something on the cheaper end. I did buy one sleeve of NXT Tour balls a few rounds ago and felt like they helped me stick on the greens a little better on approach shots and maybe helped a some on chips and pitches. I don't know what my swing speed is right now. My guess is that it is higher than 97 just having looked at video of my swing and watching the guy from my group that hit that number, but obviously I could be off on that as I doubt the naked eye is very effective at determining that. I want to get on a launch monitor sometime and get all my stats but I'm just curious about looking into balls that might get me more distance off the tee but not be terrible for spin on my approaches and pitches.

Let's say I want to buy balls in the $20-$35 range. Is the distance going to be that big from the "worst" ball for my swing to the "best". Or am I better off getting something that helps me with spin to hold greens even if I lose a couple yards on drives and with my other clubs. For the record I am a pretty short hitter (232 avg with driver) and have fairly good spin from what I can tell with where my pitch marks are and the ball ends up. I'm not spinning many shots backwards except for a few with my wedges a couple feet, but my irons don't usually roll out huge distances either (at least not 9i-6i).

Also "ball fitting" sounds hilarious to me.

[SavvySwede]

Pretty much any ball is going to be within 5 yards of any other ball. The difference between a good ball and a better ball is spin on iron and wedge shots. Sound and feel can alsop be a factor, but I'd learn to love any ball that checked up nice on a short pitch. Ball fitting off a driver doesn't do much good. But I imagine they choose to do it that way because it sells more balls. Everyone wants to get behind the launch monitor and see how far they can crank it.

[WatchOutLeft]

Pretty much any ball is going to be within 5 yards of any other ball. The difference between a good ball and a better ball is spin on iron and wedge shots. Sound and feel can alsop be a factor, but I'd learn to love any ball that checked up nice on a short pitch. Ball fitting off a driver doesn't do much good. But I imagine they choose to do it that way because it sells more balls. Everyone wants to get behind the launch monitor and see how far they can crank it.

Thanks. That's kind of what I figured with everyone wanting to max out their distance with the driver. I just wasn't sure how much there was to compression of balls dependent on swing speed. Even if there was a ball that gave me 15 more yards of the tee I don't think it would be worth it if I couldn't land it on the green.

That said, is there any kind of consensus on what balls help spin? Is it really just the top of the line balls that you want for that or are there any mid priced balls that do markedly better than their counterparts in that department? Pro V1s are out for me and NXT Tour is right at the top of what I'm willing to spend considering how frequently I lose them. I've thought about checking out Project (a) but they aren't any cheaper.

[SavvySwede]

Any ball with a urethane cover will have some pretty good greenside spin. Some are better than others but it is always better than non-urethane. Expensive non-urethane balls like the NXT and NXT Tour are a complete waste of money IMHO. A lot of people like the Top Flite Gamer Tour, it's a urethane ball and you can get 2 dozen for the price of 1 dozen NXT.

[alleztom]

I went through something similar. At my local Australian golf shop last year's Pro V1 were on special so I figured I'd give them a go, see if I preferred them (I had been playing WS Duo). After asking where I played and having a look at my (then) swing (driver speed 95mph) he suggested the 330 RX. I asked why, he said it will compress better than the 330, I said why not the 330RXS (higher spin) he said it the RX would be straighter off the tee (less side spin, I'm not the straightest) and I didn't need the extra spin to keep iron shots in the air. May or may not be true but I really liked the ball, and have bought 1 more box since. To answer the OP I asked why he was using my driver swing and he said it gave them a rough idea of relative SS though the bag and people are more likely to know their driver swing than a 6i or a PW swing speed.

[shar1ford]

I am a 67 y/o woman with a really slow swing speed. I love the KickX ball but lose them too often so I usually use Wilson 50 (compression) and get great distance. Since the weather in NC is now hot and humid, I have swtched to Icicles (70 compression) because my husband feels when the temps get hot you should use a higher compeession. If I could afford them, I would stick with KickX, but $39.95 is a little high for my game. Tell your grandfather to try the Wilson 50, I think he will really love them.

[Tat14]

Given the 25-30 buck range I would recommend the Titleist DT Solo or the Callaway Chrome Soft. The DT's are typically $20.99 a dozen brand new, and the compression runs between 74-80 depending on what year of ball you get if you find old stock or go into the secondary market of used, mint balls.

The Chrome Soft is actually 35 bucks or so, but is the Solo's twin with a urethane cover. Both feel great off the tee and spin less than premium balls. Both feel nice around the green and off the putter. The Chrome will check better on lower pitch and chips.

I've played the DT for a number of years, and the Chrome exclusively so far in 2015. I recommend them for either the low or mid cost options.

[shar1ford]

Thanks! I will try a sleeve of the DT Solo, then try the other one. Appreciate your response!

[Mac62]

....That said, is there any kind of consensus on what balls help spin? Is it really just the top of the line balls that you want for that or are there any mid priced balls that do markedly better than their counterparts in that department? Pro V1s are out for me and NXT Tour is right at the top of what I'm willing to spend considering how frequently I lose them. I've thought about checking out Project (a) but they aren't any cheaper.

A friend of mine has played the NXT Tour S for the last year or so.  He bought a box of Srixon Soft Feel and has been playing them side by side with the NXTs for the last couple months.  He likes the Srixon enough that he's going to switch over to it and they're only about $20/dozen.  Not a urethane cover so you're not going to get spin like a tour ball, but I've played a lot of rounds with him and he doesn't have any trouble keeping the ball on the green.

I'm a big fan of the Bridgestone e6.  It's a low compression ball (IIRC the compression is right around 48) and I like the way it feels off every club from driver to putter.  It isn't a high spin ball, but I don't play a high spin game either so it suits me.  I'm rolling it to the hole a lot more often than I'm sticking shots a foot from the pin and hoping they hop and stop.  My home course also has very hard greens (most of the time your ball mark is just a slight dent in the turf, if that!), so even the guys who play tour balls don't get much check on their shots.

[dkolo]

Given the 25-30 buck range I would recommend the Titleist DT Solo or the Callaway Chrome Soft. The DT's are typically $20.99 a dozen brand new, and the compression runs between 74-80 depending on what year of ball you get if you find old stock or go into the secondary market of used, mint balls. The Chrome Soft is actually 35 bucks or so, but is the Solo's twin with a urethane cover. Both feel great off the tee and spin less than premium balls. Both feel nice around the green and off the putter. The Chrome will check better on lower pitch and chips. I've played the DT for a number of years, and the Chrome exclusively so far in 2015. I recommend them for either the low or mid cost options.

I would think the Callaway SuperSoft would be a closer analogue to the DT Solo in terms of price and performance. The Chrome Soft is a somewhat spinnier ball. But in that respect, it's closer to what you'd get from the KickX.

[saevel25]

So I played a course yesterday and there were Bridgestone reps there doing a "ball fitting". I didn't do it myself because it was after 18 holes and it was hot and I was ready to go, but a couple people from my group did it.

My question is, would the driver be the club to use to make your decision on what ball you should use? Anyone doing the ball fitting was told to use their driver. They were asked what ball they usually used and then were given that ball to hit 3-5 times and then a Bridgestone ball to hit 3-5 times and were given a readout of some of their stats. The first guy from my group had a swing speed of 97 with his driver and hit Pro V1 (his usual ball) and then E5. The readout said his carry distance with the Pro V1 was 198 yards and his carry distance with the E5 was 202. Ignoring price for a second is it really a wise move to switch balls to gain 4 yards of carry distance with your driver and give up the things that the Pro V1 is better for? I'm thinking not myself.

Put it in simply terms. Most golf balls perform very similar off the driver.

Premium golf balls will spin more off the driver, but not significant enough to really be a negative. Meaning you'd probably only see 500 rpm for a faster swing speed.

Premium golf balls spin WAY MORE on wedge shots because they use the more expensive Urethane cover. This is a sofer cover that grips the ball more.

If you are looking for a new golf ball then you have to ask yourself, what are you willing to pay knowing you will have to replace the golf balls at some point or buy more.

Either way I would try to find a ball that gets you closer to your optimal driver launch conditions and feels good on short game shots. It's what ever is the best option that fits your price range.

[Jakester23]

Put it in simply terms. Most golf balls perform very similar off the driver.  Premium golf balls will spin more off the driver, but not significant enough to really be a negative. Meaning you'd probably only see 500 rpm for a faster swing speed. Premium golf balls spin WAY MORE on wedge shots because they use the more expensive Urethane cover. This is a sofer cover that grips the ball more.  If you are looking for a new golf ball then you have to ask yourself, what are you willing to pay knowing you will have to replace the golf balls at some point or buy more.  Either way I would try to find a ball that gets you closer to your optimal driver launch conditions and feels good on short game shots. It's what ever is the best option that fits your price range.

What are your top choices of premium ball?

[saevel25]

What are your top choices of premium ball?

My Top 3

Titleist Pro-V1x

Bridgestone B330

KickX

I tend towards Bridgestone because they usually go on sale to something in the low to mid 30's when new generation of golf balls comes out. I just buy the previous generation.

I am not a big fan of Taylormade, Srixon, or Callaway.