Will I Lose Distance Using Cheaper Balls?

[esayers]

so I have always played any ball I can find etc. and always buy cheap nitro golf balls. this year I'm going to try to just use one ball and see if it matters at all. so I'm looking to buy about 100 top flight xl as there are cheaper price about 55 cents per ball and a name brand. I understand  they may not perform as well around the green . but I still loose 2 many balls , to use any ball that's over 1.50$ per ball . my questions is will I loose distance using these or other cheaper  name brand golf balls? vs. the more expensive balls . because I can afford more expensive balls, but it might get very painful to play a round and loose multiple 3.00 balls. thanks for any answers . these top flights are on sale now  so I will buy a large amount for next season if people like them.  they do get good reviews on the site that sells them ....but I rather see what you guys and gals think first thanks...

[gregsandiego]

19 minutes ago, esayers said:

so I have always played any ball I can find etc. and always buy cheap nitro golf balls. this year I'm going to try to just use one ball and see if it matters at all. so I'm looking to buy about 100 top flight xl as there are cheaper price about 55 cents per ball and a name brand. I understand  they may not perform as well around the green . but I still loose 2 many balls , to use any ball that's over 1.50$ per ball . my questions is will I loose distance using these or other cheaper  name brand golf balls? vs. the more expensive balls . because I can afford more expensive balls, but it might get very painful to play a round and loose multiple 3.00 balls. thanks for any answers . these top flights are on sale now  so I will buy a large amount for next season if people like them.  they do get good reviews on the site that sells them ....but I rather see what you guys and gals think first thanks...

When I first started I bought slightly used balls from eBay for maybe 25 cents each. That was more than a year a go and I haven't paid for a ball since. I always find enough in the rough to keep stock.

I can't answer your question but like you, I'm not spending money until I lose less than one or two a round.

 

[Lihu]

25 minutes ago, esayers said:

so I have always played any ball I can find etc. and always buy cheap nitro golf balls. this year I'm going to try to just use one ball and see if it matters at all. so I'm looking to buy about 100 top flight xl as there are cheaper price about 55 cents per ball and a name brand. I understand  they may not perform as well around the green . but I still loose 2 many balls , to use any ball that's over 1.50$ per ball . my questions is will I loose distance using these or other cheaper  name brand golf balls? vs. the more expensive balls . because I can afford more expensive balls, but it might get very painful to play a round and loose multiple 3.00 balls. thanks for any answers . these top flights are on sale now  so I will buy a large amount for next season if people like them.  they do get good reviews on the site that sells them ....but I rather see what you guys and gals think first thanks...

I did have some cheap balls once, and they were like range balls. In the winter time, they lost their oomph. Most balls that you pay more than $1/ball are reasonable.

The fancier balls will probably spin more with the shorter clubs, but driver will go about the same or even a tiny bit shorter. Their advantage is more consistency over a wider range of conditions. I used to find a lot of balls and have collected a large number of them, they go about the same distances as new premium balls. Some of the cheaper ones have finishes that seem to wear off quicker, but still go farther than range balls with roughly the same amount of wear.

Use whatever is in your budget, if you don't lost too many balls the premium balls are not too bad if you get them slightly used (usually hit once) for $1-$1.25.

[Patch]

I practice with Nitro yellow balls. I play e7 Bridgestones. I hit both the same distance when using my full swing. There's about a $15 difference per dozen between the two balls. The e7s are much better around the greens. IIt has been a few years ago but I have also played the Topflite XLs. You will be happy with them. Not as good around the greens as the e7s, but still a decent all around ball.

[vangator]

Usually cheaper balls are two piece hard balls.  Certainly TF XL's are.  You won't lose distance.

If you want to improve your scores (doesn't everybody), the first thing to do is keep your ball in play.  Maybe get a few lessons and don't leave the range until you can make reasonable contact and know where your ball is going. 

[dkolo]

8 minutes ago, vangator said:

don't leave the range until you can make reasonable contact and know where your ball is going

If I had taken this advice, I'd have never left the range.

[vangator]

10 hours ago, dkolo said:

If I had taken this advice, I'd have never left the range.

Yeah, me too! 

David Lake (1iron golf) recommends starting the season hitting 5 buckets with nothing but the driver until you hit the thing right.  Makes sense.  Lately, I've been hitting the driver almost exclusively on the range and have really improved my driving.  However, in Florida, there is not "start of the season".

[pganapathy]

The cheaper balls are generally distance balls because at that cost they will not make soft, spinny balls.  Will be a two piece "rock" as a rule of thumb.  So you will not lose distance and if you don't want to shape the ball, will get reasonably straight flight if hit well.  Where you will suffer is around the green because you will not have much control as you can only play a drop and run shot.  No matter how well you hit the ball, it will never spin backwards and rarely, if ever, take one bounce and check.

[saevel25]

On 11/14/2015, 10:29:11, esayers said:

my questions is will I loose distance using these or other cheaper  name brand golf balls? vs. the more expensive balls . because I can afford more expensive balls, but it might get very painful to play a round and loose multiple 3.00 balls. thanks for any answers . these top flights are on sale now  so I will buy a large amount for next season if people like them.  they do get good reviews on the site that sells them ....but I rather see what you guys and gals think first thanks...

Depends on your swing. If the cheaper ball changes the number of your launch parameters to something less optimal then yes you could see a drop in distance. 

25 minutes ago, pganapathy said:

The cheaper balls are generally distance balls because at that cost they will not make soft, spinny balls.  

Premium golf balls do not spin substantially more of the driver than a cheaper golf ball. The driver just doesn't interact with the cover of the ball as much as a wedge. The cover is what produces the most spin for wedge shots when comparing premium golf balls and cheaper ones. 

[pganapathy]

@saevel25, you will actually get more side spin with a tour ball than say the cheapest one of the respective brand, which is why tour pro's are able to shape shots more effectively and with better control.  So you can and will get more side spin with a tour ball as opposed to a distance ball, even with a  driver in hand.  Yes, the cover interaction with the grooves produces the spinning wedge shots.

[saevel25]

2 minutes ago, pganapathy said:

@saevel25, you will actually get more side spin with a tour ball than say the cheapest one of the respective brand, which is why tour pro's are able to shape shots more effectively and with better control. 

First, most PGA Tour players hit a stock shot a good majority of the time. Also, amateurs curve the ball way more than PGA tour players. Lets say a PGA Tour players hits a 10-15 yard fade versus an Amateurs 40 yard slice. They have more control because they have a more neutral swing path, and are consistent in that swing path and delivering the clubface how they want. On anything but short game shots you don't need to worry which ball you use. 

4 minutes ago, pganapathy said:

So you can and will get more side spin with a tour ball as opposed to a distance ball, even with a  driver in hand.  Yes, the cover interaction with the grooves produces the spinning wedge shots.

Distance balls average about 200 less rpm's in spin off the driver. Yet they average 2000 rpm less spin off wedge shots. There is really no significant increase in spin off the driver. 

 

[Grumpter]

I played some of my best rounds with Pinnacle Golds. I think they are still around $1 per ball. I did switch to the $3 - $4 per ball type for part of  summer. I just didn't get that much improved performance for the extra cost and would get annoyed if I lost a couple in one round. I now play Bridgestone E7's. Mostly I buy used balls but occasionally buy new as well.

[dbuck]

My favorite cheaper ball is the Noodle Soft and Long. Sometimes Wally World has the "practice" version that was like $15 for 2 dozen.

In $20 balls, I like the Titleist DT SoLo and the Callaway Supersoft.

After years of resisting, I am developing an addiction for the ProV1. I like the feel and sound off the wooden clubs I like to play. It chaps me to pay $4 for a ball, but I don't usually lose many.

[Jaymancds]

I use Nike Mojo balls.  They have a good enough feel for me and they are fairly cheap.  I started with Nitros when I still lost 5-10 balls a round.  I am down to about 2 or 3 per round and the mojos work well.  They are a little tricky on a hard green compared to a couple of pro v1s i have used, but they work for me.  Always get used balls.  I got 2 dozen pro v1s off of ebay for $20 for when I am feeling lucky.

[rkim291968]

Not necessarily is the right answer.   Your swing speed, swing mechanic, club, and other things all factor in.   But to be honest, if you are a beginner and lose lots of balls, any reasonable cheap ball will do.

 

Beware that if you are buying used Top Flite XLs, be sure to buy recent model,   There have been change in the balls over time and really old ones are like rocks.

[esayers]

Thanks for the replies everyone . I bought four 18 packs for 40$ and may go get four more then I should have balls for all year.

 

[JBailey]

I just started playing golf again after 20 years because of a back operation.  This summer, when I began to play again, I couldn't believe the technical advancements in the game.  20 years ago I played Top Flite Tour balls exclusively because I scored better with them.  I was a solid 5 hcp. then and a long hitter.

This summer I've had to build a completely new swing because of my back.  I bought some "old man's" clubs and began my new golf life as a senior golfer.  I'm way shorter with all my clubs now.

Since I had no idea at the beginning of the summer what my swing was going to be like, I bought a couple dozen Wilson balls at WalMart for $10.  They worked fine.  I was hitting the ball pretty straight, but, about 30-40 yds. shorter.  I thought I better try some different balls to try and gain a little distance.  I tried some TopFlite Gamer balls and liked them.  They were only $20 a dozen.  However, there didn't seem to be much difference between those and the cheap WalMart balls.  Then I tried Bridgestones, Titlelist, Nike and Calloway.  None of those balls added any length.

Then I bought a dozen Macgregor VIP balls from Golfsmith for $15. (You can get 2 dozen for $25) These balls were a great fit for me.  With my swing, I gained 10-15 yds. off the tee and my approach shots dropped one iron.  I used to hit an 8 iron from 150 yds. (remember this was stone age in technology terms).  All summer I was hitting a 6 iron from 150 yds. and since I started using the Mac's, I'm down to a 7 iron.  My drives were achieving a 200-205 carry and now I'm getting 200-220 carry.  Up through my 8 iron, the ball stops on the green pretty much where it lands.  They're a 3 piece ball and I think that helps.  My 7 iron runs out a yd. or 2 and my 6 and 5 irons will run out about 3 or 4 yds.  I have to be careful with my 4H and 3H as they tend to run off the green if I get too greedy.  However, when I'm hitting my H's, I'm usually running it on the green anyway.

That's a lot of typing to tell you for a senior that's down to a 93 mph club head speed who tends to hit the ball on a high trajectory, these Macgregor VIP balls are a great deal.

Later,

John