New or Old Balls

I am a relatively new golfer, exactly 1 year, that is finally able to play golf and not have to apologize to the rest of the foursome when I play a round at my local course. Here is my dilemna, does it really matter what ball I use. If I buy recycled balls is there really that much difference? should I be getting a particular brand? I tend to go for value and what is on sale more than anything else. I am still a high handicapper, I tend to rate my round by how many balls I lose as opposed to how many shots I hit.

So here are the questions. Recycled balls, eg Pinnacle 24 from Golfsmith or on-line, for $10? Brand new balls, eg Precept or Slazenger from Dicks? Will a recycled ball downgrade my game or will it not make a difference Should I go new, or will the difference be purely psychological?

Many thanks in advance.
Bob

Well a "new" ball isnt going to knock 10 strokes off of your score. I usually play whatever ball I can find.

There is a real difference in ball performance. Getting a better quality ball can only help, but it might not be worth it for you at this stage of your game.

Balls are mainly what works for you, but there are balls that behave statistically worse than others. The common opinion about Pinnacles is that they are like hitting rocks....I agree. The top ball on the market (At least, sales-wise) would be the Titelist ProV1. Recycled balls are typically in decent condition, but there a small flaws in the aerodynamics since they have been played before. Blem balls would be a better value, as they are not affected performance wise. Hope this helps, this is my opinion.

Just get a box of Top Flite XL 5000 or D2s. You can get them in soft/feel, straight, and distance versions, and they play quite nicely. Cheap, to.

bogeyhitter and CrazyO are right, a "new" ball isn't going to make you play better all of a sudden. There is a reason that the softer balls cost more than the harder ones. For me, once I started getting better & more consistent I noticed differences in balls around the greens.

I used to play "rock-hard" balls (or whatever I could find) when I first started, but once I started getting better (around a 10 handicap) I started paying attention to the balls I was playing. My instructor told me that it was personal preference on what kind of ball I played, but that whatever I chose I should stick with it because changing balls all the time wouldn't give me consistency.

I believe harder balls do tend to go farther, but spin less around the greens. They also feel hard when coming off the putter. I like the ball to spin more around the green so that it stops when it hits, and I like the ball to feel soft coming off the putter. Hard balls will hit & roll alot, so you don't have as much control around the greens.

Whatever you choose when you start getting better, if you find one you like then stick with it so that you get a good feel for what the ball will do on a consistent basis.

Re-cycled balls are often actually re-painted. Beware of those. As far as new balls are concerned, I always suggest to people that they should play the highest spin ball they can afford. You will not become a scratch golfer overnight switching to a high performance ball, but they will allow you to develop the skills to do so.

Take a look at the lower priced Bridgestone balls, and the Srixon high spin.

That is actually not true. Getting a tour ball with spin can actually hurt a high handicapper. That "spin" that you speak of, is also off the tee and not just around the green. Increased slice and hooks with a tour ball compared to a 2 piece that is geared to "go straight".

Keep playing the recycled balls and save the money for lessons. Check out the Precept Laddie, however. It's a low spin ball and you can pick up 2 dozen for under twenty bucks new.

Your local Wally-World sells them.

A recycled ball probably won't do anything to your game. There may be a bad apple in the bunch every once in a while but you probably wouldn't notice anyway. I would say that unless you are losing a ball on every other hole then you should probably get the cheaper new balls. The big thing about switching balls all the times is the consistency. If you always play with a new Top Flight Freak for example, then at least you will know how far it travels and what it does around the green. With the recycled balls you may not get that consistency.

Now that your game is getting more consistent, playing the same brand ball will only help you to become more consistent. Based on many of the replys and my experience, during a game, you should use a ball with flight and putting characteristics that you are familiar with.


[link=http://www.golfcloneblog.com/]Golf Clone[/link]

I'm a beginner also, and have started using Maxfli Noodle L&S; balls from Knetgolf.com and have no complaints. I buy the A grade and they look good to me, and only cost ~$.50 ea. after shipping if you watch for a discount.

99s

That is a good idea. The noodle is a very good beginner ball.

If you lose more than 5 or 6 balls per round, it may not make much sense for you to be using balls that cost $3-$4 a piece. I think a great beginner ball is the Snake Eyes ball that Golfsmith offers. They currently have a double pack of 15 (total of 30) for just 15 bucks. Hard to beat that deal for new balls.