Pompous Friend?

Re: Pompous Friend?

I would've spent 10 more bucks and got Bridgestone e(+) line balls. In my opinion I think that's one of the best deals for balls. Top-Flite Gamer is another one.

Re: Pompous Friend?

Play what works.

Re: Pompous Friend?

Everything about golf is about feel and is personal preference, so don't worry about anyone says or does. Maybe he's insecure that you might beat him with cheaper ball or something?

Seriously though, the ball doesn't make THAT much difference. I'll guarantee you I can go out and shoot the same scores with a Top Flight as I can with my ProV1's. I just prefer the feel of the ProV's.

Re: Pompous Friend?

Tell him you don't like using water-logged balls. Used balls are generally all collected from water hazards, I believe. It probably says it somewhere on the box if you look hard enough.

That being said, I still do agree with your friend on this one. Once I started using high-end balls I just couldn't go back. But the line about water-logged balls should at least make for a decent "come-back".

Re: Pompous Friend?

Sitting on the ground, all balls are equal. When you apply force with a club, the balls begin to show different characteristics. A distance rock will fly far as hell but when you try to attack a pin, you can hit the green and bounce over. A nice, soft cover ball may not rocket off as far but when you catch it crisply with a pure 8 iron and hit the green, it will have gotten enough traction of that 8 to have enough backspin to stop or even back up a bit instead of running off the back of the green.

Re: Pompous Friend?

When your a 20 handicapper like me and you I don't think a ball is automatically going to make you a single digit handicapper. But for a price like that I would have picked up that deal as well. I usually have some decent balls in my bag for "real" play and then some of the cheapest ones on the shelf for "practice" rounds when I play by myself and hit each shot 3 times. I usually lose 10-12 balls on a practice round. It gets expensive If I was playing 3 dollar balls.

Re: Pompous Friend?

If you really are a 20 cap as your profile says, then there is no reason for you not to use whatever ball you want. As you improve, you may find that some work better for you than others, so it makes good sense to try different types. I wouldn't worry too much about it until you can actually see a difference in your game because of the ball you play.

Re: Pompous Friend?

I'll have to agree here, if you just want distance off the drive go with a cheaper/harder ball, they will fly and roll forever, but when it comes to the approach shots you will kick yourself. I love to attack the pin, that is why i use the 3 or 4 piece balls I get the good stop power from it, and even some ball play/spin with the right shot.

Re: Pompous Friend?

Here is an easy and free test to show you if a ball is soft enough to create spin with to stop on the green.

If you have a smooth concrete floor in your garage or even smooth tiles in your kitchen, take a ball in hand and hold at chest height and spin it back as fast as you can with your thumb, index and middle finger. A good soft cover(workable) ball will hit the floor and stop spinning or spin back in the opposite direction. A hard as nails distance rock will hit the floor and bounce back up and will still be spinning in the same direction.

Re: Pompous Friend?

I got a dozen of mixed "refurbished" Nike balls from target for $10. Considering i never played on a course before i figured this is a great deal and it can give me a chance to see what the different Nike balls are like. Some say Distance, some say Soft, some say nothing but i like them and i don't care what anyone says about a pack of $10 balls. Don't let your friend discourage you, let him motivate you and beat the hell out of him next time you play, then ask if he wants to try one of your balls, im sure he would love that haha.

Re: Pompous Friend?

ya a ball is mostly preference id say. For me, it is purely a case of being used to the pro v1. the feel, sound, performance... it is just embedded in what I am expecting on each shot. once you find a ball you like you will most likely keep playing it.

Re: Pompous Friend?

You have to game what is in your budget and what works best for you.

For years I've just gamed whatever was on sale that offered higher spin and decent pricing....for example the Precept EV Extra Spin.....Callaway CB series....both were my norms a few years back. This past year I played the Bridgestone E5+ a large portion of the time.

All this while my father and other guys I golf with have been playing the ProV1. I just couldn't pull the trigger and make this purchase...it seemed a waste of money to me.

I finally used some gift certs/cards for some Christmas Golf gear last April. I broke down and bought my first two dozen ProV1 balls. I've been hooked like a junkie ever since. I can't sing the praise for this gem enough. I've gained distance on virtually all shots....trajectory is really what I like.....the ball bites on full shots like nothing I've ever seen........but the real beauty of it can be found on the short game. Short chips and pitches react in a way that you can send the ball in hot and have confidence that it will zip and release slightly. I've learned to fall in love with my PW all over again. It's the first ball in recent history that I've been able to back up. It feels super off the putter as well.

I have one lonely sleeve of these gems left and I'm gonna game them Friday and next week. Fortunately, I saw our pro shop is selling the ProV1 practice balls for $15 for 6. I'll be loading up on some of these soon. Great balls.

Re: Pompous Friend?

Used Pro v1s?

Look up some of the used ball threads on here. You'll find some very differing opinions on used balls.

There have been any number of studies that show that golf balls degrade after sitting in water (and after being struck a number of times so they are no longer perfectly round.) I'm firmly in the camp that you are better off with a new cheaper ball than a used top-of-the-line ball.

Other people on here swear by used golf balls.

If you want a comeback, just tell him Golf Digest ran a study that showed that the performance of used golf balls was significantly below that of new balls, and that people that play used golf balls are just fooling themselves and wasting their money. And if he wants to know more he can look it up himself.

As far as what makes a good golf ball, it's whatever fits your game. You may not know the story of the guy that won the Alabama state amateur championship using the Precept Ladies golf ball (later rebranded the Laddie because so many men started using it after that.) That's not a high end ball, but a guy won a championship with it (because it was the right ball for him.)

As far as spin off your wedges, what you want to look for is a urethane cover. Urethane give way more spin than any other cover material. It also damages more easily (and is more expensive.) Other cover materials are more durable, but don't spin nearly as much.

Other than urethane vs. surylan cover material question, everything else subjective (imho). Two piece, three piece, low spin, high spin, hard, soft. These are all questions about what feels best to you and what fits your game. There is no right or best answer, just what fits you.

Re: Pompous Friend?

I use Nitro Blasters. $5/dz at Walmart. Of course, I am horrible. I once asked the pro at the golf course if the ball really mattered. He asked me what my average score was. I told him 105 or 110. He said, "The ball doesn't matter one bit." :)

Re: Pompous Friend?

Short, sweet, and 100% right!

Is there a difference between balls? Certainly.....and there's a reason for that. What's an appropriate ball for one may not be appropriate for another. From the standpoint of performance and price point.

Re: Pompous Friend?

Correct, use what is best for you. I see some pretty bad golfers go to the expense of buying high end balls because they like to see the ball check.(when they can make them check) When in reality, they would be better off if the ball did run out on the green as most of these players come up short with their shots.

Re: Pompous Friend?

Exactly. The way I determine if the ball matters to me is I ask myself this question:

"Can I afford to lose a dozen of them in the water, over the fence, out of bounds etc?"

I usually buy the 2 dozen refurbished for 20 bucks or 15 top flites for 10 bucks.