Balls, balls, balls.....

Ok, more balls opinions please. When I am not playing a course that has lost balls potential(plenty of woods and/or water), I use ProV1s. Even though if I do lose any, every so often, it might only be 1 or two, per round, $46 is a lot of money. Otherwise I use the Titleist NXTs. I am more for control and feel not distance. Like when I hit a nice stinging 3 wood, or any long iron, onto the green, it won't scoot off the green. It will pretty much stop. If I am lucky spin also. Any suggestions? No TPs please. MaxFli Noodles? I've looked into others, yet some Bridgestones and Srixons are $40+ also. Unless you know of any $30 and under for what I am looking for.

nike one tour's...at dicks for 2/$59 i believe...either that or i think at golf galaxy they're that too...

I hear the Gamer V2's are a great ball. 20$ a dozen. Golf Digest gold rating I believe. Also you might check www.lostgolfballs.com they have about any used ball you need at great prices and their rating system is truthful. Might want to check out the Pro V1 PRACTICE balls. I picked up a dozen yestarday for 29$. The guy told me they were practice balls from tournaments that the pros have hit on the range. Titliest repackages them as PRACTICE balls. Hope that helps.

By the way I'm a big fan of the Allman Bros. myself.

THe problem is that to generate the type of spin you are saying you'd like to get, you almost have to go for a ball with a Urethane cover (ProV1, Z-Star, Tour i, etc.). Yes, other balls on the market can generate more spin than a Pinnacle and still be cheaper than $40, but you won't get the type of spin you are looking for. That being said, the cheapest non-sale Urethane-covered balls on that market are still going to run in the $35+/dozen. The only exception is going to be if you get some one sale.

There is no magic ball out there than'll perform like a premium ball for half the price.

I've been playing the Noodle - Softest (there seem to be a number of different Noodle balls, I am speakings specifically to the "Softest" line) ball for a few years. It has a very soft feel and that's why I like it.

It also checks up very nicely. I usually don't get much backspin (probably more due to my ball striking than the ball), but it is usually a one hop and stop for my 8iron - 60*wedge.

It also give a high trajectory, so it is a great ball for carry and a hop or two and stop.

Best part....they sell 24 packs at Target and Walmart for $24!

Give 'em a try!

I don't agree with your statement. With the OP's HC there are plenty of mid priced balls that would work well for him. Also there are mid priced balls on the market today that have good spin. TM TP's and gamer V2's come to mind. Maybe not at a Pro V1 level, but fine for most of the golfers out there. Not starting an argument here, but most of us are not single digit HC'ers like you. I can see the reason for a tour ball for low cappers.

These days with the great marketing machine that is golf, i just went through a selection of my own. I went to Mexico for a week, and played 18 holes 6 times... each with a different type of ball... the following were the ones i took along:

Srixon z star
TM Penta
Pro V1
Srixon Trispeed (it was my current ball)
Strxon Trispeed tour (had to try it out)
Nike Power distance (one in the green box)

If I was using score as the ultimate judge, the Nike Power Distance would win. However some days the wind was really up, so that factored in. The 3 expensive balls did stop when chipping around the green with the exception of the Penta, which i had no idea how it was going to perform because it seemed to do something different on each shot. I did stop using the Penta half way through because I just got tired of it and knew I was wasting my time. I can tear a cover off of a Urethane ball with the best of them, but most of the time I have my distance and I don't want to pull it back 15 feet. I want it to come back to my divot, and that's it. The expensive balls had more spin that is for sure. However they didn't result in my best round, and despite the commercials, I don't like the feel of them, especially for nearly $4 per ball.

The difference on the green, off the tee and in the fairway was less noticeable, other than feel, between the expensive balls and the mid-range balls. In short iron shots I could tell a difference between the Tri-Speed and the Nike. Given that the Tri-speed is a 3 piece ball this is what I am guessing that I noticed. The "expensive balls" all seemed to have exceptionally more spin, but if you are counting on a 20 foot pull back, and for some reason you don't spin it (I am no pro, it happens) then you are way past. If you are working on hitting the center of the green and your ball just stops at the diviot you are going to have much better results.

In the end going purely off of performance, I would say that I am most confident with any of the 3 lower priced balls, but ranking them in order I would say 1. Tri-Speed tour 2. Tri-speed 3. Nike power distance. You may think I am crazy for the idea that a lower priced ball performed better than a higher priced, but for me and the game I play, they were excellent choices. It seems that Srixon is onto something, just IMHO. Anyway I'd recommend doing what I did, and just devote time to selecting the one that you feel the best with actually on the course, who cares what a computer says in a ball fitting! Getting fit for a ball seems like a good way to get you to spend more $ at the golf store, when you could play have fun and fit yourself!

I couldn't agree more!!!

I have a comment to the OP, and then my opinion on balls... OP, you are a 30 HC...ProV's why wast money like that. At this stage of your game, you should be focusing on swing mechanics and cheap balls. IMHO OK onto balls, I have played about 6 or seven different balls ( I went through the ball will help my game thought process with a 26 HC) I've played Prov1's, Srixon Tri-Speed, Nike Mojos, Titleist DT Carry and DT Roll, Gamers (original), a few TM Burners, Wilson, Slazenger, Precept, ...and on shoots that I can't remember..... Pro V's are exeptional on the green, hands down stopping poser is fantastic, but at $4 a ball, the cost/benefit is not there for me. DT Carry/roll - OK balls, but I'd rather spend my $20 on something else. TriSpeed - Current ball. I really like this ball. I checks up decent, but it has great distance with little drive spin, and decent spin of short irons. At $25 is a great buy for a 3 peice ball. I want to test the tour version $30, I think this will be in my bag. With that said, I tried Gamers last week, and really liked them....around the greens the roll very nicely, and check up great!!! I was impressed!!! They checked up where only I had been able to do so with the ProV1's before. I only play these over $25 balls on safe courses with moderate to low water hazards. If I'm teeing off into a high risk hole, I use the cheap balls as there is a good chance of loosing them. It took me several dozen of Tri-Speeds to realize that just bcs I am using a better ball, does not mean I will play better (ie reducing slices, shanks, top-offs, etc....) I recently bought Srixon AD333 but have not tried them yet. I agree with another post...Srixon is on to something here, the tour (if it's what they claim) should be the best mid priced ball in the pmarket right now. I will keep the TriSpeed as my main ball, but the Gamer is making a good run....I just may have to keep both in the bag.

He asked for a ball that has green-holding spin like the ProV1 but didn't cost $45/dozen, and all my comment said was that you aren't going to get that kind of performance with a mid-priced ball. It's impossible for a Surlyn-covered ball to spin the same as a Urethane-covered ball; it's simple physics. There are cheaper Urethane balls out there as well as the NXT's Fuseblend (or whatever they call it), but none of them are going to get the same spin as a premium Urethane ball. You are right that at a 30 handicap he's probably not going to notice the difference or even need the additional spin provided by a premium ball anyway, but that wasn't the question that was asked.

I'm not sure what's available to you, but I recommend the Wilson Staff Zip or the latest version Zip 302. I believe it's a 3-piece ball which Wilson are no longer producing. They can be had for under $20 CAD. Both feel identical off the putter, however the Zip 302 is touted as the better ball in the wind. Truthfully, my swing is not all that consistent enough to really tell. Golf Magazine published results from an extensive ball test a few years ago and the original Zip performed well in terms of spin from a wedge, right up there with some premium urethane balls. Check 'em out.

Someone has to say it. Thats what she said

I've been using them for a long time. Highly recommend and the difference is slight cosmetic defects. If you keep an eye on TGW you can get them for 25.

I think it all depends on what you want to spend!

I have been a Noodle suporter for a while. Cheaper balls and I really like them.

If I had to pick two less expensive balls that I play and really like.

Noodle - Long and Soft (they really need to change the name of these things)
Top Flite Gamer

Try out the Top Flite Gamer. They're around 20$ for a dozen, have great feel, good spin, and are generally durable.

I think the cheapest urethane covered ball is the Bridgestone E5. I've never tried it but posters on here have always made good comments about it

Played a Callaway Tour ix yesterday. Liked it, even came home with it.

Played the Gamers for a long time and loved them. Switched to Srixon trispeeds and liked them alot, also. Going to switch back to the Gamers because for some reason I just feel more confident with them.

Played tons of different balls. I play a lot of tourney's for work and they give away lots of the good stuff. A PV1 still slices into the woods or makes a nice plop sound trying to get it over the water. Being completely honest, even when I was hitting in the 80's consistently (about 8 years ago) I never noticed a difference with balls. Maybe it happens when you break that 80 mark...

I usually buy that big pack of Pinnacle whatever.