Can a golf ball make such a difference?

**andef** · May 4, 2010

On Sunday I played 18 holes and basically played with two golf balls.
I played a Titleist ProV1x on the 1st,2nd and back nine. On hole 2 i found a Srixon Z-Star on played it on hole 3 to 9.
Ironically, I played 7 over (11 holes) with the ProV1x and 11 over with Z-Star (7 holes) which is a dramatic difference.
Is it possible that a golf ball could make such a big difference?
Just as a side note, it was the first time I played a Z-Star but I still think the ProV1x fits me better

**trumps4** · May 4, 2010

That extrapolates out to about a 17 stroke difference on an 18 hole round if my math is correct. So, I'd have to say no way.

**delav** · May 4, 2010

You'd be able to tell us better. Where were your stokes on those holes? Were you marking fairways, GIRs, chips and putts?

I imagine it would affect your short game more than anything.

**andef** · May 4, 2010

You'd be able to tell us better. Where were your stokes on those holes? Were you marking fairways, GIRs, chips and putts?

I hit my driver poorly on both holes and the GIR count was 4 on the back nine and 3 on the front 9 = 5 with the Prov1x and 2 with the Z-Star

Chipping was pretty good on the back nine, but I think I'm a little straighter with the ProV1x due to the less spin off the driver. I think the ball helped but i hit my irons much better on the back nine so that might be another reason although I still think the ball saved me 3/4 stokes

**sean_miller** · May 4, 2010

On Sunday I played 18 holes and basically played with two golf balls.

I'm not picking up the irony here, but anyway, not necessarily with brand new balls. You found a ball and you're making conclusions? Play an entire round with a brand new ball and then report back.

I'm not in any way an expert, but after a couple shots you should have an idea what your ball's doing. Overall, the average player should observe relatively the same distance and spin with any decent ball.

**James_Black** · May 4, 2010

V1x to Z-star won't make a huge difference.

V1 - pinnacle still won't make a huge difference, you'll get less spin but you should still be able to get a bit of stop

**andef** · May 4, 2010

I'm not picking up the irony here, but anyway, not necessarily with brand new balls. You found a ball and you're making conclusions? Play an entire round with a brand new ball and then report back.

The Z-Star had been hit twice, a guy from the group in front of me lost it on the second hole after taking it out a brand new box of balls on the tee, while the Pro v1x was brand new. I think they were "fresh" enough for me to compare them well.

I found it quite weird as I didn't notice any difference in greenside spin but lost a bit of distance with my clubs. There's no doubt I'm playing a Pro V1x in my next round :P

**Shorty** · May 4, 2010

What I am reading here is that you played 18 holes of golf well over your handicap. It is normal to have a good few holes and a poor few holes. I hardly see your experience as showing a "dramatic" difference. One bad drive and a 3 putt will account for the difference.
Both are premium balls, so I'd be looking more at the way you hit it, rather than the ball itself.

**calvie7** · May 4, 2010

Similar to me, I played 14 holes at 3 under, and 4 holes at 10 over... Not likely that it was the ball if you know what i mean. When you fat it into a creek, and duck hook it into a pond that you should have never looked at in the first place, you can't blame the ball... I play different premium balls just to try them out, and the are all virtually the same. if you were switching from a premium to a non-urethane ball and your shots were rolling off the back into water it would be a different story. Penalties my friend, avoid them using any ball that's in front of you!

**kingface12** · May 4, 2010

I am going to come across as a jerk....but PLEASE understand that I am not trying to be...... A 12-13HC should not be playing $40 golf balls. They are really made for somebody that can compress those balls the right way....like pros. If I were you I would 'go down a few notches' and look at the NXT Tours, Nike Vapors, Srixon Trispeed, Bridgestone E series etc..... you'll save at least $10 a dozen and I will alomost bet you will see no difference. Once you fine tune your game and can consistently find the green and fairway than you will begin to see the benefits of a premium ball. Until that point......save your cash and get that HC down..... I'M IN THE SAME BOAT BUDDY!!

**golfro** · May 4, 2010

I am going to come across as a jerk....but PLEASE understand that I am not trying to be...... A 12-13HC should not be playing $40 golf balls. They are really made for somebody that can compress those balls the right way....like pros. If I were you I would 'go down a few notches' and look at the NXT Tours, Nike Vapors, Srixon Trispeed, Bridgestone E series etc..... you'll save at least $10 a dozen and I will alomost bet you will see no difference. Once you fine tune your game and can consistently find the green and fairway than you will begin to see the benefits of a premium ball. Until that point......save your cash and get that HC down..... I'M IN THE SAME BOAT BUDDY!!

I'm gonna agree with you here. Too many amateurs spend way too much time determining if a certain ball or club is going ti magically make them a better player.

When it comes to balls, you're actually not getting better performance by playing balls like V1 and V1x. They have a thin soft shell to improve spin control but you're actually cutting back your distance and control as proper compression is much harder to get with these balls. They say in order to properly compress a V1/V1x, you should be swinging at 110mph+. Any slower and you're sacrificing distance. Not to mention that I'd be surprised if a h'capper really has the ability to control their spin... And not to be a jerk as well but the subtle differences in the way a ball feels and handles are not easily detected. You'll have me very surprised if a high h'capper can pin point out the difference between how a 50$ dozen golf ball vs a $20 golf ball feels. There was a test done by Bridgestone i believe where they unmarked Titleist V1 pro's and had a bunch of pro's and low h'cap players hit those and hit a cheaper variety ball. Many of them thought the cheap balls were V1's and the V1's were cheap balls. Point being...I'm not a big stickler about balls. A ball, whether 3 piece, 4 piece, 5piece, hard shell, soft shell, soft compression, hard compression, etc etc etc...none of that matters if my swing isn't right. I stick with cheaper balls because I don't see a 30$ difference when playing different balls. It's 30$ of marketing that you're paying for if you're a high h'capper.

**tws1098** · May 4, 2010

I am going to say no, a ball cannot make that big of a difference. One ball may have the ability to put you a foot or so closer to the hole, allowing you to sink a couple more par putts. Ultimately you are still hitting a ball with a club to a hole. I agree with the guys saying the middle of the line balls are the way to go.

**delav** · May 4, 2010

Well said golfro. I still prefer a NXT tour to a ProV1x, unless the greens are very, very firm. Plus, it hurts less when that OB left calls my name in a cross wind on 18.

**sean_miller** · May 4, 2010

. . . look at the NXT Tours, Nike Vapors, Srixon Trispeed, Bridgestone E series etc...

I picked up a few different balls and worked on chipping and putting. I figured if they felt okay on and around the greens, they're good enough to use for a round. I did this at our little pitch and putt - a tricky little mini links. Do you know which balls I eliminated? None.

I don't buy the Top Flite Gamers any more, but that's because of durability issues. Right now, I'm still working on Wilsons and Top Flites I got on sale last year. When those are gone I've got some Nikes and Srixons, then I'll use up the oodles of logo Noodles I've been given.

**Shanks A Million** · May 4, 2010

I'm gonna agree with you here. Too many amateurs spend way too much time determining if a certain ball or club is going ti magically make them a better player.

I'll agree with both of you. The ball means very little to most people. I get my ProV1s from a local shop that sells them for $0.65 in damn near perfect condition. I am just at the level where a distance ball hurts me. I love the Callaway HX-Hot ball very much, and would play them if I could find them for a good price. They do tend to balloon a bit on me though.

There's an old fable that says the food always tastes better away from home. That's true. The found ball always plays better too. In online shooter games, found weapons always give you the most kills. It just has always worked that way.

**jamo** · May 5, 2010

On Sunday I played 18 holes and basically played with two golf balls.

Between those two balls for most people? No. But it is possible to tell the difference between a ProV1 and a Top Flite XL5000.

**GaijinGolfer** · May 5, 2010

In a word: no.

**TopWalker** · May 5, 2010

I'm going to disagree with the "compression" issue. For me personally, I've noticed no difference in distance between a ProV1, a "soft" ball, i.e. Solo/AD333, and anything else. And my swing speed is nowhere near 110mph.

I keep coming back to the ProV1 for the distance, durability, ball flight, and spin around the greens. It's more expensive sure, but for me I like it overall better than anything else. I wish it was a bit softer for putting, but that's the one concession I've made and I've gotten used to it.

Even my Dad in AZ has come around to using the B330RX because he finally figured out why Pinnacles always rolled off the back of the greens.

So golf balls do make a difference. The key is finding out which one works best for you and what you're looking to get out of it (and how much you're willing to pay for it).

TW

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