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Questions on Golf Balls


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A couple of questions on golf balls:

(1) What level (or type) of player you need to be before the ball makes a significant difference? Is it completely ridiculous for a 24 HDCP player to use a Pro V1? Is a scratch player being held back by not using a premium ball?

(2) What are the differences between ProV1 and ProV1x? Are they suitable for all-levels golfers?

(3) What makes ProV1/ProV1x so popular on tour? Is it because the quality or is it because they got paid for playing ProV1/ProV1x?

Thanks a lot.

TaylorMade RBZ 9° | TaylorMade Burner SF 2.0 16.5° | Mizuno MP-33 3-PW | Titleist Vokey SM4 56°11 | Cleveland Classic #4

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1: It depends. I'd say you have to be good enough to know how the shot is supposed to turn out; if you are, you'll see discrepancies when you compare different balls on similar shots. If you really know how the shot is expected to turn out, you're probably playing decent golf.

If you hit 100$ worth of brand new balls in the woods every round, that's your problem. Most Titleist balls are played by posers anyway. If you want to hand them money it means I will find more free balls on the course that are good quality. I'd rather get a free ProV1X than a crusty old Nike Crush. Plus you'll be able to play less often so the course will be wide open which suits me fine. A scratch player will want a ball with a urethane cover that performs off the long clubs and irons well, but it's not as though he'll be transformed into a 30 handicap if he doesn't have the top of the line ball. They're a luxury.

2: The X spins less and is slightly longer much like every other company with 2 tour level balls. The company says they work great for everyone but they're not designed with amateurs in mind. They're built to win on tour so they fit tour players' games. That means an average of 112mph driver swing speed, averaging 290 yards per drive, 7i distance in the 170s and scores in the 60s at most courses. If you fit in well with those kinds of guys, go for it.

3: Tour players don't have to pay 48$ a dozen and if they did they could afford it. They are copycats and many don't like to change brands, and Titleist also has equipment deals with many players that include apparel, clubs, etc. Without the consideration of price, they're still one of the best balls and they fit a lot of players. Personally I think they're two of the top 5 balls in the short game but they aren't better than some cheaper balls overall, and they aren't that great off the long clubs for me. I prefer the X. But if I buy them I feel I should have bought a different tour ball and kept 8 dollars in my pocket.

I find older urethane balls on sale and stock up. I just got 4 dozen 2013 Nike 20XIX which I like a lot for under 100$, easily enough for 15-20 rounds. I played a lot of bridgestone E5's last year and had some of my best golf. Of course, if you use the search function, you'll see a lot of similar threads in which this question is beaten like the proverbial dead horse.

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1a) Not if you are also playing a course that costs $100 or more per round. You will loose them. They may not help you. But they likely won't hurt.

1b) in some cases yes but not all. consistently using the same ball does matter.

2a) Vx is a bit harder and designed for less spin and faster swing speeds.

2b) Titleist and many others say yes.

3a) They have been great balls since our grandfathers played. They have leveraged their leadership with great overall marketing. They are the balls many great players grew up with.

3b) yes. both. see 3a.

Russ - Student of the Moe Norman swing as taught by the pros at - http://moenormangolf.com

Titleist 910 D3 8.5* w/ Project X shaft/ Titleist 910F 15* w/ Project X shaft

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Seemore PCB putter with SuperStroke 3.0

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extra/alternate clubs: Mizunos JPX-800 Pro 5-GW with Project X 5.0 soft-stepped shafts

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It depends on what you're looking for in a ball. I've played the ProV's and I don't have anywhere near tour level swing speed. It's no shorter for me than the other balls I've played so I don't completely buy in to the notion you have to have 105+ swing speed to play this ball. Of course I can't maximize it the way the pro's do, but you can say that about most equipment.

The one thing I know for sure (for me), is that no other ball I've ever played has the green-side spin/ bite/control that the ProV's have. Even the pro's don't chip and pitch with 110+ mph swings lol. Having said that, they do feel hard to me off the driver. Lately, I'm playing the Bridgestone B330 RX-s and it feels much better off the longer clubs but i allow for more run-out for chips and pitches.

If you can generally keep a ball in play and rely on your short game to score, the ProV's could be for you.

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A couple of questions on golf balls:

(1) What level (or type) of player you need to be before the ball makes a significant difference? Is it completely ridiculous for a 24 HDCP player to use a Pro V1? Is a scratch player being held back by not using a premium ball?

(2) What are the differences between ProV1 and ProV1x? Are they suitable for all-levels golfers?

(3) What makes ProV1/ProV1x so popular on tour? Is it because the quality or is it because they got paid for playing ProV1/ProV1x?

Thanks a lot.

1) Depends, some swing speeds might not work for a premium golf ball, depends on the golfer.

1b) Depends

2) Less driver and wedge spin from the ProV1x

3) The name Titleist. Both, a lot of sponsorship, and the quality is very good. The gap between brands has shrunk though. Even Tiger now plays a Nike golf ball.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
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A couple of questions on golf balls:

(1) What level (or type) of player you need to be before the ball makes a significant difference? Is it completely ridiculous for a 24 HDCP player to use a Pro V1? Is a scratch player being held back by not using a premium ball?

(2) What are the differences between ProV1 and ProV1x? Are they suitable for all-levels golfers?

(3) What makes ProV1/ProV1x so popular on tour? Is it because the quality or is it because they got paid for playing ProV1/ProV1x?

Thanks a lot.

  1. 1a) For the most part, ball choice is a personal preference. When you become a low single-digit handicapper, you may find a ball that works best for you, but it's still mainly preference. 1b) If you can afford it, go ahead. But it's not a sphere of magic that's going to help you in any way. But it likely won't hurt. 1c) A scratch player will probably be better served with a premium ball, but they aren't necessarily required to play at scratch. I know a couple of really good players that play cheaper balls with no problem.
  2. 2a) 1x has less spin (both backspin and side spin) on full shots. Around the green, I don't notice a lot of difference. The V1 feels better off the clubface to me. 2b) They won't necessarily hurt your game to play them, just your wallet.
  3. 3a) When the ProV1 came out, it was a huge improvement over wound balls (like the Titleist Tour Balata). For a while, it was head and shoulders better than everything else on the market. Today, there are premium balls from several manufacturers that are very comparable, but the ProV1's popularity, especially on the tour, hasn't changed much. 3b) Both.

Tyler Martin

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A couple of questions on golf balls:

(1) What level (or type) of player you need to be before the ball makes a significant difference? Is it completely ridiculous for a 24 HDCP player to use a Pro V1? Is a scratch player being held back by not using a premium ball?

(2) What are the differences between ProV1 and ProV1x? Are they suitable for all-levels golfers?

(3) What makes ProV1/ProV1x so popular on tour? Is it because the quality or is it because they got paid for playing ProV1/ProV1x?

Thanks a lot.

I will give my answers from an 18 HCP point of view:

1. The golf ball can make a significant difference at all levels of play, especially if you are playing one not suited to your game.  I occasionally have some control problems with the driver and will either slice or hook into severe trouble at least once/round. I also tend to fade the ball and with a ball with higher side spin off the driver I will wind up in the rough instead of the fairway.  Many mid-high handicaps have similar problems and look for a ball with less spin off the driver.  The ProV1 is a great ball for many golfers but I tend to get in trouble off the tee a bit more than some other balls - you should consider this if you have similar problems.  At the same time, don't underestimate the high handicapper's need to hold the green on approach shots and control the ball with short chips and pitches.  Also, at my level I am usually short with my approach shot and the ProV1 sticks like velcro which is a disadvantage - I like a few feet or roll but do not want the ball to roll like a marble off the green.  There are a dozen balls available that keep me straight and have some good spin around the greens - Gamer Tour, RBZ U, Maxfli U3, etc.  So if you have the typical problems of a high handicapper that I mentioned, the ProV1 is probably not the best for you.  However, do not accept advice from better players to just play the cheapest ball available since it won't matter - experiment and understand your game.

2.  I have only played the ProV1.

3.  Titleist is without a doubt the gold standard for tour caliber golf balls even though others of similar quality such as the Lethal may be just as good.  Tour players have a lot of $$ on the line and know that there is no ball better than the Titleist ProV1 for their game.  I played the Titleist NXT Tour for quite a while and admit that the brand helped sell the ball.  I did realize after a while that there were much better balls for my game around for less cost.

So, the short answer is "yes", the ball can have a significant impact on all of games as far as equipment goes.  And if you smoke your drives with great control why not try the ProV1?  It may do wonders for your short game.  Of course, a good swing is always the dominating factor.    Have fun!

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I would say no to Pro V1 at your handicap. They are just too expensive, however if money is no object, go for it. A 22 capper isn't going to generate the spin to make them back up anyway.

I float around between a 5 and 10 handicap, and have actually found I have never really played/ scored well with pro level balls, be they Nike, Titleist or Callaway. I don't normally buy them, so maybe just picking up a giveaway sleeve here and there doesn't don't really give them a chance, or me enough time to get used to them; as I do with my el cheopo ball selection technique.

I normally just buy softer mid-range balls (Srixon AD33, for a while the old Nike Juice, even softer Pinnacle (heaven forbid) Dimensions, various Wilsons DX2 and DX 3 Soft, 50/50 etc, even Dunlop Locos!). As I don't have regular access to a golf shop I normally just buy 3 or 4 boxes of whatever is on promotion and play them til they are done and go and buy some more or whatever else is on sale.  There are slight differences ball to ball, but you pretty quickly get used to them and play accordingly.

my 2/100

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  • 2 weeks later...

I only play Pro V1x's, other balls off the tee are probably just as good, but I have yet to find a ball around the green that works as well.

My 2 cents, if you can afford them and you want to play them, all the more power to you.

-Jerry

Driver: Titleist 913 D3 (9.5 degree) – Aldila RIP 60-2.9-Stiff; Callaway Mini-Driver Kura Kage 60g shaft - 12 degree Hybrids: Callway X2 Hot Pro - 16 degree & 23 degree – Pro-Shaft; Callway X2 Hot – 5H & 6H Irons: Titleist 714 AP2 7 thru AW with S300 Dynamic Gold Wedges: Titleist Vokey GW (54 degree), Callaway MackDaddy PM Grind SW (58 degree) Putter: Ping Cadence TR Ketsch Heavy Balls: Titleist Pro V1x & Snell MyTourBall

"Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots but you have to play the ball where it lies."- Bobby Jones

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I only play Pro V1x's, other balls off the tee are probably just as good, but I have yet to find a ball around the green that works as well.

My 2 cents, if you can afford them and you want to play them, all the more power to you.


100% agree ... But if you don't want to shell out $45 a dzn ... seriously consider Wilson Staff FG-Tour's / You can get the blemished balls for 14.99 per dzn / I feel their close to pro v's around the green ...

Rob

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100% agree ... But if you don't want to shell out $45 a dzn ... seriously consider Wilson Staff FG-Tour's / You can get the blemished balls for 14.99 per dzn / I feel their close to pro v's around the green ...

Rob

Thanks! Found a couple of FG Tour/X on eBay at ridiculously cheap price.

TaylorMade RBZ 9° | TaylorMade Burner SF 2.0 16.5° | Mizuno MP-33 3-PW | Titleist Vokey SM4 56°11 | Cleveland Classic #4

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Thanks! Found a couple of FG Tour/X on eBay at ridiculously cheap price.

Yes! - Went to the pga store today and noticed the X's are now 19.99 per dzn & the blemished ones are 9.99 per dzn ... Cant go wrong!!!

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Basicaly golf balls are rated by being spin, control, feel and distance types and all with different compressions. The problem begins for any golfer that generates too much side spin. The higher the swing speed the more side spin can be induced. Better players tend to have a more sound swing creating less side spin. So when they get to the green they need more back spin to hold the green which can be found in higher priced Urathane cover balls. Lower compression golf balls tend to have more control because they remove more side spin. Your Pro V1 has a higher compression than say a DT SOLO. So the theory is: the lower the compression you use, the more you can take advantage of a straighter ball. When you find the right compression and "spin, control, feel or distance for your swing then you're onto something.

I like the tree piece mid compression Callaway HX Diablo tour for its true flight, good feel, good distance and has enough spin to help stop on the greens but keeps my shots out of the wooded area. (for my 90+ mph swing speed) I'll be trying the new Nike RZN's this year also because I liked the last year's RZN. Didn't car for the 20Xi s.

also find Pro V1 balls and agree that someone is wasting their money. Find the ball that fits your swing.

Knetgolf.com has sugestions on ways of finding the right ball for you.

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Note: This thread is 3668 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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