ball fitting

**CodeRed657** · January 4, 2008

several of my friends have been to sites that do ball fittings, but all of them require a subscription. anyone know of a site where i can get a fitting for free?

**AnalogAG** · January 4, 2008

I know that Bridgestone made a commerical where they advertise a free ball fitting. So just go to their website a see if they do a fitting somewhere near you!

**CodeRed657** · January 4, 2008

i've tried that.....unfortunately they aren't doing a fitting anywhere near me. thanks for the reply though

**Shindig** · January 4, 2008

several of my friends have been to sites that do ball fittings, but all of them require a subscription. anyone know of a site where i can get a fitting for free?

How about this website? Tell us a bit more about your game and we can try to suggest balls that may work for you. You might find someone with a similar game who can suggest something for you.

Some companies have websites that advertise which of their balls will work for you.

**gas_can** · January 5, 2008

several of my friends have been to sites that do ball fittings, but all of them require a subscription. anyone know of a site where i can get a fitting for free?

CodeRed,

I might not be able to fit you exactly into a golf ball, but I believe I can give you a few options to try that you might find the ball for you. You might be surprised to know that golf balls react surprisingly similarly off the driver. You should really work on picking your golf ball from around the green and up to 150-160 yards. Pick the one that gives you the performance you want from those distances. What is your handicap? What is your swing speed? How far do you hit your driver? What is your miss with the driver? What one shot would you like to eliminate the most? How far do you hit your seven iron? With a full swing with a sand wedge, what do you typically expect the ball to do once it hits the green? (drop and stop, come ripping back, roll forward) Do you prefer to hit high flops around the green or chip and runs? What price range are you looking at? From this information I should be able to help you find a ball that suits you.

**N.V.M.** · January 5, 2008

cool. can i try?(i will anyways):

14
98
270
slice,duh!(hitting more fairways lately though)
hard pan(relatively rare anyways)
145 yards
in between those(a foot roll back)
i only flop when i have too(if there's a hazard)
price,who cares? having said that, i'm not paying $4 a ball.

**CodeRed657** · January 5, 2008

What is your handicap?: in the 30-35
What is your swing speed? don't know (probably around 90)
How far do you hit your driver? 210 carry, 220 total
What is your miss with the driver? high fade/slice
What one shot would you like to eliminate the most? slice
How far do you hit your seven iron? 135
With a full swing with a sand wedge, what do you typically expect the ball to do once it hits the green? (drop and stop, come ripping back, roll forward) roll forward
Do you prefer to hit high flops around the green or chip and runs? chip and runs
What price range are you looking at? doesnt matter

**Shindig** · January 5, 2008

What is your handicap?: in the 30-35

I'll make a few suggestions based on this. You'll be glad to know that I had similar stats at one point in recent memory (I'm still not terribly unlike the above).

I was playing Titleist DT So/Lo and occasionally Wilson 50s. The Wilson seemed a bit longer than the Titleist, but I liked the Titleist more (for reasons I can't quantify). I believe my current ball, the Bridgestone e6, is a bit longer than the Wilsons in good weather. I am planning to put the Wilsons back into play now that it's cold again (this would've been smarter for me to do when I had more time last month), along with Precept iQ 180s. What's best? I'd say see if you can get a sleeve of each. Putt with one of each (a few times each) and see what you like on that front as far as feel goes. Then chip with one of each and see if you like how it reacts. Finally, put them into play. Either one per round, or pick a few holes to use them on (maybe each ball gets one par-3, one par-5, and two par-4s. Use your normal ball for the other two par-4s). Or play a par-3 or executive course with them, one sleeve per round. This won't configure to 'optimal,' but it should give you a sense for which of these you like. Finally, since you're looking at eliminating the slice, were you fit for your driver? ~~If not, what is the loft on it?~~

**CodeRed657** · January 5, 2008

i was't fit for my driver (its 10.5 degrees). however, i really dont think its the fault of my clubs.

**LBlack14** · January 5, 2008

Ball fitting??? What's next?

**Shindig** · January 5, 2008

i was't fit for my driver (its 10.5 degrees). however, i really dont think its the fault of my clubs.

I don't think it's the fault of the clubs, either. But I've seen a lot of people with driver problems making some of the following mistakes:

* Too little loft (not a problem you're facing, but someone of our skill level doesn't need a 7.5 degree driver) * Bad shaft stiffness (a buddy of mine hits it under 200 yds, slices all over the place, and uses S or X flex in all his woods. One of these days, he'll figure it out). * Wrong ball. Short hitters and slow swingers don't need a high compression ball, such as the ones the top pros use. We do much better with lower-compression ones. * Swinging too hard (throws timing out of whack). By the way, what do you use for balls currently? Is it just 'whatever' or is it a set decision at the moment? I was using Top-Flite Stratas for what feels like forever before I realized that the ball makes a difference.

**CodeRed657** · January 5, 2008

soso what kinda of balls would be low compression?

**Shindig** · January 5, 2008

soso what kinda of balls would be low compression?

The ones I listed {DT So/Lo, Wilson 50, Bridgestone e6, Precept iq 180} are reasonably low compression.

Compression is effectively how much energy the ball is designed to store from the point where you hit it (and it compresses - depending on your speed, you are actually compressing the material on the ball. Weird to think about, huh?) to the point where it expands - and starts to fly. It shouldn't surprise you that the faster swing speeds need the ball to compress more to make use of the energy they impart to the ball. Low compression balls are usually marketed as for mid to high handicappers.

**gas_can** · January 5, 2008

The ones I listed {DT So/Lo, Wilson 50, Bridgestone e6, Precept iq 180} are reasonably low compression.

Spot on Shindig.

I think you pretty much nailed it on the head, nice work. The only thing I would add is that low compression balls aren't just for mid to high handicaps, especially when the weather is beginning to get colder. Many low handicaps play low compression balls in the winter since golf balls tend to become harder to compress as the temperature drops. The only balls I would add to your list CodeRed would be the Topflite D2 Gamer. All the golf balls mentioned are excellent low compression balls that still allow for you to experiment with short game spin around the greens as you continue learning. The iQ 180 especially is a great super low compression ball that still retains a good bit of feel.

**gas_can** · January 5, 2008

cool. can i try?(i will anyways):

N.V.M.,

I would suggest looking into the Bridgestone E5, NXT Tour, and Callaway's new HX Bite. All are great golf balls that will help you increase your launch angle and spin (to hopefully pick up some yards with the irons) while still allowing you to maintain full feel around the green. The HX Bite especially has really been impressing me as I've been using it.

**Shindig** · January 6, 2008

Spot on Shindig.

Many thanks. The part about better golfers putting low compression balls into play at this time of year is important, and I forgot to include that.

N.V.M.,

I think I'll give the HX Bite a try in the next few months, as my supply of Bridgestone e6 wears low. You never know.

**Zakko** · January 6, 2008

I'll play!

What is your handicap? 24
What is your swing speed? 106
How far do you hit your driver? 275
What is your miss with the driver? Slice
What one shot would you like to eliminate the most? The 3rd putt
How far do you hit your seven iron? 155
With a full swing with a sand wedge, what do you typically expect the ball to do once it hits the green? (drop and stop, come ripping back, roll forward) Medium backspin
Do you prefer to hit high flops around the green or chip and runs? Both
What price range are you looking at? < $30/dozen

**N.V.M.** · January 7, 2008

thanks for the "reading", haha. and, you saved me $20.
look: http://www.golfballselector.com/

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