Sponge and Rubber Golf Balls

[Cantankerish]

Remember golf?  It was a sport.  Sports were those things you could play that did not involve electronics.  Back when golf existed, I went to the range once or twice a week and played a round most weeks.

 

the point:

Are those spongy light-weight practice balls good for anything?  I’m considering buying a turf mat and hitting those.  Is there a better plan on a shoestring budget?

Edited April 18, 2020 by Cantankerish

[billchao]

3 minutes ago, Cantankerish said:

Are those spongy light-weight practice balls good for anything?

How much room do you have to hit? They go farther than you think they would.

[J M Brown]

I hit the yellow foam golf balls pretty often lately.  They will go farther than you think like mentioned above.  I live in a residential neighbor hood and will hit them from my yard to roughly 3-4 yards down.  Fortunately I have great neighbors that don’t mind me going to retrieve them from their yard.  They seem to mimic true ball flight characteristics for me.  The downside to them is they are super light and the wind really affects them.  I would much rather take my shag bag to the local park that has an open area for me to hit real golf balls, but since the local parks are prohibited right now the foam balls have still allowed me to get some full swing action on a budget. I’ve spent quite a bit of time researching launch monitors and hitting nets but haven’t convinced myself to pull the trigger on one yet.  

[Double Mocha Man]

13 minutes ago, J M Brown said:

I hit the yellow foam golf balls pretty often lately.  They will go farther than you think like mentioned above.  I live in a residential neighbor hood and will hit them from my yard to roughly 3-4 yards down.  Fortunately I have great neighbors that don’t mind me going to retrieve them from their yard.  They seem to mimic true ball flight characteristics for me.  The downside to them is they are super light and the wind really affects them.  I would much rather take my shag bag to the local park that has an open area for me to hit real golf balls, but since the local parks are prohibited right now the foam balls have still allowed me to get some full swing action on a budget. I’ve spent quite a bit of time researching launch monitors and hitting nets but haven’t convinced myself to pull the trigger on one yet.  

Just make sure not to hit those balls back to your house from your neighbor's yards.  They may not respond well to those divots on their perfect front lawns.

[J M Brown]

2 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Just make sure not to hit those balls back to your house from your neighbor's yards.  They may not respond well to those divots on their perfect front lawns.

It’s ok I fill the divots in their yard with sand before leaving haha. Not really.  I hit them and go pick them up after hitting them all.  It’s double duty golf practice and exercise since the gyms closed too.  

[boogielicious]

19 hours ago, Cantankerish said:

Remember golf?  It was a sport.  Sports were those things you could play that did not involve electronics.  Back when golf existed, I went to the range once or twice a week and played a round most weeks.

 

the point:

Are those spongy light-weight practice balls good for anything?  I’m considering buying a turf mat and hitting those.  Is there a better plan on a shoestring budget?

I’ve used them a lot indoors where real balls would reek havoc. They are good in a sense that you are swinging at a ball shape and not a tee. You are trying to hit it just like a real ball. They don’t give you much feedback though. So you can’t tell if the shot was thinned or toe/heel etc.

[Cantankerish]

Maybe this is the time to pony up for a mevo and a net.