Practice balls?

[ttime]

Im just getting back into golf. And while I was out today I saw some practice balls. Some were just soft, and others were plastic with holes in them. I want to get these so I can practice my swing at home. But where can I use these? Inside? Will they break anything? Do I have to buy a practice net to use them? At that point I would just use regular balls.

[justinmill14]

i have the plastic ones and i hit them out in my yard, about the farthest they will go is about 50 yards, if even that much, actually i wouldnt even say that much at all, only if u can drive a normal golf ball about 300-350

[ttime]

Gotcha. It would seem that the plastic ones wouldnt go as far. Hopefully I dont lose too many in the neighbors yard.

[Fraser]

I found those lightweight balls with holes in them to be a waste of time. I found the best practice was either down the range, or I'd keep even horrible golf balls I find on the course and hit around my parent's grounds...although going to collect a scattering of 250yrd drives got tedious fast.

[Harry Longshanks]

  Fraser said:

and hit around my parent's

Prince Harry, is that you ?!?!?!

[Fraser]

  Harry Longshanks said:

Prince Harry, is that you ?!?!?!

Ha, no. There was just a fairly long strip of garden that used to be paddocks when the previous owners lived there...

[fjm039]

I use birdie balls ( www.birdieballs.com ). Basically small pieces of pvc with beveled ends. Feels much more like hitting a golf ball over the whiffle balls and the give you a fairly accurate representation of ball flight. Fade swing provides a fade ball path. Draw swing = draw ball path. They are limited flight (to about 40 - 50 yards max).

I use them in my front and back yard all the time when I don't get to play or practice at the range.

[Guest]

I use the plastic wiffle balls to practice with most of the time. There are some things about them I don't like though, like how they tear up after a short time (one of mine broke in half today). But I guess that's better than using real balls and risk loosing those.

I also have some of the soft, foam-like ones. I have mixed feelings about them. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like sometimes it doesn't take any effort to hit them far (not more than 50 yds, but still).

But don't take me to seriously. I've only been golfing for about a month and a half now.

[bepo]

  fjm039 said:

I use birdie balls (

Those look pretty sweet, I'm going to make some when I get home today.

In case anybody is wondering, 1 1/4" pvc has a diameter of 1.66" (a golf ball is 1.68", so its almost perfect), so just cut out sections that are 1.66" long. The walls are about .2" thick, do maybe do like a .15" bevel on each end. I'll post back with how it works out later I'm too cheap to buy them online, plus making them will be fun

[Finnstang]

  fjm039 said:

I use birdie balls (

Fixed your link

[TheGasman]

Callaway sent me a box of the HX practice balls. They fly pretty well and they are squishy so they cant break windows. I usually hit them in the backyard and have the dog shag them, so they all have bite marks in them.

[Fredguay642]

I would recommend birdieballs. They look weird at first by they give you a good approximation of the weight of a real golf ball that you don't get with practice balls. You could also try the David Pelz's "Almost Golf" golf balls. They are like a hollow golf ball. They are suppose to go 1/3 the distance, but I think it is a little farther than that. But they are pretty durable and the cover feels like a real ball on the club, but just minus some of the weight.

[DJYoshi]

  Fredguay642 said:

I would recommend birdieballs. They look weird at first by they give you a good approximation of the weight of a real golf ball that you don't get with practice balls. You could also try the David Pelz's "Almost Golf" golf balls. They are like a hollow golf ball. They are suppose to go 1/3 the distance, but I think it is a little farther than that. But they are pretty durable and the cover feels like a real ball on the club, but just minus some of the weight.

the only problem is with birdie ball, you still need about 100 yards free in each direction. which stinks. I only have about 40 yards x 60 in my back yard and I don't wanna pi** off the neighbors! I just end up practice chipping, flop shots & short pitching at home.

[fjm039]

100 yards? Holy freaking crap. I max out with my 3i and a birdie ball at about 65 yards. Of course, with a real ball my 3i only goes about 200 - 210 so.......

I don't use them to replace range time, but they do allow me to get a decent practice session in with most of my clubs while in my yard. Beats sitting inside.

[DJYoshi]

  fjm039 said:

100 yards? Holy freaking crap. I max out with my 3i and a birdie ball at about 65 yards. Of course, with a real ball my 3i only goes about 200 - 210 so.......

the 100 yards is for added security. 1 time I hit one, hit a tree, then tapped on my neighbor's window. if he wasn't cool, there's be problems. they're only supposed to go about 75 yards at max or something....I hit that shot about 55 yards and then it had a freakish bounce off of a tree.

[ttime]

So I got some balls called almost golf balls. I didnt read the back(where I saw that they still go pretty far), and hit ball 1 or 4 into the neighbors yard...oops

[bepo]

  bepo said:

Those look pretty sweet, I'm going to make some when I get home today.

this DOES NOT work. I made some and they all shattered with like a half swing, theres no way the real ones are made of pvc