How much experimenting do you do with different golf balls?

[firstcut]

Although my main "game ball" is the Nike Power Soft, I try to buy "new" brand balls at least once a month to play with. It gives me a cheap way to experiment without spending a lot of cash. It's really opened my eyes to how different balls behave, even for us high handicappers.

Am I the only one that keeps these guys in business with my stupidity?

In the past year I've played with:

Nike Power Soft
Nike Power Distance
Nike Karma
Nike Juice
Nike Mojo
Nike One Black
Bridgestone E6+
Bridgestone RX
Bridgestone S (2007)
Titleist ProV1
Titleist NXT
Titleist DT Roll
Top Flite Gamer
Top Flite Freak
Wilson 50/50
Pinnacle Distance
Callaway Warbird
RAM POS
Loco Distance

[Baraethon]

I've been fooling around with some recently, buying maybe a sleeve of nikes, then a sleeve of callaway's. However, I recently tried out the e5+, and I think i'm gonna stick with those for a while.

[Stacey_E]

I think it's a good idea to shop around. But I stick with the balls I card my lowest scores with. That being said I haven't hit anything but NXT Tour in months. Not because they are so awesome, but because I've got my iron distances dialed in with them. I hit a Callaway HX Hot two clubs over the green on a par 3 a few months back into a pond on the next hole. It was then I decided to quit experimenting haha.

[Miko]

A golf ball is a golf ball boys. It is round and if you hit it well, it will help you out. If you do not, no ball will help you out unless it floats on water or has a GPS tracking device inside. Using a different golf ball is like picking a different beer in a bar. Which one will work the best for me? Get over the BS marketing hype and just hit any ball.

[Fourputt]

I'm pretty sure the CGB is a line of clubs, not golf balls.

And I'm pretty sure that it's just a sales pitch, not a typical post or poster. He has exactly one post and he includes a link to a commercial website.

Time for a mod to do some judicious deletion.

[Stacey_E]

And I'm pretty sure that it's just a sales pitch, not a typical post or poster. He has exactly one post and he includes a link to a commercial website.

I thought it, you said it.....

Ok, my bad, back to topic haha BTW, to the OP, if you have any questions about robotic testing on various balls as done by Golf Magazine's Feb 2008 issue check this thread: http://www.thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18770 I'm trying to keep up with that thread for anybody interested.

[firstcut]

A golf ball is a golf ball boys. It is round and if you hit it well, it will help you out. If you do not, no ball will help you out unless it floats on water or has a GPS tracking device inside. Using a different golf ball is like picking a different beer in a bar. Which one will work the best for me? Get over the BS marketing hype and just hit any ball.

Not true says my many ball testing.

Not a big fan of your beer analogy either. I like certain beer better too.. Guinness is good on nice cold days next to the fire.. A good Pilsner on a hot day is hard to beat... Heck, by your logic, I guess you married the first girl that came along, since they all have the same parts anyway.. But I like your floating ball and GPS ideas....

[Fourputt]

A golf ball is a golf ball boys. It is round and if you hit it well, it will help you out. If you do not, no ball will help you out unless it floats on water or has a GPS tracking device inside. Using a different golf ball is like picking a different beer in a bar. Which one will work the best for me? Get over the BS marketing hype and just hit any ball.

Quite frankly.... HUH?????

Where do you get this BS? There are huge differences between balls, and some are totally inappropriate for some players. A guy who plays a wicked slice is only going to have more trouble with a Pro V1 because it will spin more than something like a DT SoLo, causing him to just slice worse. I can't believe that anyone posting as low a handicap as you display could not see a clear difference between some balls. There are different ranges of balls, and there is not a lot of difference within a given range of ball type, even when switching brands. But if you go from a Callaway Big Bertha to a Bridgestone B330s, the difference in both feel and in performance is huge. And there is a great difference in beers too.... from the watered down "light" beers to rich, flavorful ales from smaller breweries. I can't tell if you really believe what you are saying or if you're just spoiling for a fight.

[firstcut]

I thought it, you said it.....

Thanks Stacey. I've been watching that one too. I wish I had the magazine article!

[longfornothing]

I called Golf Mag back in the spring looking for a back copy. No dice. Lady said they were out. Just so ya'll know.

Lately, I've become a ball ho. Would probably be a more of a ball ho if all the brands have 3 ball sleeves for retail. That is the one thing that prevents me from trying more balls. What to do with the other 9 balls once I play nine holes and don't like the ball?

The RX is a piece of junk if you swing over 100mph. The swing speed range should be like 85-95, not up to 105mph. e6+ is still the gamer, only b/c I'm used to it. Currently looking for something with a little, I mean little, bit more spin. e5+ isn't it. Balloon ball for me. e7+ acts like an e6+ for me. Might have to venture outside of Bridgestone.

[Beantown Beancounter]

lucky for me and the way that I have been shooting, my in-laws live on the 15th so I get free balls...haven't bought one all season. With that being said I get to experiment with all kinds, staying mainly with the Bridgestone E6s and NXT Tours have been the best so far. Pro Vs and Nike Ones just go in the bucket for when I can get a little more consistency with my swing. I also like Srixons too...

[Wiredcoach]

A golf ball is a golf ball boys. It is round and if you hit it well, it will help you out.

Wow, Miko, I have to disagree. A guy who gives me lessons also is a rep part-time for a ball company. He does ball-fitting sessions. I learned a lot from him.

I need to play a softer ball because I don't generate much clubhead speed. The ball compresses a little more and will actually go further for me. Someone else who has very high clubhead speed would compress that ball too much and it wouldn't work well. Now I've really gotten used to softer balls, and I can't stand the feel (or sound) of balls that feel like they have a rock inside them. But that's just me, and what suits my current game.

[beisenhauer]

I'm a fiddler. I just can't leave well-enough alone. I regrip my clubs because I want to try something different long before the grips wear out. Result: I change my ball every dozen or two. Since about the middle of last season (2007), here's the list:

Prostaff something-or-other (Had few in good shape laying around when I decided I needed to consistently play the same ball.)
Callaway Warbird
Callaway Big Bertha
Top Flite D2 Feel
Callaway Tour ix (two sleeves of freebies)
Top Flite Gamer

Next up: a dozen NXT Extreme and a sleeve of Pro V1s.
Contemplating: NXT Tour or e6+.

I can't tell much difference between most balls. The Warbird is a rock. The only difference between the Gamer and the D2 Feel is that the Gamer shreds more easily. The Tour ix is a nice ball, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere off the putter. If you told me today that I had to choose just one ball to play for the next year, and that I had to pay for them myself, it'd be the D2 Feel.