golf balls

[sungho_kr]

I'm trying to decide on a soft ball.

My pool of balls are the following: prov1, nike1platinum, bridgestone b330s, precept utritour, srixon zurs, callaway hx56, or any other "spin" ball.

I want to know what fits best into my game. I use to play nike1platinum, I don't know why I'm complaining but the shortgame shots spin like crazy, sometimes too much so i went back to prov1.

K, thnx

[cameron Circle T]

Thought this might help you, wrote this a few weeks ago;


I thought I would post a comprehensive review of these three golf balls as these have been the three that I have rotated between recently. In this review I will compare a few different aspects of each golf ball including distance off the tee, mid iron capabilities, wedge/around the green, and putting. As well I will cover such topics as durability of the cover, as well as subjective review of who these balls fit. In each section I will do the review of each ball as well as include the club used, and my player profile for that club. So I will begin:


Distance:

Commonly used driving clubs -

Driver TMaG R5 TP 9.5 UST V2 75x SS - 122 Ball Speed - 175
2 iron Cleveland CG1 18* Dynamic Gold X100 hardstepped

I have played numerous rounds with all of these golf balls both by themselves as well as in comparison testing. The holes that I usually as a determining factor are a par 4 approximately 440 yards fairly straight when windy, this hole gets a somewhat favorable wind, a par 5 approximately 520 yards with a crosswind, and a par 4 460 yards into the wind. I use these holes because of the varying wind conditions. The shortest of them all is the Pro V1, this ball gets the least amount of roll and is the greatest effected by wind. I will also add that this one has the least favorable trajectory due to its "spinny" nature it tends to balloon and get up to a peak flight that is far too high with an approach angle that is far too steep. The next ball would be a very, very close second, the Pro V1x. This ball has a much better trajectory and reaches a much lower peakin in its flight. The angle of descent is still somewhat steep; however, that can be attributed to the driver mismatch for me. With the 2 iron the ball flight on this one is noticeably flatter than that of the Pro V1. The Pro V1x is a great ball in the wind as the spin rate is sufficiently lower that it is not as easily manipulated during flight. The roll is fair on this ball but given that this player hits a higher trajectory shot naturally the roll is not as significant an observation. The longest of the 3 by a small margin is the B330 S. This ball has by far the best trajectory on both the driver and the 2 iron with a nice arching ballflight and a better angle of approach due to a somewhat lower spin rate than the x. The roll on this one is marginally better than the Pro V1x and the wind play has been deemed to be very very similar to the X. This ball is not easily manipulated by the wind, do not let the S (for spin) denotation fool you this ball still is plenty long off the tee.



Iron Play

CG1 2-9 Dynamic Gold X100 hardstepped SS>100
CG10 47*, 58*, 63* Dynamic Gold X100, S400, S400 respectively

The Pro V1 is by far the highest spinning ball on approach with just about any club in my bag. With my sufficiently high trajectory a 4 iron will still come in high enough that the ball will hit and bounce once and stop as long as the greens are not rock. The Pro V1 definitely gave me the most noticeable spin on any shot even out of the rough; however, the spin was a double edged sword. With my CG10 wedges these golf balls were hard to control the backup distance on. It was a game of hitting it approximately 7-10 yards beyond a pin to back it up to be about pin high. This ball because of its high spin had a much floatier trajectory for me on irons, which once again, caused it to be very easily effected by the wind. This was a hard thing to deal with given the fact that the course these were tested on is regularly windy (pga tour stopped holding honda there bc of complaints - TPC Eagle Trace). The Pro V1x still maintains great spin while providing a nice boring and flat, yet still high enough to be to my liking, trajectory. This ball is once again not easily effected by the wind, and still provides enough spin to hold it into many greens. The B330 S is a great feeling ball as well as a great performing golf ball with the irons. This ball provides a great boring trajectory, great spin, and is not easily effected by the wind. I would say this produces somewhat more spin off the irons than the Pro V1x yet still produces little enough to be a very versatile ball. I would say it is a very close tie in playability, spin, and trajectory for the B330 S and the Pro V1x.


Around the greens

Wedges CG10 as stated above
Putter Scotty Cameron 410g Red X2 (gss insert just as a reminder)

Around the greens I am like a few tour players including Annika, and a few others in that I really have a favorite club or two to chip with and will only use those clubs unless there is something completely out of the ordinary forcing me to change. My most common chipping club is a 58*, when I have little green to work with I chose my 63*. The ball that grips by far the best around the greens is still the Pro V1; however, to some extent this may stop too quickly given the type of shots I play around the greens. The Pro V1x and the B330 s have negligible diffferences when it comes to spin around the greens. When testing the putting characteristics the Pro V1 is buttery soft, in a sense it may be too soft to really control the speed as I had trouble "feeling" the ball come off the face of my Red X2, which in and of itself is quite soft. The B330 s was the next softest and for me provided the perfect feel. This ball is mildly soft yet hard enough to get a sense of speed control and feel off the face. As well it provides good feedback on the putts. The Pro V1x is a little bit harder than the B330 s which for some putters I own is great bc it gives that solid feel but I've come to the conclusion its just a little hard for the Red x, which may not make sense given the softness of the GSS, but my intention is not to negate that softness with a firmer covered ball. Hence, this reviewer chose the B330 s as the ideal fit for putting. The Pro V1 makes almost no sound while the B330 s makes a soft kind of thud sound and the Pro V1x makes more of a click against the face of the putter.

Durability

I have had problems with my wedges chewing up golf balls. Given that is what I hit into most par 4's I felt that the ball needed to last more than one hole. With the CG10 the Pro V1 didnt survive more than one hole. Each wedge shot sheared a bit of cover on the ball, even after the wedges had been used for a while. This causes more problems than one might think because you are then forced to putt with a ball this is no longer perfectly round and smoothe. The Pro V1x is somewhat more durable yet still suffered from durability problems. This golf ball still had about one full wedge shot longevity before it began to scrape; however, not to near the extent of the Pro V1 thus if you wanted you could get some more play out of it. By far the most durable cover was the B330 S. This ball has multiple holes of longevity even with the the multiple wedge shots hit. By far the best for durability if you use todays CNC milled grooves that are razor like.


Conclusion

The Bridgestone B330 S is a great golf ball for the higher swing speed player who likes to maintain the advantage of still having a ball that grabs fairly quickly onto greens. This is definitely a durable ball that is well worth its price. You will get many holes of play out of a dozen of these (assuming no donations to the water gods are made). The Pro V1x is a great golf ball for the high swing speed player who is looking to reduce spin by the most of the three balls. If you don't want the ball to grab too quickly or you like a little bit firmer golf ball this is definitely a quality ball in a class close to by itself. The Pro V1 is a high spinning ball for either those that do not put enough spin on the ball off the tee or around the greens. This ball tends to benefit the lower swing speeds as it will tend to balloon for those with swing speeds on the high end. This is a great soft ball with lots of spin, great for the player looking to dominate around the greens.


Alright, well thanks for your time in reading this. I may be able to get some solid and concrete launch monitor numbers up with these three soon. I hope this helps anyone who is looking to decide what golfball a starting place as to where to look. Any questions, just ask.


Thanks,

Adam

[JPsuff]

Circle T,

I never really made the connection until I read your post.

You're right, the Pro V1's do tend to balloon on me.

My driver SS hovers between 110 and 115 and my ball speed is between 165 and 170.
My Iron SS is around 95 and ball speed is around 155.

Based on what you wrote, I think I should be looking for a less spin-oriented ball.

My drives have a ton of carry, (between 265-275), but they tend to just stop dead once they hit, which annoys the hell out of me. And you're right, it IS a double edged sword because that same quality helps a lot on approach shots, (stopping power), but my lob wedge or open-faced shots tend to "pop up" too much for my liking.

I do like a soft feeling ball though, (I was an old Balata junkie years ago), so what balls are out there these days that have a bit less spin but still have a soft feel?

[iacas]

I do like a soft feeling ball though, (I was an old Balata junkie years ago), so what balls are out there these days that have a bit less spin but still have a soft feel?

Give the TaylorMade balls a try when you get the chance. You may like 'em, either Red or Black.

Until then, try the B330/B330S or one of the three Nikes. The Callaway balls too. But then again, I just named all the other top balls, so... nothing you didn't already know. P.S. I've edited a few of your posts to remove all the extraneous line breaks you seem to enjoy including... in case you're wondering.

[SheriffBooth]

I've been playing the B330s this spring and loving it - excellent distance and doesn't overspin. Sungho, if you're getting too much spin try the regular B330, I haven't hit 'em but I heard they spin a lot less. The best thing about the B330s is I was able to get a half case on eBay for less than $26 a dozen.

Iacas, a mini-tour guy I play with sometime (who plays TM) told me his rep told him that the TM balls were coming off the same assembly line as the Maxfli Black Max and just getting a different stamp. I usually don't trust this sort of double hearsay - you know if that's true? It's all the same company so it made some sense to me.

[cameron Circle T]

The balls are much different than the BlackMax golf balls. There is in fact an article on tmag's blog or somewhere else that tmag wrote stating the major differences. They sited these as the reason why sergio a player who wants low spin plays the TP while the BlackMax that JD is playing has a much different core and shell than the TP balls producing the higher flight and higher spin that JD desires. So in that sense I can confirm there is no truth that the blackmax is the same ball as the tp line. It has a markedly different core composition and different exterior.

[neudi]

I play the Pro v1's as well and they work well for me. My friend plays oneplatinums and they don't seem to go as far, but w/e feels right to you is most important

[iacas]

The balls are much different than the BlackMax golf balls. There is in fact an article on tmag's blog or somewhere else that tmag wrote stating the major differences. They sited these as the reason why sergio a player who wants low spin plays the TP while the BlackMax that JD is playing has a much different core and shell than the TP balls producing the higher flight and higher spin that JD desires. So in that sense I can confirm there is no truth that the blackmax is the same ball as the tp line. It has a markedly different core composition and different exterior.

That's really quite incorrect.

The TP Red and the TP Black (we've done plenty of articles on these balls, guys...) are an evolutionary (not revolutionary) step forward. The BlackMax still has the "Neodymium" core, a thermoset urethane cover, the same kind of mantle, etc. In other words, they're very similar. And they're likely being made in the same place. But the BlackMax is the "last version" and the TPs are the "new version." P.S. The top five articles here , currently, should help you learn more about these balls.

[sungho_kr]

What did happen to my extraneous thoughts, lol. Anyways thanks, I think I'll buy a case of b330s on ebay, everyone is saying this ball is so great but why would the pros play titleist when this ball is superbly better, theres food for thought. I would still like to know about balls besides the bridgeestones. THNXX

[georgep]

... but why would the pros play titleist when this ball is superbly better, theres food for thought.

With the pros always suspect $$$ first. Titleist does a great job of positioning itself as the "players" equipment company, and a crucial part of that is product placement with the pros. Plus, I think Pro Vs were seen as the leaders of the revolution to the new multilayer balls. Not that Pro Vs aren't good balls, just that in my experience there are several (like the B330S, BlackMax, and HX) that are at the same level.

[sungho_kr]

What's the difference between the old and new nike plats. They are only 30.99 in my golf galaxy(the old ones) and the new ones are 39.99. Whats the big difference, I need balls fast cuz Im to my last 3 sleeves of prov1s, and I did try a sleeve of the b330s, I didn't like the look, the feel was average, but the performance was very similar to the prov1s. The major difference was, I'm not use to its spin, the extra 5 yards in driving and the lower ball flight. It was pleasant but my eye was not suited for it. I think the nike platinum is the highest ball flight ive ever used and has the best distance control, it really does, I'm not sure. I'll go to golf galaxy in 2 days and Ill choose between prov1, nike old plat, nike new plat, b330 s, or zurs. Ive tried the zurs and it goes really far too and the feeling is identical to the prov1. Also It's got a nice, classic balata sound to it during impact but spin was pretty low compared to the platinum. I think i should buy the old plats because the are 30 buks but I want to change my ball to a new one so keep coming with the reviews, ty.

[cameron Circle T]

Why isn’t John Daly playing the TP Red or TP Black?

John’s swing characteristics naturally generate a lower-than-optimal spin-rate off the driver, yet he prefers a high, long-carrying ball flight. That’s why he’s playing the BlackMAX, because its firmer core generates more spin off the driver, which helps keep the ball in the air longer, giving him more carry and more distance.



Knew I read somewhere that the core was different than the TP line on the blackmax. Makes it seem that these are different golf balls not just last version and new version. Kinda interesting to see more players put the ball in play at the Verizon this week. Should be a good release for TMaG

[iacas]

John’s swing characteristics naturally generate a lower-than-optimal spin-rate off the driver, yet he prefers a high, long-carrying ball flight. That’s why he’s playing the BlackMAX, because its firmer core generates more spin off the driver, which helps keep the ball in the air longer, giving him more carry and more distance.

Yes, they monkeyed a bit with the core firmness. But it could have gone from 70 (in both TP Red and TP Black) to 72 in the BlackMax for all we know. And it's still made out of the same thing. Go look:

http://maxfli.com/blackmax/ .

[sungho_kr]

Black max is a solid ball, personally I don't like it because it goes to straight and not enough side spin which is humongous plus with driver but thats it. Also I hate the dimple pattern, science vs aesthetics, I go with more aesthetics, why do you think i chose 690.cb, beautiful club. The sound is quite annoying, but besides those silly mental facts, blackmax is good as anyball out there execpt nike one black (far, great in the wind, super spin, nice looks)