Premium Ball Question

[Eeryck]

I am looking to try out sleeves of some of the premium balls and in attempting to purchace balls meant to compete against each other from different manufacturers. I was a bit unsure if I had the right groupings though:

The ball type that I like in the premium ball is the B-330S so I think the balls in this category would be:

Bridgestone B-330S
Titleist Pro-V1
Callaway Tour i
Taylor Made TP Red
Nike Tour D
Srixon Z-star

Then the softer feel balls that would be a little less distance off the tee (with a swingspeed below tour average) would be the 4-piece balls:

Bridgestone B-330
Titleist Pro-V1x
Callaway Tour ix
Taylor Made TP Black
Nike Tour
Srixon Z-starx

Is that generally the right idea and grouping so that I can make a more apples to apples comparison between ball manufacturers?

Thanks,
-E

[TyCobb]

Yup. The 330-s is my favorite golf ball, so I compare all the new premium balls I hit to it. So far, only the TP Red rivals it, although I haven't hit the Nike Tour yet. I've heard great things about it though.

Actually, I think the Nike Tour belongs in same category as 330-s.

[tim31x]

Then the softer feel balls that would be a little less distance off the tee (with a swingspeed below tour average) would be the 4-piece balls:

To the best of my knowledge, I believe the ProV1x is designed for more distance off the tee. It was developed when pro's wanted a ball as soft as the prov1 around the greens with more distance.

[iacas]

The ball type that I like in the premium ball is the B-330S so I think the balls in this category would be:

You got that right (except for the Nike ball, which I'll get to).

Then the softer feel balls that would be a little less distance off the tee (with a swingspeed below tour average) would be the 4-piece balls:

This part's mostly backwards.

B330 is a firmer ball than B330-S. V1x is a firmer ball than V1. ix is a firmer ball than i. TP Black is a firmer ball than TP Red. Z-Star X is a firmer ball than Z-Star. Firmer balls are more about distance, a slightly higher launch angle, and less spin. The only one I think you got right was the Tour versus the Tour D - the D is the firmer, longer ball.

[Eeryck]

This part's mostly backwards.

Thanks for sorting out the Nike ball.

The last bit that is confusing me some is the way that Bridgestone markets their firmer ball the B-330 as a ~115 or faster swing speed ball (for some reason I equated that to less distance for a slower swing speed). Then they market the B-330S as the ~105 swing speed ball. Is their guideline reasonable? I know I am going to have to test out both groups to find the right answers for me, I guess I am just trying to get through all the marketing first so that I can get down to business with some real testing. Thanks, -E

[iacas]

The last bit that is confusing me some is the way that Bridgestone markets their firmer ball the B-330 as a ~115 or faster swing speed ball (for some reason I equated that to less distance for a slower swing speed). Then they market the B-330S as the ~105 swing speed ball. Is their guideline reasonable?

Probably? I don't know.

In general, a firmer golf ball (B330, V1x, TP Black, ix) will always go farther than a softer ball. Listen to 7:23 into this podcast for a bit on that. For some, it's simply not worth the loss of spin for what may be - for them - an imperceptible difference in distance. Most people aren't consistent enough to notice, and even if they were, it might be a two- or four-yard difference off the driver.

[Eeryck]

Thanks again.

-E

[jrwingate6]

I new Nike Tour balls perform a lot better than there predecessors. Seems like with the Tour D, they took all the performance of the ONE Platinum but built so you don't need Tiger swing speeds in order for it to perform.

[Jay-Bird]

I am looking to try out sleeves of some of the premium balls ...

That's a great experiment. Try to be objective and post your results. I've done this with several of the balls mentioned.

[Shorty]

Is that generally the right idea and grouping so that I can make a more apples to apples comparison between ball manufacturers?

I can understand what you are trying to do here, but unless you are an extremely consistent ball striker, and have several dozen of each ball at a decent range with grass, you will do nothing but confuse yourself with this exercise as you won't be putting the same swing on each ball and there will be too much time between each shot to truly make a comparison. Many of the balls you have chosen will work for you, it might end up just coming down to the one you like the look of and what your budget is. The brackets are more similar than you might think.