What ball do you play...and why?

[meenman]

Pro V1 - because once you have hit one there is no other ball.

[Pat007]

ProV1x....why? uhh...because!

best ball for my swing, plain and simple!

[HackerD]

For the mid to high capper ball selection really doesn't make much of a difference. Certainly even the worst of us can hit a wedge shot and see a difference between a premium ball and the cheapest balls at Walmart, but honestly how often is a high capper going to pull that off? I think that those of us who don't play very well should stick to low cost balls. If you have the money to burn and want to spend it on premium balls ($20 or more a dozen) then by all means do so. But do so with the understanding that you'll be leaving money laying around the course for other people to pick up. I've played rounds with guys who can easily lose 2, 3, 4, or more balls in a round. If your gaming premium balls that can add up.

I totally agree. I like the e-6+ and NXT's, but I also often play the Wilson Smartcore, a 2-piece at less than $10 a dozen. Keeping the golf budget in control.

[lumpuckeroo]

NXT Tour or e6+ depending on which one I can get a deal on. I play them because I'm to cheap to play the Pro V1 or the B330-RX.

[misty_mountainhop]

Currently Bridgestone B330-RX and going to stay that way for a while; blew me away when I tried it.

Others I've used a lot and would recommend:

ProV1/V1x
Bridgestone E5+ (bit firm off putter but otherwise excellent)
Bridgestone B330S
Nike One Platinum
TaylorMade Burner TP (less spin than others but great ball when greens are less than hard)

[ChiChiIsMe]

II am not 100% sure the ball matters as much as everyone says...

The ball is the only piece of equipment you use on EVERY shot.

Given that fact, how much does it matter?

[Chief Broom]

The ball is the only piece of equipment you use on EVERY shot.

That's certainly the position the marketing geniuses at Titleist want you to take and judging from the regularity with which I find ProV1's on the course I'd say a lot of people are buying it.

Personally I feel that $20 is too much to pay for a dozen balls (what can I say I'm cheap). The only reason I can justify spending that for some of the balls I play is that I've found that I tend not to lose them as often as I do other lower priced balls. I've also experimented going the used ball route. Target and Walmart sell used balls in good condition for around $10 for 12-15 packs of mid level balls (NXT Tours). That's worked well for me too. All in all I try to mix up my sources for balls in order to get the best price and play the caliber of ball that I've found that seems to best suit my game (3 piece balls). I've played plenty of premium balls too, but in my experience they don't perform any better for me than the mid level balls I've mentioned. With that being the case paying even more for premium balls doesn't make sense for me. Other's experience may be different and when my game and level of ball striking improves it might begin to make sense for me to play premium tour balls but so far that time hasn't come.

[DKunks]

Low handicappers will tend to go w/ the more responsive, more expensive balls like proVs and HX Tours because they offer better feel and the ability to better predict their action.

I am somewhat budget minded Mid - Low handicapper, but still want the soft responsive feel and the ability to peel the ball back and stop it on a dime.

i play the Callaway Hot Bite. Its a 3 piece ball with nice soft cover that IMO is the best mid price ball. Its the best value ball available. it responds like a prov around the greens and it goes a long distance. my only complaint is that i rip the covers with my XForged wedges' mack daddy grooves... but the balls still play well all round long.

i believe this is the best value ball on the market, $25 / dozen w/ similair characteristics as the $50 / dozen balls.

thanks for having me SandTrap!

[Damien45]

Currently Bridgestone B330-RX and going to stay that way for a while; blew me away when I tried it.

In your opinion, what is the differrence between the B330S and B330RX? I have used the B330S and was impressed. What can I expect from the RX?

Thanks for your help.

[right handed phil mickelson]

ok well i see lots of people saying bridgestone and some other high priced balls. I play a Pinnacle Gold Fx Long because it is very very soft on every shot you hit, a pack of 15 costs $15-$25 depending on where you get them, and they go very far. I find them to be softer than the Pinnacle Gold Fx Soft, plus they have a good clear line on the name if you line up your putts. Pinnacle Gold Fx Long balls are my ball of choice.

[timwalsh300]

I literally play with whatever I find on the course. I started playing years ago with a bag of clubs in the basement which had a few balls in it. Since then I've received balls as birthday/Christmas presents, but mostly I've just picked up balls on the course. To this day I don't think I've ever purchased a golf ball myself. It's one of the ways that I keep the cost of this game down.

Some people swear that it makes a difference. Honestly I'm not convinced. Unless someone is a scratch player, I think it's all in their head.

I like firearms and target shooting too. In that community we have a saying - "This gun/ammo shoots better than I do." This means that the margin of error on the gun/ammo is less than the margin of error in your aim. Operator error will mask whatever the equipment is doing wrong. That's how I feel about golf. I hit a lot of good shots, but I don't think I ever catch the ball on the grooves of my wedge the same way twice.

Tim

[Damien45]

I literally play with whatever I find on the course. I started playing years ago with a bag of clubs in the basement which had a few balls in it. Since then I've received balls as birthday/Christmas presents, but mostly I've just picked up balls on the course. To this day I don't think I've ever purchased a golf ball myself. It's one of the ways that I keep the cost of this game down.

One phrase I take from the firearm relm into golf is "slow is smooth, smooth is fast".

[Kcas77]

I like the Pro V1x and the Taylormade TP Black because they both have good spin and distance.

[TheNatural]

ok well i see lots of people saying bridgestone and some other high priced balls. I play a Pinnacle Gold Fx Long because it is very very soft on every shot you hit, a pack of 15 costs $15-$25 depending on where you get them, and they go very far. I find them to be softer than the Pinnacle Gold Fx Soft, plus they have a good clear line on the name if you line up your putts. Pinnacle Gold Fx Long balls are my ball of choice.

whats your Swing speed?? i am switching to this ball asap...for the distance...

[shakogolfer78]

anything Bridgestone They have great feel.

[x-forged]

Callaway tour-i because i get them for cheap and they are the best balls i've ever played with. They hold up well, spin is fine for me and the ball flies like I want it to. I dig the dimples too. Ill gladly hit pro-v1's, b330's, or tp blacks if i get a hold of some. Some of the cheaper balls ill use sometimes is the callaway hot-bite or nxt-tour.

[JonnyGolf]

I am looking for a new ball and wanted to get everyone's input. While I am not 100% sure the ball matters as much as everyone says...I still am intereted in your opinion.

At 18, it doesn't matter that much. But, when you're making swings expecting to get inside of 10ft, you want the ball to perform. For me, the Pro V1x performs in both distance and drop and stop. And they get dinged up every time that Vokey Spin Milled gets its grooves on it. But, they're worth it.

And, I've played every ball including Bridgestone, Callaway, and Nike. I've also played the Pinnacle Exception, which is my choice for low cost balls.

[misty_mountainhop]

In your opinion, what is the differrence between the B330S and B330RX? I have used the B330S and was impressed. What can I expect from the RX?

Umm, I like them both a lot but one of the main things for me was the 330RX off my irons where it was definitely very long; typically I reckon I'm about 1/2 club longer. I loved the feel off everything (especially chips and putting) as well but it feels a bit softer than the 330S so might not appeal to everyone.

I posted some thoughts in a thread the other day: http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21784