Thinking of going with bridgestone for a regular day ball

[clonewars222]

My birthday's coming up soon, and I'm thinking of asking for some golf balls.

I'm probably going to get like 30 pro v1s x and quite a bit of bridgestones or another brand that I can use on a regular basis for practice rounds. I really don't want to lose pro v1s all the time :P

I'm looking for a ball that will give me decent distance but mainly good spin around the greens... could someone give short descriptions on what each bridgestone (e5,e6 etc) does?

Some info about me: I drive it good most of the time. I hit around 230-250. My irons are decent, but long irons trouble me sometimes. My putting is getting better, mostly two putts and a few 1 putts. 2-3 3-putts a day.

If you have any other suggestions, please let me know! I'm looking for balls around the 20-30 dollar range.

OH, one more thing. Is pro v1x the best ball out there at the moment? If there are any other balls comparable, what are the differences?

[clonewars222]

Actually, I"m going to a bridgestone golf fitting thing coming up this friday so yay :D

[RocketSauce]

TreoSoft. great ball at a low price. $20 a dozen

[CarlSpackler]

I did the online fitting application on the Bridgestone website and they recommend B330 RX. It sounds like our games are somewhat similar, but you might want to go through the ball fitting yourself.

[jrm1493]

Get some "used" Pro V1's if you want to practice. That would be the closest to new ones if you want to play them when it counts. I've been very happy with lostgolfballs.com - get the AA or AAA they are pretty cheap.

[Ruckus]

I did the online fitting application on the Bridgestone website and they recommend B330 RX. It sounds like our games are somewhat similar, but you might want to go through the ball fitting yourself.

The problem with that is the B330 RX is not much cheaper than a Pro V1. I don't think he wants to replace the Pro V, just get a ball that's not as heartbreaking to hit into the drink.

[Kingfisher]

I've tried all of the balls mentioned above, with the exception of the B330 RX. Here's my two cents worth:

E6 - Firmer, good distance, helps to minimise sidespin, but less feel around the greens
E5 - In my opinion is a decent ball. It generates good distance and has a softer feel, especially around the green.
Pro V1 - Although this is undoubtedly a great ball, I don't believe what it offers over and above other balls justifies the price difference (not for me anyway).

For a long time I've been using Titleist NXT tour and have never had any complaints with these - they do everything I want them to, have good feel and don't cost the earth.

I've recently tried some Nike Vapors and found those to be a good ball also. Perhaps not quite as soft as the PV1, NXT or E5, but still has a nice feel to it and I found it to have good distance.

You should go and check out Golf Digest Hot List, which had a section on ball testing.

[Hitman]

I used, and still do on occasion the Taylormade TP Red, have also played with both Pro v's and the 1x's, but now I play the Bridgestone B330S and the RX. I love everything about the 330 RX except I can't make it hop and stop on any green, the 330S will stop good, spin good but I sometimes loose it right, not bad, just right. My natural shot with my driver is a smooth easy fade, aim at a target on the left and let it fade back the the middle, but the 330S sometimes goes a bit far. For what it's worth I just bought a dozen of the 330S balls because of the greenside control over the RX, which is what was recomended on the on-line ball fitting.

[Iowa Hawkeye]

Check out your local Play It Again Sports. Mine has a giant tub of hardly used, if at all Pro V 1s and PV1xs for 6 for $5. And a bucket of the other "Tour" balls (b330,s,rx, nike ones, TM TPs, etc.) for the same price. All others are $.50 a ball.

[Carrsbie]

I really, really like the e5+...I think that its the best $25 a dozen ball on the market...flies and spins near the greens.

[PhilsRHman]

I completely agree with the earlier post about buying used ProVs if you've got your heart set on using them. But I've got to ask the question -- is playing the most expensive ball on the market going to help your game at this point? When I'm spraying it all over the place, I find that playing expensive balls only serves to frustrate me more. It's bad enough to lose one OB. Tack on a $4 price tag and it's a real kick in the nuts.

I've always tried to pick a ball I like, then get a new and used batch. When I know I'm out playing for fun, or working on somethng, I use the used ones (even if by used I mean I opened them last round). Once I'm trying to really score I switch to a new ball. If nothing else, it helps get me into the mindset that I'm playing a serious round and really trying to post a score. I might try to cut fewer corners, go after riskier short game shot, etc. Basically I can transition into "tournament" mode without needing an actual tournament to play in.

Give that a try and you'll not only save some dough on balls, you'll be using the same balls in both practice and serious rounds.

[CarlSpackler]

The problem with that is the B330 RX is not much cheaper than a Pro V1. I don't think he wants to replace the Pro V, just get a ball that's not as heartbreaking to hit into the drink.

Good point.

[David in FL]

Please forgive me, but given the vast difference in performance between various balls, why in the world would you "practice" with a different ball than you play with when it counts?

I won't pimp one ball over another, but I'll always recommend that whatever ball someone picks, they use it exclusively. Especially a solid 14 hcp like yourself. It's all about consistency......

FWIW, your local golf store should be happy to exchange gift balls for the ones you need.

[Mark_D]

I'm considering trying the Bridgestone B330 for an "everyday" ball. I have a pretty high swing speed (typical drive 250-260) and hit the ball really high, so from the specs sounds like it should suit.

I've just switched to Taylormade TP Reds for serious play- unwilling to spend the extra to stick with Pro V1s

[Guest]

I personally switched to Bridgestone E6+ balls at the end of last year. Best ball for $26.00 I have played. Good around greens and straight...

[clonewars222]

Thanks guys... I'm switching to E5+. I got fitted for them, tried it out 9 holes, and it was just as good as prov1 :]

[Guest]

I found the new Callaway to have the best bite and TaylorMade to have the best distance. Pro-V is probably the best overall in my experience.

[sasquatcho69]

roger dunn and golfsmith and other big stores like that are selling the taylormade's red and black $55 for two dozen, so thats a good deal.