Best Ball for Mid, Mid-High Handicappers

[sean_miller]

I think it depends on how many balls you lose in a round. There are so many once-hit Pro V1s lost in the hazards - that is one ball I would actually consider buying used.

I'm not sure if I'd buy used Top Flite Gamers though - a 1/2 dozen wedges with a brand new Gamer makes it almost unplayable - one dozen of those was enough for a lifetime.

[TheDre]

The used balls I buy have probably been hit for a few holes at the most. They may have a blemish or a tiny scratch on some of them but nothing that would affect trajectory at all. These balls are also not "water" balls. I've emailed the seller and have been assured these are collected in very dry area courses (Arizona if I remember correctly) where there's almost no water in play. This was very important for me since I've read articles that say "water" balls have been shown to absorb the water after some time and they will not behave the same. Not sure how true this is but I'd rather not take a chance.

[sean_miller]

  TheDre said:

The used balls I buy have probably been hit for a few holes at the most. They may have a blemish or a tiny scratch on some of them but nothing that would affect trajectory at all. These balls are also not "water" balls. I've emailed the seller and have been assured these are collected in very dry area courses (Arizona if I remember correctly) where there's almost no water in play. This was very important for me since I've read articles that say "water" balls have been shown to absorb the water after some time and they will not behave the same. Not sure how true this is but I'd rather not take a chance.

My purchase of used balls is in theory only - as long as there are 1/2 decent balls for less, that's the route I'll go. Besides, it's pretty easy to have your Titleist pocketed when you hit it on the wrong fairway - hit a Wilson or a Top Flite and they're pointing and yelling - "your ball's over there!"

[ohiolefty]

3 piece---
Bridgestone E7
Titleist NXT-Tour (what I play, usually)

2 piece
Bridgestone E6
Titleist NXT (monster distance, straight, but horrible inside 125 yards UNLESS it's very warm outside because they're such hard balls)
Titleist DT Solo (love these, best all-around 2 piece I've ever played)
Slazenger Raw Distance Feel (great value, second only to the Solos as a 2 piece)

[Dub]

  ohiolefty said:

3 piece---

The E6 is actually a 3 piece ball. I may try some of these this week.

[Pete405]

I don't know why so many people that review the gamer are so concerned about how soft it is that the wedges tear them up... To me, if the ball is THAT good and sticks the green like it should, then it would be worth it to me to go through a ball or two per round. They cost $20 / doz , it's not like your paying Pro V prices for it. If weather permits I will be playing this weekend and i plan on buying a doz of the Gamer to give them a try. ....... Come on , are you guys telling me that you can spend $150 + on golf shoes, but are to stingy to spend $20 on a dozen balls??? LOL

[Pensfan79]

I was wondering the same thing. $1.50 v. $3 a ball doesn't seem like that much of a difference to me when you compare it to the $50 you pay for a round. I am curious to see what the ratio is of greens fee to price per ball is for people complaing about the price of $30 balls. If you are mid-high handicap you probably shouldn't be losing 6 or 7 balls a round. I recommend the NXT Tour, I think it is a good ball and provides enough spin so that when I do hit the greens it sticks, but at the same time my lesser drives tend to be more of fade than a slice. My reasoning for paying a bit more for a better ball is that at my skill level when I do hit the greens I want it to stay.
Also, I cannot discourage you enough about using the NXT extreme. My breaking point with that ball came when I hit a ball on to the green from 100 yards only to watch it go fly of the green like it hit the cart path.

[sean_miller]

Unless your greens are as hard as a tabletop, any ball stops when you hit it properly. Do you fellas hit it past the pin, then suck it back? That's hard to do consistently. I refuse to reward a manufacturer who isn't making a durable ball, by buying more. It's like the Maxfli HTs from the 90s. Great ball - it you didn't mind the fact it went out of round before the back nine.

[TopWalker]

Here's another one to look at in hopes you'll blow your golf ball budget: Wilson FG Tour.

Soft feel, just as long as anything else I've played and these really stick on the greens. 3 piece urethane.

The St. Mary's of golf balls.

I also just picked up some Maxfli Tour and Tour LC balls and am hoping to see how they perform.

TW

[MA5Bergey]

  Dub said:

The E6 is actually a 3 piece ball. I may try some of these this week.

Dunno about the E6, but I know the E6+ is one of the best balls I've ever played. I've switched to the NXT Tour, but I would have no problem whatsoever playing the E6+ again. It's almost impossible to hit those things off target.

[toaster83]

  MA5Bergey said:

Dunno about the E6, but I know the E6+ is one of the best balls I've ever played. I've switched to the NXT Tour, but I would have no problem whatsoever playing the E6+ again. It's almost impossible to hit those things off target.

The e6 is the 2010 model; Bridgestone dropped the plus from the e-series naming this year, but it's an update of the 2009 e+-series. And AFAIK, all the 2009 and 2010 e+/e-series are 3-piece balls.

I actually bought a sleeve of Pentas to try out, just because I've been hearing so many great things about them. I could use some more spin in my short game, so I'm hoping these do that without accentuating any sidespin I put on errant shots.

[soloredd]

I like the Titleist DT series as well. They feel nice and soft but get great distance. I'm also trying out some Callaway HX Hots I got from Target. They feel really good too, but the last round I played I had several roll right off the green on my approach shot when I know the DT would not have done so (maybe the DT has a softer shell, I don't know).

[bucklateral]

I went to using the Titliest DT Carry over the last year. I really like this ball and it is very cheep on ebay. You can get several dozen for cheap prices if you don't mind used balls.

[Fozcycle]

Enjoy the DT Roll while you can.........as they were discontinued.

Titleist went back to the DT Solo....as they said the "DT Roll" & "DT Carry" was too confusing to the consumer.

[IlliniDrillSgt]

Anyone here use the Nike Juice Plus? They were on sale at Walmart for $15 so I bought a dozen. Played 9 holes with them so far but can't really judge them as it was very windy and conditions here are still soft so all balls hold the green when they hit. Not sure whether to go buy another dozen or 2 at that price or not.

[Shanker]

I play Titleist DTs and Nike Mojo's...two completely different balls but I hit both pretty darn good...Plus the Mojos were free so its even better :)

I found a Bridgestone e6 ball on the course and it is a pretty nice ball too, I'm definitely going to buy a dozen and try them out...

[bananas]

I think im gonna go pick up a dozen of the bridgestone e6 after all the good feedback i've been reading on them from you guys.

[B-Con]

Just grabbed a dozen of the Top Flite Gamers for $12.97 from the local PGA superstore. It's hard to beat the price for any ball, let alone a well-reviewed one.