Best way to evaluate different balls?

[plugged]

Situation is this: my HC has dropped a lot in the past four months, to the point that I am routinely shooting in the mid- to upper- 80's, with an occasional 81/82. I am improving on every part of my game, but I have no idea how the golf balls I have been using are affecting my game. I have about 600 "found" balls that my father gave me. All are in 100% condition and include just about every brand and model you can possibly imagine. I use these, but I also have probably have about 200 new golf balls. These are more select and include Titleist Pro V1/V1x, Callaway Xi, Top Flight Gamers and D2's, Bridgestone 330's, and Srixon. I use these also from time to time.

Problem is for the life of me I can't tell the difference between the different balls. I am using Callaway X14's, which are great clubs but do not lend themselves to a lot of feel. And because each round of golf is different and each set of conditions are different, I can't tell if I am slamming it off the tee well because I made a great shot or because of the ball. I played in a scramble last Friday and hit 14/18 fairways/greens, and was using either a Titleist Pro V1 or a Pinnacle Gold. Not exactly apples to apples, but I dodn't perceive any discernable difference that made me go "huh, no wonder I just made a great wedge shot, because I am using "X". Bottom line, I don't know which was a better ball for me.

So, the question is, how do you know how a ball feels and how it performs when there are so many other factors which go into the game? Putting on a slow green might make the best "soft" ball feel slow and unresponsive, while hitting a 2-piece rock might look great if you just drove it 280 straight. Is the true test of a good golf ball how it performs from 100 yds and in? If that is the case, should I be practicing my chipping w/ several different balls and evaluting them this way? I have tried to tell the difference practicing my putting, but I use a Odyssey with an insert and this changes the feel of golf balls, so much so that a Top Flight XL 3000 will feel almost the same as a high-dollar Srixon.

What about during a game (as long as I am playing alone and not holding anybody up) if I play two balls for 2-3 holes, then take out two more and do the same, through the whole course, until I feel comfortable saying "X" is better than "Y"? Do you think this would help? At this point, I am hard-pressed to use anything better

Finally, when I finally do find a ball I like, what do I do with the 600 excellent used balls and 150 new balls that don't match the model I end up selecting?

[uttexas]

Take six different balls you like to your next round of golf. Play the same ball for three holes. Then play ball #2 for three holes, etc. Make a note on your score card which ball you use for those three holes (you could even do so beforehand)

On your scorecard, you can record fairway hit, length of drive, GIR, distance from pin, putts, etc.

Do this for the next five rounds or so.

You might notice a significant trend after five rounds of doing this.

[microcrayfish]

You may want to consider what part of your game you need help with. A lot of balls are "distance balls" or they're high spin for the short game. Most companies will tell you what the ball is good for on their website, so if you can narrow it down to a few contenders based on what you need it might make it easier than trying out every single type of ball that you've got.

[Supermanwoot]

Personally I play a few balls each round and see which ball I keep for the most holes.

So far the Nike PD Soft and Titleist DT Rolls have treated me pretty well, where as ProV1s seem like they want nothing to do with me and desire only to fly into the woods, but maybe thats just because I try to smash them off the tee.

[JimmyAyo]

To everyones point, you need to find what ball will work for you. Don't listen to the guy that says "a ball is a ball." If you do not play golf at all, that could very well be true. For a guy that is shooting in 10-15 over, a ball will make a difference.

When I first started out last year, I had a serious slice problem. I moved to a Nike Power Distance "Long" and worked on keep the ball in the fairway. It is a harder ball/higher compression and will not spin as much because it is designed to be hit far. After I was able to work on my errors and put together a constant draw that I was setting up for, I moved to a softer/lower compression ball that I could use for workability.
My short game suffered because of the harder "distance" balls because they will not dance for you. I use a set of Vokey wedges and making a distance ball spin backwards for you is like making North Korea act right. It won't happen.

I switched to the Pro-V1 which is an all around good ball for whatever you want to do. I can set up for fades and draws or hit it right down the pipe. I get great back spin with my 7-LW on the green. Ultimately, you need to find a ball that will work for your ability. If you want to lower your score, you need to be able to stop trying to kill a $3 ball and putting it in the woods and focus on swinging easy and putting it in the cup.

[Supermanwoot]

Jimmy you shouldve tried the Nike PD Soft. Its still pretty long but with a vokey you could certainly put some spin on it, my tom watson loves them and so does the sasquatch ;)

[shades9323]

Finally, when I finally do find a ball I like, what do I do with the 600 excellent used balls and 150 new balls that don't match the model I end up selecting?

You sell them!

[goblue107501]

I think that part of your problem is you have probably never used a ball consistently, so because you have no true baseline starting point, each ball seems similar. If you hit a different ball each hole you will never have any idea which one performs better for you.

I think the first thing you need to do is to play with one style of ball for a round (or at least several holes in a row), and then the next round play with another style of ball, then the next with another. By doing that, you should be able to see what ball performs better for you because you have to experience each of them in a variety of conditions and situations. Which ball do you like to putt with? Which ball is better to chip with? Which ball has the best distace? Which ball has the most control with irons? Which aspect of the game is the most important to you.

Maybe one will give you a little more distance, but it doesn't feel as good off the putter. One you might be able to spin with iron shots, but the distance isn't there off the tee. The key is to find the ball that will do most everything that you want, but you have to be able differentiate between multiple options. The only real way to do that is play with them for several holes. Just throwing down a few balls for each shot won't tell you much.

[WUTiger]

uttexas and microcrayfish have good ideas on how to do your selection.

Golf balls range from super distance balls that go long and not much else, to the super control balls that will spin and do tricks on the green if you hit them properly. In recent years, I have sought the combo balls, decent distance and durability, but good control around the green - especially on partial shots. Both my sigline balls fit this mode.

Anyway, decide what you want from a ball. Then, select balls from that category and test them out. The ball manufacturers have online assessment tests you can take to pick a ball that fits your needs. These sites are a good starting point - take the assessments and then test balls which different companies recommend.

You might try a nine-hole "best ball" playoff between two top contenders to see which one works best for you.

About the 600 excellent golf balls - why not donate them to the local First Tee program? You can take a tax deduction.. or if you don't itemize, feel really good about yourself.

[Dub]

600 balls to play with.....wow.


Sort 'em as best you can and evaluate them from the green backwards. I know it sounds crazy...but it will work.

The short game is where you can recover shots or screw up miserably. Try chipping and pitching from various distances and zero in on the ball that performs consistently for you.

For instance....yesterday's round I couldn't hit my driver worth a crap. I was hitting recovery shots into the greens from less than ideal spots. Result was many greens missed.

The ball I'm gaming now chips and pitches like a bandit. I was able to get up & down numerous times to save pars and bogeys.

I'm hooked.

Good luck. Enjoy the process. You may be sitting on a gold mine with that many balls.

[kregan]

That is what I was thinking...

I played around with found balls until I found one or two I liked and then played one of them for several months before playing the other one. I ended up with a DT SoLo as my favorite.

I think that part of your problem is you have probably never used a ball consistently,

[plugged]

Thanks, guys. All good ideas.

I am going to sort through the several hundred balls I have and start to evaluate them separately on the practice putting and chipping greens and also play a single ball for 4-6 holes, then switch to another. There is a huge field across the street from my house and I may practice driving balls there.

And a great suggestion on the 1st Tee donation. I'll bring them a good number next year. I always keep a bunch for friends/family to play with.