Good ball for the rain?

[wolverine_man]

I'm going to be golfing this weekend with my father and there's a good chance of rain on one of the two days for which we have tee times. I don't mind rain too much, especially if there is no lightning. We have had the reservations made at the resort and courses for a month and we don't really want to reschedule or cancel. It's hard finding a weekend when we can get together.

I was just curious if people had an opinion on which golf balls might give me a little extra roll on wet fairways - if any - and which might be a little better in the wind.

I was thinking the Tour ix is good in the wind but still a soft ball so probably little roll. Perhaps the answer just may be that no golf ball is going to roll on wet fairways, which is fine. Any thoughts?

[NativeTxn]

I played last weekend in the morning in Chattanooga. It hadn't rained for about 36 hours, but the fairways were quite wet when we teed off at 9:50 just because of the morning dew.

I can tell you that neither the TF D2 Feel, nor the Srixon Soft Feel, nor the Nike PD Soft, nor the Callway HX Hot I found on the course rolled very far on the damp/wet ground.

Once the sun was up and had dried the top surface of the grass off, it was a bit better, but I don't know that there will be many, if any, balls that will roll much on a wet ground.

Even if you can't find a ball to get some extra roll through the wetness, I'm sure you'll have fun nonetheless.

[upah]

I've found for rainy weather, I use a slightly harder ball, and work extra hard to keep my clubheads dry. Don't take as many practice swings, wipe the club with a dry towel (kept under an umbrella), etc... The dryer the face, the better you'll be able to control the trajectory of your shots. In my experience, a lower ball flight will contribute to more roll much more than a different ball will. Wet clubs make it difficult to control ballflight.

YMMV

[TinCupTampa]

I was always under the assumption you play for the carry under wet conditions.

[oneF457z]

I'd play for carry too... A white ball that hits a soggy spot in the fairway is going to stick pretty close or plug, no matter how many layers it has, what shape it's dimples are, or what logo is written on it. I've played in wet conditions many times, especially this season, and I've never seen one ball avoid the downfall of wet conditions in the fairway better than the rest.

[Dub]

I was always under the assumption you play for the carry under wet conditions.

+1 for this.

I'd warm up on the range and really focus on setting up for higher launched driver.

[max power]

I like to pull out the TF D2 Strait in very wet conditions.

[MI Rob]

Your going to want more carry like the others have said. A different ball wont roll much more then anything else that spins more.

[flap]

Tee it High and let it Fly.Then go unplug it and hit it again

[wrx_junki]

Play a harder ball and get more carry.

[stebed]

I always make sure I play a new ball in these conditions as they seem to repell mud etc better. I tend to play Pro V1x in the winter for a little more distance and if the greens are wet and receiving balls well and allowing lots of spin I find the 1x spins a little less and there is less chance of spinning of the front.

[wolverine_man]

Wow everyone, thanks for all the pointers! I used to play a lot in the rain in high school. It never bothered me too much. I just knew that I would hit putts harder and get less distance on my shots.

Well, since it is supposed to rain, this will be one of the few situations where I will be riding a cart. I suppose that will help with keeping us a bit drier. As for the ball, I didn't think I'd actually get more carry with any ball in the rain, but I was just curious if people had experience to the contrary. I still have a couple sleeves of Pro V1x and a sleeve of Tour ix, in addition to some Top Flites and Nikes I found during my last round.

As for other gear, I have my rain suit, umbrella, bucket hat (dorky but helpful), extra towels, and I just picked up a par of FJ Rain Grips.

[David in FL]

My recommendation is to play the same ball you always do.

The playing characteristics, whether chipping, carry, putting feel, workability, etc.... are what you're used to. They determine the types of shots you play and what club you pull. If you change to a ball with different characteristics, simply to add a bit more carry or a bit more roll due to a unique weather situation, any benefit that you might get can easily be more than offset by the damage you do to the rest of your game because of the change. Learn to hit different shot with the same ball if necessary, but assuming that you're currently playing the best ball for your particular game, leave the ball alone.

My .02 worth.

[cody west]

i would go for a pro v1x. it will get the ball to carry a little farther and you definantly wont be getting roll. just practice hitting the ball first and putting backspin on the ball on the range. the ball will rize fast and stay in the air longer. on wet days i take huge divots and hit down on the ball very hard.