Pro-V1 is King, Apologies Offered

[wmiller]

Eating some humble pie here, but that's ok.

Wife decided to get me some 'experienced' balls for the holiday shutdown and got Pro-V1s, thinking I was still playing them.

Played them today, temp in the high 50s/low 60s and breezy. My distance is back, and I'm stopping them like they are lawn darts.

Only bad thing is (and one reason I stopped playing them) that I can't seem to NOT spin them. On the 17th hole today, they had the pin back right, over water, at a distance of about 127 yds. I'm screwed, because since getting the 68s I carry a 3 iron and 5 wood instead of a 3 hybrid and gap wedge and I'm between a wedge and sw at that distance. Problem with the wedge is that with the Pro-V1s I'm hitting it about 135-140 yds. I'm not good enough to take that much (10 yds) off, and trust it to clear the water. Yea.

So, I didn't slip or come-out-of-my shoes (I actually did grunt!), but actually hit the best damn 56 degree in a long time, right at the pin, landing about 6 feet short. Then the blink'n thing took one hop and started back with a vengeance, stopping about 5' short of the water, and about 25' from the pin! Two putted for par, but sheesh, can anyone tell/teach me how to 'dead hands' a wedge so it doesn't spin as much?

Or how do I reliably hit a club 10 yards shorter? (Sorry, this question likely should be in the lessons forum huh?)

I may only be able to afford 'experienced' Pro-V1s, but I'm not playing anything else from now on (or until something better comes along).

[tim31x]

choke down an inch on your club, and hold off your finish a bit. it will take the 5-10 yards off that you need and you'll actually gain accuracy. the prov1's are great balls. only balls i play now are prov1's(used to be big on the v1x too), and the bridgestone b330s. mainly because i can be as aggressive as i want with pitches and chips knowing they will spin back or stop.

[Jay-Bird]

Back right at 127 is a birdie shot all day - regardless of ball. Just learn to hit a softer pw or even a soft nine iron - land it in the middle and let it run out. If you're not swinging full into the approach it will not have nearly the spin rate of a full swing sand wedge. You could also hit a stinger 9 iron and have it hop a couple of times and die quickly....

[rebby]

choke down an inch on your club, and hold off your finish a bit. it will take the 5-10 yards off that you need and you'll actually gain accuracy. the prov1's are great balls. only balls i play now are prov1's(used to be big on the v1x too), and the bridgestone b330s. mainly because i can be as aggressive as i want with pitches and chips knowing they will spin back or stop.

What he said. Take an inch or so out of the shaft and abbreviate your finish. This will reduce spin a bit too so you'll be able to drop the ball in the middle of the green and let it release back. Conversely, really going after your SW just increased the spin rate which is why that ball came back on you like that. As you learned, had the pin been in the front, this would have been a good shot play.

[uttexas]

Never played with Pro-V1s for a full round before (too frugal/cheap), but had hoarded some and given two sleeves as a gift. Played Pro-V1s yesterday, and they are fantastic. They feel great, go long and straight, but are very drawable/fadeable. Good spin and hold. I played with the same ball the entire round and it only got scuffed after hitting a tree branch. Tree was guarding right side of green and pin was back right.

[jrm1493]

I agree with all that has been said - I've started buying them from lostgolfballs.com and I can't imagine ever going back to the Burner TP (which was a good ball but not a prov1). If you buy in bulk you can get 4-star ones for $20/dozen, which is pretty good and they are usually in pretty good shape.

As far as getting to the back pin, learn to choke up on an 8 or 9 iron and make an abbreviated follow through, play the ball just in front of your right foot. We have to use that kind of shot all the time in the Texas wind and its very useful. One of the best shots of my life was that kind of shot with a 5-iron from about 140 out (wind was about 35mph in to my face)!

[Amoretti]

I usually find ProV1s for putting and wedge shots. I work at a golf course so I find a bunch of them while I'm out there, but generally use them sparingly.

...That is until this older fella on craigslist sold me 100 ProV1s and ProV1xs for $20.

[Dub]

I agree about the ProV1.....outstanding golf ball. I love them.

If I ever try anything else it will be the X version.

[Chief Broom]

It's pretty much a given that the harder you swing the more spin you'll impart upon the ball. So in this case using the higher lofted club and swining harder guaranteed maximum spin.

Hindsight is always 20/20 and you did hit the green and make par, so I wouldn't be upset, but there is a lesson here somewhere...

[Fourputt]

Eating some humble pie here, but that's ok.

It's a matter of choice. If you choose to short yourself on what most players consider as the scoring end of your bag (the wedges), then you're going to have to learn to play those touch shots from farther away than most of us do. I personally can't imagine hitting a 56° wedge 125 yards in the first place (mine might go 80 if I grunt

). If that's your thing, then you're always going to have a problem if you can't learn to tone it down. Maybe the Pro V1 just isn't the right ball for you, no matter how good it feels.

[Acropo]

I personally can't imagine hitting a 56° wedge 125 yards in the first place (mine might go 80 if I grunt

He's in Arizona. It's fairly high up (as is Colorado, in my experience!) AND it's pretty warm (unlike Colorado, in my experience!)

If that's your thing, then you're always going to have a problem if you can't learn to tone it down.

That's the thing. the 3/4 swing with PW or 9 will do it.

[Shorty]

Those of you who are claiming that the Pro V1 is "long" or is responsible for you "getting your distance back" are having yourselves on. The Pro V1 does not have any qualities that make it go further than other balls. The Pro V1's advantage is its ability to bite hard on the greens. And - unless you are pitching beyond the hole, it's a disadvantage. Making it spin back is great. Not if it pitches hole high and comes back 15 feet short and rolls off the front of the green. There is no point using a Pro V1 unless you are attacking the ball confidently and correctly. They will do nothing for the average golfer who doesn't hit the ball solidly first. And they certainly won't add distance to your drives.

[DavidFehertysBike]

King Cobra drivers are ugly.

[flguy]

I usually find ProV1s for putting and wedge shots. I work at a golf course so I find a bunch of them while I'm out there, but generally use them sparingly.

Hey, which course do you work at?

[plugged]

I also have been seeing the benefit of Pro V1's. I have resisted them hus far because (1) price and (2) I see a lot of folks using them who would be better off hitting a lower-priced ball.

[wmiller]

It's pretty much a given that the harder you swing the more spin you'll impart upon the ball. So in this case using the higher lofted club and swining harder guaranteed maximum spin.

Oh I agree. I just forgot what ball I was playing (doh!) when I went for that green, as I was concentrating on hitting it perfectly and as hard as I could without falling down. :)

Earlier I 'threw' a 60 degree purposefully behind the pin on a front sloping green to draw the ball back to a tucked/front pin. And on 18 I pinched a two-hop-stop to about 4" for a up and down. I can play them, I just got used to balls releasing a few feet instead of stopping or spining back. Still used three balls on that round though, as I do tend to cut these things badly with my wedges. The 68s are the new grooves so they don't damage them as much as my old S57s or it would have been worse. Thanks everyone, I'll try working on my less than full swing to get more confidence when hitting it over water like that.

[wmiller]

He's in Arizona. It's fairly high up (as is Colorado, in my experience!) AND it's pretty warm (unlike Colorado, in my experience!)

Oh, yea. For those who don't know, Tucson is somewhere around 1600' I think, so the air is a little thinner and the ball goes further.

And for the person who thinks I'm deluding myself, I just got off the local launch monitor comparing my lady IQ balls to the ProVs. Ball speed was significantly higher, about 168 average, so who's deluding who?

[bogeyhitter25]

I used to be a non-believer as well. But after a buddy of mine gave me a sleeve (well he didn't give them to me as much as he sold them to me) of 'em, I can honestly say that the Titleist slogan #1 ball in golf is 100% true.