Still think the golf ball is important?

[pipergsm]

I'm a beginner, so I don't know much about these things.

However, I often hear people talk about the "feel of the ball at impact".

I must say, the only time I feel anything at all at impact, is when I mishit the ball!

When I hit it right, especially irons and wedges, I don't even feel the impact.

Only with the driver I can feel something (not much).

The only situation, I think, the kind of ball can have a real, noticeable influence, is at bunker shots, chipping and pitching, regarding the spin of the ball.

What I really wonder however, is how important customized equipment is for a beginner, and at what level one should really start looking at all that technical stuff like customized lie of the irons,

customized shaft length (+ or - 0.25 inch, does that really change that much?), and many more things I read about but can't even remember.

Can anyone answer this question?

Thanks!

[Desert]

I'm a beginner, so I don't know much about these things. However, I often hear people talk about the "feel of the ball at impact". I must say, the only time I feel anything at all at impact, is when I mishit the ball! When I hit it right, especially irons and wedges, I don't even feel the impact. Only with the driver I can feel something (not much). The only situation, I think, the kind of ball can have a real, noticeable influence, is at bunker shots, chipping and pitching, regarding the spin of the ball. What I really wonder however, is how important customized equipment is for a beginner, and at what level one should really start looking at all that technical stuff like customized lie of the irons, customized shaft length (+ or - 0.25 inch, does that really change that much?), and many more things I read about but can't even remember. Can anyone answer this question? Thanks!

I'm also a relative beginner. I can't really "feel" a difference in balls when I hit an iron, I can hear a difference between a harder ball and a softer ball. However, I can definitely feel a difference when hitting a wedge and putting. Honestly, the feel of the ball doesn't make a lick of difference in my performance, though. The same is NOT true for custom fit clubs. Even with my inconsistent swing, have the lie of my irons correctly fit by Ping made a HUGE difference. Virtually all of my iron shots are straight or very slightly push-draw. Before, I tended to slice or push-slice everything.

[inthecup]

I had a grand experiment this winter.  I was going to fit myself to a ball.  I will not claim it was a tightly controlled scientific experiment but it satisfied me.

I have a vector pro launch monitor.  It is a photo based monitor.  I believe it does two things well.  Ball speed and spin which is what the ball is about.  I bought many sleeves of premium balls and mid priced balls and I found them to not be significantly different on full swings.  There were certainly none that were longer and they all spun about the same.  I also pulled out an old balata ball and it was significantly different.

My monitor does not measure chips or half wedges well so I can not conclude anything from that perspective.  My thoughts on balls are that it is not rocket science.  Feel off the club is a personal preference, but I don't think it affects much on full swings.  For my game a $40+ ball will not affect my score so why spend the money.  I do like a urethane cover for spin and feel around the green.

I found a Callaway Hex Pro ball at Costco (it is a private label for them) it is a 4 piece ball with a Urethane cover and it is $24 a dozen.

I am sticking with it this year, so far so good.

I did bring two range balls home to try on the monitor one that was beat and one that was new.  I have not had a chance to try them but I expect they won't be radically different than all the other balls.

[ApocG10]

Yes I do. Its why I play with nothing but the Penta TP5. Its by far the best ball i've ever used from 120 yards and in.

[dave s]

Like any other level of gear snobbery, I use quality balls because I thought I needed them.  This season, I'm really starting to believe that balls like Titleist Prov1, Bridgetone 330 series and Taylormade (the model Phil plays) SPIN TOO MUCH on shorter shots.  Even chips.  I've backed up short iron approach shots on greens way too much lately.  Tired of seeing chip shots land, take a short bounce and stop instantly.  Seriously. I'm not joking.

Going back to a mid-range ball like the Bridgestone e6 so I can get a bit of release on approach, pitch and chip shots.

Does the ball matter?  I guess it does to me.

dave

[WalkTheCourse]

No, actually, your single round is not enough data to shed an ounce of light on anything... just because you happened to shoot a good score once with a bad ball does not even come close to standing up to the scientific method, or just common logic in general...

Finding the right ball makes an INCREDIBLE difference. Now that's not to say that a more expensive ball is always better, but you can always benefit from a ball that complements what you're trying to do on the course.

I tried the e6 and hated it because for me, it didn't spin. The B330RX is wonderful, but too expensive, not worth it for a 20 handicapper like me. Then I found the FIX, Bridgestone's cheapest ball, and it does exactly what I want it to do - somewhat prevents my slice, checks up on greens but still gives me a bit of a run, putts well with my putter.

It's a $17 ball, but it's my $17 ball.

[Jeremie Boop]

Originally Posted by GolfBear

The ball is important from a personal preference perspective. If you're more comfortable and believe in a certain ball you're likely to play better with it.

The same argument is true for clubs. Those expensive Cobra irons and driver you carry don't hit the ball better or straighter than a set of 1970 Chi Chi blades. Golf is a game of physics, the the face is square and moving at 100mph it doesn't matter if it's a AP-2 or a garden tool.

This isn't completely accurate. New and/or higher end equipment does hit the ball farther due to "hotter faces", shaft weight, club head weight, blah blah blah. Higher end drivers do hit further due to the same thing. The different spin/compression rates of golf balls can have an impact on the outcome of a shot also. In the end though, it does come down to the confidence whatever you are using gives you. Just thinking a piece of equipment will make you better sometimes will have a large impact on your game by placebo.

[Jeremie Boop]

Originally Posted by dave s

Like any other level of gear snobbery, I use quality balls because I thought I needed them.  This season, I'm really starting to believe that balls like Titleist Prov1, Bridgetone 330 series and Taylormade (the model Phil plays) SPIN TOO MUCH on shorter shots.  Even chips.  I've backed up short iron approach shots on greens way too much lately.  Tired of seeing chip shots land, take a short bounce and stop instantly.  Seriously. I'm not joking.

Going back to a mid-range ball like the Bridgestone e6 so I can get a bit of release on approach, pitch and chip shots.

Does the ball matter?  I guess it does to me.

dave

With the rock hard greens where I play league I may need to buy some balls that give a higher spin rate. I hit several greens with a wedge that rolled off even though I hit them well with a nice high ball flight. Part of it could be that my wedges are just crap and/or worn out so aren't imparting enough spin to the ball.