Fresh ball

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

How often do pro players swap out the ball they're using for a fresh one? I use a ball until I lose it. With my game, it usually only takes a few holes. Pros very rarely lose their balls, though. Do they switch to a fresh ball every hole? Every few holes? Every round? It's not an important question, but I'm curious.

-Andrew

[he4dhuntr]

I guess it would depend on the pro. I heard the other day someone say he used a new one every 3 holes. Can't remember who it was though... Might have been Appleby.

Cheers,

[golfro]

great...now we're every gonna have everyone on the forum talkign about how they switch balls every hole because they get better spin control ;)

i play my ball until its gone. i've been cycling the same dozen of bridgestone balls for months now.

[goblue107501]

I think for most of them it is probably every 2-3 holes at least. Probalby less if the ball gets scuffed by a club. I think it is safe to say we get way more use out of balls than pros do.

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

  goblue107501 said:

I think it is safe to say we get way more use out of balls than pros do.

Especially considering I actually hit the ****er about 50% more times per hole than they do.

-Andrew

[Zeph]

Don't think I've ever, until this day, thrown away or put a ball in my bag because it was too scuffed. Except some older V1s I've got, where a chunk of the outer layer sometimes gets ripped off and I throw it away.

Reasons being primarily because I always lose the ball before it gets worn out, but also because I don't hit down on the ball enough to rip up the cover.

[kpaulhus]

I play a ball till its gone. It's funny you mentioned that because I went 34 holes with the same ProV1x once. That thing was pretty chewed up. I ended up hitting it into a lake on purpose because the cover was starting to Fray and it wasn't rolling well on the green anymore.

[Chubbs]

Depends if you are using Vokey wedges or not

I think those things could scuff a rock.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I dont imagine that they use the same ball more than 3 or 4 holes in a row. Why would they? I saw and interview with ernie els once saying that he replaces the ball after every birdie. He doesn't think they have more than one in them. I tend to swap in a fresh ball after every 27 holes or so if i dont scuff them.

[JML22]

Yeah i can see them switching pretty often
hell they hit the balls the play with on the raneg

[rebby]

There was a quick blurb about this in Golf Magazine (I think, maybe it was Golf Digest?) this month. Don't remember the details of it though. Anybody got a copy on hand that can check quick?

[Bigtank]

I was reading it today. Most said between 3-4 holes, unless they are on a real scoring steak. A few said that they play a 9 or so. They all said that if they bogey with a ball they immediatly pull it.

[ohiolefty]

I don't scrap a ball entirely unless it's unplayable. I play a different ball every hole for 3 holes, though, because I hate using a ball washer because I'm a little obsessive about having dry hands. I'm also a little obsessive about starting each hole with a clean golf ball. The implicit theme here is that I'm a kook.

[jamo]

  Zeph said:

Don't think I've ever, until this day, thrown away or put a ball in my bag because it was too scuffed. Except some older V1s I've got, where a chunk of the outer layer sometimes gets ripped off and I throw it away.

I might take some of the paint off the ball but for as fast as I swing and the amount of backspin I generate, I really don't scuff balls too much. I just play them until I lose them.

As for pros, they hit their real balls on the range (ie. Tiger hits Nike Ones, Stricker hits ProV1s, etc.), so i doubt they keep their balls in play too long. If they see a scuff, even of just paint, I bet they stop using them.

[msd3075]

Within the last month, one of hte golf magazines had a little tidbit on this. I think it was the section where they ask three different tour pros a few questions. I remember one of the pros (Ian Poulter is I remember correctly) would change balls after every bogey. I'll see if I can find a link to it....

[B-Con]

I play a ball until it's noticeably chewed up or scuffed. I currently use the Gamers which chew up easily, so even though I'm not Mr. Backspin I still scuff them and occasionally peel a thin layer of plastic off. If the ball gets noticeably bad I'll just throw it in a special part of my bag to save for a hole where my tee off needs to carry over water. Otherwise I play it until I lose it.

[newtogolf]

If I was sponsored by a manufacturer I'd swap out the ball often as well. It's a little different when you have to pay for them. At my current level it's not a concern for me, I lose them way before I wear them out. If I replaced them after every bogey I'd need to have about three dozen balls in my bag for every round.

[vmsea]

  newtogolf said:

If I replaced them after every bogey I'd need to have about three dozen balls in my bag for every round.

exactly.. b/c on a par 3.. the 4th shot is bogey.. (and swap ball), does the 8th shot mean you swap to a 3rd ball?

:)