Which ball is best for carry?

[Dave]

First some data ... driver SS ~105mph, 6iron SS ~85mph.

I've never been too concerned with the ball I play, TF Gamers, D2 Feels, a box of Z-Star X's (not sure why I bought them). Anyhow, I've been playing courses lately with forced carries in to the greens, false fronts etc... and I keep coming-up short (I know, take an extra club).

My current irons (Wilson CI7) are a bit of a mid launch iron and those Z Star X's (which I've been playing recently) aren't high fliers either. The combo is great off the driver, but elevated greens, false fronts etc... are stuffing my mid irons into the greens.

I see a lot of info on wedge spin rates, driver distance etc. on balls, but not sure how I translate that in to what might carry best off a 6/7 iron. Is it just a case of high spin balls should stay in the air longer?

Any insight is appreciated.

[Gordon McTavish]

Titleist had a series of balls specifically for carry labelled PTS Carry. Bridgestone offer the E5 for those seeking higher ball-flight.

Of the above, I've only played the PTS Carry, and didn't really notice a difference when compared to any other two-piece ball.

[The Road Dog]

Interesting question, I've never heard anyone ask if a ball is designed for mid iron distance. I imagine that would be because the ss should be a linear increase with the length of club. So if you can get a good distance off the driver you should be able to get a corresponding distance from your mid irons with the same swing effort.

Maybe I'm all wrong but are you hitting your irons pure or are there a a lot of mishits? Also how did you get the SS numbers?

[Dave]

Interesting question, I've never heard anyone ask if a ball is designed for mid iron distance. I imagine that would be because the ss should be a linear increase with the length of club. So if you can get a good distance off the driver you should be able to get a corresponding distance from your mid irons with the same swing effort.

As a 15 handicap, I'm not hitting my irons like a pro, but I catch them fairly solidly. The SS numbers are from the monitors at the local Golfsmith. My tee shots are definately not a problem, but like many, I 'dial-down' the iron swing for better contact/control.

Be that as it may, some balls just seem to fly on a flatter trajectory. That's not a liability with the tee shots, but that lower trajectory doesn't always match-up well with approach shots (for me anyway).

[Beady]

I normally hit the ball high anyway, but I have hit the E5 and found it to go very high.

[drglew]

Although i think your answer will be mostly by trial and error, i might suggest experimenting with lower-compression balls, as they should get you a higher ballflight and more distance with the slower swingspeed of your irons. The trick is to find one that won't balloon for you off the driver as well, although at your clubhead speed you may still find a lower compression ball might even buy you some driver yards. Perhaps something from the Noodle series perhaps...especially as they're cheap. Or you could shell out premium dough and try the Bridgestone 330-RX which also has a urethane cover if you want something with a little more short game versatility.

[mx273]

you cpuld try nike pd soft balls. They carry very well and fly very straight.

[NDABCKBRD]

I my experience I have found that the softer the ball is and the more you can compress it the more backspin will be imparted on the ball in turn getting the ball to carry/fly higher. When I have hit balls like the Wilson Zip or the srixon trispeed I get good high carry and distance. When I play balls with a higher compression rating I get a lower more penatrating flight.