Birdie Ball

[tonyy]

So my uncle came home with a Birdieball this afternoon and before today, I had never heard of such a thing. I then go online and research it and heard it's a pretty sweet alternative to a plastic or foam golf ball.

I tried it out in my backyard and I must say that I was impressed. It had a nice feel off the face, doesn't go too far (about 40 yards max), and it also has a nice draw or fade ball flight (depending on what you're trying to do).

This has been the best practice aid that I've used to this date. It's funny because it doesn't even look like a ball. Any of you guys/gals tried this neat little thing yet?

[HXCarib56]

My college golf coach utilized those things for us, when we had to practice in the field house during awful winter weather. This was a few years back, after he went to the PGA merchandise show and watched a cheap handout DVD on it's benefits. I always thought they were kind of funny. If anything, it was a good way to keep swinging, when otherwise we probably wouldn't have been. They do produce a "mini-ball-flight" for sure, which is kind of cool.

[bflat450]

Oh yeah... I got a dozen last spring along with a strike pad, and I hit them in my backyard all the time when I can't make it up to the course.

[HXCarib56]

Oh yeah... I got a dozen last spring along with a strike pad, and I hit them in my backyard all the time when I can't make it up to the course.

A strikepad was definitely part of the winter practice with the birdieball. I had forgotten about that until you mentioned it. We used to set up a strikepad 35-40 yds from one of the basketball baskets in the gym, and try to slam dunk the birdieballs. It's actually pretty good target practice.

[Redbird]

i might have to look those up,,, seem good for winter practice

[shotstop_10]

are they expensive and where can you get them

[tonyy]

I know you can get them on Ebay for fairly cheap. They each run about $2.99 each to a dozen or more.

[mdl]

My buddy got a couple of these as the thank you gift for making a donation at one of those tents different charities set up at a tee box sometimes.  I got to use them for the first time the other day.  All I can say is wow.  They feel very much like a real ball.  It's very obvious not just if you've pulled or pushed the ball but also the shape a real ball would have, as if you, say, hit it with a fade swing, the birdie ball with tilt right and will actually fade a bit as well.  But with a 4i it only goes 50 yards (my 4i with a regular ball goes ~195). I'm buying a 12 pack and never spending money dialing in my irons at the range again!

Just thought I'd put it out there that if you've got a decent sized back yard or a good park nearby where you have only been able to practice little 1/4-1/2 wedges and little chips and whatnot, these things feel great and let you practice full swings with all your irons in the same amount of space.  I'm gonna be able to afford 1-2 more rounds a month with the money I'm going to save using these things instead of paying to go to the range!

They sell a strike mat that looks not so awesome, but I hit them off the grass and that worked great, and you could definitely hit them off any other mat to save the grass if you want.

http://www.birdieball.com/

P.S. Don't be put off by how shitty the website looks.  The product is awesome.  Oh, and just to be clear, I'm in no way affiliated with this company or anyone who works there or anything.  I'm just sharing.

[jwrussell]

I have a three pack of these sitting at home just waiting for me to find the time and place to use them.  My only issue is where to hit them.  I have a park right around the corner, but unless I want to practice hitting from really crappy rough situations, there is little point in me hitting off the ground there.  Plus, "no golf" is posted.  I had thought of picking up the strike matt dealy as that would allow me to argue that I wasn't doing any damage to the part if I got nabbed for it.  Unfortunately I don't have the yard for hitting even something that flies as short as these do.  Seems a very cool product though.

[TidePride50]

Interesting.  I have never heard of them until now.  I use AlmostGolf balls in my yard and they give me everything I need to practice.

http://www.almostgolfball.com/almostGOLF-Products/Golf-Mats

[mdl]

Nice TidePride. I need one of those mini mats.  How much info do you get out of those balls?  How far do they go?

One thing I really liked about the Birdie Ball was that you got a better sort of turbine sound when you really struck the ball right and the whole thing tilts one way or the other to explicitly show you the shape you gave the shot.

[darkhunter139]

Nice I might get a few of these, I am sick of hitting the plastic balls from golf galaxy in my back yard that break after two swings.

[Kujan]

I've got my strike pad coming today I think. I've had the 12 pack sitting on my shelf since Christmas. The biggest challenge is finding a suitable 40 yard patch of God's good earth!

[Keyser]

I've had this product for a couple of years and love it! My kids love the way they sound when they take off

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Kujan

I've got my strike pad coming today I think. I've had the 12 pack sitting on my shelf since Christmas. The biggest challenge is finding a suitable 40 yard patch of God's good earth!

You may need a lot more than 40 yards. And downwind they can really go, too.

[ibigler]

I picked up some of theses including the mat that you hit off of. They really are so neat. I've used them plenty of times and they work wonderfully

[jstar]

Birdie Balls, for those not familiar, are reduced flight balls. Marketed as having the feel of a real ball, with backspin and realistic flight patterns such as slicing and draws. Mine just came in the mail today, and they are great. Make an awesome sound if you hit it right. Nothing can mimic the feel of a ball off the face, but these are great to hit at the house. The maximum flight is 40 yards, although a real rip will push them a bit further. They get a lot of loft when hit correctly and come down soft. I HIGHLY recommend them.

[MEfree]

It has been a while since I hit these but don't recall being impress...I think they were a free add-on to something I bought on ebay.