[Balls] Bang for the buck?

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by meenman

but until i reach your skill level 18 bogeys = a happy 90

18 x 5.5 = 99

But I get what you're saying. It's just a hobby at our level, so why would anyone care what we shoot what ball we use while shooting those scores?!? I'm serious.

[MiniBlueDragon]

To be fair a lot of the higher handicapper's game (including my own!) is based on what we're confident with. I've always been confident with AD333's as I was told they were the best match for me at a high handicap. Literally only a few weeks ago did I entertain the idea of trying other balls out. I dug out an old ProV1x and a Z-Star I'd found in the past, grabbed a sleeve of Srixon Distance I'd received for Christmas and I even bought a 2 ball trial pack of Penta TP's and some Bridgestone e6's.

• AD333 - Nice and soft of the club face. Good distance. OK feel around the greens with chipping. Not too much roll-out on pitches. Lovely soft contact with putts.
• Srixon Distance - Horrible 'clack' of the club face. Average distance with more roll than the AD333. Clicky 'thin' feel around the greens with chipping and ball rolls forever. High pitched click with putts.
• Bridgestone e6 - Bought these as the fairways on the course I'm playing more often are pretty tight and I've also just started out with a driver. Nice feeling off the club face. An in-between AD333 and Srixon Distance in terms of distance, softness and feel. Far straighter trajectory. Roll-out on pitches seems on par with AD333. Putts a little harder and more high pitched than AD333. Also found that the ball tends to "skitter" a fair bit on greens rather than straight rolling. Probably just me though.
• Z-Star - Immensely soft off the club face. Travels for miles. Lovely feel when chipping and pitching. Not too much roll-out on pitches. Soft and buttery on putts. Love it and so I should for the price.
• Penta TP - Sex in a spherical dimpled form. Long and penetrating flight off the club face. The most feel around the greens of any ball I've played. Drops out of the sky like it's metal and the green is a magnet (sometimes too much so!). Solid and soft on putts. The only question for me is whether I'd lose them too often to warrant the cost.
• ProV1x - Not played these yet. Will take them with me next time out and try to remember to play them on wider holes where they're less likely to get lost.

I think the best way of deciding what to play is to count how many balls you lose in a round. If you're averaging one ball every 3-4 rounds then it may be worth looking at the high end of the market. If though you're losing several balls per round it makes very little financial sense to buy expensive balls as each lost one basically loses you ~£4 if bought at MRRP.

[ND Fan]

Callaway Tour i (s)

A better ball and Dick's has/had a buy 2 get free dozen sale.

I was a 25 year loyal Titleist user, tour balata, tour , pro V1X

The Cally i(s) is an amazing ball for the money around here they are $6-$8 cheaper than Titleist.

What I find with this ball...

Less driver spin, a little less wedge spin (which I needed)

Much more durable, I can play three rounds with the same ball.. unheard of with the Pro V.

into the wind performance was better.

nice soft feel.

[garrettdennert]

Originally Posted by aschroeger

Hi

I work IT for a promotional marketing company and one perk I get, is product at cost.  Golf Balls are one product..

Currently I am playing Wilson Ultra Distance balls.  I paid $8.50/dz.  Can't really go wrong there.

I believe I need a little more precision in my short game and was thinking maybe I should change to a different ball.  Obviously ProV1's are a good choice but I want to stay affordable.  Even at my employee discount ProV1's are still $40/dz

So, I was thinking NXT's at $24.00/dz.  Any feedback or recommendation for a good short game ball that is affordable?

Also, how much do these short game balls effect tee-shots?

NXTs aren't a bad choice at all.  Pro V1s are an excellent choice for people who don't unintentionally put curve on the ball, but do it on purpose (a la the pros).  I'm with ya on keeping things affordable though-- I usually go with either Maxfli Noodles or Nike Karmas.  They're soft, perform well for me, and are inexpensive.  Hope this helps a bit.

Garrett