Play The Same Ball

[Paradox]

Its not a case of playing an expensive ball or the cheapest ball you can find..but sticking to whatever ball it is that you like will bring consistency to your game.  You know how its going to react on approach shots, you know what its going to do around the green, you know how it feels off the putter...and you can make adjustments on the course much better that way.  Constantly hitting different types of balls will have your game out of whack because you won't be used to the feel from one to the next.

[ghalfaire]

There are several balls on the market that advertise they don't spin much off the driver but spin off the short clubs at lower swing speeds. Many are petty expensive but I have found the Bridgestone e5 is a pretty good ball in the mid price range.

rule 15 of the USGA Rules of Golf will answer your question although several posts above answered it correctly.  Go to the USGA.org to look up rules when you're interested.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by DoubleEagle

How do you folks feel about playing the same ball all the time?  I find that if I switch around and use a Precept EV one round or for a few holes, reach into the bag and pull out a Wilson Smart Core, that the play is different enough, especially around the green and putting that I would be better off to find one ball that I like and play with it all the time.

I have recently been playing and satisfied with the Bridgestone Fixx

Curious to see responses to this, as I think it affects your overall game, if not only in the fact that you begin to play the same ball consistently the same way.

I try to play the same ball all the time because different balls feel slightly different.  I try to stick with the same ball so that I know exactly what its going to do in any situation.

[BuckeyeNut]

For most weekend golfers, what ball you use means absolutely NOTHING!!  You might as well buy the 50 ball sack of nearly new condition water balls at a local discount store selling re-claimed balls.

For low HC players and pro's, it really matters. There is a definite benefit to play "tour caliber" balls, but no benefit can be realized unless you hit the ball crisply with clean grooves........something most weekend golfers don't do.

my 2 cents.

[Paradox]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeNut

For most weekend golfers, what ball you use means absolutely NOTHING!!  You might as well buy the 50 ball sack of nearly new condition water balls at a local discount store selling re-claimed balls.

For low HC players and pro's, it really matters. There is a definite benefit to play "tour caliber" balls, but no benefit can be realized unless you hit the ball crisply with clean grooves........something most weekend golfers don't do.

my 2 cents.

what does any of that have to do with using the same ball all the time?

[mirv]

i was trying to pick out a ball i felt comfortable with not long ago and changed balls every six holes.  i tried a nike pd soft, a titleist nxt, and a nike 20xi.  the pd soft fell out of the sky (my drives were only going about 240), the nxt was okay but i didn't really care for the feel of it, and the 20xi took off like a rocket and had Great spin.  that's the only time in recent history i've purposely changed brands mid-round, but it was a good thing for me because now i've got a ball i feel real confident with.

so to answer your question, i prefer to play the same ball 99% of the time, most notably for having a good idea of what distances i'll be getting (ie, the pd soft only going 240 vs the 20xi going 260).  i have a lot more confidence that way because i can tell myself "i KNOW this 9 iron will go 140 as long as i hit it clean" as opposed to "um, what am i hitting, let's see here... hm.  callaway today.  well, here's hoping i don't leave it 10 yards short or fly the green."

[inthehole]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeNut

For most weekend golfers, what ball you use means absolutely NOTHING!!  You might as well buy the 50 ball sack of nearly new condition water balls at a local discount store selling re-claimed balls.

For low HC players and pro's, it really matters. There is a definite benefit to play "tour caliber" balls, but no benefit can be realized unless you hit the ball crisply with clean grooves........something most weekend golfers don't do.

my 2 cents.

so true.   I'm a beginner & I'll admit I can't tell one ball from another.     For me to buy high dollar balls would be a total waste of money - I can tell more of a difference in the sound of a ball (old hard Top Flites vs. modern balls - totally different sound), than by feel.       Ball striking has to become consistent (no fat shots) before it makes sense to buy better balls ...

[rustyredcab]

I think the questions was more about playing the same ball all the time and not about playing expensive balls verses cheap balls. I say pick a ball (or at least a ball class) and stick with it. It should help your putting and may help the rest of your short game -- even if you are a beginner.

For most of us, playing the same ball all the time would help with distance control on putting because we can make good and consistent contact on most putts and different balls react very differently on the green. For some of us, playing the same ball will help around the green for feel, spin, and distance control because we make good contact on chips and pitches most of the time and we can learn how much to expect the ball to roll-out on different shots. For a few of us, playing the same ball will help with help with our distance control on short irons because we mostly make good, consistent contact and different balls go different lengths. But if you only hit one out of every five 8-irons solidly, the difference in your results will be about the swing more than the ball. For very few of us using the same ball on long shots will matter because of ball flight. I guess most of us do not have swings so grooved that balls within the same class are noticed on drives. I know a proV reacts differently that a proV1 on the tee, but my swing varies enough that I can not tell what is the ball and what is the swing. I imagine that most can tell on the green and I would find switching back and forth to be distracting -- like changing putters on every green. Even a beginner can tell the difference between a Top Flight and a pro V on the green even if a pro V and pro V1 feel about the same.

One of my Saturday guys plays whatever he finds. I have no idea how he every lags the ball consistently when he might use totally different balls during the round.

[Ben]

I switch between a few different balls. It all depends on what the greens are like. Callaway Tour Is or Bridgestone B330S for hard/fast greens. Tour Iz or B330 for softer greens.

The one-ball rule is always in effect in the tournaments I play. Gotta make the call on the ball before the start of play. I stick with the same guidelines during non-tournament rounds. Unless its a super casual, for-fun round.

[Crey23]

Well....there is a difference in balls, but it really boils down to a few specifics...cover material and spin.  Most new golfers really do not benefit from the more expensive balls..particularly because they are meant to spin more than your average cheap ball.  This really hurts the long game as you can add extra side spin to your game.  The benefit is of course around the greens, but of course you need to have a good swing to benefit from this too.  I have played in the past 3 years a total of 12 different types, and in general they all have pros and cons to my game.

For my game, i like balls that tend to spin a good bit, but that are not that spinny of longer clubs.  I tend to like NXT's, Tri-speeds, E6's, and Gamers....these fit my game well.  I have palyed with ProV1x, Z-Starx, and 2011x, and they all are great around the greens, they provide a great deal of spin, and putter feel is amazing, specially on the 2011 (I was not expecting that BTW).  But when I started playing with AD333, DT Solos, Mojo, pinacle gold, and a few others I can't remember, Iand I tend to like the AD333 the best in this group.

I think that as a rule of thumb you should look to make your selection based on your handicap:

25 or More ~ go with anything you can get for $20 or under (The Gamers are $20/dz and they are great balls!)

15 to 25 ~ go with anything in the $20 - $30 range (E6 / NXT / Tri speeds are good options, but have different feels)

Less than 15 ~ jump into the $40 + range.

I have bought most of the balls that I have tried from lost golf balls, and their 3A and 4A rated balls are tipically in great shape.  I was able to test different options at lover cost than retail going this route.

I hope this sheds some light on ball selection...

[Elmer]

I like to play the same ball all the time. I like to have the same feel and know what the ball is going to do all the time. I used to play a titlest nxt tour, but switched to a callaway after shooting my low round with a callaway hx hot.

I will play this ball for a good while until I decide to try something new.

I will usually play a round with a pro-V1 or X when I find them just to try them out.

If i deviate from my normal ball it is because I found one, which is the case with my last deviation for 12 holes with a Penta! (great ball)