Pretty Basic Question - which balls to use

[DublinMeUp]

This is gonna be a tough one for two reasons, The first is i haven't a clue about the different types and what they are used for etc. Secondly, I don't really know what info to provide in order to get suggestions.

Anyway, when i started playing again a few weeks back it was a round on a whim with friends, didn't expect to become instantly addicted again, so knowing i would play rubbish i picked up a box of like 40 mixed balls ( not sure if they were lake balls or whatever ). There were loads of "name" brands in there and i just picked out the best condition ones and played with them.

So, due to me being a pretty bad player my number of lost balls per round is pretty high so i need to get a ton of golf balls now but can be paying hundreds of euro on new pro v's etc.

My playing partner is a 10 handicap and seems to know a fair bit, he said nearly every ball i was playing was to hard or not suited to me, i think he saw me playing with some top-flite model ( i dunno if it makes a difference seeing as i slice them ob or lose them in lakes lol ).. if it does make a difference what makes and models should i be looking for?

Once i have determined what golf balls to get i will then be looking for deals like used or reclaimed etc.. problem is i don't really understand the difference between a lake ball and a reclaimed or any other variant of used ball. I don't see the point in buying a ton of spanking new balls to lose or damage a large percentage of them per round so what should i buy? ( lake, reclaimed etc ? )

as i said above If you need info on my game or clubs or courses to make suggestions let me know and i'll supply it. If a ball can give me even a slight edge then i want it =)

Thanks for your time and apologies for the rambling post.

[rustyredcab]

Noodles are cheap and good balls for a beginner. Long for slower swings and pretty good on and near the green. Odds are you would do best with a ball made for slower swing speeds.

Even as a beginner, I suggest you pick one ball and use it as often as possible to help with consistency on the greens. Buy in bulk and you'll find them for less that $1 US per ball.

[newtogolf]

Check out lostgolfballs.com for good deals on used golf balls.  I use the Titleist NXT Tours since they are reasonably priced used, fly fairly straight and check up well on the greens.  I also like the TM TP Black.

If you want to buy new Top Flite Gamer V2's, Noodle Long & Soft and Bridgestone E5's are reasonably priced and well liked by most.

[MiniBlueDragon]

My suggestion would be Srixon AD333's. They're a great ball for beginners with 'enough' spin but plenty long enough. They're also a bargain at the moment because they've been discontinued and replaced with the Srixon Q-Star. Pick up a sleeve/box and give them a go.

[DublinMeUp]

great thanks lads! that's exactly what i wanted.. to pick one ball and stick with it.

Just out of interest can anyone explain the difference between the used balls? like why do people hate lake balls?

[MiniBlueDragon]

I think there can be a very small decrease in performance for a ball that's been sitting in water for months/weeks. I've bought lake balls in the past (AD333's actually!) and I found there to be no problem at all with them though in terms of performance. Of course there could be scuffs etc on them though depending on where you get them and what you pay for them.

[Piersberrington]

titleist nxt's are a good balls a lot of forgiveness and fells good off the face

[Topper]

I have become a real fan of the Top Flite Gamer V2.  I can get them on Ebay for $10/doz.  The regular price of $20/doz isn't bad but I don't like to pay more than $1/ball.  I lose too many.

Anyway the Gamer V2 is a great all-around ball.  Good distance.  Nice feel off the putter.  Decent spin with wedges and short irons.  It's not as "spinny" as the tour caliber balls but I think that's good for high handicappers like me.

[glock35ipsc]

I play the Titleist DT Solo, before that the Bridgestone e6.  I can keep both of these in the fairway, and just bought a crap load of AAAAA grade DT Solo's from lostgolfballs.com for $9.95 a dozen.

[Gresh24]

I like the Bridgestone e6's.  I recently bought a dozen Callaway Diablo Tour's and also really liked them - and they are cheaper.  Both are good, durable, lower spin balls.  Never had a problem stopping them on the green, and both perform/feel good off the putter.

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by Piersberrington

titleist nxt's are a good balls a lot of forgiveness and fells good off the face

What is "ball forgiveness"?

[MiniBlueDragon]

I personally didn't like the e6 at all around the greens. Distance was good but it always bounced on the green and went through the back and also felt clicky on the putter face for me. Also tried the e5 which was better but was nothing special. I use NXT Tours now.

[DublinMeUp]

I had decided on either all noodles, Ad333's or nxt's and was busy hunting for a good deal on them when i noticed a guy selling 700+ found balls ( no lake balls ) for 100 euro, thats 14c a ball.

I couldn't really say no to that could i? like i lose so many that even 50c-$1 a ball would cost me a bunch per round.

Anyway I just finished my first pass looking for NXT's, AD333's, Noodles etc and came off quite well in terms of quantity and quality. I'd say 85% of the lot are great quality with minimal to no scuffs etc.

So what i want to do is go through the rest and see if there are any other "soft & long" type balls, Can anyone off hand tell me the various brands range of these balls?

Ie on first pass i was looking for titleist DT solo, nxt. maxfly noodles, srixon AD333 but i have tons of wilson, callaway, pinnacle etc which could also be the type of ball i want

P.s found 20 mint pro v's in there to, which my friend snapped up for a nice profit =)

[Nine Iron]

Also check your local Craigslist as well.

In my area I see at least 4 or 5 listings for balls in really nice condition. And you dont have to pay shipping.

[tristanhilton85]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Check out lostgolfballs.com for good deals on used golf balls.  I use the Titleist NXT Tours since they are reasonably priced used, fly fairly straight and check up well on the greens.  I also like the TM TP Black.

If you want to buy new Top Flite Gamer V2's, Noodle Long & Soft and Bridgestone E5's are reasonably priced and well liked by most.

Can't disagree with this.  The only thing I'll add is that GolfBallNut.com is also a great site, and in addition to the Top-Flite Gamer V2s, I'd recommend their D2 Feel ball... it is even cheaper and you get 15/box and it still feels and plays pretty nicely.

[tristanhilton85]

Originally Posted by DublinMeUp

I had decided on either all noodles, Ad333's or nxt's and was busy hunting for a good deal on them when i noticed a guy selling 700+ found balls ( no lake balls ) for 100 euro, thats 14c a ball.

I couldn't really say no to that could i? like i lose so many that even 50c-$1 a ball would cost me a bunch per round.

Anyway I just finished my first pass looking for NXT's, AD333's, Noodles etc and came off quite well in terms of quantity and quality. I'd say 85% of the lot are great quality with minimal to no scuffs etc.

So what i want to do is go through the rest and see if there are any other "soft & long" type balls, Can anyone off hand tell me the various brands range of these balls?

Ie on first pass i was looking for titleist DT solo, nxt. maxfly noodles, srixon AD333 but i have tons of wilson, callaway, pinnacle etc which could also be the type of ball i want

P.s found 20 mint pro v's in there to, which my friend snapped up for a nice profit =)

That'll give you a nice opportunity to test out a bunch of balls and figure out what you like best.  Callaway balls in the same class as the Noodle and the like would be the Warbird, Warbird Plus, and the HX Bites.  Pinnacles aren't quite up in that class, they are more just distance rocks.

[SAGolfLuvr]

I 100% agree with the Noodle fans. Just for grins last Wednesday,  I decided to play the E6 against the Noodle. They both flew far but the Noodle held the greens way better (even when coming in medium low and hot) than the E6. Try EBay for buying 50 of them. I have a feeling that your game is going to come around pretty quick and you will never have to buy another ball after buying 50 Noodles (you will find more balls than you lose).

[DublinMeUp]

Played twice over the weekend, first time used the AD333 and second time i used NXT tours, have to say i like both a lot.. the AD333's maybe a slight bit more. I'm amazed that the ball im playing with can make such a difference. Maybe its just a psychological thing but i just seems to have way more control from tee to green with both over my old mix of top-flite / pinnacle rocks.

Still lost some balls unfortunately, first course was tough with lots of hazards and OB's on every hole while the second course was open and seemed pretty easy, I kept losing plugged balls from my drives because off the fairway the ground was pretty soft ( way more annoying than hitting into water etc as you know your ball was in play but has disappeared down a mud hole )

Gonna try the noodles next, they'd need to perform pretty well to overtake the AD333 i think.

Anyway, very pleased i started this thread, it has already cut some shots from my round and with my driving getting better and my putting starting to come back to me i feel like im starting to make some good progress.

Thanks again guys