How Does a Beginner Pick the Best Ball?

[dru925]

Been playing 6 mos. I am working on increasing my distance and for now would like a ball that gets me farther.  I'm a small (under 100#) woman, early 40s.  I can go to a store e.g. Golfsmith or just regular sporting goods store.  I've been playing with Precept Ladies IQ on the recommendation of a friend.  They seem okay but I don't have anything for comparison.

[Mattplusness]

Typically, any 2 piece ball will suffice. It's all about what you're comfortable with. I can't remember the exact numbers, but I remember seeing a chart that showed how far the distance balls go... turns out there was only a around 7 yard difference between the best and worst tested.

That being said, I personally like a ball that is soft, gets average distance, and has average spin. I found the bridgestone E5 to work best. It's the only 2 piece ball with a urethane cover (like the Pro V1 cover).

Just stay away from the 3 piece balls, (without stereotyping too much) a woman of your age won't have the 100+ mph swing speed that the pros do.

[cart7]

A few ideas.

go ball hunting the next time you're on the course and experiment with some you've found.

Hit yard or garage sales, especially in subdivisions adjoining golf courses.  Those often have golf balls for sale they've found in their yards that you can get for as little as a dime apiece.  Buy several different brands and try them out.

You could also buy them from the used ball bins at your local courses pro shop.  You pay more for them but there is usually a good selection.

[rustyredcab]

E-6, Chrome, RX... there are lots of slower swing (under 100MPH) balls that could work. Start with something that feels good to you off your putter. Make sure you like the ball on the green.

At many big box stores, you can practice putting, with your putter (or the exact same putter if they have one) and the new balls out of the box. Just ask and be sure to put them back.

The E-6 fits a wide variety of swing speeds. They recommend it to maximize my driver distance with a 95 - 103 MPH driver swing as well as my Dad with 80 MPH.

[marengo]

go to lostgolfballs.com and try as many as you like.  They are really cheap and I cant tell the difference between the AAAAA grade and brand new ones from the store.  Get a dozen of a bunch of different ones and give them a try.  Another good thing is that you wont feel as bad if you end up not liking the ones you got because they are so cheap.  They usually have a pretty good selection too.

[GaijinGolfer]

Id stick with the Lady IQ or some other woman's ball.  When you are just starting out, you want a ball with a soft core that help you hit the ball farther, a harder cover that minimizes sidespin and are inexpensive so that you dont worry about losing them.

[joekelly]

Gaijin Golfer offers the best advice: Don't worry about losing the ball. For you, a beginner, it's best to treat every ball the same whether you paid $6 per ball or found it free in the woods: every ball is expendable. . Spin, compression, a 2/3/5 piece ball, all will be the same to you so the last thing you want is to worry about the ball. If you want to worry, fine,  that's your choice. But why pay premium prices?

[ecureed]

check out the Wilson Staff Duo or Noodle Easy Distance, they are the lowest compression balls on the market so they're perfect for slower swing speeds

[Motown88]

Being new to the game I wouldn't worry about the golf ball as much as a consistent golf swing.  If you want a cheaper alternative to buying new balls I would also suggest buying refinished/recycled golf balls.  Additionally, don't buy into the notion that you need to the most expensive ball to play well.  I personally play ProV1x's but I also live in South Dakota where it can be very windy.  I carry Pinnacle Golds in my bag for that very reason.  They don't spin at all and can penetrate the wind much easier.  I'm not ashamed to play a 50cent ball and neither should you.  Stick with what you've been playing until your swing demands something better.

[forepoints]

Originally Posted by dru925

Been playing 6 mos. I am working on increasing my distance and for now would like a ball that gets me farther.  I'm a small (under 100#) woman, early 40s.  I can go to a store e.g. Golfsmith or just regular sporting goods store.  I've been playing with Precept Ladies IQ on the recommendation of a friend.  They seem okay but I don't have anything for comparison.

My wife went through a couple of turns with various balls (eg. Nike Karma, Srixon, Precept, Volvik, Callaway Soltare) and she ended up with Taylormade for Women balls. They come in a blue box and she absolutely loves them.

[Laws of Woo]

First priority when finding a golf ball as a beginner is Price. Your going to lose a lot, so might as well get them cheap. Look for higher quality used (not recycled/refinished) or sale items. You can typically find numerous choices in the 2dozen for $20 range. Once your swing starts to get a little more consistent, then step up to a pricier ball if you want. Some recommendations: Bridgestone e5 Cally Solaire Noodle Srixon Soft Feel (or Soft Feel Lady) Nike Mojo Bridgestone Treosoft (Love this one, it is my cold weather ball, very soft, feels great off the putter, and surprisingly long. Runs about $25-30 for 2 dozen)

[stevegolflve]

I've found most balls go around the same distance anyway I've found out of titleist Nike callaway and a few more nothing compairs to the green or yellow srixon z Star or z star x are the best by far they have great feel go as far as any and they last for at least 3 to 4 rounds and they can still be ok there very none abrasive they just last and last and also the green or yellow looks great walking down the fairway or up to the green just try them please

[RichardR]

At this stage of the game, golfballs doesn't matter. You just need plenty of them to play because you will lose a lot. Your game is still developing so just buy the cheapest golfballs you can find. don't worry about the distance, worry about your ball striking.  I'm a good player, and I can play and spin most golf balls.  Those distance balls are hard to back up on the green because they are made with very low spin rates.  Just get a huge supply of recycled golf balls.