Looking for a "straight" ball with green side spin

[anthony 4]

Yeah, you can slice the shit out of anything. Top Flite Gamers are nice. I really like the Noodle soft or Noddle long & soft. The remind of the gamers, but are quite a bit cheaper. In the long run, it's the swing that's gonna spin the ball, not the ball. Someone gave me a sleeve of Pro-V1's earlier this year and I swear I can't tell the difference between it and the Noodle.

[Timothy Voyles 4]

I like the PD soft and Srixon soft feel balls. Not as much spin but can still be worked around the green. If you're ok with used balls or refurbished hit up golfballbut.com for decent deals on better quality balls at much lower prices than new. I've been using the Srixon z-star and get them usually under $20/dz

[bjwestner 16]

Interesting thread....I went to the E6's back when I was slicing my driver and they  helped along with the fact that I fixed the slice itself too.  Lately though I've started to want something that is better around the greens.  The E6's are great off the tee in my opinion but they do not hold the green for anything.  I cannot get any spin on them at all around the green.  I just ordered Bridgestone B330 RX's today and cannot wait for them to arrive as I'm hoping that the putter will feel better with them and that they will hold the green better.  I notice a difference in putting different balls and I do not like the feel of the E6's with my putter.  When I started playing them it was worth the trade off because it was winter and the balls did not hold the greens no matter what ball you were using.  Now that it's warmer I need some spin.

[Desert 0]

I notice a difference in putting different balls and I do not like the feel of the E6's with my putter.

That was the biggest disappointment for me too. I could try to hit short knowing the e6 would release a lot. But I didn't like the putter feel. They didn't feel hard or soft really....more "thick" if that makes any kind of sense. I'm a high handicapper so I don't put much stock in my "feel", but the more balls I try the more I'm surprised by the different putter feel.

[bjwestner 16]

Desert - you are right on.  It makes a really big difference depending on where you are playing.  For me the E6's are fine putting wise for me when I am playing a local muni because the greens are not as fast but when I play at my club which has faster greens, it's more difficult.

[Desert 0]

Went out and played 18 today in the 110 degree weather (Phoenix summers suck). Used the E6, Wilson Staff 50, and Callaway Warbirds about equal. Course was wide open so my buddy any I would hit 2 or 3 shots several times. My verdict. The Warbirds flew the straightest, putted the most consistent, checked up slightly better, but felt the worst. The 50s felt great but I had terrible distance control. Loved putting them though. The E6 neither under whelmed me nor thrilled me. Kind of the middle ground of the other two balls. Now, take my opinion with a ginormous grain of salt since I'm a beginner (shot 107 today). But for other newbie hackers out there, if you can get past the hard feel, the Callaway Warbirds actually performed decently.

[Dave40 2]

I would recommend the Wilson Staff C25.  It's a 3 piece ball and has better spin than the 50.  It's a little firmer than the 50 too.  Sells for about $20 per dozen.

[astlaly 0]

I will recommend a couple of balls. I have been trying multiple brands this year and the balls that work the best for me are (they are in order from best to good): 1) Callaway Hex Chrome +; 2)ProV1x (used ball! Purchase in knetgolf or lostballs); 3) Srixon ZStar XV; 4) ProV1(used) If is a new ball I will recommend the Chrome +, you cannot beat that. 35 dollars per dozen. I purchased two weeks ago 3 dozens in the Callaway website for 29.99 with free shipping. When I first used this ball (chrome+) I immediately noticed that my ball was flying straighter that the others (is not going to help your hook if you have one, for that you need a miracle ball :-) or an illegal ball, e.g. Polara) and at the green, the ball is spinning more than the others. I need a lot of spin because my swing in steep and my ball flight is lower than other people. Finally, If you have a chance to buy the June edition of the Golf Digest Magazine, they issued a good review of most of the balls in the market. They used a robot to hit all the balls. they used a driver and a half-wedge iron. Then they presented a chart of driver spin rate vs. half-wedge spin rate and the best balls that came up (in my opinion) were (they are in order): 1)ProV1x, 2)Chrome+, 3)MaxFli U/6, 4)Wilson FG Tour X, 5)ZStar XV, 6)ProV1 The golf balls above are the best because they have less spin with the driver and the most spin in the greens. The following two have great spin with the half-wedge but the driver spin is a little bit higher than the balls above. 1)Bridgestone B330-S, 2) Callaway Hex Black Tour Disclosure: the article does not say which ball go the furthest or which ball is the best. The order of the balls above are just my suggestion because, as I said before, I need a ball that spin a lot on the green because of my swing. The article is just concentrating on the spin of the ball and the behavior of the ball with the driver and the wedges. Have fun and keep playing. Al

[WalkTheCourse 2]

Originally Posted by astlaly

I will recommend a couple of balls. I have been trying multiple brands this year and the balls that work the best for me are (they are in order from best to good):

1) Callaway Hex Chrome +;

2)ProV1x (used ball! Purchase in knetgolf or lostballs);

3) Srixon ZStar XV;

4) ProV1(used)

Gonna have to disagree with the ProV1/ProV1x as a suggestion... first of all, the OP is a 30 handicapper... doesn't make sense to carry a $45 ball, or a $25 used ball for that matter. Second of all, urethane balls are notorious for exacerbating slices and hooks due to the very nature of the urethane cover interacting with a clubface. Third of all, these balls tend to be for players with higher swing speeds, of which the OP is probably not one of them.

[dadu991 0]

srixon q star, enough said, best ball you will find for under 25$ a dozen

[BostonBrew 16]

I think you're SOL on your hopes of a forgiving ball. The "low-spin" balls not slicing or hooking as much is a bit of a myth.

With that said, Srixon Q Star would be my choice for that price range.

[WalkTheCourse 2]

Reply to the above post:

Doesn't look like a myth to me, if you actually look at the data.

The ProV1 resulted in an average shot that dispersed 11.3 yards to the right, as opposed to the DT Solo which dispersed an average of 7.7 yards to the right. That's a difference of about 32%, or 10.8 feet. That could be the difference between the trees and, well, not in the trees.


Is there a golf ball that cures slices? Of course not. But I've without question hit balls that mitigate them, and balls that exacerbate them.

[vocabulary FTW]

[Righty to Lefty 28]

Originally Posted by BostonBrew

I think you're SOL on your hopes of a forgiving ball. The "low-spin" balls not slicing or hooking as much is a bit of a myth.

With that said, Srixon Q Star would be my choice for that price range.

I was gonna post the same video. The lines between "tour" balls  and the rest is definitely blurred nowadays as the tour ball technology trickles downward to the other balls. Golf balls are very much the same until they are struck with wedges and neither is "straighter" than the other because that is determined the individual swing.

[Righty to Lefty 28]

Originally Posted by WalkTheCourse

Reply to the above post:

Doesn't look like a myth to me, if you actually look at the data.

The ProV1 resulted in an average shot that dispersed 11.3 yards to the right, as opposed to the DT Solo which dispersed an average of 7.7 yards to the right. That's a difference of about 32%, or 10.8 feet. That could be the difference between the trees and, well, not in the trees.

Is there a golf ball that cures slices? Of course not. But I've without question hit balls that mitigate them, and balls that exacerbate them.

[vocabulary FTW]

In the video he spoke of how he called Titleist and they told him that there was no difference between the two balls until they were hit with a wedge, which he then confirmed.  Unless a golf ball doesn't have dimples, in which case it isn't going to fly very far, it can be hooked or sliced depending on the swing applied.

[WalkTheCourse 2]

Originally Posted by Righty to Lefty

In the video he spoke of how he called Titleist and they told him that there was no difference between the two balls until they were hit with a wedge, which he then confirmed.  Unless a golf ball doesn't have dimples, in which case it isn't going to fly very far, it can be hooked or sliced depending on the swing applied.

Uhm... perhaps you should re-read the part of my post that states " Is there a golf ball that cures slices? Of course not." I never said, or even suggested that.

But his anecdotes about phone calls to Titleist refute his own data. I'm citing simple facts - 7.7 is less than 11.3. That's not up for debate.

Granted, he has a very small sample size. I'd be interested to see him hit 50 of each ball and see the dispersion results.

[Righty to Lefty 28]

Originally Posted by WalkTheCourse

Uhm... perhaps you should re-read the part of my post that states "Is there a golf ball that cures slices? Of course not." I never said, or even suggested that.

But his anecdotes about phone calls to Titleist refute his own data. I'm citing simple facts - 7.7 is less than 11.3. That's not up for debate.

Granted, he has a very small sample size. I'd be interested to see him hit 50 of each ball and see the dispersion results.

No but you did say "But I've without question hit balls that mitigate them, and balls that exacerbate them." Well what ball would that be and where is the data supporting it?  His dispersion right or left of the target line has more to with his swing that he applied.  If his spin numbers were pretty much the same the a miss right or left of the target line isn't coming from the ball, it's coming from his impact conditions. 3 yards when related to dispersion is not substantial either, especially with a driver.  With scoring irons in hand hitting them in to a green I would say it would be more important but a driver miss by 3 yards is not the difference between a fairway hit and the woods.

[Jeremie Boop 343]

Originally Posted by Righty to Lefty

No but you did say "But I've without question hit balls that mitigate them, and balls that exacerbate them." Well what ball would that be and where is the data supporting it?  His dispersion right or left of the target line has more to with his swing that he applied.  If his spin numbers were pretty much the same the a miss right or left of the target line isn't coming from the ball, it's coming from his impact conditions. 3 yards when related to dispersion is not substantial either, especially with a driver.  With scoring irons in hand hitting them in to a green I would say it would be more important but a driver miss by 3 yards is not the difference between a fairway hit and the woods.

Depends, 3yd to the side of a fw could be a cart path or rock that will bounce the ball into the woods. Trees don't mean woods either, there are plenty of spots at the courses I play where even a yard from the fairway will put you under a tree.

[WalkTheCourse 2]

Originally Posted by Righty to Lefty

No but you did say "But I've without question hit balls that mitigate them, and balls that exacerbate them." Well what ball would that be and where is the data supporting it?  His dispersion right or left of the target line has more to with his swing that he applied.  If his spin numbers were pretty much the same the a miss right or left of the target line isn't coming from the ball, it's coming from his impact conditions. 3 yards when related to dispersion is not substantial either, especially with a driver.  With scoring irons in hand hitting them in to a green I would say it would be more important but a driver miss by 3 yards is not the difference between a fairway hit and the woods.

Okay... so this is now the second time you've deliberately changed my words... you're on a hot streak.

Perhaps you should re-read the part of my post that states "That could be the difference between the trees and, well, not in the trees."

Is there any part of that sentence that mentions the fairway? Did I say fairway or even imply it? Are there not golf holes with woods that are very much in play, especially dog-leg holes? Would you rather be 1 yard in bounds than 2 yards out of bounds?

Oh, and you're just flat wrong again about the data. His swing speeds were similar, and the face-to-path angle at impact was almost identical (6.8 for the ProV1 versus 7.0 for the DT solo). The DT solo actually had a GREATER face to path angle, so if anything, the DT solo swings were exposed to slightly more of a slice, yet had less total dispersion.

Unortuantely, we are dealing with a very small sample size, so I don't know if the data means anything. My evidence is self-admittedly anecdotal, and I don't think I need to explain or defend that.