When do balls start to make a difference for newer golf players

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by spartan6

I played with Noodles quite a bit and could tell a difference in the softness. Good for beginners like me. There was a great thread for a guy who went from the 130s to 80s and how he got there. One of his steps was to use the same ball every time. Perhaps when I get much better, I will be able to see a significant difference in types. For now, I am content with getting used to the same ball every round. Takes any second guessing on the feel, spin etc and forces me to just work on my swing.

I am playing Nike Crush. The only reason is that is the ball he used in the post I mentioned above and I can find them very easily under $20/dozen.

Thats funny because I always felt like the Noodles were rocks.  Ive gotten a few for free in the past and they almost always got thrown in the trash.

[rkim291968]

Originally Posted by GaijinGolfer

Thats funny because I always felt like the Noodles were rocks.  Ive gotten a few for free in the past and they almost always got thrown in the trash.

Most hard rock balls of the past have been getting softer every year.   Noodle Long & Soft, and even Top Flite XLs have lost a lot of their rock hardness over the years.   They are playable.

[Royster1984]

what recommendations would you have for a 24 ish handicapper with regards to ball choice??

I am looking to spent around £15-20 / Per 12 Box, Currently been using srixon distance £10 / Per 12 Box.

Dont really lose to many balls a bad round would be 2 balls and a good round 0.

[rkim291968]

Ball choice won't make a whole lot of difference for 24+ handicapper.   Go with low to mid range balls from respectable vendor (Nike, Titleist, Taylormade, Srixon, Callaway) and it won't be bad.   Avoid expensive tour balls, spin balls, used balls from many years back, etc..   Exact ball choice won't matter that much until you start thinking about shaping shots, spinning balls into green, etc..

[GillPier]

I think the confidence you have in the ball is every bit or more important than the actual characteristics it possesses. I really caution buying extremely cheap balls with the thought process that "they're ok to lose", because that's almost certainly what you'll do. If you're serious enough to have a handicap, I think that promoted you at least to a named ball you trust. ProV1's, not quite, but some of the others mentioned here like e6 or Q-stars are certainly appropriate, even if you can't tell the difference of spin or distance, or even softness around the green. I do recommend personally, if you happen to have a Costco membership, to check out the Callaway Hex Control. Excellent 3-piece that runs $29.99 for 2 dozen

[jaysquared]

I'm a 15 handicap and when I started golfing a year ago I would just use the golf balls that I found on the course never thinking it won't really make any difference with my game.. I became really curious a out seeing if playing brands new balls would make a difference in my game but just couldn't get myself to spend $20 on a decent ball.. I'm a golfer on a budget and would rather play golf than buy new balls.. I was still using lost balls until about a month ago when I found a the tommy armour 3 piece evo balls that were on sale at sports authority,$10 for 15 balls.. I was like what the heck! $10 isn't bad plus I had a gift card there so I might as well try it.. Well after playing around with them I don't think I'll ever play any other balls other than Tommie's as of right now.. The ball goes straight and bites with the best of them.. I've used pro v1/v1x, bridgestones, nikes and callaway and can tell you this is the balls I hit best. The ball is a great price as well! $10 for 15 of them so it won't hurt to try them!

[joekelly]

How many balls do you lose each round?  Some courses are highly penal if off the fairway track: result = lost ball. If money no object pay whatever, but if on budget choose 2nd hand and never, never become possessive over any 'special' ball.  IMO your golf focus (as a beginner) must go to your motion not the sticks or balls.

[WUTiger]

Distance balls are cheaper, and many of them are designed to go straighter than other balls.

Main problem with distance balls could be on partial wedge shots. Players without fairly high clubhead speed may find it hard to get close-in spin using distance balls.

As others have said, playing the same type of ball regularly pays off on how the ball feels off the putter.

[rkim291968]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

Players without fairly high clubhead speed may find it hard to get close-in spin using distance balls.

Not necessarily.   I don't have high clubhead speed but do well around green with average distance ball.  You just need to figure out where to place the ball to allow a bit of roll.    This support your and others recommendation of sticking with same ball.   When you know how your ball reacts, you can play accordingly.

[rkim291968]

Originally Posted by jaysquared

I'm a 15 handicap and when I started golfing a year ago I would just use the golf balls that I found on the course never thinking it won't really make any difference with my game.. I became really curious a out seeing if playing brands new balls would make a difference in my game but just couldn't get myself to spend $20 on a decent ball.. I'm a golfer on a budget and would rather play golf than buy new balls..

I was still using lost balls until about a month ago when I found a the tommy armour 3 piece evo balls that were on sale at sports authority,$10 for 15 balls.. I was like what the heck! $10 isn't bad plus I had a gift card there so I might as well try it.. Well after playing around with them I don't think I'll ever play any other balls other than Tommie's as of right now.. The ball goes straight and bites with the best of them.. I've used pro v1/v1x, bridgestones, nikes and callaway and can tell you this is the balls I hit best. The ball is a great price as well! $10 for 15 of them so it won't hurt to try them!

The ball technology is the one that improved the most (not irons, not drivers), just ask Jack Nicklaus.   When you use used golf balls you find from golf cousrses, you will be amazed how old some of those balls are.  Even a cheap new ball is better than 10 year old high end brand name ball.   You are just finding that out.

I wasn't so impressed with Tommy Armour ball.  It is decent ball but don't have any special characteristic that will make someone a better golfer.

[McMullenCPA]

This thread is great! I've never cared what ball I'm hitting, I wouldn't ever use a range ball, but I haven't bought new balls because of years of accumulation from the course or gifts. It never mattered to me what ball I'd hit, even if it was found from the water from who knows how long ago.

One thing I noticed about my game is, I consistently shoot in the upper 80s - lower 90s, but I lose so many strokes to lost balls every round. The last 5 rounds I've lost an average of 5.6 balls (probably 90% off the tee). I wonder using different types of balls every time has something to do with it. I am going to try and use 1 type of ball for a few rounds and see if I learn something about my game.

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by McMullenCPA

This thread is great! I've never cared what ball I'm hitting, I wouldn't ever use a range ball, but I haven't bought new balls because of years of accumulation from the course or gifts. It never mattered to me what ball I'd hit, even if it was found from the water from who knows how long ago.

One thing I noticed about my game is, I consistently shoot in the upper 80s - lower 90s, but I lose so many strokes to lost balls every round. The last 5 rounds I've lost an average of 5.6 balls (probably 90% off the tee). I wonder using different types of balls every time has something to do with it. I am going to try and use 1 type of ball for a few rounds and see if I learn something about my game.

Losing a ball of the tee is probably RARELY if ever, due to the ball itself. I mean, if it BARELY goes OB with a Pro V1, you may have stayed in with a Bridgestone e6 or something similar....but how often is a lost tee shot just barely OB?

[Meltdwhiskey]

I'm surprised at a lot of these answers.  I would have said out of the gate that as long as the ball was produced in the last 5 years or so it would make ZERO difference in the game of a beginner.  Over a 20 handicap there are so many mishits that I can't imagine it makes much of a difference in the final score of a round.  Maybe I am just not as sensitive to the ball as some.

I can say that a ProV1 bites/backs up noticeably better than some other balls. But I can't say that is of concern for a beginner - nor would I recommend a $4 golf ball for one.  I bought 1200 random used golf balls from an old man on CraigsList for $80 a while back and couldn't be happier.  Since I probably find one for every one I lose now - I might never buy another golf ball again. Other than the ProV1 thing, I can't tell a bit of difference.  I'd tell the OP to get something cheap because he's probably going to lose a bunch of them anyway.

[Jeremie Boop]

I would love to play srixon zstars because I found one and played pretty well with it, but I can't swallow the price per ball with a bad round losing 1/2 a box or more. Being a 20ish hc doesn't mean I don't feel or enjoy the feel/difference the ball provides, it just makes it too expensive to justify using them unless I find one.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by Meltdwhiskey

I'm surprised at a lot of these answers.  I would have said out of the gate that as long as the ball was produced in the last 5 years or so it would make ZERO difference in the game of a beginner.  Over a 20 handicap there are so many mishits that I can't imagine it makes much of a difference in the final score of a round.  Maybe I am just not as sensitive to the ball as some.

I can say that a ProV1 bites/backs up noticeably better than some other balls. But I can't say that is of concern for a beginner - nor would I recommend a $4 golf ball for one.  I bought 1200 random used golf balls from an old man on CraigsList for $80 a while back and couldn't be happier.  Since I probably find one for every one I lose now - I might never buy another golf ball again. Other than the ProV1 thing, I can't tell a bit of difference.  I'd tell the OP to get something cheap because he's probably going to lose a bunch of them anyway.

So when you loose one of your 1200 balls, say a premium ball, and then replace it with a Pinnacle, you don't notice any difference when putting?

I agree that even chips with two radically different balls will not lead to anything noticeable in a beginner because the strike varies more than the ball. But even when I was a high handicapper, I fit the putter pretty well most most of the time. Balls did feel different off the putter. Not "better" or "worse," but different. And it mattered that I played the same ball, or at least the same kind of ball if I had any hopes of feeling the distance on the greens.

Do you really not notice a difference on the greens even at your (much lower than beginner) handicap?

[McMullenCPA]

Originally Posted by Slice of Life

Losing a ball of the tee is probably RARELY if ever, due to the ball itself. I mean, if it BARELY goes OB with a Pro V1, you may have stayed in with a Bridgestone e6 or something similar....but how often is a lost tee shot just barely OB?

Good point. The more I think of it, My last six rounds, earliest to most recent, I lost 1, 5, 4, 4, 8, 8. These past couple of weeks I've had a bad knot in my back, and when it flares up, my mechanics went to sh#t. I'd play it safe and tee off with a 5 or 6 iron and then nasty hook it WAY into the woods. That is the cause of the OB tee shots I'm sure now. My back feels a lot better after taking a week off and I can't wait to get back out there tomorrow.

I still think I should be paying closer attention to the ball I'm using though. For example, with putting, I've pretty much eliminated the 3-putts save for maybe 1 per round. On the flip side, I only have maybe 4-5 1-putts and I'm sure it's because my approach could be better, or I'm just missing too many close-mid range putts. I wonder if I used 1 type of ball the whole way through some of those approaches might land a little closer and some of those close putts might find their way into the hole.

[Lash]

Originally Posted by rkim291968

Not necessarily.   I don't have high clubhead speed but do well around green with average distance ball.  You just need to figure out where to place the ball to allow a bit of roll.    This support your and others recommendation of sticking with same ball.   When you know how your ball reacts, you can play accordingly.

I completely agree. I am a high handicapper, but I can tell a difference in the ProV1 and a cheaper ball, mainly while chipping. I can chip with either one, but I need to use the same consistently so I know whether to plan on the ball rolling some or just checking and stopping when using a ProV1.

I think the main thing, as has been said over and over, for a beginner is to consistently use the same ball so you know what to expect.

[Meltdwhiskey]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

So when you loose one of your 1200 balls, say a premium ball, and then replace it with a Pinnacle, you don't notice any difference when putting?

I agree that even chips with two radically different balls will not lead to anything noticeable in a beginner because the strike varies more than the ball. But even when I was a high handicapper, I fit the putter pretty well most most of the time. Balls did feel different off the putter. Not "better" or "worse," but different. And it mattered that I played the same ball, or at least the same kind of ball if I had any hopes of feeling the distance on the greens.

Do you really not notice a difference on the greens even at your (much lower than beginner) handicap?

It is a good question - but I might have trouble answering since I play such different balls all of the time.  I have them separated by brand - not by ball type.  I'm guessing Wilson make a spinny ball and a not so spinny version.  Since I am constantly playing different ball types - maybe it all blends into my perception (or lack thereof).  As opposed to hitting ball A for a couple of months and then suddenly switching to ball B.

Having said that, I think I'm just not that sensitive to it or not good enough to notice.  And just an uneducated guess - I would think that ball A and ball B hit with the same force would not result in a significantly different distance in a given putt.  What are we talking about 5 more feet on a 20 footer or something?  I've got to doubt it.

And even if it was pretty significant, I'd think things like the speed of the green on a given day or a given course would matter WAY more than the ball.  That is to say you are having to learn how hard to hit it on a course by course AND day by day (or even green by green) basis anyway.  If I play the same ball for say 12-15 holes, that would be the standard of the day right?  Plus I really try to take everything out of putting a just be a feel putter.  In my mind, putting is a ball, a crooked stick and a hole.  Go make it happen.

But to answer your question, I can't say that even if I played that one ball all the way through hole 15 and lost it, that immediately putting a different one in play would be noticeable to me.  I'm starting to think I'm the odd man out on this.