Does it really matter what type of ball a slow swing speed high handicapper hits?

[Strandly]

I bought a box of E6 balls a couple weeks ago to see if a more expensive ball would do anything for me and I wasn't impressed.  I couldn't tell any difference from the Top Flite D2s I was using and the giant E6 logo on the side was cheesy and annoying.  I won't be buying those balls again.  I've seen more than a few posts about Top Flite balls feeling like rocks but I haven't noticed anything unusual about them.  I picked up a box of the feel version and a box of the distance ones when they were on sale.  I was a pretty big fan of the feel at first but now I think I like the distance better.

[Moppy]

I think there is a difference between the D2 and the XL, I should specify that I was using the XL, which does feel like a rock. I was dissing Top Flight to the local pro and he agreed with you that the D2 was a decent ball.

[MS256]

I think there is a difference between the D2 and the XL, I should specify that I was using the XL, which does feel like a rock. I was dissing Top Flight to the local pro and he agreed with you that the D2 was a decent ball.

My normal policy for years has been that if it says "Top Flight" on it I'm not hitting it. Always felt like I was going to crack my driver face.

Any I found I either threw away or threw them in with the old balls at my house that I hit down in the woods with irons.

Last week I found one that I decided to try (for some reason) and it actually felt pretty good. I played the 8th and 9th holes with it (until it hit a bad approach shot in the water).

Hard to get a good idea in only 2 holes but it didn't feel like most of the old Top Flights that I used to occasionally try. It was called a 'Gamer Tour". I would probably try that ball again if I can get over my Top Flight phobia again.

[Meltdwhiskey]

It does not matter.  Play whatever ball you like or can afford or can find on craig's list or on the course.  You either hit it well or you didn't.  You have to be pretty good for the ball to matter.

[skywaterbanjo]

For me, it is a matter of standing over the ball and feeling confident that if I strike it well, it will do what I want, no matter the brand.  I've tried a lot of different balls and feel most confident over a TM Penta.  Most guys I play with wouldn't touch it, though.

I do like the feel of the ProV's but have been hitting the TM more consistently, not because of the ball but because of what is between my ears.

[rustyredcab]

I do not think it is BS. I think it matters. Lower compression flies better for those with slower swing speeds. One of my regular partners is 75 and has a slower swing speed (maybe 85-90 MPH). He picked up both distance and desired flight when he dropped to a lower compression ball -- E6 and Q-star.

I find low compression balls feel better and fly longer and higher in cold weather for my 103 MPH SS. And low compression, low spin balls really do go longer in all weather for me.

[Strandly]

I don't doubt there is a real world difference in ball performance.  Like I've mentioned before when I find a Prov1 and hit it I do notice a distance increase.  I think the only decision people are really making when shopping for balls is whether to pay $4 a ball or a dollar a ball.

[Dave2512]

Anyone that says it doesn't matter should try playing a few rounds with some stripers. I can not only feel the difference I can hear it.

[Meltdwhiskey]

Anyone that says it doesn't matter should try playing a few rounds with some stripers. I can not only feel the difference I can hear it.

At a 10cap, it would matter more for your game than what the OP is asking about.  And when you say stripers, I'm guessing you mean range balls? If so, I think those are specifically designed to not go as far.  I would think that would be enough of a difference to notice even for a high handicap.

I'm a little better than bogey and I don't quite get the need for specificity in golf ball that I hear people (in my skill range and worse) talking about.  That is to say, if I started playing a single type of ball instead of the random ones I play, how many strokes do you think my HC would go down?  And better yet, what if it was also the perfect ball for my swing / game?  Would it go down additional strokes again?  Am I robbing myself of 3-4 strokes on my handicap?  I've got to doubt it.

When I hit a good shot, I feel it immediately and am normally pretty pleased with the results regardless of the ball I used.

[rustyredcab]

At a 10cap, it would matter more for your game than what the OP is asking about.  And when you say stripers, I'm guessing you mean range balls? If so, I think those are specifically designed to not go as far.  I would think that would be enough of a difference to notice even for a high handicap.

I'm a little better than bogey and I don't quite get the need for specificity in golf ball that I hear people (in my skill range and worse) talking about.  That is to say, if I started playing a single type of ball instead of the random ones I play, how many strokes do you think my HC would go down?  And better yet, what if it was also the perfect ball for my swing / game?  Would it go down additional strokes again?  Am I robbing myself of 3-4 strokes on my handicap?  I've got to doubt it.

When I hit a good shot, I feel it immediately and am normally pretty pleased with the results regardless of the ball I used.

It's not about "going far" for a high handicap. Although a ball that matches your swing speed can optimize distance and ball flight WHEN HIT WELL. But, I would argue that a ball designed for a high swing speed does not get a chance to perform at a low swing speed. What I don't understand is how people can spend time worrying about which driver to buy and if one set of irons offers the right amount of forgiveness, and then not care if they are hitting a ball designed (at great R&D; expense) for a player with a 115MPH swing. You may be able to hit Tiger's ball better than you can play his irons, but neither was designed with you in mind.

If you play bogey golf with any old random ball each hole, you are costing yourselves strokes. Maybe not off the driver, or even 8-iron (if your swing is inconsistent enough that distance control is a swing issue and not a ball issue), but on and around the green. How many? 3-4 would be a very safe bet. Might be 2 and could be 6. What if you only 3 putt once a round because your distance control is better on long putts? How about getting up and down twice more than you do now? And what about narrowing your circle from 100 yards to 20 feet instead of 30?

[Pinseeker81]

My anecdotal experience:

I was playing with a Nike One Tour, and loved it, except for the fact that it was just REALLY short. A good drive was about 260. My 7 iron was my 140 yard club. They were awesome around the greens, though. After a while I had finally whittled the box down to a couple left, and decided to try something different, so I got some B330s to try out. My drives were going about 280 total, and my 7 iron gained about 10-15 yards. However, I was also using a different driver, so I don't know where the real gain was. The B330s seem to spin less around the greens than the Nike did. I'm getting a lot more roll out on my chips and pitches.

[MS256]

My anecdotal experience:

I was playing with a Nike One Tour, and loved it, except for the fact that it was just REALLY short. A good drive was about 260. My 7 iron was my 140 yard club. They were awesome around the greens, though. After a while I had finally whittled the box down to a couple left, and decided to try something different, so I got some B330s to try out. My drives were going about 280 total, and my 7 iron gained about 10-15 yards. However, I was also using a different driver, so I don't know where the real gain was. The B330s seem to spin less around the greens than the Nike did. I'm getting a lot more roll out on my chips and pitches.

Weird coincidences. I used to think I liked the Nike One Black okay but haven't played with one of them in quite a while. A couple of weeks ago I was going through some balls in the closet and adding some to my practice balls and putting some in my golf bag. I saw a Nike Black One and decided to play with it that day. Seemed like I was 10 yards shorter with it than with the Pro V1s I usually play (and several other brands I play) so I scrapped it after a few holes. I figured maybe it had been sitting in the closet too long or something.

The next day a guy I play with had a B330 and he was definitely hitting it farther than I had ever seen him hit anything. Unlike me he has machine-like consistency so it's pretty easy for him to compare golf balls. He went to town that night and bought 4 dozen of them.

[thehammer]

I have a slower swing speed and am a high handicap. I just got into all of this golf tec stuff and the hole reason for the pro V and those quality of ball is they compress to high swing speed. If like you said you don't swing fast use a more "hard" ball. I have found much joy in the MOJO balls from Nike and there not that expensive witch is a great thing.

[boil3rmak3r]

Did anyone see Michael Breed's show on TGC last night? It was an entire show devoted to viewer email questions. One of the questions Breed answered was almost exactly the question the OP in this thread asked. Breed's answer? If you have a lower swing speed, you need a ball that will spin more. Play the ProV. If you have a higher swing speed and don't need the extra spin, play the ProV1x. He said one of those two balls will fit anyone's game. He never even mentioned any other options... Hmmm, do you think Titleist is a major sponsor of that show..

[iacas]

Did anyone see Michael Breed's show on TGC last night? It was an entire show devoted to viewer email questions. One of the questions Breed answered was almost exactly the question the OP in this thread asked.

Breed's answer? If you have a lower swing speed, you need a ball that will spin more. Play the ProV. If you have a higher swing speed and don't need the extra spin, play the ProV1x. He said one of those two balls will fit anyone's game. He never even mentioned any other options...

Hmmm, do you think Titleist is a major sponsor of that show..

They sponsor him.

And ignoring the obvious stuff there with recommending only one brand, he's kind of right. A firmer ball will always have a higher ball speed than a softer ball. Softer balls can sometimes generate more spin, which helps players with slower launch speeds stay in the air longer.

It's a fine mix though, and no ball is going to vary by too much. There's a lot of tradeoff - softer balls spin more, but have lower initial ball speed.

Find the ball you like around the greens and so long as it's not bad for you off the tee, use that.

[Moppy]

Yeah, I saw it. I thought the same thing. I am considering buying a sleeve of the ProVs though, or another responsive ball like that. I have been learning to put backspin on the ball by using whiffle balls, which are really easy to get spinning, if you follow all of the advice around here on striking with irons. Once I got the plastic balls spinning and hopping backwards on impact, I graduated to real balls, and bladed a few from practicing with the plastic balls, but once I adjusted for the deeper lies of the real balls, and admittedly, fluffed the lies a little, I was able to get them to pretty much stop on landing. I am stoked to try this out on the course, but my thinking is that if I go with the higher spin balls, I will slice them out of bounds.  I guess I will use up the e6s first, and see how I still feel about them now that my game is a little bit changed.

[boogielicious]

They sponsor him.

And ignoring the obvious stuff there with recommending only one brand, he's kind of right. A firmer ball will always have a higher ball speed than a softer ball. Softer balls can sometimes generate more spin, which helps players with slower launch speeds stay in the air longer.

It's a fine mix though, and no ball is going to vary by too much. There's a lot of tradeoff - softer balls spin more, but have lower initial ball speed.

Find the ball you like around the greens and so long as it's not bad for you off the tee, use that.

Exactly why I use the ProV1 or ProV1x.  The feel around the green is excellent.  Approach shots hold the green better as well.  I can find them all the time new on Craigslist from people who got them as a present or changed balls.  I just got a dozen for $30.  They last a long time and fly true even when scuffed.  I buy new as well and will get them for my birthday too.  This year, when the new versions came out, the previous version was marked down, $39.

I am biased toward Titleist I admit.  This is because they are made in Massachusetts and one of the few balls made in the US.  I am willing to pay a bit more to keep folks employed in Fairhaven.

[The Recreational Golfer]

To answer the original question, I don't think it does. I played two rounds with high-handicappers this weekend, and the last problem they need to solve what what kind of ball to use. Stick with a  $25/dozen ball. Once you get better, (mid- to low-handicap) then you can get choosy.