What's a ball worth?

[jmalaysia]

I'm a certified hacker... usually shooting in the low 90's.  I was playing a few days ago and lost my ball.  While I was looking for mine I found a Callaway Tour i ball.  Good enough!  So I resumed play using that ball.  That was on the 6th hole.  I was 9 over par after 6,  well on my way to shooting a terrible round,  even for me!  But then it got strange.  I had a 3 putt bogey on 7,  then par, par, par, par.  My approach shots were dead at the pin.  I played the final 12 holes at 4 over par,  with 2 bogeys,  one double,  and 9 pars.  That is WAY better than I have ever done.  I've played this course 5 weekends in a row with scores of 98, 92, 91, 93,  and then this crazy 83.

Can a ball make that much difference?  I usually just grab some balls-  not the cheapest but certainly not the most expensive.  I've never played with a tour caliber ball before using the Callaway Tour i.  I was pretty stoked so I came home to order some,  only to find out they aren't made anymore.  So now I'm looking for the replacement for that ball.

[jamo]

Can the ball make a difference? Sure. It's moving to a tour-level ball going to make you into a pro? Of course not. Those shots you hit strait at the pin would have gone straight at the pin with any ball. Take the credit for yourself, man! You played a great round.

[0ldblu3]

Congrats on the 83 and put more stock in yourself. For 12 holes your potential reveled itself. It wasn't a ball, it was your swing. Next time you go out to play, know that it is in you to play well regardless of the clubs or the ball. If you are matching those weekend rounds up with some practice time (both full swing and short game) it is actually expected that you will have some strings of consistent good performance.

That being said, if that ball gives you a warm-n-fuzzy feeling, by all means get some to play with. Standing over any shot and thinking that you'd rather be hitting some other type of ball is bad and easy to avoid, just get the ball you like (or the ball you've decided to like) and play with it.

[Chris223]

That's about my game in a nutshell minus the 83 score.  I will play the first 4 holes of my round like 8 over par then rattle off a streak of 6 or 7 holes right around even.  Ugghh if only I could put it together for an entire round I would shoot that 83.  I don't think a ball is going to change your game that much but I do believe in the effect it can have on your mind and confidence when you hit a couple good shots in a row with it.  But that still doesn't make it the ball doing the swinging.

Balls make a difference when you get an idea what you like to feel when you hit the ball.  Personally I play the B330 RXS often because it just feels super soft when I strike it.  And I hate playing other balls that feel like rocks.  Screws with my confidence.

[jmalaysia]

I finally got to play another round.  I stocked up on some "reload" Callaway Tour i balls.  I pretty much hacked.  However,  at the end of the round I was surprised to find I shot an 84,  just one shot off my last round.  I didn't hit a lot of good shots and definitely didn't have the same feel standing over the ball,  but after playing a couple of rounds with these balls I can certainly attest that they are much better better around the greens  I had a lot of up and downs to save par.  6 pars this round.  I do feel like a round in the 70's is possible now when just a couple of weeks ago I was saying the same thing about breaking 80.  I should point out that I just started playing again after nearly 20 years off,  and that I did go ahead and invest in custom clubs (1/2" short and 1 degree flat).  I'm fairly short so I think that probably helped more than the balls.  I guess it just took me a few rounds to get used to the new clubs.  Correct clubs and balls that provide confidence have gained me about 10 shots.