What Golf Ball Do You Reccommend?

[dbrock504]

Before you yell Pro V1 at me, read my explanation of my game first.

I am 22, played baseball for 16 years and decided to take up golf 4 years ago. I started playing seriously about 2.5-3 years ago while I was in college and finally got my mechanics down about 8 months ago when I broke down and got some quality lessons from a respected golf pro in my area. My swing speed with my driver is 107 mph avg. I now play in the mid 90's on avg (low 90's on great days, 100-105 on awful days). The issue for me has always been and continues to be getting off the tee box. I have great distance (driver 275+/ 250 on a mishit, 250-275 with a 3 wood) but I have a difficult time controlling the ball with the long sticks. I either hit it beautifully, or it's a hook into the trees or creek. Because of this, I often have to take drops and consequently ruins my score. My irons are either there or they're not. 15/18 holes they are there. My irons have a pretty, straight flight and I stick greens pretty often 160 and in. I would rather have the feel around the greens and continue to stick greens than get off the tee box 300+ yds. (Drive for show, putt for doe!) I also don't like my ball to feel like a rock (Pinnacle Gold) when I hit it. That's why I don't care for the 4 piece balls like a Pro V1x.

The balls I play most is the Nike PD Soft, but it is a 2 piece balls and I was recently told with my swing speed, I should use a 3 piece ball. The problem with the 3 piece ball is the cost. I'm still a college student and I don't want to spend $27 on a box of 12 e6's if I loose 5-10 balls a round... However, if I could find a ball that doesn't have so much action off the tee box, I might be able to keep more balls and the cost wouldn't affect me nearly as bad. I understand that Titleist make the best stuff out there, but I'm not going to spend $45-$50 on a box of balls. I have tried the Srixon Q Star before, but it was years ago when I was awful (120's player and 15 mph swing speed less) so I didn't really care for them at all. I have tried the e6 once before and I don't remember it much as I lost it pretty quickly after I found it. Same goes to the Pro V1 and Hex Tour. Some days (very rarely) I only loose 3 balls. Some days it's a box and half. What ball do you recommend to give me less action off the tee box but great feel around the greens? Also, with my swing speed, do you recommend a 3 layer ball for less compression? What about the cover material? Core material? HELP!

[Hardballs]

It's not the ball that's the problem, so I would just go for 2nd hand/used balls, more affordable if your losing that many! The e6 is a great ball for the price! And can be got cheap used! Try not to hit it so hard, if your irons are good slow your driver down and see what happens! It's better to hit a drive 225 on a fairway than 275 in a lake! My friend had a wild swing, 2 out of 18 go 280 on the fairway, the other 13 could be literally anywhere! He can't break 90 because of it! Forget about distance/swing speed, control will score you points!

[dbrock504]

It's not the ball that's the problem, so I would just go for 2nd hand/used balls, more affordable if your losing that many! The e6 is a great ball for the price! And can be got cheap used! Try not to hit it so hard, if your irons are good slow your driver down and see what happens! It's better to hit a drive 225 on a fairway than 275 in a lake! My friend had a wild swing, 2 out of 18 go 280 on the fairway, the other 13 could be literally anywhere! He can't break 90 because of it! Forget about distance/swing speed, control will score you points!

Absolutely true. And that is one of my biggest issues! I get antsy on the tee box and try to crush it, consequently, I am hitting about 9-10/18 fairways. I guess I just wanted to believe it wasn't ALL me Good advice. I will be more conscious about my driver swing speed when I play Friday morning and hopefully it helps. I will let you know how it goes! Thanks again.

[burner]

Absolutely true. And that is one of my biggest issues! I get antsy on the tee box and try to crush it, consequently, I am hitting about 9-10/18 fairways. I guess I just wanted to believe it wasn't ALL me Good advice. I will be more conscious about my driver swing speed when I play Friday morning and hopefully it helps. I will let you know how it goes! Thanks again.

Never, ever, alter your approach to the game to accommodate a poor swing.

Focus only on improving your swing, forget your scores - right now they are irrelevant, and your game will show you the benefits in due course.

[dbrock504]

Believe it or not, my swing really isn't as bad as it sounds. It is more of not being able to deal with the driver. The 3 wood I can hit better, but still not super well. I just recently put a driver back in my bag because I got a new one. By no means do I think my swing is great or doesn't need work. Like I said, if I could take back each drop I had to take off the tee box, I would shoot in the mid 80's. It's very typical of me on a par 4: Hit (gone). Drop Hit (275). Hit(150). Putt. Putt. That WOULD have been par, but because I had to drop, it's a double bogey. As much as I loose balls off the tee box, I am still in the mid 90's.

[NJpatbee]

As other have said correcting your tendency to get wild with the driver is the best solution, but there are some balls that are straight off the tee and will help you around the greens.  The 3 piece Gamer is a fine surlyn covered ball and can be had new for 2 dozen for $30 from Dicks.  TF also offers a 2 piece D2+ Feel that is less than a dollar a ball and is nowherer near a rock and is decent around the green.  The Callaway Supersoft offers low driver side spin and decent control around the green for under $20, and Wilson offers some good balls such as the Tour Velocity Feel for a buck a ball.

There are plenty of good inexpensive balls so save any money for some lessons with the Driver.  You are young enough and can in grain a good swing and then experiment with golf balls as your game progresses.  I started at a late age and am still a high HCP golfer with most of my lost strokes due to the driver and wish I had taken lessons earlier as my father had urged.

[dbrock504]

It's not the ball that's the problem, so I would just go for 2nd hand/used balls, more affordable if your losing that many! The e6 is a great ball for the price! And can be got cheap used! Try not to hit it so hard, if your irons are good slow your driver down and see what happens! It's better to hit a drive 225 on a fairway than 275 in a lake! My friend had a wild swing, 2 out of 18 go 280 on the fairway, the other 13 could be literally anywhere! He can't break 90 because of it! Forget about distance/swing speed, control will score you points!

I am going golfing tomorrow, but I couldn't wait, so I just went and played 9 at my local course. Typically shoot +13-15 on the front 9 here. I slowed my swing speed WAY down when using the driver and 3 wood. Felt as if it was super slow, but the ball was still going 250+. I lost 1 ball off the driver and one in the water 120 out wind in the face over a hazard surrounding a green on 9. Ended up shooting +9 on the front 9. I'm ecstatic. That was in fact the problem; trying to crush it. I am going to continue concentrating on that slower, smoother swing speed off the tee box and then find a ball from there. I don't know why I never thought to slow my tee box clubs down before. Thanks for the input

[dbrock504]

As other have said correcting your tendency to get wild with the driver is the best solution, but there are some balls that are straight off the tee and will help you around the greens.  The 3 piece Gamer is a fine surlyn covered ball and can be had new for 2 dozen for $30 from Dicks.  TF also offers a 2 piece D2+ Feel that is less than a dollar a ball and is nowherer near a rock and is decent around the green.  The Callaway Supersoft offers low driver side spin and decent control around the green for under $20, and Wilson offers some good balls such as the Tour Velocity Feel for a buck a ball.

There are plenty of good inexpensive balls so save any money for some lessons with the Driver.  You are young enough and can in grain a good swing and then experiment with golf balls as your game progresses.  I started at a late age and am still a high HCP golfer with most of my lost strokes due to the driver and wish I had taken lessons earlier as my father had urged.

Thanks for the ball recommendations. I am going to continue focusing on my tempo as I truly do believe that is the issue after today. If it doesn't get better, I will go get a lesson. Thanks again

[Hardballs]

Glad it's working! I used to have a similar problem, the harder and faster I swing, the worse my shot was, I slowly discovered it's not how hard you hit it, it's how well you hit, I now concentrate on weight shift, swing path and release, just look at some of Ernie els swing videos, looks like he puts no effort into it at all, it's more technique than power, once the technique is there, then maybe add some power when called for! I'm still learning the technique, whilst trying to instil a slight draw into my ball flight, it's a constant work in progress! But the results are very enjoyable!

[dbrock504]

Well see that was my problem. I went and got a few lessons and started hitting much better. Then I tried to add power into it. Going back to a smooth, fluid swing. It's all about the rotation of the hips, and I get lost in the arms once I start getting comfortable. All in all, the advice worked and I played awesome golf today. Looking forward to tomorrow's round with the guys.

[cm70056]

Since the driver is physically the longest club in most bags, it's going to be the hardest to hit if you have swing flaws. Since the club is longer, any small flaws in your swing mechanics are more dramatic because the head gets further out of line. Try to make sure you are keeping your arms in that nice "V" shape and concentrate on your swing path. To do this, you are going to have to slow your swing speed down. Make sure the club head is square at impact and you aren't on an out-to-in plane (cutting across) when coming across the ball. I used to have the same problem, but I am much happier with a 250-260 yard drive that finds the fairways 80% of the times vs. crushing a drive 280ish and only hitting a couple fairways a round.

My instructor gave me some really good advice once that stuck with me. On the range, hit balls with your driver, but only take the back swing back about 2 feet. Do this very slowly and then accelerate through the ball. Try to imagine you are "pushing" the ball off the tee with a square face instead of hitting it off the tee. The ball needs to be flying straight. If it isn't, you are breaking your wrists on the backswing and not getting them back before contact. This drill is going to train your wrists and muscles what position they need to get to before contact. After you've mastered this from 2 feet, keep taking the club back further and further until you are back to around a 3/4 swing. Anytime I start to see flaws in my driving, I go back to the range and hit hundreds of balls using this technique.

Regarding the balls, there are higher spinning balls out that may amplify your swing problem, but the root cause is the swing.

[burner]

Well see that was my problem. I went and got a few lessons and started hitting much better. Then I tried to add power into it. Going back to a smooth, fluid swing. It's all about the rotation of the hips, and I get lost in the arms once I start getting comfortable. All in all, the advice worked and I played awesome golf today. Looking forward to tomorrow's round with the guys.

Seems to me that you are getting there, although with lessons you might get there quicker.

However, right now the ball is immaterial and the swing is paramount.

You have recognised a weakness we all have in wanting to crush it and you will be able to do this more often if, as you say, you are focussed on tempo. That is not slowing the swing right down as the club head needs to be moving fast at impact and the faster the better if you want distance.

Slowing down should be a focus of the back swing and transition; neither of which benefit from speed but do gain assistance from smoothness and control. So try to start your down swing slowly but from parallel to the ground going down, through to parallel going up, cram on all you have got.

Funny thing is that the faster you (we all) start down the slower you (we all) will tend to be through impact and you (we all) will tend to destroy the control sought after, and associated with, a smooth transition.

You might benefit from holding your driver upside down and making some practise swings where you try to hear the swoosh of the club shaft as late as possible and certainly not before your impact position.

[dbrock504]

Since the driver is physically the longest club in most bags, it's going to be the hardest to hit if you have swing flaws. Since the club is longer, any small flaws in your swing mechanics are more dramatic because the head gets further out of line. Try to make sure you are keeping your arms in that nice "V" shape and concentrate on your swing path. To do this, you are going to have to slow your swing speed down. Make sure the club head is square at impact and you aren't on an out-to-in plane (cutting across) when coming across the ball. I used to have the same problem, but I am much happier with a 250-260 yard drive that finds the fairways 80% of the times vs. crushing a drive 280ish and only hitting a couple fairways a round.

My instructor gave me some really good advice once that stuck with me. On the range, hit balls with your driver, but only take the back swing back about 2 feet. Do this very slowly and then accelerate through the ball. Try to imagine you are "pushing" the ball off the tee with a square face instead of hitting it off the tee. The ball needs to be flying straight. If it isn't, you are breaking your wrists on the backswing and not getting them back before contact. This drill is going to train your wrists and muscles what position they need to get to before contact. After you've mastered this from 2 feet, keep taking the club back further and further until you are back to around a 3/4 swing. Anytime I start to see flaws in my driving, I go back to the range and hit hundreds of balls using this technique.

Regarding the balls, there are higher spinning balls out that may amplify your swing problem, but the root cause is the swing.

Yes my arms are always kept in a tight V. I used to have this problem of pushing outside the ball and hitting it off my hosel. Every time I go to the range, I put a glove under my arms for a few swings to ensure I'm keeping that nice and tight. This emphasis has made my iron game go from awful to pretty darn good. I will try that advice with the driver next time I go to the range. Thank you for sharing that.

[dbrock504]

Seems to me that you are getting there, although with lessons you might get there quicker.

However, right now the ball is immaterial and the swing is paramount.

You have recognised a weakness we all have in wanting to crush it and you will be able to do this more often if, as you say, you are focussed on tempo. That is not slowing the swing right down as the club head needs to be moving fast at impact and the faster the better if you want distance.

Slowing down should be a focus of the back swing and transition; neither of which benefit from speed but do gain assistance from smoothness and control. So try to start your down swing slowly but from parallel to the ground going down, through to parallel going up, cram on all you have got.

Funny thing is that the faster you (we all) start down the slower you (we all) will tend to be through impact and you (we all) will tend to destroy the control sought after, and associated with, a smooth transition.

You might benefit from holding your driver upside down and making some practise swings where you try to hear the swoosh of the club shaft as late as possible and certainly not before your impact position.

Great. I will give that a whirl. Thanks

[Lesterday]

I'm certainly a cheap ball purchaser.... I've used the Nike PD soft as well, then the laddie (great value 24 balls for 20 bucks). I'm currently playing the Wilison SL9000 straight for about the last 15 or so rounds. So far I can't complain, give them a try. you get 15 balls for about 13 bucks.

[14ledo81]

I'm certainly a cheap ball purchaser.... I've used the Nike PD soft as well, then the laddie (great value 24 balls for 20 bucks). I'm currently playing the Wilison SL9000 straight for about the last 15 or so rounds. So far I can't complain, give them a try. you get 15 balls for about 13 bucks.

Another vote for the laddie.

[JetFan1983]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lesterday

I'm certainly a cheap ball purchaser.... I've used the Nike PD soft as well, then the laddie (great value 24 balls for 20 bucks). I'm currently playing the Wilison SL9000 straight for about the last 15 or so rounds. So far I can't complain, give them a try. you get 15 balls for about 13 bucks.

Another vote for the laddie.

I like the Laddie too. Great cheap ball.

[Lesterday]

The laddie always seemed to fly quick off my putter. I like the Wilson a tad bit more than the laddie with the putting feel.