Help Bill Choose a Golf Ball

[vangator]

I use the bite test when comparing golf balls kind of like the old days when they used to bite gold coins to see if they were real.. If they are too hard, I throw them to my son-in-law. My favorite used to be the Strata Tour Ultimate and Tour Ace. Don't make them any more. When I look through the used ball bins, I always jump on them.

[billchao]

Wanted to update this thread:

I bought two dozen Srixon Trispeed Tours (yellow) on sale at my local Golf Galaxy for like $25 or something, with coupon. I was there and I had the coupon, so I just bought them. It was kind of an impulse buy, but like I said, I figured I'll just try a bunch of different balls this year and get a good idea of what I like or don't like in a golf ball. My son helped me pick out the yellow. Played one round with it so far, but can't really give much feedback on it other than the fact that the balls being yellow doesn't matter much when they're plugged 3" into the ground.

Wife bought me two dozen Callaway HEX Chromes on clearance (at Target, I believe) for $16/dozen. Haven't even opened them yet.

I have some concerns about greenside spin, as everything I've researched says that you really can't get high-level spin without a high-level ball. I'll write a little review of both when the conditions are good enough for a real test.

[95124hacker]

If you're unsure, buy 3-ball sleeves instead of dozens to try out.  Sleeves are definitely more expensive (on per-ball basis) but better than wasting a dozen.  I'm a 15-ish hdcp, and usually play the high-end tour balls, but recently have been trying out the mid-tier NXT Tours.  They still retail for $33/doz though, but seem to be better suited for my game.

BTW, I don't like optic yellow balls. They still remind me of cheap Top Flites from the 90's, and here in CA with the drought and courses that are more brown than green, they are harder to find/see than white balls.

[vangator]

You will not be able to score low with a hard ball. You need a ball that will hit and stick. The Srixon to buy is the Z-Star.

[billchao]

You will not be able to score low with a hard ball. You need a ball that will hit and stick.

The Srixon to buy is the Z-Star.

You've seen my handicap, right? I won't be able to score low with any ball

[CR McDivot]

Gamer or Gamer Soft, three piece ball, $19 a dozen standard. Often get better prices on sale.

Very good ball for half again the price!

[chris3putt]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I think what I'm going to do this coming season is try a bunch of different balls to get a feel for what is out there and how they compare to each other. I can probably write a little review of each one as I go through them.

Don't forget to try them on the green. Feedback off the putter face is one of my higher priorities in ball choice.

[WedgeHead]

I'm really interested in trying the Wilson Staff Duo balls. I read a ton of reviews and watched videos. They claim that the balls are the longest, softest balls available with low spin. Seems like the best of both worlds.

[Lihu]

I'm really interested in trying the Wilson Staff Duo balls. I read a ton of reviews and watched videos. They claim that the balls are the longest, softest balls available with low spin. Seems like the best of both worlds.

I found one the other day, and have been using it on various holes. It is really soft. Not sure why, but I get really high flights with this ball versus the Titleist ProV1x ball I've been using with roughly the same swing.

BTW, on topic, I think Bill should buy Titleist ProV1x balls use or from people who find them on the courses and sell them for $0.50 to $1.00 depending upon the condition.

[NJpatbee]

I have never played them but the specs for the MG C4 are very close to the Prov1 at half the price - why not try them i fyou want to play new balls?  Under $20.

[Lihu]

I have never played them but the specs for the MG C4 are very close to the Prov1 at half the price - why not try them i fyou want to play new balls?  Under $20.

I've actually played a couple of them found on the course. Someone ahead of me probably abandoned them. They felt slippery so I assumed the do not spin that well, but the seemed pretty good around the greens. I should bring them back out once I get my swing settled to evaluate them better. Good suggestion.

[irishmike27]

Check out 3up golf, I played the 2S14 for the last couple rounds of the fall and really liked it. They also have a 3piece that's supposedly pro v-like. The packaging is awesome too.

[Lihu]

Check out 3up golf, I played the 2S14 for the last couple rounds of the fall and really liked it. They also have a 3piece that's supposedly pro v-like. The packaging is awesome too.

These seem nice, but are also $39.95/dozen.

Please?

I know there are a lot of threads out there about picking a golf ball, but I didn't really know how to insert myself into one of them, so I made my own, sorry.

I'm exploring my options for golf balls. I swing pretty fast for the average amateur and I like a ball with decent spin around the green, but I don't really want anything that would spin back on an approach shot or anything.

Currently, I play used Pro V1xs in the highest quality, about $25/doz. I'm open to playing other used premium balls.

The other option I'm considering is to buy new balls in a lower tier. I've read great things about the Callaway Supersoft ($20/doz) or the Bridgestone e-series balls ($25/dozen).

I've also read about MG Golf Tour-C4 balls ($20/doz) and apparently they're similar to Pro V1s.

I'm not sure what I should buy. Maybe I'm putting too much thought into this. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd appreciate it.

Actually, Bill, I have not really used a ball that works so much differently that I can say I hate it.

The Pro-V1X last a long time, I've played many rounds with them. I also have been using one of the Callaway SR2's I got at Erie. The one ball I've been using seems to be just as good as the ProV1/x balls.

If you really get them for the $25/dozen, that's about a months supply for me if I lose them that is. . .

[billchao]

If you really get them for the $25/dozen, that's about a months supply for me if I lose them that is. . .

Well they're used/possibly refinished. I don't know for sure if they are the real deal, but I do know that I scuff the crap out of them pretty easily. Maybe I'm too anal about the condition of my golf balls, but I'll pull them out of rotation pretty often, mid-round. My shag bag is/was full of scratched and scuffed up balls, and you can see the mantle layer of many of them.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

If you really get them for the $25/dozen, that's about a months supply for me if I lose them that is. . .

Well they're used/possibly refinished. I don't know for sure if they are the real deal, but I do know that I scuff the crap out of them pretty easily.

Maybe I'm too anal about the condition of my golf balls, but I'll pull them out of rotation pretty often, mid-round. My shag bag is/was full of scratched and scuffed up balls, and you can see the mantle layer of many of them.

The paint comes off new ones too (I have an assortment of used and probably 5-6 dozen new ones), but even with scuffed paint and such the balls perform pretty well. I hit all kinds of objects with them like trees, rocks, fences and landing cart paths, etc. They still spin nicely around the greens and don't start acting funny on my drives or approach shots, that I notice anyway.

BTW, even the Callaway SR2 I am using has all kind of scars, and still works pretty well.

It seems like premium balls are really worth the money if you don't lose a lot of them. They really seem to last a lot longer than the new cheap $12/dozen ones.

[billchao]

The paint comes off new ones too (I have an assortment of used and probably 5-6 dozen new ones), but even with scuffed paint and such the balls perform pretty well. I hit all kinds of objects with them like trees, rocks, fences and landing cart paths, etc. They still spin nicely around the greens and don't start acting funny on my drives or approach shots, that I notice anyway.

I probably take them out sooner than I need to. I don't know that the scuffs affect the play, but it's in my head.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

The paint comes off new ones too (I have an assortment of used and probably 5-6 dozen new ones), but even with scuffed paint and such the balls perform pretty well. I hit all kinds of objects with them like trees, rocks, fences and landing cart paths, etc. They still spin nicely around the greens and don't start acting funny on my drives or approach shots, that I notice anyway.

I probably take them out sooner than I need to. I don't know that the scuffs affect the play, but it's in my head.

If a new ball gives you more confidence, then you should switch them out.

I play every morning, and it gets hard for me to justify throwing away a ball or putting it into my "shag bag". Plus, I sometimes use them for practice rounds where I do hit multiple balls. If I threw one out every time it got scuffed up, I would have hundreds of balls in my shag box. I already have 90 or so. I can't even get myself to throw away the range balls I bought. I wait until they crack and split before throwing them into the recycling bin.

[iacas]

@billchao , help yourself find a new ball (possibly): http://thesandtrap.com/t/79696/member-review-roll-call-bridgestone-e-series-golf-balls