Tour Balls Make Short Game Worse?

[JP golf]

Now another option you might not consider is softness of the greens. I play on a course were one green might be slightly elevated and have the sun backing it. While another sits down and has a ton of shade. One green will be much softer than the other. This can effect first how much bounce you get. Second the softer the green the more spin will influence how the ball rolls out or spins back. 
 

Something here to consider as well. 

As Erik mentioned though, I think the main thing is reading the lie and making consistent contact.  I usually bring 3 clubs when I miss the green because I don't know what my lie looks like or what my margin for error is.  I also understand I have different release patterns depending on the club the lie and how I contact the ball.  I have far from mastered these but I do know I prefer a tour ball around the green- no question about it.

[HonestyPolicy]

I know that if I practiced i could improve my striking and probably get more consistent spin with tour balls. However I don't believe I have the knowledge, patience, time, or even desire to practice that much and perfect my short game. So my plan is to play the "more forgiving" 2 piece surlyn covered balls. 

Over the past 5 years my game has improved dramatically from 12 handicap to 6. Each year I've made an investment in my improvement recognizing that, as with all investments, the returns might come later than sooner. My handicap usually goes up before it comes down which is hard to swallow, but eventually the new method/equipment comes together. So IMHO becoming better involves all those things you say you don't have (time, patience, knowledge, and desire). I won't go through all the things that I've done to get better over the years, but now that my season is over up here in north country, I am considering what my next investment will be to improve my game further. One thought is to go to a tour ball.

I have played the Precept Laddie since 2010. I have the exact same issue as you with chipping. I can get it to release more consistently on my chips than a tour ball. But in assessing the weaknesses of my game, I've decided my pitch shots and my short sided shots need to be better. A Chip and a Pitch are different shots. A chip for me is something around the green. A Pitch for me is something other than a full swing, generally inside 100 yards but not around the green. I usually play the tips, but I'll sometimes play the senior tees (and I am a senior) and when playing from the senior tees my drive can get inside 100 yards on most par 4's which allows me to practice these pitch shots but I find it frustrating to be so close on my second shot and not be able to get the ball to stop where I want it to. We have very small greens, but there are other guys at our course (2 handicaps or less) that can get it to stop, and I want to be able to do that. I know it's just not the ball, it's striking it right and judging it right, etc, etc, but I'm to the point where I feel as if a tour ball might help me get to stop those shots better.

So I'm probably going to the Bridgestone B330, or the ProV. The cost is going to hurt. Precept Laddies are $30 for 2 dz which is nice. But my wife (a 10 handicapper) actually plays ProV so maybe I'll steal some of hers......

Anyway, anyone who wants to get better needs to be able to objectively assess what is most wrong with their game and then decide if they want to make the investment to get better. You can improve with instruction, practice, equipment, or a combination of all three but, without the knowledge, time, patience, or desire, your results will be limited at best. Most I've seen quickly abandon the "new way" because it doesn't work right away and they don't want to deal with the learning curve.

 

 

[Lihu]

I hit my 8 iron around 140 yards.  I only play tour balls.  They check up quite nicely with that swing speed.

To be able to be consistent with tour balls when chipping, you must practice.  My guess is you are using too much wrist in your chips or at least varying the amount of wrists you use.  Try practicing your chips without wrist action.

I tend to agree with this, and I roughly hit the same distances with my prov1.

If 165 yard carry with an 8i is not enough distance for a tour ball, I'm not sure how half the PGA players get away with it?