What ball, and why

[paininthenuts]

Firstly, I am a high handicapper, so my choice of ball may not suit everyone. Having spend time experimenting, and then reading up on the subject, it became evident that using the correct ball for ones abilities, and sticking to it, is essential. I decided I needed a ball that flew as straight as possible, didn't feel to hard or to soft, and didn't cost a fortune. I thought I had found the ideal ball when I tried and then purchased the Nike PD soft. It traveled well, and felt great off of the head. The balls were also very well priced. Having read about the Bridgestone e6, and the fact it is meant to be the straightest ball in the world, I gave one a go. What a fantastic ball it is to. It has dimples in dimples, feels great off of the club, excellent on the green, and goes as straight you could possibly expect. I can buy mint condition lake balls on ebay for about 70p each ($1). The downside is that Bridgestone have pulled out of the UK, so I have stocked right up with them

[mcanadiens]

I've never really worried a heck of a lot about the balls I use since my hideous swing is the bigger problem. That said, I do like both balls @paininthenuts mentioned. Sometimes I can get them in decent recycled condition for cheap. 

[Mike Boatright]

E6 isn't a great ball instead opt for callaway chrome soft or nike rzn 2 piece.

[vangator]

I use the Volvik S3 because it is long and has nice spin on approach shots.  They're around $45 per dozen, but I don't go through balls very fast.

[DeadMan]

Pro V1x - best combination of distance, control, and spin on short game shots for my game. The last one is the reason that I use it instead of an e6 or ball like that.

[No Mulligans]

Whatever I find because for someone with my handicap it just doesn't matter.

[Buckeyebowman]

I do like the Pro V1 and V1x, but what disturbs me is that going on the Titleist website, one can find no explanation of the difference between the two balls. As far as I know, they are one and the same! My choice these days is the Precept Laddie. It goes like hell when the weather is cold in the early Spring, and performs well at other times. I can get two dozen of them for about $20, where the ProV1's cost me close to $50 a dozen! I'm sorry, but I don't own a 50 buck a dozen game these days!

[uitar9]

15 hours ago, No Mulligans said:

Whatever I find because for someone with my handicap it just doesn't matter.

Exactly-I believe I can lose a $5 ball just as fast as a $0.50 ball. I also think the three or four piece balls are heavier and  will sink even faster in the water hazards than my cheap two piece balls.

[Osnola]

What ever ball is on sale...I can shoot 100 or 90 with the same ball, so I really think that it makes no difference for me...Being serious, I have played $5 balls and balls that cost .50...If the more expensive ball makes your game better, go for it.  But I am convinced that a good golfer will still be a good golfer with a cheap ball and that a shitty golfer will still be a shitty golfer with an expensive ball...

[NJpatbee]

As a 17 HCP I do have some problems with tour level high spin balls since my mishits wind up in more trouble than with a lower spinning ball.  However, I do not want a ball that rolls like a marble over the green.  Based on my 85-90 driver SS I chose the Maxfli Softfli as my primary ball (Supersoft or Gamer Soft also work) because I hit the ball longer, they are fine around the greens, and are a steal at 2 dozen for $25. My 10 year old grandson also hits them a ton for his age.

[Lilfrier]

The choice of ball doesn't really matter to me. I find plenty on the course (my cousin and I went on Monday and found probably 6-8), and I don't lose nearly as many as I used to (just 1 per-round on the same hole every time). My eyesight isn't good, so I can have trouble tracking a ball after 150 yards or so. I use mostly yellow (Slazengers that were on sale a couple of years back) and orange (Nitros that I got as a Christmas gift) balls on the holes I won't lose a ball on, for the added visibility.

If I run low on them sometime, maybe I'll try looking into some high- and low-spin balls, to see how they feel in different spots. On the one hand, my slices are already severe, so high-spin balls could mean even more trouble. On the other, my chips don't have great spin, and I run the ball long a lot more than short. Maybe a high-spin ball will stop a bit better.

[Big Lex]

I think the ball choice matters sometimes.

I played ProV1x last season. A friend from TM gave me some of their tour balls and they were indistinguishable for me from ProV1x's. He also gave me the Taylor Made Project A's to try, and I did not like those. They spun more I thought on full shots, especially iron shots, so they were a teeny bit shorter and spun up into the wind more than ProV's did for me.

The other day I compared ProV's to Srixon ZStar at a simulator and found ZERO difference.

I participated in the Golf Digest Hot List about 7-8 years ago and did a huge ball test for them at a local club. For me, I clearly liked the tour balls better than all the second tier balls or distance balls. Granted, this was a while back....but while distance was essentially the same for all the balls, the balls like the NXT and the Callaway Hot or whatever their distance ball was back then, they all felt harder around the greens especially. I didn't like the feel off the putter on a lot of them, either.

It is very hard to go wrong....all the balls are good. It comes down to what you like, what feels good.

 

 

[DeadMan]

On ‎3‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 9:25 PM, Buckeyebowman said:

I do like the Pro V1 and V1x, but what disturbs me is that going on the Titleist website, one can find no explanation of the difference between the two balls. As far as I know, they are one and the same! My choice these days is the Precept Laddie. It goes like hell when the weather is cold in the early Spring, and performs well at other times. I can get two dozen of them for about $20, where the ProV1's cost me close to $50 a dozen! I'm sorry, but I don't own a 50 buck a dozen game these days!

The difference is that the Pro V1x spins less off the driver and goes higher on approach shots. My personal experience is that it spins slightly less around the greens, but only slightly.

 

I do think the type of ball you use matters. The brand doesn't. As I progressed in golf, I went from a cheap distance ball (Top Flite D2 Distance), to a mid range distance ball (Bridgestone e6), to a high end ball (Callaway Hex Chrome+/Pro V1x). I started with the cheap distance ball because it got the me the most distance in the cheap end of balls. I went to the e6 when I was hitting more greens and wanted something that would stop on approach shots. The D2 just bounced and rolled, whereas I could get the e6 to spin and check on approach shots. Then, I started wanted more spin on half wedge and short game shots, so I went to a ball with a urethane cover.

My advice to golfers is to use a cheap distance ball when starting out, because golf is more fun when do you occasionally hit a ball far. Then, when you're starting to get more proficient and getting annoyed that your balls roll off the green when you hit the green, get a mid-range ball. Finally, when you need more control closer to the green, go for a urethane cover ball.

Does the type of ball matter to my score? A little bit? I could probably adjust to any ball right now without hurting my score too much. But it's much easier, for me, to have consistency in the ball to give a little more control. But I think I only very recently got to that point.

[jamo]

On ‎3‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 10:24 AM, Mike Boatright said:

E6 isn't a great ball instead opt for callaway chrome soft or nike rzn 2 piece.

What does this even mean?

[vangator]

I advise anyone to pick a ball and stick with it.  If you play different balls, at least determine which balls react the same, especially with the scoring clubs.  You should know how the ball will react when you chip and putt.  Will the ball check up on approach shots.

If find most premium balls to be pretty similar.  The Pro V1 is softer and will check up more than the Pro V1x for me.  The Srixon Z Star and Z Star XV are to the Pro V1 and Pro V1x for me.

I won't play a Cally Chrome Soft because I don't have them figured out.

[Buckeyebowman]

11 hours ago, DeadMan said:

The difference is that the Pro V1x spins less off the driver and goes higher on approach shots. My personal experience is that it spins slightly less around the greens, but only slightly.

 

I do think the type of ball you use matters. The brand doesn't. As I progressed in golf, I went from a cheap distance ball (Top Flite D2 Distance), to a mid range distance ball (Bridgestone e6), to a high end ball (Callaway Hex Chrome+/Pro V1x). I started with the cheap distance ball because it got the me the most distance in the cheap end of balls. I went to the e6 when I was hitting more greens and wanted something that would stop on approach shots. The D2 just bounced and rolled, whereas I could get the e6 to spin and check on approach shots. Then, I started wanted more spin on half wedge and short game shots, so I went to a ball with a urethane cover.

My advice to golfers is to use a cheap distance ball when starting out, because golf is more fun when do you occasionally hit a ball far. Then, when you're starting to get more proficient and getting annoyed that your balls roll off the green when you hit the green, get a mid-range ball. Finally, when you need more control closer to the green, go for a urethane cover ball.

Does the type of ball matter to my score? A little bit? I could probably adjust to any ball right now without hurting my score too much. But it's much easier, for me, to have consistency in the ball to give a little more control. But I think I only very recently got to that point.

Don't get me wrong, I love both the Pro-V1's. The way they feel, the way they launch, the way they hold greens. I was a Titleist guy for a long time. Back when I could actually play this game a little bit I used Titleist Black Tour Balatas (100 compression), but only when it was mid 80's and up in temp. When it was hot, they'd launch like cruise missiles! When it dropped below 80 they'd turn into rocks!

Like I said before, I don't have a 50 buck a dozen game anymore. That's why I'm always delighted when I find a lost Pro-V1! Also, I'm retired and look for value. And it just occurred to me that the time of year is influencing my answer. It's March in NE Ohio and I've already played 72 holes of golf! It's not exactly the top quality experience you can have in mid-Summer, but when you're all horny for golf you play as soon as possible, slogging through the muck, looking for plugged balls, and putting on lumpy greens. These are not the conditions that call for an A grade ball because they won't really make any difference.

I enjoyed your comments about the Top Flites. Is there a golfer who never played the Top Flite? And why is it that I find more of them lost on golf courses than any other ball? I was in a league at a course that had, shall we say, minimal watering capability. Just enough to keep the greens alive. One round, I was playing with one of the better players in the league. The course was dry and firm, and I couldn't hold a green to save my life! I was wondering why, and this guy asked me what ball I was playing. Top Flite! He said, "You don't use rocks on rocks!" I asked him to explain, and he said, "Top Flites go like hell, but they don't spin worth a crap! I use them myself early in the year when the course is soft. But when it dries out you have to use a ball that spins more or you have no chance of getting a ball to stick on these greens!" So, your choice of ball might also depend on the conditions encountered on the course.

Generally I try to play the best ball I can afford when conditions are right. I'll hit just about any old cheapie at this time of year.

 

19 minutes ago, vangator said:

I advise anyone to pick a ball and stick with it.  If you play different balls, at least determine which balls react the same, especially with the scoring clubs.  You should know how the ball will react when you chip and putt.  Will the ball check up on approach shots.

If find most premium balls to be pretty similar.  The Pro V1 is softer and will check up more than the Pro V1x for me.  The Srixon Z Star and Z Star XV are to the Pro V1 and Pro V1x for me.

I won't play a Cally Chrome Soft because I don't have them figured out.

This is a position I would generally agree with, but sometimes the doggone manufacturers change the balls! Referring to my comments about the Pro-V1 above, that has been a magnificently consistent ball from the time of it's introduction until now! I think Titleist took the time to do it right, realized they had hit a home run, and have stuck with it. If they've made changes to the ball over the years, they have been small ones.

At one time I played a brand of ball called ULTRA. I loved them! Terrific feel coming off the club head, great distance and would hold greens. I think they hit their zenith with the ULTRA AR 432. Just an incredible ball, but I was a little suspicious of it at first since they had changed the dimple pattern and the name. Playing it removed all doubt! However, the next iteration of the ULTRA ball was not all that great, and the iteration after that was an absolute turd! So, I was left searching for another ball to play.

I kind of forgot about Srixon. Those that I have tried played very well, but they don't seem to get the love. I believe they are made by Cleveland Golf. Maybe I'll have to try some more. One thing about today's market, you certainly can't complain about lack of selection. It's mind boggling! And confusing! I also fish, and you can say the same thing about fishing line. It's come a long way from when the only choices were Stren and Trilene monofilament! Looking at a wall of line makes me want to wrap myself in a blanket, and have someone put me to bed!

And I'll say this about the Callaway Chrome Soft. I bought the hype last year with Dan Patrick flogging them on his radio show every 5 minutes! I bought some, and I did NOT like them! And I played Callaway HX Hots for quite a few years. They flew really well and seemed to spin enough to hold all but the hardest greens. But then, as I mentioned earlier, Callaway started changing it in ways I didn't like. It just didn't feel the same. Anyway, I bought some Chrome Softs, and was very disappointed. Instead of that satisfying "crack" I'd get off my driver, I'd get a "clunk" and the ball didn't go anywhere! I'm not saying they won't work for everyone, they just don't work for me.

[vangator]

Are you talking about the Wilson Ultra?  Those are rocks.  Those are in the goody bags at scrambles.

The ProV1 line has models with different dimple numbers over the years.  There's one with 332, another with 392 and I assume the one with no number was different from those two.  I believe that balls with more dimples flies higher and less dimples flies lower.  Not positive though.

Not a Cally CS fan either.

[Buckeyebowman]

You know what, vangator? I never really looked closely enough at the box to determine who made the Ultra. All I know for sure is that the Wilson "W" did not appear on the ball. As for being a rock, that's why I quit using them. I'm talking maybe 20-25 years ago. Also, some time ago I bought a dozen Wilson "Smart Core" balls. How could I not? They offered a free golf shirt and hat with the purchase of a dozen! Huh?! So, I put some in the bag and used them. They were definitely a soft cover, "spinny" ball. After every approach I'd mark my ball, and when cleaning it find "pigtails" of cover material spiraling off of it. I used one ball for an entire round, and by the end of that round the cover was basically chopped off of it! 

I think that balls with deeper dimples would fly higher due to increased air turbulence. An increased number of shallower dimples might be an attempt at a compromise between spin and distance.