Ball recommendations. 85 swing speed

[cnl390]

I know these type of questions are asked what seems to be weekly, so I apologize up front.

Right now I have an 85 mph driver swing speed.  My average drive is around 220. I would like more distance, but my main goal is keeping the ball in the fairway.  Suggestions?

Thanks 

 

[newtogolf]

Callaway SuperSoft Snell Golf Get Sum would be two I'd suggest you test.  

[NJpatbee]

For pure distance, I use the Maxfli Softfli, Callaway SuperSoft, or Titleist DT TruSoft for my 88-90 SS and 17 HCP swing.  For a combination of distance and better performance on the green I will play the Gamer Soft.  There are other similar balls for distance including the Nike PD Soft and Pinnacle Soft, and the Wilson Duo.  I have not played the Wilson Duo Spin but the specs are very similar to the Gamer Soft.

[No Mulligans]

Check out the Bridgestone E6.  You can do an internet fitting here:

https://www.bridgestonegolf.com/ball-fitting

[shanksalot]

This is just a gross statement. I would stay away from balls with urethane covers. Look for low compression two piece balls that have soft in their name. Most companies make a two piece low compression ball for around $20/25 or less.

[Gator Hazard]

Check out others suggestions. I second and third (can I do that?) the Bridgestone E6. Loving that ball right now. 

[Shindig]

Yet another suggestion for Bridgestone e6 and Snell Get Sum.  Easily my two favorite golf balls. 

[jkelley9]

Anything with a suryln cover and low spin should be good. e6's are a good recommendation.

[cnl390]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I have played a couple of E6 balls I found and really liked them, and will eventually buy some.  I think I will give the Snell Get Sum a try and see how they perform for me. 

[David L Yskes]

i use the Maxfli SoftFli, and love it...... while i dont know what my SS is, i know i can hit this ball really well.. i do sometimes play the U/3 ball when i am hitting the ball good..   but usually i stick with the SoftFli, cuz when i go crank on one and hit it straight OMFG this ball just goes... and usually i am just taking a nice easy swing to get the ball in the fairway, not just grip n rip like i use to do in years before..   

 

[stealthhwk]

Bridgestone e5 if u want urethane and greenside spin. Bridgestone e6 if you dont want the urethane cover. The e6 is overpriced with its surlyn cover but imho,  one of the best non urethame golf balls out there. If u want cheaper alternatives, Id suggest Callaway Supersoft, Top flite gamer soft, and top flite gamer tour. Good luck!

[thoMz0-]

The bases have been covered well here. Good job guys. 

+1 vote on the 29 compression duo. I find that it flies higher off the driver than other ultra-low compression balls. Should help get that extra carry with driver. 

[1badbadger]

Sorry I'm late for the meeting guys...I got here as quick as I could.  I realize this is an older thread, but I'd like to provide a little insight which I hope is helpful.

One thing to keep in mind is that every swing speed, regardless if it's 70 mph or 120 mph, has a maximum distance.  Mathematically the ball can only go so far.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if your swing speed is 85 mph, and you're hitting your drives 220 yds, technically you're maxed out...mathematically that's as far as the ball will go with your swing speed.  It's actually closer to 215.

It's like having a car with a top speed of 60 mph, and wanting to complete a 75 mile trip in an hour.  Its not possible.  Now, before anyone tries to blast me because they also have an 85 mph clubhead speed, and they have hit drives over 220 yds so apparently my "theory" is wrong, everybody chill.  Remember, I said mathematically there is a certain distance the ball can travel, but in real life there are variables that will affect the results.  Meaning with a strong tail wind on a downhill hole with firm turf conditions it's possible to hit it past your maximum, but not under normal conditions.

Notice the middle line marked "ideal".  This is the perfect numbers for a 98.9 mph swing.  Most players have potential to increase distance because there is room for improvement in these categories.  In this example, moving to a different ball increased the distance by 7 yards, but there is still room in each area for improvement.

For you to increase your distance, you'll have to increase your clubhead speed.  It's simply not mathematically possible to hit the ball 230 yards with an 85 mph swing speed.  But the e6 is still a good choice.

 

[Blackjack Don]

1 hour ago, 1badbadger said:

Sorry I'm late for the meeting guys...I got here as quick as I could.

I'm just glad you got here. Do you have these stats (or a link) where I can see what the theoretical max yards are for each club? These would be seriously helpful. I have a Zepp device and a GPS watch as well as a Game Golf tracker, so I could "theoretically" find my own compared to the max. Now, for me, a data nut, that would be interesting to track.

 

[1badbadger]

4 hours ago, Blackjack Don said:

I'm just glad you got here. Do you have these stats (or a link) where I can see what the theoretical max yards are for each club? These would be seriously helpful. I have a Zepp device and a GPS watch as well as a Game Golf tracker, so I could "theoretically" find my own compared to the max. Now, for me, a data nut, that would be interesting to track.

 

Don, the program I have shows the ideal driver launch conditions for swing speeds starting at 60 mph up to 140 mph.  It's a proprietary program that is for internal use only, so unfortunately I can't  share it .  I haven't seen anything that  calculates ideal launch conditions based on clubhead speed for fairway woods, hybrids and irons.  There is information on the averages for Tour players and LPGA Tour players and others, but I haven't seen a program for optimum numbers.  Even though the program I have goes down to 60 mph, you can't just plug in your 5 iron swing speed or 7 iron swing speed because an 85 mph swing with an iron will not have the same ideal launch numbers as an 85 mph swing with a driver.

The Trajectory Optimizer on Flightscope's website is fun to experiment with...it will show how the distance and trajectory are affected when the launch angle is changed, or the backspin, or how much sidespin affects your ball flight.  Check it out:

http://flightscope.com/products/trajectory-optimizer/

[Blackjack Don]

Alas, it was a good idea. The data hasn't caught up with it yet. 

[HitAndGiggle]

Interesting thread. I second what shanksalot said about the 2-piece equipment.

[kiwi g]

not sure about my swing speed,as im a bit of a newbie to this great game.but i also hit my drives (well the good ones at least )around the 220 to 230 total distance mark.and have been experimenting with lots of different balls over the last few months.for me personally it ended up coming down to a choice between 2 balls.the srixon soft feel,and callaway chrome supersoft,as they had the best results for me out on the course.while the sixon went a little further and seemed to hold its line better thru the wind(a typical new zealand summers day!)plus was cheeper.the callaway chrome supersoft was by far the best ball for me from the 7i thru to my wedges.when i do occasionally hit the shot i see in my head,it stops for me on the green.where as a lot of the other balls i hit,would hit the middle of the green  and then run off the back.for me personally il take the ball i hit into the green,and putt best with over distance.so will be playing that ball for the rest of the southern hemisphere summer and autum.even thou it wasent the first ball recomened to me.so to cut a long answer short,trial and error.plus what i view as the most important part of my game was the best way the best way for me to pick a ball