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Anybody Else Not That Interested in Premium Golf Balls?


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If a ball stops 10 to 15 feet of where it lands on a green with a 1/2 of more wedge then I'm happy.  A Callaway SuperSoft does that on most of the greens I play.  If the greens are too hard for that to happen I go to a premium ball.  Most of the time though the SuperSoft works and is predictable if I hit it well.

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12 hours ago, Pablo68 said:

On Ebay.

Now I switched to TaylorMade Project (a)  which seems comparable to TP5s but like $25 a dozen.

The project (a) balls are pretty nice! Liked them.

So, in answer to the OP, I guess there are some people interested in premium balls.

The way I figure it. I pay $13 to $200 (just wait to get invited to more expensive ones than $200) per round and a premium brand new ball is about $4 retail. You can get new over-print ones for like $3. I don't lose many balls, so it's like $16 for the cheapest round and I enjoy more with a premium ball in hand. If I used the cheapest reasonable ball on the market, it'll cost me like $1.5 per ball. That's like $1.5 savings for the cheapest round I play.

A used premium ball performs or at least feels much better than a brand new cheap ball. I'm not even including the "Snake Eye's" brand that goes dead after 3 drives. I'm including the nicer inexpensive Top flight balls. Not much savings, at all.

Then there's absolutely no point in using cheap balls for a $200 round, unless I plan to shoot over 120. :-P

I enjoy the feel of a nice premium ball off the face, even if it doesn't actually perform any better. However, to me, they seem to perform much better.

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On 12/18/2017 at 10:55 AM, iacas said:

Like what?

Faster balls rebound with higher ball speeds than softer balls. So it's not really about that, or the old idea that you get a bonus if you can "compress the core" or whatever.

I don't think what you've said is all that accurate. Do they have the short game technique, or even the inside-125-yards technique, to get the ball to spin like a higher player? No. But they'll still spin it more than a lower priced ball.

What "full advantage" are they missing out on, again? Like what?

They get a bit less spin on shorter shots… but they still get more spin than they would with cheaper balls.

My argument is more of a financial one: poorer players lose more balls, so they can save quite a bit of money by opting for slightly cheaper balls.

This is where we typically butt heads with each other...

Firmer balls rebound with higher ball speeds than softer balls...with on-center hits.  But when the sweet spot is missed, the firmer ball will lose more performance than the lower compression ball.

And there is a bonus for compressing the core...less spin!  Even if you disagree about the ball speed aspect, there is no question that compressing the ball more reduces spin which results in more distance for most players and straighter shots.  And in a way, I agree that many players are not able to take advantage of the benefits of a 5-piece ball.  Your point was about the spin on shorter shots...they might not spin it as much as an accomplished player who has sound technique, but they will spin it more than a less expensive Surlyn ball.  And I agree with that.  Where the biggest issue is with players who have a moderate swing speed using this type of ball is lacking the clubhead speed to get through all those layers and compress the core with the driver and longer clubs.  If the ball is only partially compressed, it will only produce partial performance.  If a player is only able to get through three layers with their driver, the ball is going to react like it was hit with a 5 iron.

I agree on the point you made about the price difference being a consideration for saving money though.

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11 hours ago, 1badbadger said:

This is where we typically butt heads with each other...

Firmer balls rebound with higher ball speeds than softer balls...with on-center hits.  But when the sweet spot is missed, the firmer ball will lose more performance than the lower compression ball.

I don't think we "butt heads." I just haven't ever heard a good explanation for why a firmer ball loses more ball speed on off-center hits. The physics are pretty similar.

You said "performance" so maybe it's not even really about ball speed.

Can you clarify?


And, all told, the short game performance can often perhaps offset the full-swing slight loss of performance. Or maybe not - that'll depend on anyone's different game.

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I agree, my initial hunch is that a firmer golf ball shouldn’t swap places with a softer ball on off-center hits with regards to ball speed. 

I never saw that big of a performance drop from something like pinnacle to the Pro-v in terms of driving distance. 

It might be slightly noticeable on a launch monitor, but not noticeable on the golf course. 

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  • 6 months later...

I've settled on Callaway Super Hot 70, with the orange numbers. It's a 3 piece low compression ball. I like the way it feels off the clubface, and it has plenty of spin. At $30 for a box of 15, it doesn't break the bank. Actually, i found them at Walmart the other day for $28 for 15, so I get a free ball as long as that price lsts.

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I agree with the OP. A whole lot of folks don't need to be dropping a chunk of change on high end balls! I played a very exclusive country club last Saturday, and I could get balls like Pinnacle Soft and Precept Laddie to bite on full shots. The difference lies in short pitches and chips.

Besides, I find plenty of lost Pro V-1's and V-1X's on local courses to keep me stocked up!

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Currently still using the Srixon AD333's i got with a subscription but i'm always looking at golf balls. Considering a move to Titleist, something like the trusoft or maybe back to getting some DT Solo lake balls.

Saw these which look/sound "interesting" to say the least

https://www.inesis.co.uk/tour-900-golf-ball-x12-white-id_8490558

3 piece urethane ball for £19.99 a dozen, Might be good for the decent golfer on a budget?

Russ, from "sunny" Yorkshire = :-( 

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I like better balls, but I buy them off the used golf ball sites to save $.  If I am in a slump, I play Srixon Money Balls, as they work fine and can be very cheap, like 30 for $20 when are on sale.

Always remember, the same country that invented golf and called it a game, invented bag pipes and called it music.

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I have no interest in Pro V1's or other high end balls.  Mid-level balls do just fine for my skill level without the $$$$ price tag.  I'm happy with a few yards of roll out if it means it's close to the pin.  I like my Bridgestone e6's that I bought a bunch of off ebay and I got a dozen Chrome Softs as a gift, so once I burn through those I'll be interested in checking out Taylormade Project a.  I found a new e6 speed and it seems to feel a bit harder than my previous gen e6's.

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Thought I would chime in on this one...when chipping my goal has been to get the ball rolling on the green ASAP so as to minimize lateral deflection but I make sure to always land it on the green, as the aprons are rarely carpet smooth where I play. Will use 6 to pw for all chips depending on how close I am to the green and how close the pin is. When pitching I normally land it (try) before the pin and run it up. There are, for me, rare times when it just has gotta stop fast so I'll launch it up. So in most cases a non urathane ball, less expesive, would be fine....In spite of what might be on the tee at the moment ☺️

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What frustrates me is how I spend hours on the range working out my distances. I’m hitting into a lake so it’s a level surface. I use my range finder and shoot the flag at 165yds. I repeatedly hit my 7i over the flag. I then pull the 8i out and flush those to the flag and sometimes a little short. Feels fantastic.

A couple hours later I go to play 9 holes. I’m at a par 3 that’s 167yds over water for the first 120yds or so. From the water to the green is just slightly uphill. The pin is back so I pull my 7i. I flush it I tell ya. Just felt great...and I’m 10yds short of the green! 

Now at the range I’m using new and used floater balls that I’ve been told yield about  15-20% less distance. 

On the course I was using ProV1. That’s just one example. I’ve noticed this and it really is pretty disheartening. I honestly don’t see my hitting the ProV1 any further than those damn range balls. I know I’m very capable of poor strikes...but also know that ‘feel’ when I make a good swing and flush it. I don’t really know what to make of this.

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22 hours ago, Vinsk said:

I don’t really know what to make of this.

Could it be more spin on the pro v1? I was getting fitted for wedges with a launch monitor and two fitters were going back and forth as to why some clubs were carrying farther than others and I think it was the spin that various wedges were able to impart. More spin, less carry?

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1 hour ago, Carl3 said:

Could it be more spin on the pro v1? I was getting fitted for wedges with a launch monitor and two fitters were going back and forth as to why some clubs were carrying farther than others and I think it was the spin that various wedges were able to impart. More spin, less carry?

Well this has been happening with all my clubs. And still...no way a damn floater beater ball should carry more than a ProV1 right!? I just find it hard to believe that my flush hits on the range are just that much better. I spend hours on the range and I know when I catch it solid ...which is quite often actually. Hell I’ve considered playing my next round with a floater ball just to see what happens!

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  • 3 months later...

I have found after my 8-10 years away from the game is, most mid priced balls of today are better than the premium balls of yesteryear. I don't think my game right now would  benefit  from a premium ball, but I have found a ball that has helped me go from low 90s to mid 80s and that ball is Wilson true distance soft.

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On 8/28/2018 at 7:46 PM, Carl3 said:

Could it be more spin on the pro v1? I was getting fitted for wedges with a launch monitor and two fitters were going back and forth as to why some clubs were carrying farther than others and I think it was the spin that various wedges were able to impart. More spin, less carry?

That's been our experience. By "our" I mean myself and my main golf buddy. He generates a lot more clubhead speed and backspin than I do. He found a brand new Pro-V1x on the course and decided to try it. He hits a high ball anyway, but suddenly his approaches started ballooning into the stratosphere, and winding up just short of the green!"

On 8/28/2018 at 9:10 PM, Vinsk said:

Well this has been happening with all my clubs. And still...no way a damn floater beater ball should carry more than a ProV1 right!? I just find it hard to believe that my flush hits on the range are just that much better. I spend hours on the range and I know when I catch it solid ...which is quite often actually. Hell I’ve considered playing my next round with a floater ball just to see what happens!

Never mind playing a floater. Get yourself a cheap pack of Precept Laddie Xtremes, or Pinnacle Softs, and tell us what happens! 

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On 8/28/2018 at 3:04 PM, Kloeshuman said:

I my self love the Volvik vived ball's, I'm a high hc but this ball just works for me. I have tried almost everything out there but always go back to the Volvik 

I'm a VV fan too but I recently discovered the Cut Golf Yellow ($19.99/dz) and can't tell them apart. With 3 kids playing Junior golf on my dime, we will all be playing Cut Golf except the 5 year old...he gets the cheap ones.

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