Low Quality Lake Balls: Can They Make a Difference?

[yanni]

I just got fitted for Ping G400 LST driver with 11 degrees of loft. The fitter measured 90mph and told me I was hitting up on the ball what he liked a lot. My best strike was around 220 yards (carry) which I think equals my speed. I took the new driver to the course and was totally underwhelmed. I was carrying less then with my old cobra driver. Not more than 200yards. Most of the time much less.

Went to the range today and hit some balls. Hit them around 190 yards. But those were yellow range balls. I measured around 90-100mph with my  swing speed radar. But I am not sure if this is correct. Somebody said I should add something like 10% the range balls.  This equals to 210 yards carry which should be all right. Just for fun I hit some of my "real" balls. They actually went shorter (!) than the range balls which brings me to the question if those balls could rob my distance? 

In the past I bought good quality Bridgestone e6 lakeballs which were recommended. This time a bought mixed bag of all kinds of balls which were quite a lot cheaper (but from the same shop). They also look more beaten up. 

Could it be the lake balls that make a dramatic difference ? I am not talking about a slight difference. But something like 15-20 yards ? I think its not about lake balls vs new balls since the difference should be quite small but about different brands of balls ?

Edited October 9, 2018 by yanni

[rehmwa]

yeah, brands and models matter because (multiple models) are designed from each company to address multiple compressions and play style - especially at different temps too - you need to fit to your swing and find a series of specific balls that max you out.  And maybe do it again for cold days, if you are in an area with big temperature swings.  If under 60 and with your speed, I'd go for a softer compression ball vs the E6 for colder days.  The E6 or any mid-compression is decent for you if it's warm, though, I'd guess.  There are charts out there, LOTS of options.

aside - "lake balls" todays covers are pretty robust compared to old time 'soakers' (easy enough to google the studies).  but IMHO, If you have reburbished or found balls, avoid anything with scuff or significant staining.  they might be fine, but once the surface finish is affected (can't wash it off) I'd avoid to be safe.

 

I like this one - it's really a compression only guide, but I haven't seen anything better.  There are also tabs that describe other aspects of fitting - good for knowledge....

https://golf-info-guide.com/golf-tips/equipment-choices/golf-ball-compression-chart-and-rank/

Edited October 9, 2018 by rehmwa

[yanni]

What kind of distance gaps would expect if you compare a soft ball with mid and hard compression balls. At 90mph swingspeed for example ?

 

[rehmwa]

17 minutes ago, yanni said:

What kind of distance gaps would expect if you compare a soft ball with mid and hard compression balls. At 90mph swingspeed for example ?

 

A more knowledgable person here than me would need to answer that one. 

90 mph swing (driver)....that hard ball (typically "tour" designation) on any day, I do know will feel like you are hitting a rock.  (I can guess based on my distance loss when playing my normal ball on a cold day vs warm - similar effect) you could lose 20-40 yards.

I think hitting softer ball then you should causes problems other than distance (too high, too much spin, harder to control), but hitting a harder ball than you should causes distance loss and hand/wrist pain....  😉

Go to a bay and hit some, or to a ball fitter, they know this well, and nothing demontrates it better than feeling that effect personally.  Maybe a gear guy here will pipe up and refine my comments with more than just my personal experience (they have personal examples PLUS other peoples' trends and training - I just have my own).

 

read the distance tab on that site I sent you to - there's a discussin there too

 

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by rehmwa

[rkim291968]

I have about 90+ swing speed and played with many different balls.  Currently, I have 13 HI.   

In my experience, different well known brand (Titleist, Taylormade, etc) balls don't make *too* much difference. Some will go a few yards shorter, roll more on green, etc..   But at the end of the round, by far the biggest factor on how I did comes down to everything but "brand" type of ball.   Having said that, there are balls which I won't play with.   They are balls which are worn out, have deep cuts & scratches, hard balls (example - old cheap balls like Topflite 3000), too cheap to be good balls (Walmart's Nitro special), refurbished (I don't trust what was painted over), ancient (more than 10 years old - ball tech has changed since then) ...

There have been experiments done on balls which have been in the water.  It turns out there is negligent amount of different between new & balls out of water.   I believe the result.

So, until I can consistently hit my ball, I will play with Titleist Next Tour one day and Taylormade TP5 the next day.    

[Club Rat]

I've never bought refurbished balls of any type, but have picked a ball out of the pond on occasions and hit them when I'm goofing around.
I have had situations when I pull a ball from the bag and hit it and it just seemed dead.

When I want to compare different balls and equipment, I will hit about 10 shots with different balls and they would all go my usual distance.

When hitting drivers, the same would happen, all shots relatively same distance.
I also suggest to anyone who has these questions to simply compare them on course.
Take a new sleeve and compare them to those you are buying to see if there is any significant 
differences.

I also have the luxury of being a club member and can go on course during slow periods of the day for testing products.

[rehmwa]

1 hour ago, rkim291968 said:

In my experience, different well known brand (Titleist, Taylormade, etc) balls don't make *too* much difference.

I want to weigh in here - I agree with this and my original comment might have implied otherwise.  Each "Brand" makes balls in several 'models' that range the spectrum.  the models matter, not the brand.  i.e., a Titleist ProV is closer to an E6 than it is to the other Titleist models......ditto across the other companies - they all have models that are mid/hard/soft, spin/less spin, etc etc.....

Edited October 9, 2018 by rehmwa

[Kalnoky]

My experience only, but lake balls are 3-5% shorter than new balls. Range balls are about 5-10% loss of distance vs. new balls, depending on how worn the range balls are. Also, if you have too much sidespin from using a 3-pcs or 4-pcs new ball, you will lose a lot of distance. Choosing the right ball for your skill level matters a lot.  

[rkim291968]

5 hours ago, rehmwa said:

 ... the models matter, not the brand.

I agree.   When I play, I see more difference between Callaway Warbird and SuperSoft but not so much between Pro V1 & TP5.  

 

However, recently, I switched my wife's ball from Bridgestone E6 to Callaway Supersoft.   This was done as an experiment after a few studies showed Callaway Supersoft as one of the best balls for women golfers.  Although she also thinks that golf balls don't make much difference, she is hitting longer with the Supersofts off tee.  The carry is about the same but the SS seems to roll more.   Given that she is just averaging about 150 yards off tee, the extra few yard of rolls  are more significant than if I gained those few yards.  

[rehmwa]

13 hours ago, rkim291968 said:

I agree.   When I play, I see more difference between Callaway Warbird and SuperSoft but not so much between Pro V1 & TP5.  

 

However, recently, I switched my wife's ball from Bridgestone E6 to Callaway Supersoft.   This was done as an experiment after a few studies showed Callaway Supersoft as one of the best balls for women golfers.  Although she also thinks that golf balls don't make much difference, she is hitting longer with the Supersofts off tee.  The carry is about the same but the SS seems to roll more.   Given that she is just averaging about 150 yards off tee, the extra few yard of rolls  are more significant than if I gained those few yards.  

that's not a surprise based just on compression alone.  E6 is mid hardness.  Supersoft is, well, soft - and much more appropriate for slower swings speeds - which her distance clearly indicates.  I save supersofts for my wife also, and I plan to play them or similar through october here since it's likely to stay below 50 degress for the rest of the season (my normal is ProV (mid) and ProV1 (high)).  Supersoft is a great ball for anyone with a sub-90 swing speed (driver)

 

ProV1 and TP5 are both targetted for the same customer (mid to high compression, responsive coating) - they are supposed to be very similar.

Edited October 10, 2018 by rehmwa