Which balls to use.

A buddy of mine who is fairly new to golf asked me " what is the best ball to use, and when " to be honest I was stumped for an answer. He noted that I only use Pro-V 1's and asked me if they were the " best " and that " should you use a different ball when the weather is cooler ".
Distance is always a factor but in my opinion if you took all of the top line balls and measured them distance wise there would be very little in any of them. I play the Pro-V because, simply stated, for me they are the best overall for feel, distance and control, it's just a matter of personal preference, nothing more. Of course some balls are harder than others and perhaps my buddy would be better off with a softer ball, one that is easier to compress.
I did tell him not to get caught up in the advertising BS. there are no balls out there that " go straighter " it's the guy hitting them that makes them " go straighter " at least thats' my opinion. I would be interested in your opinions, again I'm not saying that Titelist Pro-V's are the " best " I play them because I like them, thats' all.

Hello!

I have used Nike Platinum, Callaway HX Tour, HX Tour 56, HX Blue, HX Red, Prov1, ProV1x, Strata Tour Ace and NXT Tours in my golfing life (now about 5 years long).

I am now playing the Srixon AD333 as my ball of choice. It has a great amount of feel. It doesn't suck back much with a wedge but to me that's more controllable. It feels soft on full shots with an iron and firm off the putter.

The only time I would change now is back to the HX Blue for those summer days when the fairways and greens are like concrete.

To find the best ball for ones game, you've got to play in all kinds of conditions on lots of different courses with all kinds of balls through various swing changes over quite a long time.

Simple!

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Unless you are a scratch golfer I would not recommend spending the money for those expensive balls. A good ball for the money is the Titliest So-Lo. It will give you distance and feel. Other balls such as the Top Flight Gold are too hard. Most of the ball manufacturers are now going to a ball that is softer and longer. I have played the Pro V's but I can't say they are any better than the less expensive balls. Of course my handicap (15) just does not justify spending the extra money. If someone gives me a dozen of the Pro V's as a gift I will play them....end of story.

I am enjoying the Maxfli Noodle. It's not too hard and I can draw it if I am playing well. Seems quite long and soft and compared to a lot of the balls it's quite cheap. I didn't do any better with the pro v and it was a lot more expensive.
Bri

I very strongly advise using golf balls.


HA HA HA!


For me, I want to use the ball that gives me the spin I want around the green. I usually end up giving up some control off the tee.

I have to say that the Titelist DT Solo are my second choice to the TM TP red - first choice in the winter weather. The feel is fairly solid, not very durable - so scuffs easily, but $15 for 24 balls (4 per sleeve) is one heck of a deal - not sure if it's still the same price. Being the cheapskate I am in the winter, I will buy about a pack of 30-100 from LGBretail.com.

I agree with you about the Maxfli Noodle. It plays like the DT SO/LO. In the winter you need a softer ball. Also keep it in your pocket to keep it warm.....it will play better.
seeker

Like Neil I am currently playing the Srixon AD333, it's a good general play ball and does not make you cry if one goes in the lake.

I have used many makes and models and it really is a matter of horses for courses! For high handicappers a high spin ball will exaggerate any bending, a harder ball will give a little more distance off the tee, be a little more forgiving and if your pitching and chipping is not high quality they wont cause many problems there.

I know a 3 handicapper that only plays yellow Donnay balls, he loves them. I like Pinnacle Exemption (though they don't make them now), they were a good workable ball.

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Best Regards
Brian

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Funny o'l game!

Due to playing in cooler temps, I have recently been playing the Wilson Staff 50 ball. It is advertised as a 50 compression ball. I am of the belief that the colder the weather you are playing in the softer the ball you should use. Lower compression balls have always been advertised for the slower swing speeds. Also, since a golfer's range of motion is impaired in colder weather, this ball seemed like a good fit for me. I have not been dissapointed with it. It seems to also work well on windy days. GJS

Playing MaxFli Revolution Tour Spin at the moment only because I got them cheap. Had a box of AD333's before them.

Must admit I'm a bit price concious as well......

Has any one heard a story about using a bucket of water with epsom salts in it to test if a golf ball is "true" or not...???

Cheers

Story? Nope, no stories. I do it though. A couple years ago, I videotaped the results starting with the TDC dot TDC and putting 10 feet, then moving it to pointing straight east, then straight west. The ball wants to get that dot moving end over end.

My new Club Captain, the ex Pro, told me this amongst some other stuff during our round last week...

Bucket of water with some epsom salts in it. The epsom salts will allow the ball to float in the water.

Drop the ball in the bucket and when it stops moving, where it breaks the surface, mark the spot with a marker. A dot will do.

Then, spin the ball, dropping it in the bucket again, if it comes to rest with the dot showing again, you should put that ball into your practice bag.

He said it means that the ball is "out of balance" and you do not get a true reflection of shot shape for shot type. Hope that makes sense to you all....

Cheers

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Look at the Target, Look at the Ball, Swing... Dr Bob Rotella...

Let's flesh that out a little bit - he's half right. Lots of balls are going to come up with the dot again. Out of the dozens of balls I've given the salt bath to, perhaps I've had 2 dozen soccer balls (a new dot every time the ball comes to rest, therefore the ball is in great balance).

If the ball slowly comes back to the dot, then it's playable - it's only out a little. If the ball quickly comes back to the dot, it's severely out of balance, and should be shag-bagged.

There's a video out there of Ralph Maltby explaining this.

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PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

You're right (as always) LP, he did say spin it a couple of times...

Was just an interesting concept I'd never heard in my 20 odd years of playing our game.....

Certainly plan on trying it out with my cheapy revo's before I go out again this weekend....

Hopefully I've got more than just the one "keeper" in the 3 doz I bought..

Cheers

The best ball I'd ever seen was the MaxFli Revolution Tour.

I had two sleeves perfectly balanced in the same dozen... lots of soccer balls out of that bunch.

I've also had some Rev Tours spin really fast back to the top... It's always interesting to watch.