It's all balls... isn't it?

Well, as some of you may know I'm fairly new to golf, I've been playing for about 6 months and feel I have made a good improvement to all parts of my game!

Up until yesterday, I was under the impression that a ball is a ball no matter how much you spend on it. I mean, who cares how much you spend on them... they're round and they look the same they roll and bounce. :shrug: So I've been using Donnay Titanium X at @ £3.59 for 15.

I played a round of 18 holes yesterday, I was unhappy with the score and so went on to practice my pitching, I noticed that if try to do the same shot with a pitching wedge with 5 or 6 balls in a line, that the balls behaved inconsistantly... one flying a LOT higher and stopping really quick, to some at a lower height, but serious roll! I was trying to get the same swing each time, and my setup was the same on each ball.

I decided I need to get some new golf balls to iron out any inconsistancies there, and am quite looking forward to having "my own" golf ball brand!
But I have no idea how to find out if they're suited for me? Or what type I should use!

One way would be to trawl Ebay for single sleeves of balls until I find some I'm happy with but to me this seems expensive and time consuming, as postage is generally near enough the price of the balls. I want new ones.

I went to the Callaway site and the "ball checker" there suggested some Big Bertha Red or Callaway HX Red... but that's only one brand... :9
Thanks

John

Hi John,

It would be difficult to try to explain all the ball types and differences but in leyman terms here goes,

There are two piece ball usually very cheap...................hard sound no spin or feel....but good distance.

Then there are multi layers usually three, pro v1, callaway tour, strata tour.....always most expensive..................soft/better feel with irons and especially when chipping, a little less distance with the driver.

The choice is yours


Ian.

I'm also considering finding a ball to stick to - as much for consistency when putting as anything else.

I've heard that the the Precept u-tri extra-distance is a good compromise for the mid-high handicapper in that its not actually an out and out distance ball but flies reasonably well whist retaining some feel.

Any one use it? or would like to comment?

Thats a great idea,

You should always stick to the same make of ball, it is suprising how you get used to using the same ball, and how different another feels after a while.

I use a pro v1 origional

very soft for putting, great iron spin, great for putting.


Ian.

i am going between slazengar and locos, both been good to me

Stay away from the 'extra distance' and 'super long' balls. They have a very low spin rate which makes them almost impossible to hold the green. Also, take a look at the wesite here: http://www.golfballtest.com/ and really compare ball to ball reading using all the stats. If worried about losing distance by getting a spin or feel ball, there is, I believe only about 7 yards difference from the longest 'distance' ball compared to the shortest 'spin' or 'feel' ball.

The best combination is, of course, a high spin rate, long distance and low cost. The best ball for your money using the website was the Maxfli Revolution tour (which is no longer in production.) Some of the other good ones were the Pre Cept U-tri tour and the Callaway HX Blue.

This chart didn't cover every single ball in production, but it gives you a good starting point.

There are a few threads on GTO here discussing the findings on this report as well as many others discussing pros and cons of certain balls.

In the end, it comes down to what you prefer for feel and how much you are willing to spend.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

I tried the bridgestone tour b330 this summer and i like that ball. they are not cheep but play well in all parts of the game. off the drive they are long. just make sure it is a big fareway hahahahhaha. I paid 65 canadian for box of 12.

One positive effect of low spin balls is that they wont slice and hooks as much since they dont spin sideways either.

Worth considering.

yeah makes sense.

ive found that precept utri tour balls are pretty good all rounders.

Has anybody played the Maxfli Noodle. i've just been reading the latest copy of Todays Golfer and in their latest ball test a good compromise between price, distance, reduced driver spin and plenty of wedge spin is the noodle. I've mainly played with Nike Mojo's over the past year but am not confident with them around the greens.

A lovely ball - especially for those that swing around 100 mph. Just like it says - 'Long and Soft'. I like MaxFli balls. (I play the Rev Tour).

I remember reading something that stated that 'distance' (low spin) balls were only 5-7 yards better in terms of directional control than a spin ball.

Now, for some of us that have directional control like aerosol, that 5 or 7 yards may make a difference.

For me, I'll take more help holding greens with a ball that spins more, for the sake of 5 yards. If I'm slicing it, I'm not just 5 yards off the fairway.

I second Ben.

Sounds to me like I would work my swing before worrying about ball brand. A lot higher vs lower is a matter of swing not ball brand. But would also add that 80% is mental so if it makes you confident- do it!!