2005 Golf Balls

The test results are in. Here is a site which reviewed/tested many of the golf balls released in 2005. http://www.golfballtest.com/

The best bang for your buck appears to be Callaway HX Blue and Maxfli Revolution Tour.....

The durability of the ProV1's is shocking, I find that I leave groove marks in the ball after a couple of full wedges...
NXT Tour is longer lasting, but doesnt have the feel

Maybe I'm mis-understanding something but surely the Nike Super Far or Mojo look like best value in terms of distance vs price anyway.

Yeah but uncontrollable distance is about as useful as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest.

i guess the nike one platinum is off the charts!!!

There is very little spin on these balls. They may be great for the high handicapper, but any distance ball has the same charactoristics - long distance, little spin and low dollars.

I've often seen the type of discussion where the question is asked "what is the best golf ball".

Pro V1 or some other expensive brand is generally agreeable with most.

I have a different question -

"What is the best value golf ball"

The key to golf is consistency - not length from the tee, back spin, 30 foot putts etc.

So assuming a good ball that will go a good distance and give good feel with the short game and be consistent when putting.

For about a third (give or take) of the price of a Titleist etc.

I'm talking about new balls also. Because 2nds of the most expensive "can" be great, but you are throwing consistency out of the window.

Actually this may be of interest to high handicappers such as myself.

I have a 19 handicap and play to it on a very good day.

If I take complete fluff shots out of my game, which I appreciate have nothing to do with the ball, I could probably play to 15 or so.

I hit a drive reasonably straight about 230 yards, 9 irons 110, 8 irons 120, to 4 irons to 160 yards. I don't hit the irons dead straight but they're not so wayward they leave me in trouble. I don't achieve backspin but can lob a chip to sufficient height it doesn't run far anyway on the green.

Most golfballs in my bag are cheap Titleists or TopFlites and many are just fished from one of the many lakes on my home course.

Here's the question (finally)...

What impact in terms of scoring does anyone think a more expensive quality golf ball will bring to my game? I suspect very little myself but am curious to know if anyone has other experiences.

I can afford to play either the PRO V's or lesser expensive balls. I had been playing the Infinity Awesome Distance until Top-Flite discontinued it here in the states.

The infinity was about 10 yards longer off the driver than the Pro V. The iron distances were comparable in each ball and I didn't notice any difference in the ability of the ball to "sit" after landing. The only area the Pro V topped the Infinity in my opinion was the softer feel the Pro V had on short chip shots. I felt more in control with the Pro V.

Unless you know how to put backspin on the ball most of us amateurs don't need the highest priced balls. That does not mean that you should not try to find a ball with a soft feel. Try to find one that gives you distance & feel, not a "rock". They are out there & you can find 15 ball packs for less than a dollar U.S. per ball.

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Imagine how boring golf would be if every shot resulted in a hole in one. Perfection is over rated.

The biggest difference when playing a distance ball vs. a spin ball is control around the green. Take a look at the differences between, for example, the Precept PWRDrive and Top-Flite Strata Tour Ace. There is a bit of difference in distance on the scale, but when 5 points on the scale is 1.5 yards, the difference between the two balls is 6 yards on average. Not a huge amount, but there is a difference. Compare the spin and you have 40 point difference, and for 300 rpm for every 5 points, that a 2,400 rpm difference on average. That is huge. That's the difference between hitting a 5 iron to middle of the green rolling off the back and a one hop and stop, or possibly spinning the ball back a foot or two. The feel is much different as well. I'm sure if you use lake balls, you have found that some balls feel like you are hitting a rock and others feel like you are slicing through warm butter with a hot knife. Well, with a 2 on the feel chart vs a 10 on the feel chart, the 2 would be the rock vs. the 10 being like slicing through butter.

With that info, the best value, based on the price rating, distance, spin and feel, is the Callaway HX Blue and Maxfli Revolution Tour.

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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

Like you I always thought a ball was a ball pretty much, once I had heard of the brand I was happy enough. The problem is that if you are picking a different ball out of your bag each time you wont develop a feel for the ball. Short game, bunkers, pitch, chip and especially putting will be very inconsistent.
That said, if you are playing on ****py greens then the ball is the least of your worries.
I think once you get to a certain standard, with a certain standard of clubs then the ball becomes more important.
Its like worrying about getting fancy new tires for your car to improve performance when your gearbox is shot and you are spewing oil, your tires are the least of your worries.
I like and used the Maxfli tour for a long time, was cheap enough, didnt cut up and was moderately controllable, but at least I had a couple dozen and knew what response to expect from it.

Although I'm clearly in the category of players who are not about to make much use of the subtle differences between balls, I agree with GreeBoman that there is much to be said for consistency, perhaps especially for the struggling high handicapper. I used to collect balls found in the rough and then play them, but I did begin to notice that even at my level of play they don't all feel the same.

Isn't it true that a "spin ball", while perhaps more controllable on the green is likely to exaggerate one's slice or hook, precisely because it takes more sidespin?

At my level of play, it makes no sense to pay a lot of money for golf balls (unless money is not a concern), so I suppose it's best to look for a "medium" sort of ball, in terms of spin versus distance. Not too expensive, but not garbage either. Suggestions?

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Todd
Philadelphia, PA
USA

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller

It is true that a spin ball will increase your side spin, but don't expect your slice to increase by more than 5 yards at the most. I am not suggesting that everyone jump out and start paying $15 for a sleeve of ProV1's. Pick one type of ball that suits your game, that you like the feel of and stick with it.
My point I am trying to get across is that you shouldn't go out and pick distance balls because you think they will increase your drives by 10 or 20 yards. All the balls on the chart were within 10 yards of each other. I am also trying to point out that good quality spin balls aren't all as expensive as the ProV1. For example, if you want to reduce your spin off the tee and increase spin with your wedge and pay the least, then the Precept U Tri Tour is the ball for you. I quite enjoy the U Tri Tour, have been playing with it on and off for the last month or so and found it to be a really good ball. Once I get rid of all my NXTs I will be switching over to the U-Tri permanently. The overall spin rate is low, but the spin rate is high with wedge shots.

Like I said, this chart will help you pick a ball if you have evaluated what it is you want out of your ball.

Now, with all that info, you can still find the balls cheaper as 'slightly used' in many places rather than paying retail price. www.knetgolf.com is a good place on the net where you can get used balls for a decent price....

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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

gentleman

revert back to my earlier posts....the rev tour by maxfli (which is owned by taylor made) is the best bang for the buck. I get great spin off of them and i love their soft feel. They are 19.99 a dozen here. Unfortunately, they are discontinuing them for the black max

interesting stuff, thanks!