Distance-do balls make a big difference?

Hello again,
After reshafting my driver to a Grafalloy Blue shaft to help cure my hook off of the tee I took it to the range and WOW! What a difference. I bombed the range balls time after time, but when I played a round yesterday I had great control but the distance wasn't up to par with the range balls. Now, I was using a cheap ball, you know, the kind you get 36 for $15.00. I bought them because I have been losing them alot off the tee with my duck hook and didn't know what to expect after re-shafting (only lost 1 yesterday when I didn't clear the water). But I have used Dunlop Buttersofts in the past and had great distance, the store was out of stock this time though. Anyway, sorry to be long winded but do certain balls make that big of a difference in distance and trajectory?
Thanks

Definitely the ball makes a difference. If you are looking for some good distance balls that cost very little, try the Top Flite XL3000 Extra Distance.

Yup, balls make a big difference. I've used the Top Flight XL3000's myself and they are certainly long but so hard they don't stop on the greens. Depending on the course you play it might be worth using a ball with more spin and therefore reduced distance to get more control around the greens.

I've been using Wilson Smart Cores for a few years now and I find them to have a nice mixture of softness and distance.

I have only used the distance XL3000s a couple times but I used the softs and spins - plenty of distance still and the same price (about $1/ball or less.) If you are looking for premium balls, you can get Titleist Pro V1 which is even better, but of course, the better the ball, the higher the price. The best bang for the buck would be, in my opinion, Top Flite.

Also, look for 'expereinced' balls. If you can find good premium balls in AA or AAA condition you are only paying about 1/2 retail. There is minimal performance issues since they were probably only hit 1 - 5 times before they were lost.

__________________
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

Also, look for 'expereinced' balls. If you can find good premium balls in AA or AAA condition you are only paying about 1/2 retail. There is minimal performance issues since they were probably only hit 1 - 5 times before they were lost.

Hey if you find any with an AB on them they're mine please give them back.

Absolutely. I have chopped and changed balls for a few months now before settling on one I like. I had been using the ubiquitous Pro-V1 for a while when a friend of mines gave me a Callaway HX Tour. Results were mixed and I found the ball a bit hard and not very distance enhancing. On the plus side it was a very good ball for short game work. After that I tried the newer Pro-V1x and was immediately impressed bu the amounts of spin I was able to generate with it despite it supposedly being a lower spin ball than the original V1. I setlled down to the V1x for a few months and had a good season with it. In August, however, I was in the Pro shop and he had a new ball in his little 1 pound a piece lake balls jar. The Hogan Apex Tour Black. I had heard good things about it and parted with the note. First drive: 300 yards all carry. Needless to say I was sold. I now play with the Apex tour and reckon I get around and extra 10 yards on average.

I tried one of the 'Distance' balls not long ago and was very disappointed, the surlyn covered balls just dont come off the club as well as the balata style ones. It's expensive so if you are a bit scatter gun its probably not a good idea to go for the premium balls but in my experience the surlyn covered balls have fallen too far behind in terms of distance. Your best bet is probably to get some of the reclaimed balls like Gord suggests, especially at first to see if you get anything more out of them. You can pick up a dozen Pro-V1 lake balls for 20 quid these days.

Good Luck,

D.

Thanks guys, I love the Pro-v1 and if I can start keeping my tee shots in bounds I'm going to spend the extra cash on them. If not, XL3000 here I come!

I'm a Noodle man myself... and I don't mind the Stratas, either. Good distance, decent stopping ability on the greens, great overall balls.

My son who is only 9, purchased some of thoses Top Flight extra long with some Christmas money 15 for £12.00, he hit them about 150 yards which is 20 yards further than he used too.

A great cheap ball..........not for me, I hit one thought I broke my R7, it was like hitting a beach pebble.


The best all round ball I think is the Pro V1 or the Pro V1x simply because its a premier ball that doesn't scuff up very easy but is very soft..........

Ian.

I'm not so sure that 1 golf ball is MUCH longer than the other when categorised. I know for a fact having used my launch monitor to test, I hit the V1, V1x, Hogan, Nike One, Callaway Black and the Top Flite Strata all about the same distance. There is also not a very big difference in spin rate.

I tried golf balls like Callaway Red, Top Flite XL3000 Super Spin, etc. and hit them 3-5 yards further than the first category but with much less spin.

The Pinnacle, Top Flite XL3000, Nike TALong ... about 8 yards further than the first category and spin rates down about a third.

I must say this ... besides all the science and launch monitor, etc. etc. nothing flies as far as a ball you're comfortable with. Except for a year when I played with the Maxfli A10 on tour - I've played the Strata range (Pro then Ultimate and finally Tour Ace) and because I felt comfortable, I knew how to work the ball and how it would react into the greens - it more than made up the distance I lost.

I know of students who have changed from Nike One to the newer Nike Black and bomb it out of sight ... when the balls are very similar. I have a junior who changed from the Top Flite XL3000 Soft to Top Flite XL Super Spin and he's gained 10-15 yards, why I don't know but he just does.

I always tell my students - pick the category of ball you want to play that suits your game plan. Once you've decided play a few of the different brands and settle to a single brand. Once you've decided on the brand then look for AAA or AA seconds unless you can afford new out of the box. There is very little wrong with AAA or AA balls.

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

Just make sure that the balls are CLEANED ONLY. If they're resurfaced or refinished, they will probably NOT perform to the OEM spec. In order to resurface the ball is usually lacquered. This shallows out the dimples. Other times, the ball is sandblasted then lacquered, and this shallows out the dimples even more.

Another interesting fact is that for every week a ball sits submerged in water, it loses 6 yds of flight, and up to 1* of accuracy.

I have come to terms that trajectory is where my distance is lagging with the new balls I mentioned. Was more like a mid-low trajectory that didn't have as much carry. I play a draw and have noticed the more trajectory+carry the longer the drive.