Quote:
Originally Posted by Wazmankg
This is my first ever equipment thread so be gentle guys. I always was of the opinion that the brand of ball a player of my skill uses makes very little difference. I've played mostly found balls the past few years. This year I decided to try and settle on a ball. I tried some NXTs and they were fine. Then I tried some Maxfli {i don't know what they're called but they have light gray lettering}. I really liked them, but I couldn't find them at Dick's SG when I ran out. They had these Slazenger Raw Distance titaniums on sale, 2 for 1 or something, so I picked up a couple dozen... big mistake. I played them yesterday and it literally felt like I was hitting rocks. The good news is I managed to lose 5 of them... I didn't even look for the last 2 in some deep rough. I suppose I could put the rest of them in a long sock and use it to fend off potential attackers. So I need some recommendations on a soft, decent ball that won't cost me half a C-note per dozen.
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The basics of ball technology as far as feel is concerned is this:
Surlyn covers tend to be "rocks"
Urethane covers have a soft feel.
That's been true for a long time. As far as performance goes, that's where you need a map, three sherpa's and lot's of spare time. Everybody's idea of performance and feel is different and everybody's requirements are different.
If you want pure distance you're leaning more towards the "rock" categories and if you want spin and workability, you're leaning towards the high-end balls. Some good mid-priced balls are the Nike line, some Bridgestones, Callaway's, some Srixon's and even Maxfli Noodles.
By mid-priced, I mean somewhere in the $28 - $35 range. For this price, you should be able to find a ball that's fairly long but still has some feel to it. Even Top-Flites (usually referred to as "Rock-Flite's") have become somewhat softer in response to the demand for feel at a reasonable price.
I've always been a Titleist man myself playing the wound three-piece "Tour 100 Balata's" for years and then "Pro V1's" when they stopped making Balata's. The Balata's were by far the softest golf balls ever made but they were only good for about three to five holes before they went out of round or a bad bounce or mishit would put a big "smile" into the cover. The Pro V1's are, in my opinion, the best golf balls made today and they have all the characteristics of the old Balata's but with a virtually bullet-proof cover and their distance potential is right up there with the longest Surlyn balls made today.
Granted, $45+ per dozen is a bit steep, but so was $22 back in the 80's when Balata's were in their prime and I was averaging a dozen a week back then. That got expensive, but they gave me what I wanted in a golf ball and that, to me, outweighed the cost. The way I see it is that if getting a ball at a bargain price leaves you with something you're not comfortable with in the way a ball feels or performs, then they're really not a bargain as in the case of your Slazengers.
If you're looking for a good all around ball for the price of the Slazengers, you're not going to find one. But if you're willing to stay in the price range I mentioned above, then there are many balls that will have what you're looking for and I suggest buying a sleeve of each of, say, four different balls and deciding which ones suit your needs.
-JP