Balls do make a difference

[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.

[xnavyct]

Ever try Srixon, Waz?

Pretty popular ball with people once they give them a try.

[JPsuff]

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.

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

[straightshooter]

Like the OP I am also in search of 'my ball'. I have been testing the topflite d2 feel recently. About $1 per ball (I am cheap!). I can't find much wrong with it. I was somewhat worried about the putting feel after carpet-putting them for part of this winter, but from recent experiences on actual greens I am quite happy with them. They seem pretty durable also.

[Nikeguy07]

Srixon "soft feel" is THE BEST bang for the buck!

[GolfSavage]

I like the Nike PowerSoft Feel, and the Bridgestone e6. The Pinnacle Platinum Feels are also great balls, and soft like the commercial says, "like a pocket full of pudding!".

The Nike are a few dollars less than the Bridgestones, so I'd been using them, and was down to one sleeve. I went to Sports Authority to get some on my way to play a few weeks ago, and they were out of stock. I started to leave, then saw they had the Wilson ProStaff 360 15-packs in a 3-box set - 45 balls for $24.99! So I risked a set, and have not been disappointed!

The ProStaffs are surprisingly good - great distance and feel from the tee, spin nice off the wedges and putt as nice as anything else I've used. I'll be buying some more, as they have got to be the best ball under $20, and probably as good or better than many that cost twice that much.

[jwaldrop]

The Top-Flite D2 Feel is not your Daddy's rockflite. It is a nice alternative at $14.95 for 15 at Wallyworld. I play Pro-V 1x's, but really don't mind the new Top-Flites at all, just a little harder around the green.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Wazmankg

I suppose I could put the rest of them in a long sock and use it to fend off potential attackers.

Homey don't play that

[Rndm_Als963]

Wilson Staff are great and very underrated.

[Wazmankg]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I now have something to work with. Do any of you buy balls online ? There seem to be great deals on a few that have been suggested, though I'm going to try them out 1st.

[jwaldrop]

Originally Posted by Wazmankg

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I now have something to work with. Do any of you buy balls online ? There seem to be great deals on a few that have been suggested, though I'm going to try them out 1st.

Just used ones, at lostgolfballs.com

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Wazmankg

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I now have something to work with. Do any of you buy balls online ? There seem to be great deals on a few that have been suggested, though I'm going to try them out 1st.

All kidding aside, check out golfsmith.com and they have some logo callaways that run around $15-20. Good luck.

[TwillDog]

Originally Posted by Keith

Homey don't play that

That was my Halloween costume a few years back!

Playing now for many years, I know that all golf balls aren't created equal. I've gravitated toward higher end balls, even with the knowledge a dozen will likely not make more than 3 rounds. My normal purchase is either the Maxfli Revolution (2 dozen for about $20 at Target - good deal, the ball isn't half bad), Titleist NXT Tour, or Titleist ProV1. A side note - I rarely buy the ProV1's new; I've recently found second chance ProV1's at Target also for about $26-$28/dz.
Now, I've tried most of the high end balls and found for me nothing performs like the ProV1 - good off the tee, feels great off every club in the bag, and nothing acts like it does on the green on pitches and chips. Even second chance balls, as long as not scuffed or out of round (rare in today's solid ball) are good. The Nike One's may be a bit longer off the tee, but, for my swing at least, aren't as good around the green. Same for the Callaway, Bridgestone, Precept and Srixon top line balls - they are great balls but not as good around the greens. The Callaway HX Tour and Precept U-Tri I've liked a lot. Bridgestone B330 family is long too, and you get decent feel. I used to like the Maxfli Black Max a lot, but they are discontinued, with Maxfli yielding it's high end products to the Taylor Made name and Maxfli being the midrange and lower priced balls.
Most of the higher end balls have wisely separated themselves from Titleist pricing-wise, so you can get quality for $40 instead of nearly $50.

[halk]

Allow me to throw in one more in the mid twenty dollar range Nike Ignite have been playing these lately and found them to be very good for distance and feel also the cost is in reason bought a dozen at K-Mart for $21.95. If you want a good all around 3 piece ball give these a try.

[Leaguegolf]

Wazmankg - There's lots of good advice here on finding a ball that works for whoever is giving the advice. Now I'll offer my own........

I've seen you play and distance isn't a problem. Where you will lower your scores the most and the quickest is 50 yards and in. You have a better than average touch around the greens and you're killing yourself by using a variety of balls, all of which react differently off the club face and on the green. Off the tee, other than feel, you won't notice the ball's performance much. On and around the greens is a completely different story. I'm not sure I've ever seen you play the same brand/type ball more than a few holes in a row and to me that's like using a different sand wedge to chip with every couple of holes. It's just impossible to develop a better touch around the greens when your equipment performs differently from hole to hole. The golf ball you play is a very important piece of equipment yet I know you have multiple brands in your bag and change balls randomly based on how you're hitting it that day. You and millions of others BTW.

I also understand that we'd all love to play a new $4.00 ProV1 every hole but unless a Titleist truck shows up in my driveway today (it is Father's Day) that's not going to happen. Cost and the ability to keep the ball in play on any given shot are factors for most all of us. You play good equipment, you play courses that offer the best bang for your buck, it's time you found the best ball for you. You need to ask yourself these questions:

How often do I lose a dozen balls? If you're just out beating it around, getting a few swings in, and not really focusing, then balls lost in this manner don't count. I mean how often do you lose a dozen balls when you're really trying to play well?

Do you really want to spend the extra $15 a dozen to improve your short game and thus improve your scores? Top of the line balls consistently outperform even mid-priced balls and those that tell you different are just fooling themselves. The short game is where you will improve dramatically to do that you need a ball that spins consistently on the little shots (which allows you to control distance) and putts softly. You rarely lose a ball pitching, chipping, or putting so this ties into the first question. How many dozen balls do you lose now when playing for your best score? Add the $15 per dozen to that total and I think you'll be surprised to find that you could play a top of the line ball all season for a lot less than you think.

Will paying more for golf balls make you worry more about losing them? If you answer YES to this one, Kmart has Pinnacle's on sale.

My advice to you boils down to this........Play the best ball you can afford and play it exclusively when you're playing for a score. It will improve your confidence and it will improve your game. I happen to be a die hard ProV1 guy but there are other comparable balls out there. I say comparable because they all compare themselves to the ProV1 standard. The sleeve test is always a good idea but try to make the test when you're playing well. Losing a sleeve in 3-4 holes won't tell you anything (not about the ball anyway ) and it gets expensive real quick.

When you're not playing for a score, or not playing particularly well off the tee, play whatever ball you have handy until you get close to the green. Then, when you get within 50 yards of the green, switch to a top of the line ball and watch your short game improve right before your eyes. It's not cheating........it's practice.

Good luck with whatever ball you decide on.

[GolfSavage]

Waz, do you have a Golf, Etc. store in your area? I remember the one here had told me they can put you on their computer equipment, monitor your swing and suggest the best ball for you to use. I suppose any golf dealer with the latest tech could do the same.

I'm going to recommend the Pinnacle Platinum Feels again. These are made by the same company that makes Titleist Pro-Vs (Acushnet), and all around they were probably the best ball I've ever bought. Similar to NXT off the tee, they had more spin and felt better putting. That's a big thing for me, the feel a ball gives when putting. Hard to quantify, but if you've felt it you know what I mean.

I would buy and use these regularly if they could be found where I shop. But I have to make a special trip to a Pro Golf Discount or Edwin Watts to find them.

Good luck finding your balls!

[mr3856a]

Originally Posted by GolfSavage

I like the Nike PowerSoft Feel,

I second that, the green PowerSofts rock. I would also recommend maybe the new Burner TP and also the new HX Hot, the green ones.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by mr3856a

I second that, the green PowerSofts rock. I would also recommend maybe the new Burner TP and also the new HX Hot, the green ones.

I play primarily Callaways and will give the HX Hot and thumbs up too. I think they run about $25 a box.

[fireman07]

I use the cheapest ones I can find. I lose too many, but I have noticed that titleist give me more distance.

[wb4tjh]

Want a good, all around, very, very soft compression ball for a cheap price? Go by Sports Authority and get a dozen of the MC Lady balls for $7.49. I have played many 18 hole rounds with just one ball, and they come thru it all remarkably well. You just can't beat it and for $7.49 a dozen, it's a real steal.