Golf Ball Selection REVIEW

sherwoodnatl

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Since people cant seem to keep their opinions to themselves and would rather lock up someone elses thread than keep quite and stay on topic, ill make a new thread with my range review of the balls i played today


I tried premium balls and balls around 30 bucks

Premium – Bridgestone B330 RX/S/Tour, Callaway Tour ix/I, Taylormade TP Red and Black, Titleist Pro-V1x, Srixon Z-Star X, and Nike ONE Tour

$30 – Bridgestone E5/6/7, Callaway HX Bite, Titleist NXT Tour, Nike ONE Vapor, TaylorMade Burner TP, and Srixon Trispeed

Here are the results. (I determine the spin by RPM’s and the man helping me simulated those RPM numbers on an average green and that is how I determined the spin results)

Premium
1. Nike ONE Tour- absolutely loved this ball. Added It had the best feel of any ball I tested and the spin was excellent (I was told that the spin numbers suggested at max only a foot of backspin.) Overall fantastic ball
2. Srixon Z-Star X- Best distance premium ball and I loved this one too– added about 4 yards. Loved the feel here too and the spin was exactly what I was looking for.
3. B330-S- Started off on this one and I was impressed. It added 2 yards to drives. Spin was a little much but the feel was fantastic. Could have been first if the spin was less pronounced.
4. Pro-V1x – much like the Z Star X. Didn’t fly as far and I didn’t think the feel was as good.
5. B330/B330 RX- RX has a softer feel but I liked the 4 layers of the B330 which added a firm feel and distance
6. TM Black – Don’t be fooled by its position. This really was a good ball. Its like a cross between the 330-S’s feel and distance and the V1x’s spin. Good ball.
7. Cally I/IX – not my favorite. An OK ball. The Cally i killed distance and the ix killed feel. Hopefully the i(s) and i(z) fare better.

Least favorite premium ball
- TP Red – Didn’t like it at all. Spin numbers on this one were skyscraping compared to the others I liked. Also lost a significant amount of yardage. The feel was decent but that’s about it. Strangely, I liked the TP Black...a bit interesting


$30
1. 2010 Bridgestone E5 – Ahhhhhh…..the E5. This was my absolute favorite ball. Great feel, great spin, great distance. Urethane cover on a 30 dollar ball seems uncommon but here it is. Gave me more carry distance – I usually have a mid flight- and this added a bit of distance. I could not tell you what I didn’t like about this ball, it’s really everything I look for. I played the old version of the E5 (E5+) and this to me is much more advanced (better spin and flight) Favorite ball I tested
2. Titleist NXT - This one was also extremely good. Added 3 yards to tee hits. Loved the feel, spin was good (check up spin) and distance was good. Its feels is as good as the B330-s with about 2 ft less spin, which I liked.
3. Nike ONE Vapor- Loved its distance and spin. Feel was about a 7.5. Much better than the ignite and this would be a great ball for longer and straight courses.
4. Bridgestone E6/E7 – Couldn’t decide between the two. E6 – straighter flight, less spin and great feel. E7- longer distance, ok spin and great feel. Bridgestone knows how to make their balls.
5. TP Burner- The LDP stuff works. Average feel and quality spin though. Good for long courses with soft greens. Good not great ball
6. Srixon Trispeed- Surprised by this one. Solid distance, solid feel, some release on wedge shots. Great ball for the new lower price ($15 was like $27)

Least Favorite

- HX Bite – the only one I didn’t like. Felt hard as a rock and spin numbers weren’t as high as I would’ve guessed. Distance was there so I wondered if I was playing an HX Hot at first.


Overall favorites (7 balls that I would play any round with)

1. 2010 Bridgestone E5 – Loved everything about it, including price. Every bit as good as a premium ball for 20 bucks less. To me the improvements are huge – some may not notice any difference between e5+ and e5, but I noticed an improvement in feel, distance, and green control. An extraordinary find.
2. ONE Tour- Surprised how good this one was. Probably the best feeling one out here with solid distance and spin control.
3. Z-Star X- Played this ball all years and it is still one of my favorites- distance ball will feel and check up ability.
4. NXT - actually liked it better than the V1’s. Good distance and good feel – ahead of B330-S because of my preference for less spin.
5. B330-S – Lots of spin here. Feel is a bit firm but distance stays good

Others that I liked
6. V1x – Close to the Z-Star X which made me love it.
7. ONE Vapor- May not be in the top 5 but I liked it enough to add to this list. This ball was great for control – spin was good- feel is just a bit too hard.

Before the testing I sure wasn’t expecting a 30 dollar ball to have tour performance. The E5+ didn’t play nearly as well for me as the new E5. Overall this was 2+ hours of ball testing fun. Plus, I found the ball that is perfect for me.


BTW - the E6 is the opposite of junk. It plays just as good if not better than the NXT Tour, JMHO.
 
Not sure what your swing speed is but, you might want to try the Nike One Tour D. The One Tour is somewhat like the Platinum, in that it caters to ss's of 105+, or possibly even 115. My ss is 105 and the Tour D feels alot better off the face for me than the Tour does.

Thanks for the review of each ball. Can you reply back with your driver swing speed?
 
Nice write up, I didn't realize the Trispeed was selling that cheap. I'm going to have to pick some up.
 
Nice write up, I didn't realize the Trispeed was selling that cheap. I'm going to have to pick some up.

I was pleasantly surprised at there performance...very good value

Not sure what your swing speed is but, you might want to try the Nike One Tour D. The One Tour is somewhat like the Platinum, in that it caters to ss's of 105+, or possibly even 115. My ss is 105 and the Tour D feels alot better off the face for me than the Tour does.

Thanks for the review of each ball. Can you reply back with your driver swing speed?

Just over 100 mph. Distance is about 260 in the summer
 
Great and thorough review...
What's your swing speed?
Do you come into the ball steep or are you a sweeper?

SS is just above 100 mph
I am neither a steep swinger or sweeper. Id be closer to a sweeper though.
 
Another thing
None of the balls were BAD balls. Some, IMO, just werent as good as others
 
That is pretty much the way it is with any "new/unused" ball when compared with another ball. One man's garbage is another man's gold so to speak. I figure if I can pitch, chip, or putt with it, I can play it from the tee box. That said, I do have my favorite brand/model, (not on your list) and play it whenever I can. :clapp:
Another thing
None of the balls were BAD balls. Some, IMO, just werent as good as others
 
That is pretty much the way it is with any "new/unused" ball when compared with another ball. One man's garbage is another man's gold so to speak. I figure if I can pitch, chip, or putt with it, I can play it from the tee box. That said, I do have my favorite brand/model, (not on your list) and play it whenever I can. :clapp:

What is your favorite brand?

And if anyone has any other ball suggestions they are greatly appreaciated
 
I think I am going to have to try out the Srixon Z Star X ball. I currently play the TP Red. Was the TaylorMade balls with or without LDP?
 
I think I am going to have to try out the Srixon Z Star X ball. I currently play the TP Red. Was the TaylorMade balls with or without LDP?

With LDP
Srixon is right up there (even ahead maybe) of Titleist Callaway and Nike the best ball in golf. You just dont hear about them as much. Definitely recommend them.
 
Great review Sherwood. I've been playing the e6+ lately, but wonder if another Bridgestone ball would fit me better. It's interesting that the e5 suited you better. You and I have the same SS, and it sounds like the same ball flight, and hit similar drivers. I get plenty of spin and height on my short irons and wedges, so I thought the e5 would NOT be a fit for me. I'll have to give them a try next season. Thanks for your insights!
 
Great review Sherwood. I've been playing the e6+ lately, but wonder if another Bridgestone ball would fit me better. It's interesting that the e5 suited you better. You and I have the same SS, and it sounds like the same ball flight, and hit similar drivers. I get plenty of spin and height on my short irons and wedges, so I thought the e5 would NOT be a fit for me. I'll have to give them a try next season. Thanks for your insights!

I thought the same thing. My usual ball flight is a penetrating flight (like the E7 would produce.) It would carry 235 ish and roll 25 yards. This would carry 250 and roll 10-12 yds - i was a huge fan of this. Plus, a Urethane cover as a bonus. It spun great - hop once and stop. I couldnt believe my eyes. 27 dollars for a ball that i might buy for 40.
Steal of the year.
 
Real good review, short, simple and down to the point. I didn't know the Srixon Trispeeds went down in price, I currently play the Srixon soft feel. I am going to have to pick some of the Trispeeds up.
 
what wedge were you using for the spin numbers and spin back on approach shots??
degree and make would be cool to know.

Thanks very much......ps: interesting read
 
used my CG12 - its got about 4 months of use
50 degree, 10 bounce. I hit it about 105 yards
 
used my CG12 - its got about 4 months of use
50 degree, 10 bounce. I hit it about 105 yards

So was this testing on full swings on chips and pitches? How was the spin measured if it was done on full swings?
 
So was this testing on full swings on chips and pitches? How was the spin measured if it was done on full swings?

It was done in RPMs on a launch monitor. First i hit balls into a net and got to see the numbers. Then went to a range and actually hit a few. Probably not your normal fitting but i knew someone at the shop so he helped me out. It was mostly full shots but there were a few chips and pitches.
 
Re:Golf Ball Selection REVIEW

so do you have the actual spin numbers from the monitor? that would be great info. and were you taking full swings or chips



Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
 
cheers. I find all this stuff very interesting. I am with JB on wanting all the numbers as well though....it appeals to the nerd inside!!!
 
so do you have the actual spin numbers from the monitor? that would be great info. and were you taking full swings or chips

cheers. I find all this stuff very interesting. I am with JB on wanting all the numbers as well though....it appeals to the nerd inside!!!

Sorry to let you guys down but i dont remember the exact numbers.
Ill make some estimates on the ones i remember, which is mostly the better ones
E5= lower 8000s - i think it was like 8300
ONE Vapor- low to mid 7000s
ONE tour- mid 9000s -a bit lower than B330 s
Z-star X- 9000s - close to 9000 even
B330-S- 9000s (92,93ish)
V1X- like 8800
TM Black- 8000s - similar to E5
NXT Tour- close to Vapors
 
When you were hitting balls on the range were you chipping or hitting full shots?
 
When you were hitting balls on the range were you chipping or hitting full shots?

Full on the monitor. Chip a bit on the range. Didnt measure the spin numbers on the chips and pitches.
 
It was done in RPMs on a launch monitor. First i hit balls into a net and got to see the numbers. Then went to a range and actually hit a few. Probably not your normal fitting but i knew someone at the shop so he helped me out. It was mostly full shots but there were a few chips and pitches.

Great review, well written and apparently very objective. I also experienced much better performance with the TP Black vs. Red, but that is strictly an observation, only distance and dispersion data. One question, which LM did you use?
 
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