tommyhaka
Well-known member
How much difference in distance is there from one ball to another?
Golf Ball Compression: Spin, Speed and Distance
Off the tee? In real world conditions, it can be a lot.
Very true. Sometimes it can be beneficial to look at what ball you are playing, do some testing with other similar balls and see if maybe theres something out there that's better for you.
For me, the Pro V would be the better ball because I don't hit the ball quite so high (I wish that I did and had the problem of needing to keep it down and out of the wind), so I want the spin because Im not coming into the green at such a steep angle but everyone is different and that's why you need to experient for yourself and see what works for you instead of just reading what the experts say or what ball is supposedly #1 on tour.
Id be interested to see this test expanded to more different balls, including ones that arent premium balls.
For me, the Pro V would be the better ball because I don't hit the ball quite so high (I wish that I did and had the problem of needing to keep it down and out of the wind), so I want the spin because Im not coming into the green at such a steep angle but everyone is different and that's why you need to experient for yourself and see what works for you instead of just reading what the experts say or what ball is supposedly #1 on tour.
Id be interested to see this test expanded to more different balls, including ones that arent premium balls.
The ProV1 might be better for @Canadan than ProV1x. I was fit at a titleist ball fitting and they put me in the prov1 because the ProV1x had too much spin.
I have been playing Bridgestone RX all year and like that ball. I tried Chromesoft and didn’t like it but then Chromesoft X came along and it is a monster off the tee and has me considering a switch. It would be so much easier to pick a ball if I had a launch monitor and more repeatable swing. It is hard to find a ball that fits. I absolutely knew the Chromesoft X was not for me because the ProV1X wasn’t, yet I play the regular Prov1 and CSX if I choose those manufacturers.
I have been playing Bridgestone RX all year and like that ball. I tried Chromesoft and didn’t like it but then Chromesoft X came along and it is a monster off the tee and has me considering a switch. It would be so much easier to pick a ball if I had a launch monitor and more repeatable swing. It is hard to find a ball that fits. I absolutely knew the Chromesoft X was not for me because the ProV1X wasn’t, yet I play the regular Prov1 and CSX if I choose those manufacturers.
- Staff
- #130
Love this Video... #TheBallMatters
- Admin
- #131
Our goal of course was to take a soft compression ball and a firm compression ball and show the differences and that blanket statements that firm or soft is better (that some are making) than the other or shorter or longer is just not accurate.
Using the Titleist options, I would say you are right, Pro V1 or better yet AVX would have fared better for @Canadan as well.
Franklin51
On the Verge
So this particular thread was on my mind all day yesterday and last night. I am going for a long club fitting (Driver/FW/Hybrid) this weekend and I called to check and see if they fit balls. They do and the guy said we would find the clubs that fit then start finding the correct ball. Now I am in no means one that can tell huge differences in balls as the only ball I ever thought I struggled with was the TM Penta. This though is a score for the numbers geek like me.
- Staff
- #133
I think these two were the perfect choices to showcase how much difference there may be. Sure, there are more comparable balls to the RX in the Titleist lineup, but the objective here wasn’t good or bad, it was an education of how fitting of the golf ball is a real thing, and it matters.
Thanks for the video @Canadan - very informative, but very clear from the outset that this relates to you and your game and likely wouldn't apply to everyone
As I said in my previous post, I have only gone off feel and what I have seen on the course from the times I have found and tried another ball, but I do wonder if there is another ball out there that may be a better fit for me?
I have flipped between the (prevous generation) CS and CSx depending on the temperature and enjoyed both of them as, from what I have seen on the course, they perform how I want. I have tried other balls in the past and dismissed some due to the feel/sound off various clubs, but once my home club has the new range facility built, I am definitely going to look into testing as many balls as possible to see how they compare
I know it might not give a perfect representation of how each ball performs as it would be for your swing, but would there be value in getting data for different balls so that we can see potential differences in performance to give an idea of possible pros/cons for someone looking for a different ball?
As I said in my previous post, I have only gone off feel and what I have seen on the course from the times I have found and tried another ball, but I do wonder if there is another ball out there that may be a better fit for me?
I have flipped between the (prevous generation) CS and CSx depending on the temperature and enjoyed both of them as, from what I have seen on the course, they perform how I want. I have tried other balls in the past and dismissed some due to the feel/sound off various clubs, but once my home club has the new range facility built, I am definitely going to look into testing as many balls as possible to see how they compare
I know it might not give a perfect representation of how each ball performs as it would be for your swing, but would there be value in getting data for different balls so that we can see potential differences in performance to give an idea of possible pros/cons for someone looking for a different ball?
Hamfist
I promise not to murder Canadan.
Anyone ever gamed a ball that they hated the feel of hitting, yet produced better results?
Should this be a separate thread?
Should this be a separate thread?
- Thread starter
- Moderator
- #137
A lot of comments relating to the ball selections, and I have two thoughts from my original brainstorming on this video.
1 - Having similar balls get tested isn't the story. It wasn't about what optimal ball from each manufacturer would be better for me. It was about a ball that is known as a premium firmer compression spin producing ball would do (something I've played in the past) against a new ball that I've been playing that has very different characteristics. More compression, less spin potential, etc. That it resulted in such a polarizing way only works to the benefit of the viewer.
2 - The ProV1x came to mind immediately because I played in an event with a couple 20 something year old guys, and overheard one of them say "I need to switch to the ProV1x because that AVX spins way too much for me." -- It seemed incredibly appropriate to put a ball like that into this test, and being that the Tech Studio has an exceptional number of ball options, that's what I opted to go with.
Now... Does that mean we're done? No, of course not.
Does that mean we have 'best fit' video potential here? Of course.
1 - Having similar balls get tested isn't the story. It wasn't about what optimal ball from each manufacturer would be better for me. It was about a ball that is known as a premium firmer compression spin producing ball would do (something I've played in the past) against a new ball that I've been playing that has very different characteristics. More compression, less spin potential, etc. That it resulted in such a polarizing way only works to the benefit of the viewer.
2 - The ProV1x came to mind immediately because I played in an event with a couple 20 something year old guys, and overheard one of them say "I need to switch to the ProV1x because that AVX spins way too much for me." -- It seemed incredibly appropriate to put a ball like that into this test, and being that the Tech Studio has an exceptional number of ball options, that's what I opted to go with.
Now... Does that mean we're done? No, of course not.
Does that mean we have 'best fit' video potential here? Of course.
- Thread starter
- Moderator
- #138
I think that question is ball dependent and club dependent... and from my perspective, I do not know enough about ball construction to say one way or the other because I'll openly admit to going into this expecting greater ball speed off the ProV1x.
From my present perspective, it seems pretty clear that the ball flying a touch higher with less spin is the largest contributor to distance gain. For me that's really only an added bonus, as I'm not particularly worried about total distance on irons, but obviously plays to my benefit as I've got shorter irons into longer greens.
- Thread starter
- Moderator
- #139
I think any video that shows 'in the moment' data collection and offers perspective on the results is a benefit to everyone. As long as the commentary isn't persuasive and recognizes the unique attributes that each golfer brings to the table, all comparisons in this nature add value.
What did you have in mind? Running through full lineups to see the subtle variances in product?
Going even deeper and comparing premium to budget balls from the same company?
I wonder how a firm lower spinning ball like the left dash prov or the TP5X would perform for you? You should "in theory" maintain higher ball speed (if that is something you are looking for) and get the lower spin you want.
- Thread starter
- Moderator
- #142
That is really interesting. With how significant the difference can be ball to ball, I'm officially under the impression that I will always have a sleeve of my ball preference with me at any fitting moving forward. It's hard to imagine getting fit with a bad (for you) ball and then seeing the numbers change dramatically when you switch to your inevitable gamer.
Are you going in with an idea of what ball works for you?
Yes, I think that running through a line-up from a manufacturer to see the differences between their products is definitely something I could be interested in, for example running through the Callaway range from Supersoft to Chromesoft X to show how they react - and if it is possible to do this with different clubs (driver, mid iron, wedge for example) it will give even more information to everyone
You could go down the proverbial rabbit hole if you went with comparing balls in 'x' price bracket, or 'tour' balls etc against each other
It would be a lot of work, so it would all come down to how beneficial everyone involved with the forum thinks it would be
- Thread starter
- Moderator
- #144
the problem with how in depth to go, is that I much prefer this as a video feature. It shows data as it happens, and doesn't hide anything in a table - so people watching can be absolutely sure there's nothing strange going on and it makes it that much more believable. Hell, three weeks ago if you told me the ProV1x spun 1,200+ rpm more than Tour B RX I'd tell you to buy volcano insurance.
When you start to talk about everything to add in, we start to look at VERY long videos.
I get it, and realise it could make for some very long videos and how many people will sit and watch it?
All this time in lockdown and working from home got me interested in some things and watching a couple videos from another YouTube channel where they showed how much a ball change can make to a fitting definitely made me think - then seeing this video you have done just reinforced the thoughts I was having
I was probably a bit lucky in that I was able to use my usual ball when I was fitted as it was indoors, but I do know of places who just use any old ball, and seeing how much things can change from ball to ball can have a big impact on the decision you make on which clubs to put in the bag
Just knowing how much difference a ball can make from watching a video like yours should hopefully trigger people to consider it when they are looking at new clubs
I wasn’t clear enough. I think the ball choice for this test was great. I was more talking about my personal experience and stating the obvious that ProV1X doesn’t fit Dan as well as another one would and I saw the same. Anytime you pick two different manufacturers and do a test, you get fans from each OEM telling you why you got certain results.
There has been a mantra on other site(s) that firmer is always longer and the video here, along with other statements from people I trust, has shown that is not the case. As I mentioned, I went to Titleist and had a ball fitting and the softer Prov1 was longer than the firmer ProV1X with my swing.
I would love to see where that compression flips to where softer is shorter for @Canadan. Maybe do it with one manufacturer like Bridgestone with e12 soft>BRX>BX and then do a Titleist one with Titleist equivalent balls and one with Callaway equivalent.
Edit to add that I just saw I wasn’t the first to come up with the idea. It probably is too much work, but I think ball choice is important and there just isn’t enough info out there for me with number differences from a human. Sure, I can find one guy on the net with numbers on the BX and another guy showing his number with Prov1, but not many testing multiple balls with the same iron in the same setting.
There has been a mantra on other site(s) that firmer is always longer and the video here, along with other statements from people I trust, has shown that is not the case. As I mentioned, I went to Titleist and had a ball fitting and the softer Prov1 was longer than the firmer ProV1X with my swing.
I would love to see where that compression flips to where softer is shorter for @Canadan. Maybe do it with one manufacturer like Bridgestone with e12 soft>BRX>BX and then do a Titleist one with Titleist equivalent balls and one with Callaway equivalent.
Edit to add that I just saw I wasn’t the first to come up with the idea. It probably is too much work, but I think ball choice is important and there just isn’t enough info out there for me with number differences from a human. Sure, I can find one guy on the net with numbers on the BX and another guy showing his number with Prov1, but not many testing multiple balls with the same iron in the same setting.
Thanks for the reply. Again, fantastic video.
Franklin51
On the Verge
I’ve got 3 ball manufacturers semi in mind. Titleist, Bridgestone, and Srixon. Long clubs it probably will not be a huge deal but getting wedge fit and things I think it will. I had one fitter do it before but I watched others get fit with plain range balls
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Excellent video @Canadan and very timely as i have been using the Prov1x for a long time. I have thrown in the TourB Rxs and Rx into the mix over the last few months. Some of my best rounds were with the RXS but i am liking the RX more. I was really surprised to see such a huge spin difference between the two balls. Looking forward to more of these awesome videos to learn from.
GREAT video, Dan! Finding the right ball has been a dilemma for me as well. I don't get to play very often right now and have bounced around trying different balls. I think I am starting to figure some things out though.
My Prov1x experience:
I had been playing some Pro V1x lately but dropped those recently due to massive spin off of the irons. I don't flush the ball as often as you, but I know when I catch one really well and I also have a pretty good idea of what my distance potential is for each club. I was playing a par 3 with forced carry over water with a pin sitting at 145. I have seen a consistent 155-60 from my 9i at the range (low compression balls, some with worn dimples). Anyway, this was playing into a decent wind - not a one club wind, but enough to take it into account. I absolutely flush my 9i and it is all over the flag, but balloons and drops in the water at about the 138 mark. I have not touched a Pro V1x since and this video confirms why.
Current ball is the TP5:
I am seeing big improvements off the tee with this ball. Great launch and spin, but maybe a tad high on the spin into the wind. The trouble I am having here is wedge spin. When I hit a pure SW or GW with this ball, it is spinning back about 20 or more feet. I pulled one back off of a par 3 last weekend that landed about 10' on and ended up down a hill with a 15 yard chip.
Based on this, it seems like I might be best suited for a low compression ball with a less "spinny" cover as well? If spin is too low from the driver, then I can add loft to the driver. Am I thinking about this right? My short game sucks anyway, so spin/ no-spin around the green means little to me right now.
Outside of BRX, what other balls fit this profile?
My Prov1x experience:
I had been playing some Pro V1x lately but dropped those recently due to massive spin off of the irons. I don't flush the ball as often as you, but I know when I catch one really well and I also have a pretty good idea of what my distance potential is for each club. I was playing a par 3 with forced carry over water with a pin sitting at 145. I have seen a consistent 155-60 from my 9i at the range (low compression balls, some with worn dimples). Anyway, this was playing into a decent wind - not a one club wind, but enough to take it into account. I absolutely flush my 9i and it is all over the flag, but balloons and drops in the water at about the 138 mark. I have not touched a Pro V1x since and this video confirms why.
Current ball is the TP5:
I am seeing big improvements off the tee with this ball. Great launch and spin, but maybe a tad high on the spin into the wind. The trouble I am having here is wedge spin. When I hit a pure SW or GW with this ball, it is spinning back about 20 or more feet. I pulled one back off of a par 3 last weekend that landed about 10' on and ended up down a hill with a 15 yard chip.
Based on this, it seems like I might be best suited for a low compression ball with a less "spinny" cover as well? If spin is too low from the driver, then I can add loft to the driver. Am I thinking about this right? My short game sucks anyway, so spin/ no-spin around the green means little to me right now.
Outside of BRX, what other balls fit this profile?