Well not too much. But certainly between the Top Flite Xl, and my Srixon Q star tour. But probably not between 2 balls of the same caliber.
can you really tell the difference between the balls you play
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I can't really feel the difference but I can see it around the greens. I get far less rollout with something like a Pro V1 than I do with a cheap distance ball. Overall I think it helps me be more accurate, especially when chipping.
This, too. The Duo or Supersport seems to stay in play more than when I use a Chrome Soft or Q-Star Tour. :confused2:
Sure, but only in extremes. Top Flites feel different from Z-Stars.
I've been playing the Q Star Tour vs my usual Callaway Supersoft for the last few weeks. The biggest difference I've noticed is that my shots tend to be straighter with the Supersoft whereas the QST seems to exaggerate my misses - I'm guessing due to more spin from the urethane cover. Other than that, if you removed all the graphics from the balls and had me randomly hit both of them, I doubt I could tell the difference by feel or greenside performance.
OTOH, a friend threw me a Vice Pro the other day, and I can definitely feel the difference between that and either the QST or Supersoft. Much harder, especially off both the driver and putter.
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I've got 3 golf balls sitting on my side table at home. 2 Wilson Staff 50 elites and 1 Cut Blue. The Wilsons cover has a different feel physically than the Cut... the Cut cover is stickier... or tackier... it also feels different when putting. The balls feel different and sound different.
Carolina Golfer
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Yes, firmness mainly. I like the Soft Feel. It has the right softness. Not much difference in score, though compared to a QST. I like the the perfect yellow color and feel on the Soft Feel - making it my current gamer. In comparison, a Volvik Vivid, is too firm.
You can take a look at some of the other forums and see where they cut various golf balls in half. No two are alike. Same goes with dimple configurations, the quantity of dimples and different cover formulations. That's not to say that some manufacturers might try to "make" their balls play like another manufacturers in terms of spin, feel and control but just looking at the inside of a ball will tell you that all golf balls are not alike.
Acesteve
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I like the feel of a soft ball off the putter. My driver swing is not consistent enough to feel.
Pr3cision
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Yes
I can't really tell the difference off the tee when comparing similar quality balls but can absolutely tell if it's a TopFlite. I usually throw those balls to my newer-to-golf buddies because they won't know the difference.
I can't really tell the difference off the tee when comparing similar quality balls but can absolutely tell if it's a TopFlite. I usually throw those balls to my newer-to-golf buddies because they won't know the difference.
It's interesting to see how many people say they can notice the difference between cheap and premium balls, but not between the premiums. 'Feel' the difference would seem to be easier in short game and putting and be more glaring in the cheaper covers and such. But the number saying that the premium balls are all pretty much the same is kind of crazy to me. Depending on the 'premium ball' I can change about 3/4 of a club length in the mid irons. That's definitely not the same. And I honestly doubt that even a high cap player wouldn't be able to 'tell' the difference in that over time. Maybe not if they're constantly bouncing around between balls, but most people tend to notice eventually what ball(s) they hit further, because it feels good.
Carolina Golfer
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Not sure, why Top Flights are considered balls that are hard with no feel. I can't defend the XL line. But, the D2 Feel or a Gamer Soft in the past feel great. The early reviews on the Hammer Control are good.
At least before Dick's Sporting Goods got the brand, the nickname Rock Flites was well-earned. I have not hit one on purpose in decades.
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I think in extremes, yes. But on short game and putting, more so. Feel (including sound) of the ball off a putter face is it for me.
As a plus handicap you're making center face contact a lot more consistently, so the feel of a ball and difference in distance is probably more obvious to you than us guys who hit it all over the face.
BroD
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I hit a low compression ball the other day on a par 3, for stopping power,, and when I hit it,, I had to look back down to the tee because I thought I had missed the ball. Didn't even feel the contact,, looked back at the green waited a couple of sec. and it landed about 20 ft from the hole and stopped... Had a good laugh.
I like the tackiness of urethane balls. This is simply a feel thing. I reach into the bag and they feel better to me.... silly right!
I understand that. I just think that even someone who is all over the face can still notice a distance trend between say a premium low spin ball, and a premium high spin ball, regardless of what they feel or don't feel. They can still have pretty different outcomes without being purely struck.
I'll go a step further since a few people need more posts this week for the drive, and say that I think some of the players who claim they use the ball they do because of it's 'soft feel', 'responsiveness around the green', etc. actually like them because they know consciously or subconsciously that they spin some of those softer balls less and ultimately hit them further. Distance rarely goes unnoticed.
Agree with this statement....I think...
In my understanding... I think what your saying is soft on face of driver these are less errant and more online because they(me) are not able to spin them as much due to compression or as you said soft?
Around the green these can spin much more.
I hearken back to what @JB has said a few times in ball threads - there's no such thing as backspin or sidespin - spin is spin. The axis on which the spin occurs is determined by clubface angle and club path (and I'd imagine club speed has to do with it also, although I don't remember if he said that or not).
A ball that spins more has the potential to have more sidespin, just as it has the potential for more backspin on the greens.
I've played SuperSofts - nice ball. In damp conditions, they hold a green. In firm conditions, not so much. Q-Star Tours are urethane. I suspect from all comments that their greenside spin, just due to construction, is superior. It's fun to discern the differences - always learning something from this game.
I don't play around with balls on launch monitors, only because I don't have access to one - otherwise I'd probably be a major numbers geek because I like numbers. But in real world, on-course situations, I haven't seen any noticeable difference between the Supersoft (surlyn cover) and QST (urethane cover) in terms of distance. The biggest difference I've seen has just been that the Supersoft tends to be straighter and the QST seems more likely to magnify my swing faults (and I know they're my faults, not the ball's fault).
Good point. Doesn't a lower compression spin less than higher? Looking at some tour premiums I have used...
If I remember right, the answer to that question is "It depends".
Basically a phrase i use daily in my job...If I remember right, the answer to that question is "It depends".
Sooo here is my dilemma... I usually play QST, but have noticed a bit better perf (perceived) on spin with z star and distance on xv as well as VFIT for RXS multiple times.
This is where it becomes tough to feel a difference