We've launched the new forums! Read more here

can you really tell the difference between the balls you play

SuperStroke
A

Art M

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Messages
1,987
Reaction score
93
Location
MA
Handicap
10.4
I am not sure i can. In fact i can't tell you the real difference although I know what I like to play. They may be very different balls in design and on a launch monitor but I could interchange at any point in a round a still achieve the same level of game and enjoyment. Maybe it comes down to I like them because at some point i shot well with them and that memory stuck. My current balls of choice are V1X, TP5, Elixr, MTB-X. I know when distance matters the Elixr is not the ball compared to the others. Feel, well feel is pretty much a given. The Elixr feels softest. i am referring primarily to flight characteristics and spin.
 
Last edited:
It depends. I can certainly feel a difference from a cheap 2-piece ball and a Pro V1. I can also feel the difference from a hard 2-piece ball and a soft 2-piece ball. I would say though, that between balls that are the same but from difference manufacturers that I cant really tell much difference.
 
Surprising my buddy with some NDX heat and Nike of distance because he said it doesn't matter. I'll see how he plays today...

Urethane vs surlyn and 2 vs 3 e differentiators for me.
 
I can notice a difference in balls when putting. They sound different coming off the putter face. They sometimes even react differently coming off the putter face, distance wise..

With chip shots, I can see some differences in balls, but not very often. Some might check up easier than others.

With any other club/shot I can't tell that much of a difference.

I think a lot of the differences I don't notice is because my swing, and impact position with a ball is not that precise, and/or consistent from swing to swing.
 
A simple yes.
 
Absolutely. It’s easy to tell if a ball is firmer or softer, if you get a certain trajectory or if a ball is longer or shorter. If balls are in the same profile for feel it can be harder. I don’t spin the ball much on approach shots so that’s the hardest area for me to differentiate balls.
 
I can definitely discern firm vs soft feeling balls, different sound off putter face, spin/release differences on some shots into greens, and full shot flight characteristics. Some tend to play a little longer off driver/fww while others tends to carry further off mid/short irons, some are superior on real windy days, some tend to fly higher etc... Getting more of one aspect typically means you trade off and accept less of some other aspect.
 
Yes, with an asterisk.

If you gave me a similar ball to what I play on the first tee and didn't tell me what it was, I'm sure I would try every way I could to compare it to a pro v1, which is what I normally play. I don't know that without hitting comparisons I could tell you that it wasn't, in fact, my ball.

That being said, if I tee off with a pro v1 on #1, and on #3 you gave me a v1x, or TP5, or MTB Black, I would definitely be able to tell you it was different.
 
Yes but not necessarily of equal type, meaning ProV1 compared to a TP5 and so on. On the green it becomes more obvious.
 
Yes could over the course of a few shots.
 
Depends, but if they are different enough for sure.

Threw some chrome softs out for a few holes yesterday. So different than the srixons I primarily play.
 
Give me a couple of balls that play very similarly (i.e., Tour B RX and AVX) and I likely would not be able to differentiate in a blind test. Throw a ProV1X in with those 2 and I could easily pick it out based on feel.
 
Go play a top flite for a few holes and then tee up a chrome soft and then tell me if you see any differences.
 
Of course, some significantly more so than others.
 
Probably more off the tee than anywhere else - feel, distance, launch. Full shot irons, yes in regard to ball flight, descent angle and spin, The closer I get to the green the more difficult it is for me to differentiate as I am not a high spin playmaker on shots around the green to begin with.
 
I feel the difference most off the driver and putter. It's pretty easy to differentiate between a harder and softer ball. I don't notice a lot of difference around the green (even between surlyn and urethane balls), but that's probably more because of my short game than the ball itself.
 
TCB2010 said:
Go play a top flite for a few holes and then tee up a chrome soft and then tell me if you see any differences.
Click to expand...
I've done this recently and the difference is negligible. You may have had a different experience, but for me (been playing since 1977, as a single digit hncp for the last 35) golf balls are largely similar.
 
Not to offend anyone, but I think better players can distinguish between the quality of golf balls a little better than less skilled players.

I would not consider myself one of those skilled players, but I do seem to distinguish between the quality of golf balls. I find that the higher quality golf balls always perform better for me.
 
I can easily tell a difference by the flight of the ball as it soars out of bounds and the sound it makes when it bounces off the roof of a house on the right side of the fairway...
 
Off the tee I can tell when I'm not playing a low compression ball. I see a noticeable difference between some low compression balls and the Callaway Supersoft on the green.
 
*Range Rat said:
I've done this recently and the difference is negligible. You may have had a different experience, but for me (been playing since 1977, as a single digit hncp for the last 35) golf balls are largely similar.
Click to expand...

I can’t agree with that I’m sorry.1590350713367.png
 
Yes I can tell the difference between balls. They will react differently off driver and putter for sure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top