Choosing a Golf Ball?
About the smartest golfing advice I've seen in a long time.
Great video. Simple advice. Difficulty is having access to a launch monitor at a range or to bring on course. I can’t tell how much my ball spins shot to shot. It’s impossible. I can judge shots hit into greens and how quickly they check. This is where I’ve been struggling. Between my greens not holding and my combo’d, low spin, mid and long irons, I can’t get well hit shots to stop quickly enough. The playable, forgiving irons of today are intentionally low spinning and high launching. Really challenges the ball. Bringing multiple balls of consideration on the course is probably the best way to test.
I’ve never play Callaway balls. I’ve always been a Titleist guy. I’ve been playing more TP5’s and plan to pick up a dozen of the new Mizuno Tour RB X. I’ve read those are spiny off the irons.
I’ve never play Callaway balls. I’ve always been a Titleist guy. I’ve been playing more TP5’s and plan to pick up a dozen of the new Mizuno Tour RB X. I’ve read those are spiny off the irons.
I play a minimum of 45 holes a week. have no problem elevating or knocking the ball down. A pretty good ball striker, producing spin is a non issue. But you can't hit high shots to tucked pins without also producing a lot of spin, which can be undesireable with soft greens. That is just one scenario where changing your ball for a different performance profile is a good plan. I guess for the guy who plays once a week sticking to one ball might make sense, if he doesn't practice much either. But under those conditions he would probably be best served by a low spin ball all the time, just to keep it in play.
Playing as much as you do then you realize technique will determine what the ball does more than the ball properties itself. Urethane balls across the board will spin similarly and I will give you some more than others, but with technique, introducing the proper angle of descent, you can hit high shots to tucked pins and have it land like a sack of flour.
Understanding your game and finding one ball to maximize your skills, whether playing 45 holes a week or 18, will only benefit you more than switching balls. I am not saying this as something I believe, I am saying this as relaying information that has been passed onto me by Jason Finley himself and other OEM's I have been blessed to sit down with and discuss how to best play as an amateur.
paralysis by analysis. having to make a decision based on conditions and how someone feels seems like there are too many variables.
We will have to agree to disagree. Hitting the ball higher requires hitting it harder for a given distance. Hitting it harder imparts more spin. There is no way around that other than using a ball that spins less.
I can hit the ball higher without hitting it harder. I will give you distance dictates the speed at which we need to deliver the ball to achieve the desired distance. Put me inside of 100yds and ask me to elevate the ball, speed is a factor, but technique to get the proper descent will help regardless of the ball you play.
j0nesy
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The worst thing a new golfer can do is use any found or range balls. Ball consistency should not be overlooked. If you play a ball that allows you to find more fairways, then you gain confidence and stress less about hitting the ball to the next fairway or OB - allowing you to both enjoy the game and focus on improvements in it.
Play the ball that fits your game and once you are better at your swing mechanics, choose a ball to address the parts of your game that you most want to improve.
My personal progression in the 3 years of playing went something like this:
Play the ball that fits your game and once you are better at your swing mechanics, choose a ball to address the parts of your game that you most want to improve.
My personal progression in the 3 years of playing went something like this:
- Year 1, any ball - Often the ball would be driven into the adjacent fairway - it sucked. Towards the end of the season I made a decision to use a 2pc ball and started gaming the Callaway SuperSoft.
- Year 2, Started with the SuperSoft - Dramatically improved my ability to land in the fairway. My enjoyment, confidence, and freedom to improve began. Finished the season experimenting with 3 piece balls because I was significantly more confident when teeing up, but could not hold an approach shot with the 2pc.
- Currently, Wilsons TRIAD. I've tried Chrome Soft (great ball), Pro V's (I got a bunch for free), and somehow the TRIAD is the one ball I keep coming back to. It is an underrated ball for sure, and a lot of high handicapper's should give the TRIAD a shot. It is everything that Rick Shiels said and then some. Straight off the driver, nice off the irons and wedges, and satisfying off the putter.
tdinbr
Water hazards are tough!
If I don't like the way a ball feels with my putter, I won't play it no matter how expensive (or cheap) it is...
Please explain the physics behind that possibility. I am intrigued. Hitting it higher with the same force is only possible with a shorter flight. Unless you origonal baseline was an extremely suboptimal trajectory for that club.
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Et Tu Brute?
Well-known member
I agree, unless you're playing so awful you have literally given up and are just banging the ball around. Not that there's anything wrong with banging the ball around and not caring about score!
But if you're posting on this forum, you very likely do want to give yourself the best chance of scoring well. And that is NOT accomplished by playing some random ball depending on what course you play or the weather or how you feel that day or how worried you are about that pond in front of the green.
I love trying new or different balls from time to time, for a couple rounds. But it's always a relief to get back to the ball I'm used to and play the other 90% of the time once that "something new" itch has been scratched.
technique of delivering the club through impact. Some guys naturally hit a higher ball flight some don't. Speed is an added element is my position, but not needed to achieve the outcome. You can manipulate the face & utilize the bounce to get the ball up in the air quicker if that's not your natural ball flight, but you don't necessarily need 100% of your swing speed to get the job done.
As you get further away, I will give you that speed enters the equation more than technique because of distance, but even then back to the OP, any urethane golf ball will get the job done whether labeled as "low spin" or not. Descent angle plays a big role is my position.
Et Tu Brute?
Well-known member
For us slow swingers, there used to be a good many balls with very "suboptimal" performance especially on mishits. I remember when Pro V1x first came out (2003-ish?) trying a sleeve of them and my usual 8-iron that would go 120 yards with most balls would only come close to that if I nailed it dead solid perfect. Any little mishit and it dropped out of the air like a wounded duck about about 75-80 yards. It was crazy.
The newer generations of balls are a lot better than that for a wide range of players but there are still some balls that come out a little low and weak at really slow clubhead speeds. Left Dash Pro V1x is a bit like that, as is one of the Taylormade versions (can't recall which).
That is a difference due to the quality of ball striking, which is still a difference today. What I don't understand is how one can get more work ( higher flight and equal distance) out of the same amount of energy.
when looking at and trying new balls, I usually play 9 and purposefully try not to hit the green and come up short and I usually vary the yardage so that I can use my wedges to test the new balls. That is my measuring stick. My GIR is not that good so I compensate by having a good/tight short game. Same with distance off the tee, to me it's not that important, I mean it counts but the wedges and short game are my friends.
Funny. i watched this yesterday and while he was talking about the online ball selector, I said myself....."sure, that helps but until you get out on the course and try it....."
Then he said, take it out on the course and i was reminded of how much Finley gets it. The course matters most. Youve gotta like it and how it performs for you
Then he said, take it out on the course and i was reminded of how much Finley gets it. The course matters most. Youve gotta like it and how it performs for you
i feel like most balls react fairly similar for me on LM's, but when on a course or range, so much easy to see the differences
I've got a question... Does playing too soft of a golf ball hurt your game? Can someone lose distance from the tee with a driver by playing too soft of a golf ball? At the same time gain distance with their irons with the same ball? What would be your happy median?
noodle3872
Well-known member
My answers would be;
It could if the ball doesn’t offer enough spin.
Yes, higher CHS players can over compress a soft ball which leads to a distance penalty.
Yes, broadly speaking softer balls tend to spin less which yields more distance.
My happy median is where my needs are met in the middle of my bag. I need spin and height in my 6i thru 8i to attack pins and give me control from less ideal lies. I’ll give up a bit of driver distance to get the spin where it benefits my game most.
Et Tu Brute?
Well-known member
That's the "aerodynamic package" (i.e. dimple design) at work. Which indoor launch monitors (or some outdoor ones) know nothing about so they just make a guess about the downrange trajectory.