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Do golf balls really make a different to high handicappers?

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ThatGuy

ThatGuy

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Callaway SuperSoft. TaylorMade TP5x. Titleist ProV1. Pinnacle Soft. Bridgestone Tour B XS. More spin. Less loft. Lots more. Lots less.

Do all the different golf balls on the market really make a difference in performance for players with a 15-20+ handicap? Does spin or firmness really matter that much? How much do they help or not? Is there any reliable research on this?
 
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Most important aspect for a beginner is consistency. Playing the same ball or similar each time so you learn the tendencies and understand what to expect.
 
What JB said if your swing is full of variables add in a constant if it i just the ball
 
As a mid-high handicapper I can say that switching to a premium golf ball has had a noticeable impact for me. The difference in greenside spin between the $20/dozen balls I always played and the Chrome Soft I switched to this year was certainly noticeable and helpful.
 
I'm a 15+/- handicapper with what I consider a slower than normal swing speed. I rely heavily on my short game to maintain that handicap. Hence, I use a ball that delivers consistency in my short game, while still performing well with longer game.

In my situation, I prefer a certain mid level ball ($24 / dozen) over a more premium ball. I can shoot the same scores with both, so why pay a higher price.

I suspect my swing speed is not fast enough to take full advantage of some of the higher priced premium balls. In fact, I was actually told this by a Taylor Made rep, when trying out their new 5 piece Penta ball a few decades ago.

I'm a firm believer in consistent, full swing ball flights. That once the golfer finds a ball that delivers the consistency they are looking for, that's the ball they should stay with until something in their game changes, or a different ball flys better for them.
 
It definitely can!! Find a ball that you like the feel of, that gives you the most consistency.
 
I think the biggest item is knowing what a good shot does. approaches into the green... do you have to hit it short and let it run out? distances?
 
ThatGuy said:
Callaway SuperSoft. TaylorMade TP5x. Titleist ProV1. Pinnacle Soft. Bridgestone Tour B XS. More spin. Less loft. Lots more. Lots less.

Do all the different golf balls on the market really make a different in performance for players with a 15-20+ handicap? Does spin or firmness really matter that much? How much do they really help or not? Is there any reliable research on this?
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JB said:
Most important aspect for a beginner is consistency. Playing the same ball or similar each time so you learn the tendencies and understand what to expect.
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This is what matters, i've read it in several places and it does seem to make a difference. Take out all the inconsistencies you can. The ball is one of them. Play with the same type of ball as much as possible. I went on a site and got a ton of one brand and I just play them now. It's one thing I can easily control.
 
The higher your swing speed, the bigger the differences in distance and dispersion. Check out this comparison between balls performed using an iron Byron.

 
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If I can add one more piece of consistency to my game, why not? I prefer a softer feeling ball with my putter so that’s where I focus, and I tend to find myself with mid to premium balls. I played a lot of ChromeSoft and Q-Stars this year.
 
As a 19 handicap I would say absolutely and I agree with the consistency comments. I played a high spin ball for a bit and realized pretty fast it wasn’t the right ball for me. My slice got much worse and I had so much backspin on balls that great approach shots were spinning 20 yards back of the green. As a high handicap my swing can be inconsistent and with a high spin ball I had no idea where my shot wasn’t going to end up.

Since then I have stuck to premium lower spin balls and mostly played the same ball. The premium balls are very consistent and make for one less variable to worry about.

I think the mid range balls perform fine as long as you’re playing the same ball as others have said.
 
When I started out I would play whatever I could get for cheap or played ones that I found on the course.

I feel once I went to using the same ball, I have made big improvements in my game. Use QStar Tours now and I think off the tee and short game spin are good for me. Able to get balls to check up pretty good on greens and don’t feel it spins too much off the tee.
 
The balls make a difference starting when you are beginning to strike the ball with some consistency or trying to get there. The reason is you want the ball to act the same when you strike it well. If you are using whatever ball you find, your progress will be stunted because you won't know if the inconsistency is you or the ball.
 
I’m going to say no up to a certain point. I notice no appreciable difference between all the high end tour balls (Srixon Z-star, ProV1, TP5x, etc) in either long or short game shots, but I do notice a significant difference between one of these balls and a two-piece distance ball.
 
I have always tried to use the same ball to remove a variable and have found a ball that suits me. I have seen a huge improvement this season using the srixon AD333. I have used premium balls previously and have seen some positive gains however psychologically losing balls during the round can negatively effect my play 😭.
 
Given that high handicappers make more swing mistakes and are prone to losing more balls on average, I would suggest buying balls on the cheap.

You can score just a low with a Top Flite XL or Pinnacle than you can with a ProV1/Chrome

In fact, the ProV1/Chrome balls may hurt your game because of spin rates.
 
yes, I drive the ball further with a softer mid compression 2 piece ball.
 
I think all golfer should choose a ball that fits their game and stick with it so yes golf balls matter to high handicappers. Does it matter if they play a ProV1 or a Callaway Supersport? No, just pick one and stick with it so you know what to expect especially around the green.
 
15 +/- here. Add me to the consistency group. Doesn't have to be fancy, just has to be a known quantity. One less thing to think about. I started out this season playing a mix of the Bridgestone RX and the Chrome Soft depending on what was available in yellow at the store close to me. Ran into some physical issues that resulted in some swing issues, and I moved to a cheaper ball while I work it out. Currently on the Callaway Diablo Tour. $20/dozen and they spin enough for me on full shots. I just play for more rollout around the green (which hasn't been an issue at all so far). That's a ball that I'm familiar with though. Honestly even as I've started to work out my swing issues I see no need to go back to the premium offering right now. Will re-evaluate as we get into next season but I'm fully capable of shooting the same scores with a lesser ball than with a premium urethane offering.
 
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ThatGuy said:
Callaway SuperSoft. TaylorMade TP5x. Titleist ProV1. Pinnacle Soft. Bridgestone Tour B XS. More spin. Less loft. Lots more. Lots less.

Do all the different golf balls on the market really make a different in performance for players with a 15-20+ handicap? Does spin or firmness really matter that much? How much do they really help or not? Is there any reliable research on this?
Click to expand...

very important to me. I think the first thing to do is to know where your swing speed is and find a ball in that range. The golf ball is the only piece of equipment we use on every shot so why have a different variable every time?
Also there are plenty of balls on the market for every budget and no need to feel like you are sacrificing performance to save a few $$.
 
JB said:
Most important aspect for a beginner is consistency. Playing the same ball or similar each time so you learn the tendencies and understand what to expect.
Click to expand...

I agree play a similar ball. No need to play a high end ball that is a waste of money for a 15-20 handicap.
 
I think they absolutely can make a difference to a high handicapper.
 
I think that they do for the OG poster’s stated handicap range.
 
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