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Does the ball you use really make a difference?

Caddy Daddy
Complicated answer but...
if you're not a professional or scratch level to low single digit amateur you can play any ball from the major brands in the $15 to $25 price range without worry; they are all good balls that will not hurt your game.
 
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To me they matter a ton. I am short and don't hit a ton of greens. How the ball performs in the short game is super important. Trying to balance that with excess spin in the long game is important too. I just think it's super important.
 
Get fit for a ball, and you'll save strokes just like getting fit for clubs. It makes a difference.
 
I like the ball I use. (e6) It's a comfort thing for me. I know what to expect from it from tee to green. That said, with my reduced swing speed, I could probably get nearly the same results from a new range ball. Idk

Higher swing speeds is where I think various, levels of golfers can take a fuller advantage of the various types of balls available to day. Even then, it still boils down to being comfortable with a certain, ball, and with some professional players, their endorsements.
 
It definitely does. It is a balance of things. I prefer a ball that will perform great around the green on chips, that is where I make up my strokes and save a lot of pars.
 
I am a high handicapper that does not hit the ball very far. The one thing I value in a ball is consistency. That said I have found several balls within my budget that perform similarly and I know what to expect from them. The ball you play DOES make a difference. However I am sure it is more important for better players who shape shots and can control spin on the green. I just need to be confident that the ball will consistently hit my distances and feel "right" coming off the clubhead.
 
Once you have a consistent swing then choosing a ball becomes more important. Without consistent contact, the ball doesn't matter one bit and you're better off going cheap/bulk.
 
When it comes to quality golf balls, I’m thinking most could score the same regardless of their selection, so long as they stick with that particular make/model and know how it will perform for them.
 
Yes it does. But...there are a few balls out there that I can play with. In the end, it comes down to trajectory with 13 clubs, spin, and feel off the putter. Price helps. I can play the Pro V1x or TP5 easily as my numbers were similar, but I prefer the feel of the TP5. Chrome soft and x didn't work for me off the tee nor did I like the feel. Ultimately I found similar performance as the Pro V1x with a feel in between with the Vice Pro Plus.
 
I think every time you pick up a club. You need to play a ball that is fit for your game. If I play different balls from time to time I notice a difference.
 
Sean said:
In my experience they all pretty much go the same distance off the tee, but it's around the greens I notice a difference.
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I will say that I did hit the Mizuno RB Tour X. It was super spinny and did not seem to go near as far off the tee or on iron shots. That has been one of the few exceptions that I've noticed though as most fly pretty similar as you said.
 
It 100% does for me.. I think it does for most people.
 
Based on my personal experience, i'd say..... Only when I could play consistently enough to know the difference, did it make a difference.
 
As a testor of the Bridgestone E12 Contact (blind) there were enough differences just in the way they came off the club and felt that I could tell you whether I was playing ball 1,2,3, or 4.

They all felt different and had different characteristics, even within balls of basically the same class (slightly below tour level balls).

I’m not that good. I had to throw out a shot or two here and there.
 
Snickerdog said:
It definitely does. It is a balance of things. I prefer a ball that will perform great around the green on chips, that is where I make up my strokes and save a lot of pars.
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Definitely agree. This is one of my primary considerations for selecting a ball: performance around the green. I don’t hit that many GIR so short game and putting are critical for me. I like a urethane ball with good greenside spin.
 
it comes down to green side spin which costs more vs a lower priced ball, that also feels great like a soft feel. But, curious to use Pro V's I got free from a ball fitting.
 
Regardless of ability, using the same ball is a good thing to do as you get to know how it reacts to different shots, which helps you to plan your game more

For me, I can definitely tell the difference between balls with different covers, especially around the green
 
From the tee, many balls I can play without large impact. Around the green and with the putter is where I see differences when I change balls. I play the same ball all the time and it has helped my short game and made me a bit more consistant.

back in the day when I rolled it off the tee and chunked it, it did not matter. It is when I land a decent shot that the reaction of ball to club then ball to green matter.
 
I can switch between the ProV1 and TP5 as they perform similarly for me.
 
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