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Does the ball you use really make a difference?

Caddy Daddy
Nah. No more than say.. which twin you sleep with. Same same. All good. :rolleyes:
 
Drives, not so much, long irons maybe the ball matters a little more, approach, short game and putting, yeah it does make a difference. Thank goodness it’s not that hard or that big a deal.
 
For those that say that they all pretty much do the same thing on drives....

If you are a high spin player, playing a low spin ball off the tee can be huge. I hit some of the longest drives I’ve ever hit in 2018 with the AVX. It spun about 600RPM’s less with driver than the V1x did. For me.

So that shot into the wind that just balloons? A low spin ball will cut it. I gained 50 yards when hitting into the wind by playing a low spin ball in the AVX and later the TourB RX.

Downwind spin isn’t that big of an issue and they do go close to the same distance, I’ll get more roll with less spin, but the more spin balls probably carry a little further.

My swing has changed some due to injury and I no longer need the lowest spinning premium ball so I’m set on the Tour B XS for this season. If I get roped into a windy day scramble I’ll probably throw a sleeve of TourB RX’s in “just in case”. Like just in case I want to rear back and rip one.
 
I believe you should play a ball you can afford to lose, (over the water without worry.) its ok to try many new balls. but play a new release ball and stick to it. I play with friends who will play anything they find, (I make most all 'found' balls, =practice balls).
Yearly Modern advances can be found in golf balls more than anything else you can purchase. and as much money you spend on golf overall why skimp playing old used golf balls?
 
BroD said:
I believe you should play a ball you can afford to lose
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Lee Trevino was in a Pro Am at a par 3 hole with water guarding the green, when an amateur teed up an old, beat up ball. Lee said to the amateur "c'mon now , have some confidence, play a nice new ball". The amateur made a practice swing and Lee said "on second thought, you're right, better use an old ball".
 
I thought about it a bit more this weekend while playing one of the better, if not best, rounds of my short golf tenure. I think there's also something to be said for a ball that inspires confidence. There's a purely mental aspect that translates to the swing when you worry too much about the ball at your feet. I've 100% been guilty of changing out balls to a spare when faced with water, or a narrow fairway with unrecoverable terrain and it's gotten in my head. By the same measure I've been conscious of playing a shiny new ProV1 expecting it to perform a certain way and then flubbing fundamental mechanics. There needs to be a balance, and acceptance from the player.

I played a course with a surprising amount of water this weekend and after the first few swings didn't even think about the ball I played. Just pulled one of the two out of my pocket and worried more about playing smart golf than what/how the ball would perform. It worked really well and I didn't really notice whether I was playing a Kirkland or a Chrome Soft X until I was lining up my putts.

So while I'm all for a quality budget ball, it has to be something you're comfortable with. If you think you went too cheap and you're playing a piece of cr*p, it may affect your game. By the same measure if you're a less consistent golfer and are playing with balls at $50/box and having to scramble to the pro-shop at the turn to buy more, you may want to rethink.
 
tehuti said:
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.
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What he said.
 
10islaw said:
I thought about it a bit more this weekend while playing one of the better, if not best, rounds of my short golf tenure. I think there's also something to be said for a ball that inspires confidence. There's a purely mental aspect that translates to the swing when you worry too much about the ball at your feet. I've 100% been guilty of changing out balls to a spare when faced with water, or a narrow fairway with unrecoverable terrain and it's gotten in my head. By the same measure I've been conscious of playing a shiny new ProV1 expecting it to perform a certain way and then flubbing fundamental mechanics. There needs to be a balance, and acceptance from the player.

I played a course with a surprising amount of water this weekend and after the first few swings didn't even think about the ball I played. Just pulled one of the two out of my pocket and worried more about playing smart golf than what/how the ball would perform. It worked really well and I didn't really notice whether I was playing a Kirkland or a Chrome Soft X until I was lining up my putts.

So while I'm all for a quality budget ball, it has to be something you're comfortable with. If you think you went too cheap and you're playing a piece of cr*p, it may affect your game. By the same measure if you're a less consistent golfer and are playing with balls at $50/box and having to scramble to the pro-shop at the turn to buy more, you may want to rethink.
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It's not so much the particular ball as the sticking with one for more than a round or two that breeds confidence. For me at least.

When the new Titleist balls came out, for some reason I first tried the Pro V1 even though I'd always preferred the Pro V1x. Probably as much by luck as anything, I happened to have an amazingly good stretch of holes in the middle of that first round with the new ball. Like a 10-hole stretch of four over par (which for a 17 handicap feels like the Bishop's round in Caddyshack!). So I stuck with it for 4-5 more rounds and probably averaged a couple strokes better than usual. Again, pretty sure it was just a couple weeks where I was playing well but IT'S GOTTA BE THE BALL, MAN.

So I'm still playing Pro V1. And that confidence thing is starting to build. Every time I hit a short iron close to the hole I remember a couple other short irons I've hit close since I switched balls. Or I hole a couple long putts and think back, "Hey, I made a couple long putts last weekend too".

Of course the real test comes when I have a bad stretch of play and can't do anything right. But honestly, at this point I've built up enough good vibrations with this ball that I'll be able to wait out the bad spells. I hope so, anyway.
 
Walter Hickman said:
At what level of play does a ball make a difference and save strokes?
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I have a 6.6 handicap. I always play Pro V1x. I recently started playing Tour B X balls and noticed I was hitting them longer off the tee. So, idk. They might make a little difference (5ish yards), but probably not a ton.
 
Et Tu Brute? said:
It's not so much the particular ball as the sticking with one for more than a round or two that breeds confidence. For me at least.

When the new Titleist balls came out, for some reason I first tried the Pro V1 even though I'd always preferred the Pro V1x. Probably as much by luck as anything, I happened to have an amazingly good stretch of holes in the middle of that first round with the new ball. Like a 10-hole stretch of four over par (which for a 17 handicap feels like the Bishop's round in Caddyshack!). So I stuck with it for 4-5 more rounds and probably averaged a couple strokes better than usual. Again, pretty sure it was just a couple weeks where I was playing well but IT'S GOTTA BE THE BALL, MAN.

So I'm still playing Pro V1. And that confidence thing is starting to build. Every time I hit a short iron close to the hole I remember a couple other short irons I've hit close since I switched balls. Or I hole a couple long putts and think back, "Hey, I made a couple long putts last weekend too".

Of course the real test comes when I have a bad stretch of play and can't do anything right. But honestly, at this point I've built up enough good vibrations with this ball that I'll be able to wait out the bad spells. I hope so, anyway.
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Just a thought, but If I blacked out the markings on a ball and told you it was a Noodle, I bet you'd play differently even if it were a ProV1 hiding under the sharpie. I'm really curious to try this out with my friend that swears by the PV!
 
campilobaxter said:
I would have agreed up until several weeks ago. I put the new Bridgestone Contact up against other similar balls as part of the THP/Bridgestone testing and the Contact was 20 yards short off the driver for me. I can't afford to give up 20 yards on my drives!
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I found the same thing with a Cut ball that some of us received through the forum a couple of years ago. It definitely was not as long off the driver and I believe that it was due to excessive spin. I could never have sacrificed the 15 to 20 yards that I lost on a regular basis.
 
I have tried to play the ProV1 (I find tons of them!) but they just do not work for me. My preferred ball is the Bridgestone Tour BRX. It is longer than the ProV1 and putts better and chips better for me. I tend not to lose balls so one will last me an entire round of 76 strokes. Callaway is a lousy choice for me as it just feels off. I have tried nearly every kind of ball in my 67 years of playing this game and most of what manufacturers tout is just plain BS and hype!
 
Yes and no. For me, it’s essential to play a good quality golf ball and not a ‘bad’ golf ball. By bad I mean rock hard, dirt cheap balls, very old balls, damaged/lake balls etc... by ‘good’ I mean mostballs from the leading manufacturers...

Frankly, I think I would shoot the same scores with a ProV1, ProV1X, ChromeSoft, TP5, Bridgestone BXS, Z Star etc... I have preferences within these balls but they’re all outstanding and will perform well. If I switched from a premium ball to a Pinnacle, Molitor, Donnay for example my scores would increase...
 
strohmoose said:
I have tried to play the ProV1 (I find tons of them!) but they just do not work for me. My preferred ball is the Bridgestone Tour BRX. It is longer than the ProV1 and putts better and chips better for me. I tend not to lose balls so one will last me an entire round of 76 strokes. Callaway is a lousy choice for me as it just feels off. I have tried nearly every kind of ball in my 67 years of playing this game and most of what manufacturers tout is just plain BS and hype!
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Totally agree that most of what manufacturers say is BS! With one exception for me... Bridgestone. Specifically Tour BXS which I game. It’s genuinely long off the tee with lower spin, high spinning with the shorter irons, checks nicely when chipped and pitched, feels good off the club face and the putter. Most manufacturers claim their ball “has it all” but many fall short in at least some area. For me, Bridgestone balls really do have it all.
 
While I have not gone through a fitting, I definitely think the ball makes a difference. Consistently using the same ball or very similar characteristics ball helps you know what to expect on different types of shots from tee to green. How a ball performs on pitches and chips is critical for getting the ball consistently close. Same for longer approach shots. Will the ball check up or run out? Plan the shot accordingly.
 
DaveGolfer15 said:
Totally agree that most of what manufacturers say is BS! With one exception for me... Bridgestone. Specifically Tour BXS which I game. It’s genuinely long off the tee with lower spin, high spinning with the shorter irons, checks nicely when chipped and pitched, feels good off the club face and the putter. Most manufacturers claim their ball “has it all” but many fall short in at least some area. For me, Bridgestone balls really do have it all.
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This is where it gets really interesting and Bridgestone firmly believes in fitting. Here is a great example. A high speed, plus handicap player found more distance in the RX than the XS. We filmed all of @Canadan swings and show the data here.

 
There are balls that clearly do not fit my game. With my swing I can see higher spins, leading to more curvature and less distance.

I know of five balls that I can play, but in that group two different balls stand out as flying a little farther and straighter than the others. I've been checking out a number of balls so far this season, indoors and out. My first and second choices are very close to each other and cost $30 and $48, respectively. From there, I see a noticeable drop to third and fourth place. Those balls cost $20-22. Then another dropoff to a $45 ball at the limits of what I would consider playing.
 
I played 95 holes this past weekend, and played three balls: Bridgestone e6, Snell Get Sum, and Snell MTB-Black. Distance and accuracy was about the same with all three (I lost more Get Sums OB and in water, actually), but the MTB-Black was far and away the best on approach and in the short game. Urethane vs surlyn definitely makes a huge difference there. Even a HH like me can notice that.
 
If I practice my short game with the range balls at my club (Titleist Tour Practice) and then use a ProV1 on the course, I will come up short on pitches and chips due to more spin with the ProV1 than the practice balls. A no brainer. Practice the short game with your gamer balls.
 
I feel like after I started exclusively using one golf ball for every shot, I improved a great deal. I use a decent ball at a decent price(Cut Blue) that I don’t mind if I lose a couple each round and retire a couple more. The place I feel like it really helped was my short game.
I have hit other balls that went further off the driver(TP5) but I am not willing to spend $55 per dozen for an extra 5-10 yards.
 
Nappy said:
For years I thought no. That's why I always played TopFlite Gamer. But over the last 5 years I'd have to say yes. The ball matters a lot. Around the green and off the tee especially.
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Agree I was thinking about same thing, but I switched to softer balls and seen improvements in distance with irons.

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk
 
When beginning the game ,no , its more about enjoyment , this A never stop learning lifetime event game, had a million ingredients to success. As your ability and understanding develop so does what works for you, your skills refine and choices become discerning . Selection of ball for swing speed etc , by choosing something that advantages you you gain.lve found more favourable ball choices over they years and can feel differing ball behaviour from brand to model.

However the simple maxim , whatever gets you in the hole ,in minimal amount of shots ,is undeniably unchallengable.
 
I definitely believe it makes a difference. I stepped up from whatever the cheapest new balls were I could find, usually Srixon Marathon, to the CS and CSX. The difference in greenside spin was marked. I really enjoyed the spin I was able to generate and led to confidence I had never had on chips. That being said, I tend to lose a fair number of balls so I'm "downgrading" to a mid-tier ball for this year but will never again just buy the cheapest balls I can find.
 
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