I'm a high-handicapper and I don't see enough difference in really expensive balls to justify them. I can shoot 90 with a $25-dozen just as well as I can a $45-dozen.
Good (tour) balls not for high handicappers?
SPG40
New member
MagicSpell, I see you tied your best score with a Top Flite Gamer, that's a great ball for the price and has decent spin for a non- urethane ball. I tried some Gamers last season and was very surprised with how well they played. Good distance off the tee, very straight, and decent spin. One slight problem was off the putter they seemed to almost bounce off the putter and I would putt them too long compared to my usual ball. Sounds like you may have found a keeper in the Gamer, but have fun exploring all your options!
Oxxman
New member
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- Driver
Was told to match swing speed first and then look at other factors such as spin etc. Bought a box of srixon soft feels and they are terrible off the tee using a wood - they balloon and don't roll out much but felt great and performed nicely from 5iron up. Found out that they are for slower swing speeds than mine. Am now using the red srixon distance balls and find the driver flight more penetrating and similar performance and feel to the soft feels with irons etc.
Big thing is there's a ball out there with your name on it - GO FORTH AND SEARCH MY SON
Big thing is there's a ball out there with your name on it - GO FORTH AND SEARCH MY SON
Mav281
Mr Inconsistent
I've been playing the e6 for months now but recently "found" and used a B330S and couldn't get over how muchbetter the 330S held the greens compared to the e6. Long and the short of it is I am now stuck between the e6 and the Bridgestone Tour balls (330S, 330RX and 330RXS).
Good news is I took delivery of a box of 12 Pearl/Grade A Bridgestone balls which I nabbed of eBay for £16, and was pleased to find 5 x 330RX, 3 x 330RXS, 2 x 330 and 2 x 330S. So at least I have the opportunity to experiment a little with he different ball types and find the one that suites me the best.
Good news is I took delivery of a box of 12 Pearl/Grade A Bridgestone balls which I nabbed of eBay for £16, and was pleased to find 5 x 330RX, 3 x 330RXS, 2 x 330 and 2 x 330S. So at least I have the opportunity to experiment a little with he different ball types and find the one that suites me the best.
They just say that because if you tend to slice you will only slice more with a tour ball.
There is some debate about compression too, whether or not being able to compress the ball is all that important.
There is some debate about compression too, whether or not being able to compress the ball is all that important.
TMAdidas
Well-known member
They can cause too much sidespin, but it's all personal preference in different areas. I used to use HEX Chromes, but I'm trying out some Q-Stars to see if I can find more fairways. I like them and I think they'll be my back-up ball, but the HEX Chromes seem a bit better for me. Can't wait to try the Chrome + though.
JLit
Active member
My theory on balls is simple. If you're missing most of the greens in regulation and have to rely on your short game a lot, why not give a premium ball a chance. As long as they don't cause control issues off the tee and you keep them in play, you'll certainly benefit from them around the green. So what if they cost you 5 yards off the tee compared to a distance ball. If you're still going to miss the green with the 5 yard gain, you're now trying to get up and down with a ball that doesn't perform as well on those chips and pitches.
JoeyJoeJo
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I hadn't thought of this, good point, well made.
If I could get my tee shot under control with less sidespin, then get within 50yds of the green with second, a tour type/spinnier ball might give me more chance of getting up and down as I like to hit to flag....
Hhhhhmmm.... {heads to ebay...
}
Jeroenmo
Member
The feel of the pro v1 is awesome around the greens. I'ts just not the best ball for me overall. I found the srixon ad333 as a cheaper alternative.
That's what I like about the Bridgestone B330-RX. It spins like a tour ball but its got a core that the average golfer can compress, so you still get good distance.
- Admin
- #38
The easy answer is really twofold. What if you are missing most of the greens in regulation because of the ball? Then add that while a urethane covered ball will increase spin, technique is needed to provide that spin around the green. I honestly believe that most golfers think that by using a higher priced ball, the green side spin is magically there and assume even though they are not spinning it at all, that the higher priced ball is performing better.
In most cases I would be really surprised to see someone notice the spin difference between most of the urethane covered balls around the green. Golfers of different skill levels could focus more on stopping by ball flight, and make it much easier for them.
- Thread starter
- #39
Stopped by Dick's Sporting Goods yesterday. Decided to pick up a couple of balls to try on my next league night (Wed). Picked up the Top Flite Gamer Tour (I seemed to like the Gamer V2 so decided to give this one a try) and the Maxfli U/3. Hadn't heard much about this ball but seemed to have a fair number of similar qualities to the Gamer Tour. Wish me luck!
That's a great point. In my limited experience, being a high handicapper, a spinnier ball will help on greens. I say this bc one of my misses while chipping is to hit it a groove or two thin. Tour balls do spin and are likelier to hold the green in that situation.
I have also backed up a tour ball off a longish greenside bunker shot which I wanted to hit close to the ball but wound up catching a bit of it. A harder ball would have left me a much longer putt.
I thought very highly of the i(z), btw. Didn't notice much side spin off the tee. Haven't tried more recent Callaway tour balls.
It's a trade off. Do you want the spin and control on the green or do you want slightly straighter tee shots.
Mulligan9111
Go Skers!!
I think you maybe misunderstood JB. Just because a ball is "spinnier" around the greens, doesn't mean it's that way all the time. You have to hit the ball a certain way to generate the spin. If you aren't hitting the ball correctly, you won't see any more spin than you do out of a "non-tour" ball.
My apologies; I did not phrase my response very well. I don't typically check up chips, longer pitches a little but not short chips. So JB is def correct in that most players don't impart enough spin typically to notice a difference.
I wanted to add that for me, slight miss-hits around the green provide better results w a tour ball. That is just my experience and YMMV. I have seen first hand where thinned chips do check up and leave me a more desirable result. In those cases I can and have absolutely noticed a difference.
I am a high handi player, but honestly can slice everything similarly Some tour balls are unusable off the tee on very bad days but there are some that really work ok for me all the time. It just depends on the player.
I wanted to add that for me, slight miss-hits around the green provide better results w a tour ball. That is just my experience and YMMV. I have seen first hand where thinned chips do check up and leave me a more desirable result. In those cases I can and have absolutely noticed a difference.
I am a high handi player, but honestly can slice everything similarly
Some tour balls are unusable off the tee on very bad days but there are some that really work ok for me all the time. It just depends on the player.
- Admin
- #44
That is the urethane cover causing the increase in spin. That can be had in balls that are less expensive.
- Thread starter
- #45
Tried both of these balls last night in my league round (9 holes only). Played the first 4 with the Gamer Tour and the last 5 with the U/3. I was not initially impressed with the Gamer Tour as a couple of my drives had some really funny spin which knocked them down real fast. The iron shots were good (when I hit them flush) but for some reason I had several mis-hits off the toe. Spin seemed to be decent. I will need to play a couple more rounds with this one to get a better opinion. The Good news, though, was no wild drives seen.
The U/3 was an immediate noticeable difference. Drives were going extremely well and fairly straight. Again no wayward drives with this ball. I also felt the spin of the ball on approach and pitch shots was very good for my abilities. I will be using this ball more to see how it performs but right now this could be my goto ball.
Were you referencing the i(z) specifically, or a urethane ball in general with this specific reply? Honestly curious, because they're pretty easy to find under $20 or less w/ coupon codes, and I've got a few dozen extra stashed away for when they truly are all gone.
Personally, I'm not at the point of experiencing significant difference, but I also tend to be a late adopter and will happily pickup last season's equipment models at a steep discount over having to use the latest and greatest.
Going off-topic slightly, and honestly not trying to get under anyone's skin, but at what point does everyone consider the ball just another psychological element of their game? How often does a ball-related thread pop up without someone whistfully mentioning the gamer they loved that is no longer produced (*coughTPRedcough*), despite being generations behind in "innovations".
TMAdidas
Well-known member
I'm by no means a good golfer, but after today's round, the HEX Chrome+ an Bridgestone B330-RXS seem like the best balls for me. Those are both tour-ish balls that work great for my scrappy game.
New_Atlantis
Active member
Headed to Vermont next week to play. Going to put Srixon and the Callaway Chrome + up against the Bridgestone B330s I currently play. Looking for a more affordable option.