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How did You Choose Your Golf Ball

Since I'm fairly still new to golf, I can't tell the difference between golf balls, yet! So when I first started playing in August of last year, I just picked up a set of the Wilson Hope balls (matches my set) and after losing several of those, I've since switched to the Precepts Lady IQ plus in pink! No rhyme or reason to those. I've had the best success with them :)
 
Read a review on the e6, and thought it could help my slice. Now that I've fixed that part of my swing, looking to move on to either the b330-rx or penta...
 
For me, it is definitely trial and error. I try every ball I can get my hands on. I joke with my friends that I am still searching for the ball that will allow me to shoot par.

I will typically buy a sleeve of every ball that is new from each manufacturer and give it a fair trial. I will typically make judgements on feel, distance, spin, and durability. All of those factors are equally important.
 
Getting back into golf after a long layoff was a project in itself. I spent all of last year trying as many different balls as possible. I didn't like the cost, but settled on the Prov1, not because of the name, I simply scored lower with it. Then the TM TP Red became an alternet for a period, I could find a good deal on that ball and liked the feel.

Thanks to THP, I got the chance to test the new Penta balls and that has become my ball of choise.

JB said:
For those that have listened to the radio show, what are your thoughts on the two experts and how they talk about fitting vs what you have used to find the correct ball?
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The two experts on your show did a great job of explaining fitting needs as well as the mechanics behind the ball and the reasoning behind what they developed. One thing I confirmed from listening to these guy's was a need to test a ball from the green out, not from the driver in. While I have requirments from a ball off the driver, my biggest needs come from that 150 yards and in range. Great show. While I'm sold on my Penta ball at this point, I must say there are some new balls I still must test, starting with the B330RX and RXS, also the new E6's I have.
 
C-Tech said:
I'm strictly a sound and feel player when it comes to balls. I don't like that harsh "click" when the ball strikes a wedge. I want a soft cover that I can spin around the greens. Distance is important, but only minimally so. As long as it gets out there with my average drive, that is fine. I don't make my score from the tee, I make it around the greens.
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Very well put C-Tech! I read about what everyone was raving about in the Taylormade Penta thread......Great soft feel, Great distance, and Great spin.....:clapp:
 
On a side note jb is this new show on ituned yet as a podcast?
 
Same as Spinscan. I used the Bridgestone ball fitting after reading all the great reviews on here. I use the e6+.
 
Trial and error with assistance from my teaching pro. Every year I buy 3-4 different balls and play around with them. And then I'll play what I like the rest of the year. I typically like a soft ball (I like the marshmellow feel) without a ton of spin. I plan on testing the Z Star (yellow), Penta and B330-RX this season.
 
I am a "best bang for my buck" guy. I am not cheap, but as I have posted before, I will not pay $20, when I can achieve the same results for $10. Another way of saying it is based on my physical play, I am getting $20 playability for $10. Never ever forget the value of dollar.

From tee to fairway and/or green my ball preference is going to be of the less expensive variety. I just believe that regardless of what kind of ball I use, if I put a poor swing on the ball, or otherwise have a poor club face angle at impact, the ball is not going to go where I wanted it to. On good shots, when I swing, and impact the ball correctly, distance, and accuracy are about the same regardless of the price of the ball.

I am also a firm believer, that a person should change out their game ball, at least ever 6 or 9 holes to get the best playability from that chosen game ball. Knock something around 25 -35 times, then factor in what ever landing issues might do to a ball, and it's playability is going to change to some extent. Yes, I have played with the same ball for 18+ plus holes, but I know better. I have spun all types of balls, and after hitting them 30 times or so, the new spin line does not line up with the original spin line before I put the ball into play. So again price becomes a factor. Why change out a more expensive ball, 2 or 3 times a round, when a less expensive ball plays the same.

Now I do see different balls playing better for me around, and on the green, but since I lose most of my strokes trying to stay in the fairway, and/or land on the green, those higher priced balls are of little advantage to me. Once on the green my putting average is less than two putts per green regardless of what ever ball I am using.

As for feel, I have found that the putter face material plays a big part in this area. I recently won, and was fitted for a putter. The feel is very relaxing, and I hope this great feel transfers to the actual playing greens when I can get back out there.

So, I pick my golf balls based on playability for the price. I normally play a ball that cost just under $20 for a dozen. When I am swinging the club well, impacting the ball well, I am scoring well. :D
 
I'm still at a point where I'm trying to find my preferred ball. I look at reviews, supposed ball preferences for my type game, and price point. I don't believe I have the game to play a "premium" ball yet but if I chance at a ball on the course I will try it and maybe buy more for a long term test.

JB said:
For those that have listened to the radio show, what are your thoughts on the two experts and how they talk about fitting vs what you have used to find the correct ball?
Click to expand...

The Bridgestone rep really went through their line on what they have available with no obvious references to ball fitting. The TM rep didn't say anything about ball fitting and the one thing that stuck out to me is that he said the Penta was made for everyone. I disagreed with that because I think there's one demographic that they failed to include in "everyone"... the beginner. I don't think (and anyone can chime in on this) someone who just started will spend $40+ on a dozen balls to lose 6+ of them on the front nine. I just thought he overgeneralized too much to push his product.

I will try to get to a ball fitting sometime this season (already missed a couple here) so I can narrow down my choices as there are so many in the market. I think the search is always in constant flux especially if you're just starting out and I think the biggest thing to remember is just don't take anyone's word for it.
 
With my swing speed, I knew I wanted a soft, two piece ball. After that it was price, and I like the Pinnacles.

I figure I'll give the Precept Lady IQ+ another shot this year, after we get me my robo-swing. A ball fitting would be down the road apiece.
 
I was not going to post anything about the two guests you had on your show, but since you asked, here's my take. I thought they both offered some insight to the viability ball fitting. We all have favorite golf balls that we feel comfortable playing, and a ball fitting would probably raised a golfer's comfort zone. I did like what the one guest had to say about the 5 shots a golfer faces when playing. I myself have always thought golf was 5 games in one, and this is the first time I have heard an expert refer to it . As marketing people they both did a good job of telling us all the good things about their products. I only heard what I thought was one mistake, but since your question is about the importance of ball fitting, there is no need to go into it.
JB said:
For those that have listened to the radio show, what are your thoughts on the two experts and how they talk about fitting vs what you have used to find the correct ball?
Click to expand...
 
My story is very similar to what Bortass posted.

I read numerous good reviews on the Topflite D2 Feel from members on golf forums. And I liked the $1.07 per ball price. I tried them, and I liked them. A ball needs to feel good off the putter for me or I won't play it, and it does feel good. And I have no compaints about other performance aspects. If I remember correctly I tried the Gamer (also relatively inexpensive at $1.67 per ball) before I tried the D2 Feel, but I could not tell enough difference to not go with the cheaper ball.
 
I was shopping around in Hilton Head and I saw the E6 and I thought I would give them a try. I was hooked.
 
Which Ball do you play

Which Ball do you play

JB I am going to listen to the ball experts on your radio show first thing in the a.m. when my head is clear. My mind tends to race this time of evening. I want to find out why I chose the two balls I like best. It's a feel thing for me but I know there is more to it than just feel. I look forward to sitting down with a cup of coffee and comsuming some good info from THP Radio Saturday a.m.
 
I start with the putter and work my way backwards. First, how does it feel off the putter? Second, how does the ball respond when chipping and pitching? Then work my way back to driver.

I did this with 10 different golf balls and the one that came out on top was the ProV1. Unfortunately, at $45/dz I don't play it very often. The NXT Tour was in the hunt, so I will probably play that when I run out of the golf balls I currently have...that's assuming Mother Nature cooperates and I will once again be able to play. :)
 
Sean said:
I start with the putter and work my way backwards. First, how does it feel off the putter? Second, how does the ball respond when chipping and pitching? Then work my way back to driver.
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+1. I do exactly the same. If it doesn't feel right on putts or short game, I don't bother testing further. It's all about feel for me.
 
I'm a big "do the research" kind of guy. That's mostly how I ended up here--all the reviews and experiences of real golfers are great! Once I narrowed down my list I went out and bought a dozen or a sleeve of a candidate to try for myself. As others have stated, feel (& sound) off the putter is important as is feel and performance with the irons and driver. The key word here being "feel." To me, if the "feel" is better, even if it's not as long off the driver, I'll go with feel every time.

Also, I did set a budget since I was fairly new to the game and was losing a few golf balls every round. That amount is (was?) $30/doz. That really gave me a good selection, though, with the exception of "tour" level balls.

Only one problem. That dang TaylorMade company went and put their TP Black and Red LDPs on sale for $55/2 doz, or $27.50/dozen, which put it squarely in my range. I tried them and I was hooked.

So what do I do now? Once my stash of the TPs is out, I'll probably have to reconsider my price limit since I like those TPs so much. I'm actually afraid to try the Penta for fear of liking them too much. :smile: However, since I don't lose nearly as many as I used to, maybe the price of them won't be as much of an issue.
 
Gray Golf said:
JB I am going to listen to the ball experts on your radio show first thing in the a.m. when my head is clear. My mind tends to race this time of evening. I want to find out why I chose the two balls I like best. It's a feel thing for me but I know there is more to it than just feel. I look forward to sitting down with a cup of coffee and comsuming some good info from THP Radio Saturday a.m.
Click to expand...

I learned something new today listening to the THP radio show on golf balls. I knew I liked Titliest & Bridgestone balls for a reason but did not understand really why. I also did not know a proper ball fitting was not done from off the tee but actually closer in towards the green. I always like my Titliest balls because of the touch I could put on them from 50 yards in. Same thing with certain Bridgestone balls, they performed better for me in the scoring range.

Thanks THP for another great show and educating me on the game of golf!
 
I use whatever I find in the woods, typically I can find 2-3 of the same brand so i'm good to go for a rd.
 
I was trying sleeves of random balls for about a month when I finally got around to the Callaway HX Hot Bite. I got a sleeve and proceeded to shoot the best four rounds of the summer with those balls. Since then I've been a loyal customer.

I've also had good results with the Cally Tour ix and Srixon Z-Star. The deciding factor is the lower price of the Hot Bite.
 
For me spin on partial wedge shots is very important. Balls that have worked well for me are:

Pro V1

Pro V1x

Strata Tour Ultimate (my favorite, long out of production)

Callaway Hx Red (Hx Blue was too short, but it sure would dance around the greens. I didn't like the Hx Tour, but that was several years ago)

TM TP/Red

Right now I bounce around between the ProV1 and the V1x.

dave
 
During the winter I like the Srixon Soft Feel. It's a very good cold weather ball. It doesn't turn into a rock. Long of the tee but has very nice feel around the greens. Putts well, also. The price is very reasonable.
 
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