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When does the ball matter?

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Annhl8rX

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I'm a pretty high handicap (29). I've always played relatively cheap balls. I've gone with various Noodle offerings, Wilson Elite 50, and Nike PD Soft. I once sprung for some Callaway Supersoft.

I've never spent more than $15 on a dozen balls (the Supersofts were on sale). My question is, at this point does the ball matter at all?

Let's assume I'm not buying any of the bargain basement offerings (Nitro, Top Flite, etc). There's also no chance of me spending $35-$40 on a dozen balls.

I'm no asking for a recommendation of a particular ball, as I know that's a case to case thing. I'm just wondering if the ball even matters.
 
The ball matters. A lot. You will see more gain with the right fit ball more than some club or shaft changes. Try the Bridgestone online ball fitting. It's quick and pretty spot on
 
The ball matters.

While I'm not going to tell you to go out and spend $50/dozen, I think you could find some very solid offerings on the affordable side.

Do a Bridgestone Online ball fitting and see what it has to say. The E series from Bridgestone is affordable and awesome and can really help you where you need it.

Don't under estimate what a good ball can do for you.
 
I'd say the ball always matters. It's pretty wild to think that the thing that can affect distance, trajectory, spin, and feel off the putter, probably more than anything short of our swing itself, is something we'll alternate between being something we spend $50 on, and something we'll fish out of the undergrowth or the pond and put into play.

That's not to advocate a particular ball, only to say that the ball matters, and you should take care in terms of playing what you want, what you like, and what best suits your game.

If you're not losing a half-dozen per round, then it's time to step into a ball meant for your game.
 
Yes it does matter and you can find a great ball at a variety price points. It won't lower your handicap 10 strokes but there is something to be said about being comfortable and knowing it works for your game and wallet.
 
The ball matters all of the time and maybe one of the more important pieces of equipment. When playing the right ball one can see better results.

Determine what your big miss is and then find a ball that helps eliminate that
 
Like all have said the ball matters. I notice it all the time as my brother in law won't spend money on a high quality ball. I've noticed the results even when playing one.
 
I would say it depends on your game. Better players benefit from different things in a ball. However, in general I'd recommend getting or looking into getting fit.

Something to think about: too many golfers waste $$$$ on expensive balls that don't benefit them whatsoever.


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Plinyyounger said:
Since you asked "when," does a ball matter as 29 handicapper, I would say as soon as you starting hitting greens more regularly in regulation. I think that's when you need a better ball, to hold greens and have to ability to put some spin on them. When you start doing that, the better ball will help all around to improve your game.
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100% opposite of this. There isn't a massive difference from a noodle or an 330RX on full swings. Assuming you aren't using some garbage wilson xl9000 or something that will run out 20 feet even on a full wedge then a noodle is decent. Biggest difference is short game spin and non full swings. That happens every time you miss a green.
 
Absolutely the ball matters. It matters off the tee, a harder core two price ball perhaps will go further. It matters on approach shots, a urethane covered spinnier ball will hold a green better. It matters when you miss a green, chip/pitch shot with urethane covered ball will land and react different than a surlyn covered ball. Not to say one is better than another, but rather based on your game and what you want to see it will make a difference
 
From one high handicapper to another ...

I love the supersofts and they are fairly cheap ... another ball is the E6 ...

I would have to ask at a 29 HC what do you feel is your biggest problem area ... are you slicing really bad, etc ... how many holes does a ball last? (Notice I did not ask rounds :act-up: )

Also for a couple of dozen "really good" balls, especially if you are losing to 4-5 a round ... you can get some lessons. Lessons was the single best thing I did that really helped ... otherwise a ball did not last long enough to even matter ... it was in someone backyard, lost in the tress, or the lake/pond ... the instructor may also be able to recommend a ball

Good question by the way ...
 
I've only started playing golf last fall, all fall I played with whatever was cheapest b/c I was losing balls right and left off the tee, and into water hazards. For the THP gift exchange I was gifted a sleeve of bridgestone BX330rx and our club's pro gifted me a dozen pro V1s fro Christmas. I've been playing with those for the last few weeks. I'm not consistent enough to tell off the tee if they are really helping much there, but when I get inside 100 yards they really shine. I've worked on my short game a lot more than driving since I began playing. Out of the course today the way the nicer balls spin off my wedges really helped me stay on the green in several cases. I still had to do my part of course but the difference when watching a ball check and roll back a little bit on the green really inspires confidence that my practice has been worth the time invested.
 
I think the higher one's handicap is, the more benefits can be gained from technological advances in equipment, like clubs and in your case, the ball.

Meaning a scratch player will do fine with almost whatever club and ball you give him, but for a high capper, the more fitted the equipment is to you, the better, including the ball.
 
I agree that the ball does matter. But its not really much to do with price. There is imo no such thing as a best ball but really is just about which ball is best for the individual and his swing and game.

That being said I do think a high capper first must settle his game down to something somewhat respectable. What I mean is - as far as taming the errant shots, bad mishits, chops, flops, dices and slices do need to be less the norm and more the rare. I just don't think its going to much matter when one is too errant and not producing some sort of efficient swing more times than not. Not that one must be shooting 85 or even a 95 before worrying about the ball. But just that imo the player must settle or develop into a somewhat sound swing with some amount of respectable consistency for keeping the ball in play and moving forward before overly concerning themselves with the ball. Before that time, the swing imo is just too erratic to even know which ball would be best. But hey, that's just my opinion and who am I? lol...but after this then sure I absolutely believe there are balls better (or not better) for each individual. To be honest I actually find it strange how many who struggle to even hit 50% of their shots without being errant and yet insist on playing high spin tour balls never realizing they are probably hurting themselves more than helping. But again that's just my opinion.
 
As a 29 handicap, there are balls that are better for you - maybe you need less side spin off of driver. There are balls out there, E6 in particular, that are made to help that problem.
So yes, the ball does matter.
 
What's the one piece of golf equipment you use on every shot? Yep, the golf ball. The ball always matters.
 
War Eagle said:
The ball matters.

While I'm not going to tell you to go out and spend $50/dozen, I think you could find some very solid offerings on the affordable side.

Do a Bridgestone Online ball fitting and see what it has to say. The E series from Bridgestone is affordable and awesome and can really help you where you need it.

Don't under estimate what a good ball can do for you.
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This exactly
 
I think the ball matters. Even as a high handicap you want to see the correct results from your good swings. Hopefully, as you progress there will be more and more good swings and you want to be able to reap the benefits of your good work. I agree with others on here the Bridgestone ball fitting is a great place to start to find " your" ball.
 
The 50 Elite is a good ball for the price. W/S also makes the Duo which they say is a great fit for almost all amateurs. It's $19.99 for a dozen, and I'd recommend "splurging" for at least that price range.



As your game improves, you'll lose less and that money will stretch farther.

I will say,I really do think the new e6 does help with ball flight, and is worth the price. The Academy here in SC currently has the new yellows for sale for under $15/dozen.
 
My HC is 24.5 and I do notice a difference in balls. I find that the Duo and e6 both give me a straighter ballflight than some other less expensive balls than Top Flites or Callaway Warbirds, for instance. I also see better control with my short game, although I'm not good enough to be a spinner I find far less rollout and the chance of bounceoffs with better balls.

If price is a concern, there's plenty of places where you can get AAAA or AAA rated used balls at great prices if you want to try out some higher end balls to see how much of a difference you notice.
 
The ball absolutely makes a difference. However, there is no reason to spend $50 on a dozen balls. Bridgestone E5 has a urethane cover and you can get a dozen for about $28. If you go online check out Snell Golf. They have a tour ball for $28 also. I like lostgolfballs.com. I just bought 100 top grade Srixon Z-Star balls for $130. 75% of the balls look practically brand new. The others look like they haven't made it 18 holes.


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My question is how much difference...marginal, is it even noticeable to most high handicappers who don't have a consistent swing or miss? I know I've noticed better spin with some and whether they felt soft or like a rock but that's about it. It would be fun to have a blind test (no logos) with a wide range of balls and see if golfers could guess which is which.

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Plinyyounger said:
Since you asked "when," does a ball matter as 29 handicapper, I would say as soon as you starting hitting greens more regularly in regulation. I think that's when you need a better ball, to hold greens and have to ability to put some spin on them. When you start doing that, the better ball will help all around to improve your game.
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will disagree and it matters off the driver and other clubs. Being able to compress the ball is important. It reduces spin which reduces margin of error. Corey from Bridgestone talked about this last year at the Bridgestone u event.

moosejaa said:
My question is how much difference...marginal, is it even noticeable to most high handicappers who don't have a consistent swing or miss? I know I've noticed better spin with some and whether they felt soft or like a rock but that's about it. It would be fun to have a blind test (no logos) with a wide range of balls and see if golfers could guess which is which.

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see response above. Keeping a ball in play or out of bigger trouble. See bridgestone for e6 if miss is left or right. E5 or e7 for too high or too low
 
emart2173 said:
see response above. Keeping a ball in play or out of bigger trouble. See bridgestone for e6 if miss is left or right. E5 or e7 for too high or too low
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Yup, I can go right, left, high and low. What Bridgestone ball should I use?



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moosejaa said:
Yup, I can go right, left, high and low. What Bridgestone ball should I use?



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Go through their Bfit program online. Its excellent.
 
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