Distance or Spin/Control?

AUWU11

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In a pickle trying to decide which route to go with my golf ball selection, want to get some opinions.

In past years, I played a 2-piece ionomer ball, usually the Srixon Soft Feel. Had great distance, felt like I was bombing it off the tee. But always ran into trouble with the ball not sticking to the green on approach shots. Decided to move into 3-piece urethane balls. I've run the gamut - Callaway CS, Srixon QST, Titleist AVX, Bridgestone Tour B RX and RXS, Wilson Duo Professional, Srixon Z Star, etc. I've naturally seen an improvement in spin and greenside control. But the distance isn't the same as back when I played a true "distance" ball like the Srixon Soft Feel. Not saying distance is terrible, but where I used to have a wedge in, I'm now hitting 8 or 9 iron in. Not the end of the world, but naturally don't hit quite as many greens constantly hitting 8-9 iron in as opposed to a PW or GW.

What would you do in this situation? Suck it up on the loss of distance in favor of greenside control and better spin? The opposite? Try to find a ball in the middle (Srixon Q Star, Callaway ERC Soft, etc.)? All opinions are welcomed and appreciated.
 
Golf balls are usually a compromise, unless you want to pay mega bucks. I'd have a look at whether you need more spin oooorrrr it's more height you need to hold the greens, then you can figure out which ball to use.
Have you tried a Callaway SuperSoft as a middle ground?

I use a ball that is so not designed for my swing speed and I lose a bit of distance off the tee, but I like how it is around the green and off the putter face.

Buy a sleeve of a few that suit your budget, wants or needs and then go for it
 
In a pickle trying to decide which route to go with my golf ball selection, want to get some opinions.

In past years, I played a 2-piece ionomer ball, usually the Srixon Soft Feel. Had great distance, felt like I was bombing it off the tee. But always ran into trouble with the ball not sticking to the green on approach shots. Decided to move into 3-piece urethane balls. I've run the gamut - Callaway CS, Srixon QST, Titleist AVX, Bridgestone Tour B RX and RXS, Wilson Duo Professional, Srixon Z Star, etc. I've naturally seen an improvement in spin and greenside control. But the distance isn't the same as back when I played a true "distance" ball like the Srixon Soft Feel. Not saying distance is terrible, but where I used to have a wedge in, I'm now hitting 8 or 9 iron in. Not the end of the world, but naturally don't hit quite as many greens constantly hitting 8-9 iron in as opposed to a PW or GW.

What would you do in this situation? Suck it up on the loss of distance in favor of greenside control and better spin? The opposite? Try to find a ball in the middle (Srixon Q Star, Callaway ERC Soft, etc.)? All opinions are welcomed and appreciated.

One of the best balls that noone seems to mention is the TaylorMade Project (A) ball. Its a tour premium ball for golfers with slower swing speeds. Same thing with the Bridgestone RX / RXS line. If you're trying to get away from the 2 piece balls, id suggest looking at any of these 3 balls

and for what its worth id lean towards a ball with better spin and control.
 
Control

I’m only going to hit it so far on even my best swings, which isn’t very far, so I’d rather have the accuracy & ability to hold the green.
 
One of the best balls that noone seems to mention is the TaylorMade Project (A) ball. Its a tour premium ball for golfers with slower swing speeds. Same thing with the Bridgestone RX / RXS line. If you're trying to get away from the 2 piece balls, id suggest looking at any of these 3 balls

and for what its worth id lean towards a ball with better spin and control.

Reading up on this ball, it sounds like it spins a ton. One reason I'm considering moving away from the Callaway CS is because of how much it spins, especially with my wedges. Last round I played, it spun off the green 3 times on me. Have you played the Project (A) and the Chrome Soft? Any thoughts on how these compare in terms of spin?
 
Reading up on this ball, it sounds like it spins a ton. One reason I'm considering moving away from the Callaway CS is because of how much it spins, especially with my wedges. Last round I played, it spun off the green 3 times on me. Have you played the Project (A) and the Chrome Soft? Any thoughts on how these compare in terms of spin?

Never played either Chrome Soft ball. Having soft in the name just scares me away cuz I dont like softer balls...its been 2 years since I played the Project A. Just out of curiosity where did you read about the spin for that ball. Going off of what TM says and from my memory it's a lower spin in the driver and long irons, but mid spin for short irons and wedges. I enjoyed it a lot when I played it

Forgot to mention at my fitting last week, try out the Snell MTB-X also!! compared to the TP5x and Mizuno RB TourX, the Snell had the lowest driver spin, but middle of the road for irons. With a 6 iron I spun the TP5x 4500. MTB-X 5200, RB Tourx 5700
 
Never played either Chrome Soft ball. Having soft in the name just scares me away cuz I dont like softer balls...its been 2 years since I played the Project A. Just out of curiosity where did you read about the spin for that ball. Going off of what TM says and from my memory it's a lower spin in the driver and long irons, but mid spin for short irons and wedges. I enjoyed it a lot when I played it

Forgot to mention at my fitting last week, try out the Snell MTB-X also!! compared to the TP5x and Mizuno RB TourX, the Snell had the lowest driver spin, but middle of the road for irons. With a 6 iron I spun the TP5x 4500. MTB-X 5200, RB Tourx 5700

Read about high short iron and wedge spin on golfalot's review of the ball and their analytics when testing it. I just ordered a dozen used of these, figured they're definitely worth a try from what I've read online.
 
spin control all day every day, and i'm not a long hitter. i'm going to miss greens, so i need something that will stop quickly when chipping/pitching/hitting out of sand.
 
Try the Titleist AVX ball. Impressive distance and not too spinny but stops quickly on chips. It’s my new go to ball.
 
Try the Titleist AVX ball. Impressive distance and not too spinny but stops quickly on chips. It’s my new go to ball.

I've been using the AVX on and off for a while. Like everything except the low flight (don't get a ton of roll in the soft conditions in the southeast). And the price point is pretty high. If they were more affordable, they'd probably be my go-to.
 
I am in much the same search as you. My hdcp is about the same as yours and I feel I have moved out of the 2 piece distance ball stage BUT I require a ball w/ lower driver spin. I certainly do want the control around the green but it does me no good if I have already hit the driver OB. My SS is low 90s so I naturally prefer a softer ball and driver is far and away my biggest weakness. I have tried MTB, TP5, QST, and AVX last year. The AVX fit me best for lower spinning and plenty of distance and while it wont spin anywhere close to the tour balls around the green it is certainly a step up from the 2 piece distance balls I was coming from. The downside....about $4 per ball!! The QST is certainly a great ball for the money as well. I really need to try the ERC soft....it's probably what I need but something about $39 per dozen for a non urethane ball doesn't sit well w/ me.
 
I am in much the same search as you. My hdcp is about the same as yours and I feel I have moved out of the 2 piece distance ball stage BUT I require a ball w/ lower driver spin. I certainly do want the control around the green but it does me no good if I have already hit the driver OB. My SS is low 90s so I naturally prefer a softer ball and driver is far and away my biggest weakness. I have tried MTB, TP5, QST, and AVX last year. The AVX fit me best for lower spinning and plenty of distance and while it wont spin anywhere close to the tour balls around the green it is certainly a step up from the 2 piece distance balls I was coming from. The downside....about $4 per ball!! The QST is certainly a great ball for the money as well. I really need to try the ERC soft....it's probably what I need but something about $39 per dozen for a non urethane ball doesn't sit well w/ me.

Sounds like we're the same - driver has always been my biggest weakness as well. I, too, prefer a soft ball and have a swing speed in the low-mid 90s. I agree about the AVX being the best of what I've tried thus far, just thay price point kills me. I recently purchased a sleeve of ERC Soft, but haven't gotten to try them yet. I'll let you know when I do!
 
What was your thoughts on the Duo Pro? It has been on my "to try" list.
 
Spin control ten times out of ten. Having distance is OK but I need the spin to hold the greens. Not long on the irons but my short game demands spin, so that where I look.
 
spin control all day every day, and i'm not a long hitter. i'm going to miss greens, so i need something that will stop quickly when chipping/pitching/hitting out of sand.

Exactly this
 
As someone who doesn’t struggle much with spin, I can go for golf balls that are more distance oriented if I want. I still pick the majority of the time for what it will do into greens though
 
Now this is my own testing, but it is something I did late last summer and over the winter and is just purely dry ball data, so take it for whatever it's worth. All of this is with the Srixon lineup, which works because you've mentioned them in the OP.

Driver distance....

Soft Feel: 238 - highest launch and lowest spin
QST: 237
ZStar: 239 - 2nd highest ball speed
ZstarXV: 239 - highest ball speed

Full Wedge shots Avg Spin/Carry
Soft Feel: 7812/104
QST: 8513/98
ZStar: 8830/97
ZstarXV: 8793/98

Partial Wedge
Soft Feel: 5613/52
QST: 7042/60
ZStar: 7588/54
ZstarXV: 8380/58

So my take, at least in my own testing is that I'm not really sacrificing much off the tee at all between those balls. I quite enjoyed the soft feel as a two-piece ball, I think it is as good as anything else out on the market in that space. But I'd play the other 3 balls over it if I were looking for a gamer ball, with the QST being the smart $$$/performance option.
 
I'll take spin control every time. I need to know what my ball is going to do when it hits the green and know that I'll be able to stop the ball.
 
As someone who doesn't hit a lot of greens, if I do perchance hit one I'd like it to stay. Give me control.
 
What was your thoughts on the Duo Pro? It has been on my "to try" list.

I tried it once, but don't feel like I gave it a fair shake. When I played it, it was 40 degrees and super windy. Not a good day to really get a sense of a ball for the first time. It's on my list to try again for sure, especially now that it's nice weather in my area.
 
Now this is my own testing, but it is something I did late last summer and over the winter and is just purely dry ball data, so take it for whatever it's worth. All of this is with the Srixon lineup, which works because you've mentioned them in the OP.

Driver distance....

Soft Feel: 238 - highest launch and lowest spin
QST: 237
ZStar: 239 - 2nd highest ball speed
ZstarXV: 239 - highest ball speed

Full Wedge shots Avg Spin/Carry
Soft Feel: 7812/104
QST: 8513/98
ZStar: 8830/97
ZstarXV: 8793/98

Partial Wedge
Soft Feel: 5613/52
QST: 7042/60
ZStar: 7588/54
ZstarXV: 8380/58

So my take, at least in my own testing is that I'm not really sacrificing much off the tee at all between those balls. I quite enjoyed the soft feel as a two-piece ball, I think it is as good as anything else out on the market in that space. But I'd play the other 3 balls over it if I were looking for a gamer ball, with the QST being the smart $$$/performance option.

Awesome assessment. Thanks for the numbers!
 
Now this is my own testing, but it is something I did late last summer and over the winter and is just purely dry ball data, so take it for whatever it's worth. All of this is with the Srixon lineup, which works because you've mentioned them in the OP.

Driver distance....

Soft Feel: 238 - highest launch and lowest spin
QST: 237
ZStar: 239 - 2nd highest ball speed
ZstarXV: 239 - highest ball speed

Full Wedge shots Avg Spin/Carry
Soft Feel: 7812/104
QST: 8513/98
ZStar: 8830/97
ZstarXV: 8793/98

Partial Wedge
Soft Feel: 5613/52
QST: 7042/60
ZStar: 7588/54
ZstarXV: 8380/58

So my take, at least in my own testing is that I'm not really sacrificing much off the tee at all between those balls. I quite enjoyed the soft feel as a two-piece ball, I think it is as good as anything else out on the market in that space. But I'd play the other 3 balls over it if I were looking for a gamer ball, with the QST being the smart $$$/performance option.

@ddec - did you notice anything in the numbers regarding driver/long iron side spin? Aka - is one more accurate than the other?
 
@ddec - did you notice anything in the numbers regarding driver/long iron side spin? Aka - is one more accurate than the other?

Not really. The biggest thing I noticed during all of that was better spin control as the swing got short. All spun low off the driver and spun enough on full shots. Partial shots the soft feel really struggled to keep up with the control I could get from the other 3. I should do this again some night when I have time because it's fun.
 
Not really. The biggest thing I noticed during all of that was better spin control as the swing got short. All spun low off the driver and spun enough on full shots. Partial shots the soft feel really struggled to keep up with the control I could get from the other 3. I should do this again some night when I have time because it's fun.

Any thoughts on the Q-Star (not QST)? Never really gave it much of a thought, especially with the QST as an option.
 
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