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Thoughts on golf balls

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Trevor68

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I have been playing for about 5 years now and today was the first time I bought a box of pro v1s ($29.99 at golf galaxy for the 2012 model). I bought because I found one of the last week and was shocked at how good it felt on contact with most clubs. Putter feel was mind blowing.

I did not purchase a box before because my game was too inconsistent to truly take advantage of it. I have played pretty much all of the competitors balls because they tend to be on sale much more often and they are perfectly good balls.

One thing I still don't understand is that pretty much everyone I know has told me that the golf ball industry has cough up to the prov1 and prov1 models after years of clear dominance. If that is the case, why hasn't Titleist been forced to offer more discounts? Why does the vast majority of pros continue to use them? Is it because titleist pays them or because they feel that by using them, they will be more likely to win? I am sure there is no single answer. I am no fan boy of any particular brand. I love trying new balls. Your thoughts are much appreciated.
 
Pro's use them cause they get paid a lot to use them.
 
I tend to hit them really well, but get upset when I lose them. So I only use them in situations where I can't lose them. But I think they are awesome.
 
For the record, Pro V1/x are outstanding golf balls. There's nothing bad about them, and if you like them, by all means, keep gaming them. Pros get paid to play them, sure, but it's not like pros would keep playing junky golf balls just because they're getting paid. Money doesn't look as good as trophies under glass in your office.

That being said, I don't think there's a bad tour level ball out there right now. If you look at most statistical analysis of tour-level golf balls in terms of spin and distance, you'll find far less disparity than any other class or price point of golf balls. The differences among tour balls is pretty subtle in my opinion. Feel, sound, durability, those sort of intangible things that depend more on the person than the characteristics of the ball come to the fore. If someone plays a Bridgestone B330, generally speaking, it's because they like how it sounds coming off their clubs or feel like it's a bit softer, not because they get hundreds more revs with their wedges and hundreds less with their driver. Same goes for the Callaway Speed Regime or TPX balls.

If the Pro V1 gives you confidence to hit it great, more power to you. Like I said, pros play it because it works. But statistically it's not radically different from most other tour quality balls.
 
Great reply Paladin!

I'd like to add that Titleist focuses her marketing on being the number 1 ball in golf. They do so because they want to be premium, so prices can be premium too. Don't forget that to many golfers Titleist is the ball for the pro's, so playing one is something special, gives people that special feeling.

Where maybe a Callaway, Srixon, Nike or TaylorMade might be exactly as good, but just doesn't give the same person that special feeling. (Or even: maybe one of the 'lesser balls', like say a DT Solo or a Srixon Soft feel might give them better characteristics. People should get fit for balls!)
 
I agree with Paladin. There are a lot of balls that perform very very well. Personally, I think the ProV1/x are the best balls on the market, but are they $16/doz better than say the Cally Chrome? No, I don't think so. If I'm going to pay $45-$50/doz I'm going to buy the ProV's every time - there's no real incentive to try anyone else's "premium" ball. But, when I can get the Chrome+ for $32 it's almost a no-brainer.
 
I think once I have more golf under my belt I'll try different golf balls. As for now I just hit with the cheap balls. When I lose them I care less.
 
Yes, they pay for play. Having the number one anything on Tour is a big deal and as you can see - worth the money for credibility and image alone. Obviously they aren't the only company that pays for play and it goes without saying that the product is high quality.

I think the idea of it being the 'best' ball is questionable, but they certainly have that image. Testing (both ours and that of others) shows every time that the difference in wedge spin among urethane balls is neglible at best, yet you still see comments that the Pro V1 spins more. That's what image will do for a company though. Worth every penny they spend on marketing for sure.

Anyway though - I reviewed both balls last year and came away impressed. Great soft-ish feel out of the V1 and it performs as advertised. I'd play one any day. Would struggle to pay for them for sure though, but I can say that about any premium priced ball.
 
I can't play them. SS 95. I keep trying though because there are so many found in the woods.
 
I play the ProV1s. As others have said, Pros are paid to play them. They are a great golf ball, but they aren't for everyone. In fact, I don't always play them. I rarely play them when playing a new course if the course is tight, because I don't want to lose them. If course conditions are soft, I am more likely to play a Bridgestone 330RXS because it launches higher, and I get more carry distance with the 330RXS. As far as wedge spin, I do get more on full shots, but whether I spin a ball back 8 feet (ProV1) or 4 feet (most other Urethane balls) is not really relevant for me. I do believe I get a bit more bite on the green from the 20-40 yard range with the ProV1 than any other ball, but that may just be me and my swing. The other thing I like about the ProV1 is it is more durable than most other Urethane balls I've played.

So the short of it is, its a great ball, and if it works for you, that is fantastic. I tried many, many different balls, premium and not, over the course of a year to determine that I just played better with the ProV1.

And I never pay full price for them. I buy the previous years model every spring. But you have found an even better deal than I did, so congratulations on that. Golf Galaxy you said? I may need to stock up.

~Rock
 
If money is not a consideration, I think they are probably the best balls out there. However, the line is so fine that it almost doesn't exist.
 
I'd just say the line doesn't exist. I can't think of one thing that would make them better than the other premium competitors. People will say spin, but both robot and human testing shows that's just not reality.
 
Hawk said:
I'd just say the line doesn't exist. I can't think of one thing that would make them better than the other premium competitors. People will say spin, but both robot and human testing shows that's just not reality.
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I don't know if they spin more, and I don't know that more spin is always better. I can tell you that from a personal perspective, all of my best rounds have been with a Pro V1x, and it's actually a ball I don't play very often. Visually, I prefer a Bridgestone.
 
Hawk said:
I'd just say the line doesn't exist. I can't think of one thing that would make them better than the other premium competitors. People will say spin, but both robot and human testing shows that's just not reality.
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I agree with this. A very fine product without a doubt. If someone wanted to get over the top thinking with a line between balls, they would look at something like seamless covers, and only one brand does that (its not Titleist). Other brands have blurred the lines so much to make them appear seamless or be so close to seamless technology. Again, that is going quite far in the thinking of a line being drawn or a fine line. They make a great golf ball, without question, but the more spin and/or finest quality line seems to not hold much value by any brand when actual testing takes place.

I look more into compression (and it does matter) and each brand is going to lower compression this year.
 
"Best" ball is a relative term, as no two swings are alike. If you have a good enough game to utilize the benefits of a Pro V1, they're certainly a great ball that will yield consistent results from shot to shot and ball to ball. For me, I struggle with a slice and they just spin too much off almost every club. When I am hitting the ball well, I certainly like to use them, but I don't think they're the best ball for my game. I score better with an E6, Maxfli U6, Supersoft, etc. because they minimize my spin and give me better overall results.
 
I think all the companies make great golf balls. The performance from one companies premium or super premium ball and another's is negligible. Many golfers could be helped by a golf ball fitting, especially when it comes to playing a lower compression ball. I personally have found that for the very fast greens and several false fronts of my home course, the premium balls spin so much that I can't control them. I stopped playing the Pro V1x and Bridgestone B330 years ago and switched to a lower spinning urethane ball. Now the spin of my wedges is much more predictable and I haven't noticed any distance loss off the tee. Once I get to the point in my life where I can practice more and have better control of my spin I may switch back to a premium ball again, but for now I'm much happier with a slightly lower spinning ball.
 
I had an interesting talk with Spivey during our round on Sunday about golf balls. Can someone who was at the Wilson event talk about it? I found it extremely interesting.
 
I tend to try/play whatever premium ball I can find on sale, pretty much regardless of manufacturer. While they aren't exacty the same, by and large they are so comparable for my mid-cap swing that there is no such thing as one "best" ball. Just my 2 cents.
 
I agree with many of the posts that the ProV1x is a great ball. I have played it many times and love it, but, it now retails around CDN$60 a dozen which puts it out of my price range for an "every day" ball.
 
The ProV1 is simply the best ball available. If price is the issue, there are loads of refinished ProV1's on the market in the $20 price range per dozen, and sometimes you might find some marked 'Practice' intended as range balls but sold for far less than the original full price. Same performance and feel - I never had a problem playing with either.
 
I prefer the Prov1x and I don't have a high swing speed. But other balls perform just as good for me. I find quite a few balls at my course and get a chance to hit a variety. I think it simply comes down to personal choice and confidence in a brand.
 
Slammin'SAM said:
The ProV1 is simply the best ball available. If price is the issue, there are loads of refinished ProV1's on the market in the $20 price range per dozen, and sometimes you might find some marked 'Practice' intended as range balls but sold for far less than the original full price. Same performance and feel - I never had a problem playing with either.
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One should really think twice about purchasing a refinished product. There is almost nothing about the ball that is the same as the original many times, including brand. Dimple pattern is changed, etc.
 
Buying used balls in good condition: OK

Buying refurbished: Not ok. They sand those balls and repaint them. The paint bunches up or flakes off, and many characteristics are changed.
 
Slammin'SAM said:
The ProV1 is simply the best ball available. If price is the issue, there are loads of refinished ProV1's on the market in the $20 price range per dozen, and sometimes you might find some marked 'Practice' intended as range balls but sold for far less than the original full price. Same performance and feel - I never had a problem playing with either.
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It's simply the best because why? It has been proven so or because some marketing machine has told you this backed up by what appears to be a lot of tour usage? I overheard JB mention something about a golf ball a particular golfer uses that blew my mind as I had not known this previously. For all you know another company had a golf ball that performs just as good as the prov1. By all means play it but calling it best is subjective at best...
 
What surprises me is that when you look at the web.com or division 1 golf, most use prov1 and I am pretty sure that they don't get paid much or at all. Just tradition or do these guys feel they are truly better than the rest?
 
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