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Ball suggestions, currently using e6 but want more greenside/approach spin

SuperStroke
PlzCoolerMe

PlzCoolerMe

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Jan 4, 2012
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Location
Geneva, NE
Handicap
16-18 GHIN
Here is my current golf issue: I am an avid golfer but am very inconsistent, have been playing a bit for 10 yrs (taken seriously for 4yrs.) I am 16 to 18 handicap, have 100 to 105 swing-speed when loose. Tend to slice the ball on my miss-hits. Normally hit driver 245 to 270. When I am on, I can shoot in the low to mid 80's, but, can also put up a high 90 just as easily. I've taken lessons once and tend to do it again soon.

I have been using the e6 for a little over a season now. It seems to be the straightest ball for me on average, but, I have been hitting my irons a little better recently and feel like I could really use the added benefits of having a ball that didn't roll out quite as much as the e6 really tends to do. I know to get this I will likely have to give up a little bit of the straightness on drives, but, I would like to have as much of a combination of both if possible. So, what would your recomendations be for a ball that is close to as straight as the e6 off the driver, but, would have more back-spin on iron shots?

I have used the Q-star a few times in the past. I can tell that it definitely checks up more than the e6, but, I seem to lose about 15 yards of distance on my drives and don't find it quite as accurate either. So, I was wondering what would be some other options to try. I'm not a golf-ball snob either. I'm willing to try something that isn't "made for the pro's." In fact, I'm likely not going to spend the money to buy the new high end balls unless I would get some used (which I'm willing to do as well.)

I've done a little bit of research, but, figured I'd ask on here to get some other opinions as well. Some of my idea's to start were last yr's models of the bridgestone B330rx. I also have read some good things about the Top Flite Gamer V2, but, never tried it. Another "old" ball I've read some things on, but never tried, was the Callaway iz. (One thing I wasn't sure about on this was I read a few places that you should swing above 110 to get full-performance on iz.) Thought I might see about last yr's Penta as well.

What are your guys' thoughts? Anyone have issues like mine and had success with a particular ball? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
You didn't say whether or not you have tried Bridgestone's online ball fitting. That would give you a good idea of which ball to try if you want to stay with Bridgestone.
 
Diablo, Nike Vapor and Crush.

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Tapatalk2
 
Sir Flubs-A-Lot said:
You didn't say whether or not you have tried Bridgestone's online ball fitting. That would give you a good idea of which ball to try if you want to stay with Bridgestone.
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I have tried for most of the "name-brand" ball-fitters online. Bridgestone said e6. That's what I've went with. An online sales site suggested callaway iz. Titleist suggests Nxt (which I've hit, but, don't like as much as e6.) Nike recommended the vapor series which I would consider as well.
 
SW said:
Diablo, Nike Vapor and Crush.

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Tapatalk2
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Thanks, I've tried older Diablo and didn't like it as much as e6. Would the newer Diablo tour be worth trying? I was actually thinking about the vapor as well. I think I found one once, but, lost it immediately.
 
I'm sure you'll get lots of 'go out and try a bunch' advice, but my question would be are your irons and wedges new enough to give you the hit and stop spin you're looking for? You say you have new irons coming, but how old are your wedges? Maybe take them to a monitor and see if you get the same spin rate on them as you would with new wedges.

P.S. I've been hitting z-stars recently and really like them. Good bite and nice and straight on drives (well, I draw the ball, but with them I get better dispersion than my old pentas).
 
These are my suggestions. As a slicer, you will benefit from a ball with low driver and long iron spin for accuracy. I would say that your swing speed is tour high so you might be able to take advantage of a tour ball's compression. The penta is very consistent as well as the prov1x and tour Iz, these three performed pretty similar for me, low drive spin and stops dead on the green. I have used the B330rx a few times and I really liked the low compression and the way it reacted to swings around 100 mph, but it had less greenside spin, but I did have a few of my longer drives with this ball. You can find all of these balls on sale or can buy them preowned on ebay in mint condition for a good price. I play the ProV1x and I buy 15 of them for $15 in AAA on ebay so I don't lose a $5 ball each time, I lose a $5 ball I payed $1 for. Hope it helped
 
Thanks, which z star?

oiler3535 said:
I'm sure you'll get lots of 'go out and try a bunch' advice, but my question would be are your irons and wedges new enough to give you the hit and stop spin you're looking for? You say you have new irons coming, but how old are your wedges? Maybe take them to a monitor and see if you get the same spin rate on them as you would with new wedges.

P.S. I've been hitting z-stars recently and really like them. Good bite and nice and straight on drives (well, I draw the ball, but with them I get better dispersion than my old pentas).
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I agree with this, thanks. What I was wondering, is how much more slice would I have with a ball like the 330rx than the e6 on drives? Is it going to be a ton or will it not be THAT noticeable?

leiruagetro said:
These are my suggestions. As a slicer, you will benefit from a ball with low driver and long iron spin for accuracy. I would say that your swing speed is tour high so you might be able to take advantage of a tour ball's compression. The penta is very consistent as well as the prov1x and tour Iz, these three performed pretty similar for me, low drive spin and stops dead on the green. I have used the B330rx a few times and I really liked the low compression and the way it reacted to swings around 100 mph, but it had less greenside spin, but I did have a few of my longer drives with this ball. You can find all of these balls on sale or can buy them preowned on ebay in mint condition for a good price. I play the ProV1x and I buy 15 of them for $15 in AAA on ebay so I don't lose a $5 ball each time, I lose a $5 ball I payed $1 for. Hope it helped
Click to expand...
 
PlzCoolerMe said:
Thanks, I've tried older Diablo and didn't like it as much as e6. Would the newer Diablo tour be worth trying? I was actually thinking about the vapor as well. I think I found one once, but, lost it immediately.
Click to expand...

I found the new callaway version be a great ball, long off the tee and very predictable around the greens. Used the vapor speed for a long time but haven't tried the vapor black yet.

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Tapatalk2
 
Good advice on the wedges... How often should you upgrade?

oiler3535 said:
I'm sure you'll get lots of 'go out and try a bunch' advice, but my question would be are your irons and wedges new enough to give you the hit and stop spin you're looking for? You say you have new irons coming, but how old are your wedges? Maybe take them to a monitor and see if you get the same spin rate on them as you would with new wedges.

P.S. I've been hitting z-stars recently and really like them. Good bite and nice and straight on drives (well, I draw the ball, but with them I get better dispersion than my old pentas).
Click to expand...
 
Sir Flubs-A-Lot said:
You didn't say whether or not you have tried Bridgestone's online ball fitting. That would give you a good idea of which ball to try if you want to stay with Bridgestone.
Click to expand...

^^This^^ I've used the e6 and the B330RX and got a lot more spin from the B330RX. Doing the fitting is quick and easy.
 
B330 RX is what you are looking for in a Bridgestone ball.
 
HoosierGolfer said:
^^This^^ I've used the e6 and the B330RX and got a lot more spin from the B330RX. Doing the fitting is quick and easy.
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Thanks, was the driver side-spin noticeably more with the 330rx though? If so, a lot more or not that much more?
 
PlzCoolerMe said:
Thanks, which z star?
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The regular z-star. FYI, I swing 97-102, and don't get a huge amount of spin with short irons/wedges (1 hop and stop usually, but never back movement). I told this to the Srixon rep at Golftown and that's what he recommended.
 
oiler3535 said:
The regular z-star. FYI, I swing 97-102, and don't get a huge amount of spin with short irons/wedges (1 hop and stop usually, but never back movement). I told this to the Srixon rep at Golftown and that's what he recommended.
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I just looked at the Srixon website and it actually seems that the zstar xv might be better for my needs with a little less spin but supposed to be straighter? I'm ok without a ton of spin, I just want something with more than the e6 (which shouldn't take much.)
 
Don't overlook the e5 if you like the forgiveness and distance of the e6. The e5 is more spinny and softer but I don't see any distance loss compared to the e6. It launches higher too which helps it grip the green as its coming down steeper.

I said a tap tap tappity tap
 
After reading some of the responses, I'm coming up with one main question.

Have those of of you that are reccomending balls like the Callaway Diablo Tour, Nike One Vapor, etc played both those balls and the e6? I'm wondering if they would be comparable to the e6's greenside performance or have more spin on short shots than e6? Also how are they compared with the e6 off of the driver? Thanks.
 
PlzCoolerMe said:
I just looked at the Srixon website and it actually seems that the zstar xv might be better for my needs with a little less spin but supposed to be straighter? I'm ok without a ton of spin, I just want something with more than the e6 (which shouldn't take much.)
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I'm around the same speed as you on average, top out around 108 and I found the xv to be a little shorter off the tee vs the z-star.

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Tapatalk2
 
PlzCoolerMe said:
I agree with this, thanks. What I was wondering, is how much more slice would I have with a ball like the 330rx than the e6 on drives? Is it going to be a ton or will it not be THAT noticeable?
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Honestly, any tour ball will amplify a slice or hook for that matter because of higher spin rates. I was in your shoes a few months ago but I took a gamble on the 330rx and I was surprised, the lower driving spin did help me keep that slice under control but It did give a little extra sidespin. so lets say you had a 15 yard slice with the e6, the 330rx might give you a 25 yard on a bad shot but that's all relative to your own swing. The advantage on the 330rx is that it still sent pretty straight even on mishits and off the tee it performed like a distance ball so i stuck with it for a while and the optic yellow helped me recover the ball if it sliced badly. At this point one thing I would suggest is to check your swing path next time you go to the range by placing a head cover about 3 inches out behind the ball on the floor so when you swing if you hit the head cover you know its the good ol cutting across the ball move that causes slices.This well help you be conscious of your swing path resulting in better shots and then you won't have to worry about not using a better spinning ball:act-up:(sorry kind of off topic but it helped me tremendously!!) So overall if you can get the 330rx for a good price, it's worth because it's designed for us non pros and with your high swing speeds you could get some massive compression and distance.
 
I would check put the Bridgestone e7 and hex black from Callaway. I Tried the e7 and it comes off a little lower and should fit your swing speed. The hex black is a rocket and has less spin which may help you.
 
Gamer v2.

It is as straight as the E6 but longer and checks up way better on the greens. I found a ProV1x(?) and played it a couple of holes but went back to the Gamer in part because the Gamer was checking up better than the ProV. Now I know there's no way that should be happening, but it was for me today. I even had a hole where the Gamer backed up about 6 inches from where it landed on the green.
 
I agree with roswellj...don't over look the e5. Same price as e6, longer off the tee and more spin around the greens. I started playing the e6 because of the slice issue but was disappointed with lack of greenside control. IMO if you are looking at the B330RX you might as well check out the B330RXS. It may loose a few yards in distance but has great spin when you want it. It's really soft to putt with also.

Hope this doesn't make your decision too difficult.
 
Only way I landed in the B330 RX was to use it on the course. We could discuss it here for awhile. What would be cool is to go try some things and tell us what you think. There's some intangibles like looks, feel, confidence that can only be experienced.
 
I don't think you'll notice a measurable difference in greenside spin unless you go urethane. Ball companies love to put the word "Tour" on a surlyn ball to make people think they are spin inducing balls.
 
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