rbarthle17
One-length advocate
This thread will serve to cover my journey to learning the differences in golf balls.
About me:
I have been playing golf for almost 20 years, but only seriously for the last 5. I am a mid-handicap. I shoot mostly in the 80s now. The strength of my game is iron play. I know my full swing carry distances very well from 5i to GW, and lateral accuracy is pretty good. My biggest weakness is off the tee. My short game is decent but improving. My putting is not a weapon, but also not a detriment - I 2-putt most holes. I am absolutely a high ball hitter. My stock shot is a push or a push/fade.
My inside 100y strategy is to hit half-shots as much as possible, and play for rollout from the front edge of the green. So for an 85y shot to the hole I would swing a half 8i (my 150 carry club) and have it land at around 75y and bounce/roll from there (taking into account terrain and conditions). I find that the most consistent shot I hit outside of full swings. I try not to take full swings with my 45 and 58 wedges if I can avoid it. I can hit flop-type shots with partial wedge swings though. I can get out of most bunkers the first time and keep it on the green.
My driver swing speed is in the 95-104mph range.
My expected carry distances (rounded and assuming a calm day and a clean fairway lie) are:
Driver - 250+ (EDIT: this number is up for debate - see below - probably lower; off the tee obviously)
18° hybrid - 220y
2i - 205y (tighter lateral dispersion than the hybrid)
5i - 180y
6i - 170y
7i - 160y
8i - 140y
9i - 130y
PW - 115y
GW - 100y
Adams 54° - 90y
I have a 58° TM wedge but try not to use it for full swings unless it's teed up.
When figuring actual distances I always assume rollout will happen. I am not a spin player. So for total distance, I add 10y to the carry distance as a rule of thumb.
My gamer ball: I currently play the 2015 Bridgestone e7 and e6. The main reason for this was to control my lateral issues off the tee. For two years I did not bag a driver, that changed a month ago. But even with that my swing can be prone to some nasty left to right sidespin if I get lazy. I also needed extra distance out of a ball to counter somewhat my lack of a driver at the time.
My testing tools: For my experiments, I will be using my new SkyTrak personal launch monitor. I will be hitting balls in my air-conditioned garage off of my Monster Tee mat into my hitting net. So the conditions will be optimal with the only variance possibly being humidity. I will collect the data and post screenshots of it to this thread.
What am I looking for in this experiment?: Honestly I am not sure at this time. It could be as simple as gaining knowledge. It could be to find that "perfect" ball for me. Now that I bag a driver with a fair amount of confidence, I am open to what other balls may provide me around the green as long as I don't lose lateral accuracy off the tee.
In an ideal world, the perfect ball for me would be long off the tee and my long clubs with lateral control, provide some amount of stopping power on full swings with my 7i and lower, but not be the kind of ball that checks up and stops on chips and pitches. But if I had to pick a priority, lateral forgiveness is #1 and distance would be #2. Stopping power would be nice to have but not at the cost of the other 2.
Money is a consideration, but if there is a premium ball that shows numbers that do not lie, I will be willing to invest in it if it's worth it.
What am I looking for from you?: Any and all insight or comments is welcome. From interpreting data to ball recommendations or whatever. Even if it's you being curious to see what <X> ball would do, fire away!
About me:
I have been playing golf for almost 20 years, but only seriously for the last 5. I am a mid-handicap. I shoot mostly in the 80s now. The strength of my game is iron play. I know my full swing carry distances very well from 5i to GW, and lateral accuracy is pretty good. My biggest weakness is off the tee. My short game is decent but improving. My putting is not a weapon, but also not a detriment - I 2-putt most holes. I am absolutely a high ball hitter. My stock shot is a push or a push/fade.
My inside 100y strategy is to hit half-shots as much as possible, and play for rollout from the front edge of the green. So for an 85y shot to the hole I would swing a half 8i (my 150 carry club) and have it land at around 75y and bounce/roll from there (taking into account terrain and conditions). I find that the most consistent shot I hit outside of full swings. I try not to take full swings with my 45 and 58 wedges if I can avoid it. I can hit flop-type shots with partial wedge swings though. I can get out of most bunkers the first time and keep it on the green.
My driver swing speed is in the 95-104mph range.
My expected carry distances (rounded and assuming a calm day and a clean fairway lie) are:
Driver - 250+ (EDIT: this number is up for debate - see below - probably lower; off the tee obviously)
18° hybrid - 220y
2i - 205y (tighter lateral dispersion than the hybrid)
5i - 180y
6i - 170y
7i - 160y
8i - 140y
9i - 130y
PW - 115y
GW - 100y
Adams 54° - 90y
I have a 58° TM wedge but try not to use it for full swings unless it's teed up.
When figuring actual distances I always assume rollout will happen. I am not a spin player. So for total distance, I add 10y to the carry distance as a rule of thumb.
My gamer ball: I currently play the 2015 Bridgestone e7 and e6. The main reason for this was to control my lateral issues off the tee. For two years I did not bag a driver, that changed a month ago. But even with that my swing can be prone to some nasty left to right sidespin if I get lazy. I also needed extra distance out of a ball to counter somewhat my lack of a driver at the time.
My testing tools: For my experiments, I will be using my new SkyTrak personal launch monitor. I will be hitting balls in my air-conditioned garage off of my Monster Tee mat into my hitting net. So the conditions will be optimal with the only variance possibly being humidity. I will collect the data and post screenshots of it to this thread.
What am I looking for in this experiment?: Honestly I am not sure at this time. It could be as simple as gaining knowledge. It could be to find that "perfect" ball for me. Now that I bag a driver with a fair amount of confidence, I am open to what other balls may provide me around the green as long as I don't lose lateral accuracy off the tee.
In an ideal world, the perfect ball for me would be long off the tee and my long clubs with lateral control, provide some amount of stopping power on full swings with my 7i and lower, but not be the kind of ball that checks up and stops on chips and pitches. But if I had to pick a priority, lateral forgiveness is #1 and distance would be #2. Stopping power would be nice to have but not at the cost of the other 2.
Money is a consideration, but if there is a premium ball that shows numbers that do not lie, I will be willing to invest in it if it's worth it.
What am I looking for from you?: Any and all insight or comments is welcome. From interpreting data to ball recommendations or whatever. Even if it's you being curious to see what <X> ball would do, fire away!
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