Ball fitting - It does make a difference

[Khamelion]

Went to a bridgestone ball fitting yesterday and it has given me food for thought on the type of ball I use. I realise that some of th stuff I was told may be Bridgestone trying to make their balls look good, but the guy doing the fitting was very pleasent, knew his stuff and passed on a good deal of info.

Anyhoo, When asked what ball I currently use, I told him Srixon AD333 and I proceeded to hit 5 balls, and he took the results, I sat down and he explained the 5 shots, he told me that I had chosen a good ball for my game and then he told me that the AD333 was made in two halves and had a seem which is polished off during the manufacture process and that depending on where you hit the ball, on the seem or not, the result could be a difference in flight and length.

Based on my results with the AD333 he recomended the Bridgestone E6, I then hit 5 shots with that ball and the results surprised me.

He told me that with the AD333 I was compressing it well but because my swing produced quite a bit of spin I was losing distance and accuracy, with the E6 I had similar spin stats but the ball flew further, 20yds further.

AD333

Swing Speed - 104.2
Ball Speed - 141.4
Launch Angle - 14.8
Back Spin - 2113
Side Spin - -213
Distance - 233

E6

Swing Speed - 106.6
Ball Speed - 146.9
Launch Angle - 12.1
Back Spin - 2235
Side Spin - +63
Distance - 253

 

[Chumpalot83]

That's interesting, is there any way of telling where this seem is on the AD333 in relation to the logo? I use this ball as I was told it's a good all-rounder.

I take it you're now using the E6?

 

[fundy]

Went to a bridgestone ball fitting yesterday and it has given me food for thought on the type of ball I use. I realise that some of th stuff I was told may be Bridgestone trying to make their balls look good, but the guy doing the fitting was very pleasent, knew his stuff and passed on a good deal of info.

Anyhoo, When asked what ball I currently use, I told him Srixon AD333 and I proceeded to hit 5 balls, and he took the results, I sat down and he explained the 5 shots, he told me that I had chosen a good ball for my game and then he told me that the AD333 was made in two halves and had a seem which is polished off during the manufacture process and that depending on where you hit the ball, on the seem or not, the result could be a difference in flight and length.

Based on my results with the AD333 he recomended the Bridgestone E6, I then hit 5 shots with that ball and the results surprised me.

He told me that with the AD333 I was compressing it well but because my swing produced quite a bit of spin I was losing distance and accuracy, with the E6 I had similar spin stats but the ball flew further, 20yds further.

AD333

Swing Speed - 104.2
Ball Speed - 141.4
Launch Angle - 14.8
Back Spin - 2113
Side Spin - -213
Distance - 233

E6

Swing Speed - 106.6
Ball Speed - 146.9
Launch Angle - 12.1
Back Spin - 2235
Side Spin - +63
Distance - 253

so the extra distance had nothing to do with the extra 2.4mph in clubhead speed?

 

[bladeplayer]

. I realise that some of th stuff I was told may be Bridgestone trying to make their balls look good,

and I proceeded to hit 5 balls, and he took the results, I sat down and he explained the 5 shots,

, I then hit 5 shots with that ball and the results surprised me.

He told me that with the AD333 I was compressing it well but because my swing produced quite a bit of spin I was losing distance and accuracy, with the E6 I had similar spin stats but the ball flew further, 20yds further.

AD333

Swing Speed - 104.2
Ball Speed - 141.4
Launch Angle - 14.8
Back Spin - 2113
Side Spin - -213
Distance - 233

E6

Swing Speed - 106.6
Ball Speed - 146.9
Launch Angle - 12.1
Back Spin - 2235
Side Spin - +63
Distance - 253

The first bit is what scares me a little about fittings for anything .. i dont know wheteher its best to go to suplier of a club you like the look of & just get fitted for the one you want no comparisons , or to go to a multi supplier & MAYBE get fitted for the one he wants to sell from stock ..

Very interested in any testing like this ..do you mind if i ask a few questions please ?

Im just wondering did you do it on a swing wall thingy or out on a range where you could se the full ball flight /distance etc .?

Do you think maybe the 5 hit with your own type , loosened you up to hit the second lot & did that help ?

What does launch angle & swing speed have to do with the ball? & is the increased swing speed not a factor in added distance ?

Would the massive difference in the side spin be all down to the ball , would that not have alot to do with the way you hitting it , ie angle of club face in relation to the ball at impact , or swing path ?

Thanks for your time , hope if you go with them they work for ya ,..

 

[SimonC]

On a side note, are these numbers with a driver as your smash factor is very low if it is? You are around 1.36 to 1.38 (perfect is supposed to be 1.5) so you are losing between 10-12mph in ball speed or approx 25 yards due to poor contact.

 

[BTatHome]

so the extra distance had nothing to do with the extra 2.4mph in clubhead speed?

Some of the distance will be due to the different cub speed, but there are lots of differences between the figures and hence not so clear cut that simply the ball is doing it all.

 

[garyinderry]

a ball must perform the same way in all directions if hit using the same forces?

he told me that the AD333 was made in two halves and had a seem which is polished off during the manufacture process and that depending on where you hit the ball, on the seem or not, the result could be a difference in flight and length.


this would make the ad333 illegal !

 

[Sterlingar]

When it comes to bridgestone ball fitting is pretty important...I guess. Mostly because their different models are specific to certain swing speeds... Take the B330 for example. If you don't absolutely ram into the ball you won't get the required compression.

 

[BTatHome]

When it comes to bridgestone ball fitting is pretty important...I guess. Mostly because their different models are specific to certain swing speeds... Take the B330 for example. If you don't absolutely ram into the ball you won't get the required compression.

I find it strange though that Titleist make claims like ...

"Ball fitting for swing speed is a myth."

"The differences in the amount of compression across driver swing speeds are virtually indistinguishable."

"Driver distances between Titleist golf balls are within 4-5 yards of each other, regardless of swing speed."

So basically, like many areas of golf, we see the marketing departments taking different view points and directions for their claims.

 

[Sterlingar]

Hence my...I guess.
My opinion is a mix of personal experience and the sense I try to make out of it. I could be wrong, it could simply be a psychological response to good marketing... But it does feel like a 330 is harder to compress than their other models. On the other hand, i'm pretty sure Titleist know what they're talking about.

 

[USER1999]

I can't see how a ball can reduce side spin, and not back spin. Since these two numbers are arbitrarily chosen vectors of the same thing. The ball has an axis of rotation, and it spins around it. This axis is swing path related.

The core of the ad333 is one piece, the cover is moulded round it in two halves, same as all golf balls. Just some have a concealed seam. Bridgestones are made the same as others. Salesmen? A little knowledge is dangerous. Why mould two halves when it can be done as one?

 

[Ethan]

Looks to me a bit more like the difference between a decent hit and a better hit.

 

[Ethan]

I find it strange though that Titleist make claims like ...

"Ball fitting for swing speed is a myth."

"The differences in the amount of compression across driver swing speeds are virtually indistinguishable."

"Driver distances between Titleist golf balls are within 4-5 yards of each other, regardless of swing speed."

So basically, like many areas of golf, we see the marketing departments taking different view points and directions for their claims.

The point Titleist is making is not an unreasonable one, and it is that even if you are Bubba Watson and hit the driver at 125mph, you also hit many shots at 80-100mph too, and the ball can't tell the difference between those shots and those hit by amateurs at the same swing speeds.

 

[Khamelion]

That's interesting, is there any way of telling where this seem is on the AD333 in relation to the logo? I use this ball as I was told it's a good all-rounder.

I take it you're now using the E6?

I may do in the future, but I had 2 dozen AD333 bought cheap, so I'll play and lose them before going to the E6.

so the extra distance had nothing to do with the extra 2.4mph in clubhead speed?

2.4mph will not equate to 20yds, 6 or 7yds maybe.

Im just wondering did you do it on a swing wall thingy or out on a range where you could se the full ball flight /distance etc .? It was done using a flight scope style monitor.

Do you think maybe the 5 hit with your own type , loosened you up to hit the second lot & did that help ?I had hit 40 balls in the DR prior to the fitting.

What does launch angle & swing speed have to do with the ball? & is the increased swing speed not a factor in added distance ?Launch angle nothing really that's all down to me, swing speed could affect the end result especailly if you manage to get a better impact (smash)

Would the massive difference in the side spin be all down to the ball , would that not have alot to do with the way you hitting it , ie angle of club face in relation to the ball at impact , or swing path ?The way the guy explained it was partly down to my swing adn partly down to the ball technology. The ball will help straighten out slight mis-hits, but it will not help with really bad shots, those are still the golfers problem

On a side note, are these numbers with a driver as your smash factor is very low if it is? You are around 1.36 to 1.38 (perfect is supposed to be 1.5) so you are losing between 10-12mph in ball speed or approx 25 yards due to poor contact.

Yup I know the smash was poor, 1.37 give or take, mitigating factor is that I wasn't using my driver. I have bought a new driver and my current R11 is in on part ex, I've already been given a price based on its current condition and hence I didn;t want to tempt fate and damage it. So I used my friends driver, so the results while still interesting are a little skewed for me.

 

[bladeplayer]

Thank You , only learning about the technicalitys of the game now , i'll either get better or implode with information ,

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Went to a bridgestone ball fitting yesterday and it has given me food for thought on the type of ball I use. I realise that some of th stuff I was told may be Bridgestone trying to make their balls look good, but the guy doing the fitting was very pleasent, knew his stuff and passed on a good deal of info.

Anyhoo, When asked what ball I currently use, I told him Srixon AD333 and I proceeded to hit 5 balls, and he took the results, I sat down and he explained the 5 shots, he told me that I had chosen a good ball for my game and then he told me that the AD333 was made in two halves and had a seem which is polished off during the manufacture process and that depending on where you hit the ball, on the seem or not, the result could be a difference in flight and length.

Based on my results with the AD333 he recomended the Bridgestone E6, I then hit 5 shots with that ball and the results surprised me.

He told me that with the AD333 I was compressing it well but because my swing produced quite a bit of spin I was losing distance and accuracy, with the E6 I had similar spin stats but the ball flew further, 20yds further.

AD333

Swing Speed - 104.2
Ball Speed - 141.4
Launch Angle - 14.8
Back Spin - 2113
Side Spin - -213
Distance - 233

E6

Swing Speed - 106.6
Ball Speed - 146.9
Launch Angle - 12.1
Back Spin - 2235
Side Spin - +63
Distance - 253

Given you hit 5 shots with each, my guess is he took the worst AD333 hit and the best E6 hit and compared the two, making it look like the E6 goes 20yds further. I'd say you've been had personally.

 

[Sterlingar]

Good point. And I believe that is why ProV1 is the most popular all around ball amongst tour pros. Bridgestone "might" make balls more specific to certain shots (in this case drives), while titleist's goals is to make it as adaptable to the all around game as possible.
Because yes, my drives might be a bit better with a B330S than with a pro v1x, but i'd take a pro V1 over a B330S any day for all the other shots.

 

[Sterlingar]

A comparison between different bridgestone balls would have been more informative. I didn't notice the 20 yard difference...20 yards does seem excessive.

 

[Khamelion]

Given you hit 5 shots with each, my guess is he took the worst AD333 hit and the best E6 hit and compared the two, making it look like the E6 goes 20yds further. I'd say you've been had personally.

I saw the results of all swings on both balls, I think the stats I gave are an average of the 5 swings on each ball, as on the E6 my last swing was 107.6mph. He also took out one shot on the AD333 as I tried to smack the skin of it, lost my balance and shot the ball at 45 degrees left for a grand distance of 92yds. So no, I've not been had, the guy was very honest is swing assessment and he even managed to keep a straight face.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I saw the results of all swings on both balls, I think the stats I gave are an average of the 5 swings on each ball, as on the E6 my last swing was 107.6mph. He also took out one shot on the AD333 as I tried to smack the skin of it, lost my balance and shot the ball at 45 degrees left for a grand distance of 92yds. So no, I've not been had, the guy was very honest is swing assessment and he even managed to keep a straight face.

Fair enough, I'm still not convinced those stats are telling the whole story though. I'm guessing the sidespin is supposed to tell you the angle of rotation as there is only one spin on a golf ball. Do you remember what your longest carry with the AD333 was?

Also, with a SS of 106mph, I'm surprised he didn't suggest the B330 series, or at least get you to try it. Brigestone are about the only manufacturer left who relate SS to the ball so I would have thought this would have been a natural choice.