Ball Fitting_ Do we need one?

[Slab]

I got an email today suggesting amateurs consider going for a Ball Fitting (not kidding) and that using a fitted ball can add yards to your shots

Some of it actually made sense (i.e spin rate V ball depression value etc) so I google'd it to find out more but then read a phrase which put a smile on my face when they refereed to a fitted ball as a Game Improvement Ball

You have to laugh...

 

[One Planer]

I did my own a while back:

http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/sh...ghlight=ball+test+mizuno+titleist+bridgestone

Since changed to the V1x as I find it, again, more suited than the V1.

 

[woody69]

Maybe for a very low figure handicap player, but your average joe golfer? Nah, I don't think so.

 

[Foxholer]

Certainly using a ball that's 'right for you' can make a difference!

Still have to like playing it though.

A while ago, I compared Srixon Soft Feel with my existing ball. A little shorter off Driver but significantly longer with irons. Hated the feel off putter, so that was a No!

Callaway Chrome may be the best ball for me (quite probably is), but the feel is diabolical - to me!

Maybe for a very low figure handicap player, but your average joe golfer? Nah, I don't think so.

H'mm. I reckon it's likely to be of more use to the average one! At least the ones playing Pro Vs etc purely because that's what the Pros play.

Given that i play pickups, I tend to play Pro Vs/Pentas etc. But the NXT Tour S seems to be the ball that suits me best!

 

[Jake O'Reilly]

I got an email today suggesting amateurs consider going for a Ball Fitting (not kidding) and that using a fitted ball can add yards to your shots

Some of it actually made sense (i.e spin rate V ball depression value etc) so I google'd it to find out more but then read a phrase which put a smile on my face when they refereed to a fitted ball as a Game Improvement Ball

You have to laugh...

I wrote a feature on ball fittings a few months back, which are increasing in popularity, and in short you should do one if the opportunity arrises.

Your swing speed, how your angle of attack affects compression, the cover material and number of layers all affect the overall performance of your ball, and put simply using the wrong one will affect your distance and dispersion.

For example, mid-handicappers with average speeds using a four-piece ball designed to spin don't have the clubhead speed to effectively activate the core at impact, so just get lots of sidespin off the tee. They should be using a two-piece ball with a softer compression that allows them to get at the core to drive faster ball speeds and reduce sidespin.

I was already using a ball suitable to my feel and speed requirements, but going down in compression gained me around 5 yards in distance, and as they say, every little helps!

 

[matt71]

well i was lucky to get a ball fitting at the Manchester Golf show last year. Titelest had a stand and worked out the pro V1 was the best ball for my game. I was then given 2 sleeves of balls for free!

now the £1m question did they improve my game, to be honest dont know the 1st ball i hit went out of bounds on my course never to be seen again lol!

 

[phildunphy]

well i was lucky to get a ball fitting at the Manchester Golf show last year. Titelest had a stand and worked out the pro V1 was the best ball for my game. I was then given 2 sleeves of balls for free!

now the £1m question did they improve my game, to be honest dont know the 1st ball i hit went out of bounds on my course never to be seen again lol!

sums up ball fittings perfectly

 

[One Planer]

well i was lucky to get a ball fitting at the Manchester Golf show last year. Titelest had a stand and worked out the pro V1 was the best ball for my game. I was then given 2 sleeves of balls for free!

now the £1m question did they improve my game, to be honest dont know the 1st ball i hit went out of bounds on my course never to be seen again lol!

What about the other 5 balls? How did they work for you?

 

[gdc]

I think higher handicap players who never consider using a premium spin ball would be amazed at how much easier chipping becomes.

 

[Twin Lakes]

I don't know the answer but I certainly have been more consistent since always using the same golf ball. I've been using Srixon Soft Feel for 2 years now. They are cheap as chips.
I only pick up Pro V's and have a good collection going. At my recent putter fitting I did take a few putts using the Pro v's and they did feel nice. The soft feels shoot off the putter! I'm not going to change just yet but it will happen at some point in the future.

There certainly is a huge selection out there.

 

[matt71]

What about the other 5 balls? How did they work for you?

still got them, too scared to use them until I get better.

 

[Rumpokid]

Sticking to the same ball yes.Ball fitting...hmmmm not for me..What next,glove fitting,then tees???

 

[Imurg]

Sticking to the same ball yes.Ball fitting...hmmmm not for me..What next,glove fitting,then tees???

Been there already.....

 

[matt71]

to be honest I am sure a lot of people struggle with premium balls, I seem to have a habbit of losing my dunlop specials and finding Pro V's in the bushes instead.

 

[dufferman]

I think higher handicap players who never consider using a premium spin ball would be amazed at how much easier chipping becomes.

However, a higher handicapped player may also experience more spin off the driver - making a hook / slice much more of a problem!

 

[Slab]

Sticking to the same ball yes.Ball fitting...hmmmm not for me..What next,glove fitting,then tees???

Ball fitting I'm not sure about but you must get fitted for your tee's. Use the forum search there's a good thread about it a few short months back

 

[GB72]

I am happy to be fitted for more expensive items but not sure about a ball fitting. I do not use premium balls, cannot afford it so if I want to try a few balls it is only an outlay of a few quid to try out a sleeve. Tried many different ones, keep coming back to Wilson Staff but I think that is more of a confidence thing. Really not sure that any mid range ball is that different to really impact on my game so at present I buy what is on offer when I need some. Currently on Callaway balls that I bought 2 dozen for £20.00 and they seem fine to me. I am sure that lower handicappers need every benefit they can get but as a mid handicapper I am happy hitting what I can get at a good price, within reason.

 

[Foxholer]

I don't know the answer but I certainly have been more consistent since always using the same golf ball.

Certainly agree with this. And it helps if you have the same ball, not just brand, at the end of the round as at the start!

I think higher handicap players who never consider using a premium spin ball would be amazed at how much easier chipping becomes.

So we can leave it even shorter?!:mmm:

 

[Hacker Khan]

I suspect ball fitting may work for mid to high handicappers who are playing 4 or 5 piece balls but they do not really have the ability to get the most out of it. So they may well increase a bit of distance and save a bit of cash by getting a non premium ball. But I am not convinced it will make any difference if you are trying to chose between a Pro V1, Penta, Z Star etc etc.

And I am sure that if you took 10 average handicappers and put a Pro V1 badge on a Pinnacle Gold and vice versa, then told them to hit them both several times, then at least 50% of people would chose the Pinnacle Gold with the Pro V1 badge on it as they would convince themselves it is 'softer' and holds the greens better. Just because it says Pro V1 on it.

 

[duncan mackie]

wot Jake's posted....and published :thup:

what I will add is that 'feel' and 'compression' are no longer related in the same way they were 20 years ago, and neither is inherently linked to spin charecteristics either.

so if you want a ball that feels firm off the tee, soft off the putter and with a high spin cover around the greens there will be one, or more, out there.