Balls, whats the big difference

[Richardb1012302]

Hi all, just a quick question regarding golf balls.

With all the different golf balls for distance, spin, feel, high handicap and so on........ What is the difference in distance with say a 4 iron between a soft ball say Penta TP and a distance ball say TM Burner??

Any ideas, or is there little difference?

 

[ScienceBoy]

Well I switched from a AD333 which is a good "All Rounder" to the Wilson FG tour, a "Feel" ball. I think Feel and spin are the same thing in ball terms.

Once I did I was able to flight things like a 5 iron onto a par 3 green and stop it within a few feet rather than it run out to the back of the green. I lost a little distance but gained more "control" over the ball. I noticed that my drives felt more controlled as I could compress the ball more and they would fly far off the face. Also my putting had more feel.

The FG tour is a "Feel" ball where the AD333 is a compromise between feel and distance. An all out distance ball would have no feel, struggle to stop on a par 3 green but will roll a looooong way on drives.

 

[BTatHome]

Take a read of this thread ...

http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?34686-Taylormade-view-of-Choosing-your-ball

Pretty much sums up the way you should look at ball choice.

 

[Richardb1012302]

Thanks for the heads up. Think it might just be a case to play a round with a few different balls to see the difference, its allways hard to compare due to player error and other stuff like that.

 

[noble78]

Yeah i would just try a few and see which you get on better with, you can normally tell which you like when putting and chipping

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Have bought a few diffrent boxes with a friend, NXT best so far real nice ball, e6 are quite nice too though. still got a few to try.

 

[Hobbit]

Depends what you want out of a ball, and what might suit your game best.

A thought; you hit a distance ball off the tee leaving a 9 iron into the green. Doesn't spin as much but because its a 9 it still stops reasonably quickly. Same hole but you hit a spin ball off the tee. It doesn't travel as far and leaves a 7 iron into the green. Because it doesn't have as much loft it stops in the same distance.

But the little 1/2 shots that need that extra spin is where the soft ball really comes in.

In reality that's just too simplistic but somewhere in the middle of all that there is a compromise that is the right ball for you. You decide what you want based on how you hit the ball and how often you are hitting those little check shots because you missed the green.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Doesn't spin as much but because its a 9 it still stops reasonably quickly.

Thats not my experience of distance balls, I find they run like nobodies business, especially with mid irons, a 5 iron into a par 3 with a distance ball runs off the back, a spin ball stops in a few hops.

I think you are right with the club distance, its about a club and a half for me but about 50% of the difference is the run on the ball not the flight.

 

[dave]

for me the game is getting the ball within about 120 yards of the flag thats the strongest part of my game, i find that a tour ball gives an amazing advantage for me personally from this sort of distance, whether its hop and stop or bringing it back a few feet. i get scoring chances with harder balls just not as many, the confidence to throw the club at the ball is what im after. i lose abit of yards off the tee probs around 15 yards but i gladly sacrifice that. im using callaway Tour IX balls, model is a couple of gens old now but just found them at £20 a dozen and they are great.

 

[ScienceBoy]

for me the game is getting the ball within about 120 yards of the flag thats the strongest part of my game, i find that a tour ball gives an amazing advantage for me personally from this sort of distance

Spot on comment, distance balls are fine for bumping it in but on half or 3/4 shots they just have too much roll in my experience.

 

[USER1999]

Balls come in two types, hard and soft. You either like one, or the other.

All callaways are rocks.

 

[PPE]

Hi all, just a quick question regarding golf balls.

With all the different golf balls for distance, spin, feel, high handicap and so on........ What is the difference in distance with say a 4 iron between a soft ball say Penta TP and a distance ball say TM Burner??

Any ideas, or is there little difference?

Richard, another big consideration is how you hit the ball? i.e. do you impart a lot of side spin, especially with the driver?

A 2-piece ball i.e. AD333, Diablo or e6+ will hold its line a lot better than a Premium ball i.e. ProV1, Penta etc

 

[Karl102]

E6,dx2,ad333 are all great! I find the Titleist nxt and nxt tour balls softer than the rest..... Try a sleeve of each and see what you like best...

 

[RichardC]

I used to use ProV's, but not because they were the best for me, I used them as I had the idea that the "best" ball would help me more. After a good discussion/fitting when on the Titleist day, I was told that the NXT Tour would be a better ball for me and im agreeing with that.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm another who if he has any strengths in his game, is good from 120 yards and in and I find a premium ball (irrespective of make) will stop better and give me more control. I don't like the Cally as they are too hard off the club face especially the putter but aside from that, the benefits I get from nearer the pin outweigh and losses I may have in lack of compression, side spin with driver etc.