Balls!?!

[nmartyn]

guys i was recommended to use harder balls opposed to softer ones as they tend to fly straighter for off centre hits....

other than Nike ones i sometimes use which other 'hard' balls would you suggest? am about to hit ebay for some used ones

 

[ricardodaintino]

I think Nike is a good starting point. Ignite and Juice are good distance balls. Harder and heavier so straighter and longer.

You will get less feel from these on your short game though and I think that the short game is where I'd pay most attention especially at this time of year. Greens are inconsistant at winter so I prefer a softer ball that I know I can control and get nearer to the pin for easier tap in's rather then a hard ball I can wallop off the tee.

 

[haplesshacker]

Warbirds and Srixon distance!

 

[nmartyn]

bought some Nike Juice and Srixon distance balls - see if they help (although i doubt it!), not a waste though cos i went through 2 packs of new Srixon softs over the course of my last two rounds!

 

[ricardodaintino]

Ha! I hate that. I bought a sleeve of warbirds and lost all three by the back nine £5.99 down the drain in under an hour!! Swapped to Titleist NXT tour, softer but with good distance and played the same ball all the way back to the club house.

 

[Parmo]

lol two packs!! Try warbirds, very cheap and good distance balls, I too struggled with side spin on softer balls but it takes time to get used to them but you will benefit your short game in the long run by using softer balls.

 

[nmartyn]

nothing more frustrating than treating yourself to siome new balls (most of mine are salvaged from car boot sales) and then smacking the first couple out of bounds on the 1st tee never to be seen again

and fate would have it you switch to some cheap, scraggy looking one and you have a stormer the rest of the round!

 

[nmartyn]

guys out of interest - do you wear weather/waterproof gloves this time of year? i bought some in the shop the other day which were sold to me as 'winter gloves' but they weren't waterproof so were useless after 2 holes!

would something like this be better:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Pair-of-Nike-W...A1%7C240%3A1318

 

[RGuk]

guys i was recommended to use harder balls opposed to softer ones as they tend to fly straighter for off centre hits....

In theory, a harder ball without a soft cover will spin less. less sidespin = less banana!!!

Just go and find a bumper pack of whatever and see if there's any truth in it. t.b.h. your best bet might well be to get a large pack of top flite from sports world or even tesco.

I played most of last year with Wilson Staff Dx soft available online for under £14 per dozen. Supposedly soft, but pretty hard compared to the Px spin I've graduated onto.

I reckon Tescos or JJB or Sports World should have HUGE packs of half decent balls for small money.

 

[Parmo]

guys out of interest - do you wear weather/waterproof gloves this time of year? i bought some in the shop the other day which were sold to me as 'winter gloves' but they weren't waterproof so were useless after 2 holes!

would something like this be better:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Pair-of-Nike-W...A1%7C240%3A1318

Nar, I tend to carry extra gloves just incase it rains and once one is wet I can change. for the cold I use mittens but they are a pain putting on and off every ten yards

 

[toyboy54]

Parmo...forgive me if I digress from the 'balls'point!
You are only hitting the balls you use 10 yards????
Maybe you should change them(your balls I mean!)
LOL!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think it is dependant on budget. If money isn't a problem I'd personally go for the AD333 and get the best of both worlds in terms of spin and distance. Otherwise I'd agree with Dave and get a bucketload of cheapies from JJB etc.

I think that even in colder weather and winter greens there is still a balance to be struck between all out distance and feel and control. Personally I couldn't use a solid ball (Pinnacle, Top Flite etc) as I don't feel I'd be able to control it off the putter.

I don't use winter gloves but do carry a wet weather one (FJ) which grips better the wetter it gets. I also carry a couple of spare gloves in case it is only light rain as the FJ rain glove isn't that good for feel and I can just swal gloves every 4-5 holes

 

[hopeful]

My personal preference is Titleist NXT Tour, which I find to be a good all-round (no pun intended.) pill with a decent feel around the green and reasonable distance off the tee. As an occasional treat I'll buy them new but I buy 3doz "mint grade" from County Golf and for me they are perfectly OK. And at 25 quid the box they're a damn sight less painful when you whack one in to No Mans Land! Can't stand these cheapie things and a survey by the other mag last year reckoned their flight is totally unpredictable....which I can achieve without any additional assistance, thank you very much.

 

[ricardodaintino]

I stumbled upon a goldmine at work, 5 boxes of NXT tours all with old company branding on them! So I have sworn off paying for Pro V1s, for the immediate future and am currently playing with the NXT tours.

I find these balls to be really responsive. Great feel around the greens and I don't think I've lost anything in terms of distance from the ProV1s.