D
Deleted member 23270
Guest
This is the winningest post
Golf Balls - Your Top Three
- Thread starter Crazyface
- Start date
backwoodsman
Tour Winner
I think I've discovered the reason for slow play. People are doing their ironing on the fairway for gawd sake ...
Bassfisher
Active member
Interesting, so as a high handicap newbie what single ball should I buy, also new or lake balls at my stage?
Crazyface
Tour Winner
Srixon Distance.
Backsticks
Assistant Pro
Yes, Srixon Distance is good call. Callaway Warbird, and Taylormade RBZ also highly recomended. Lake balls perfectly good too, and its really only a whether you like new, or happy-to-buy-used personal preference.
HeftyHacker
Well-known member
Find a "guy" and get some used Pro V1s in great condition on the cheap.
Mine are 50 balls for 25 quid so cheaper than buying pretty much any ball new.
Of those 50 I reckon 40 are completely scuff/mark free.
Mine are 50 balls for 25 quid so cheaper than buying pretty much any ball new.
Of those 50 I reckon 40 are completely scuff/mark free.
Bassfisher
Active member
Ok so to learn I’m going to ask why these particular balls?
D
Deleted member 23270
Guest
As a newbie I wouldn't worry about it. Unless you are hitting the ball consistently with the middle of the face it doesn't matter. Play whatever you can pick up for a decent price.
sunshine
Well-known member
This. Or whatever you pick up in the rough.
Orikoru
Tour Winner
They are cheap, and don't spin too much (should go marginally straighter).
Blue in Munich
Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
Why are you a high handicapper; what are the strengths & weaknesses of your game?
Bassfisher
Active member
I’m 22 having been an occasional hacker for yrs, I’ve just joined a club to take it a bit more seriously. I do get a lot of elevation on my shots, if I land on the green the ball doesn’t stray too far! My weakness was/ is controlling my t shots, driving was a slice but lately it’s getting much better with 200yd + carries, going straight! I haven’t got as far as deliberately spinning my irons yet
Blue in Munich
Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
Interestingly you don't mention putting, which is what you'd do most of. One of the most important things for me is feel; I struggle to putt with a ball that is too soft, I get no feedback, and I think that also applies to the short game. There have been a couple of recommendations for the Srixon Distance, but according to the attached review it is very hard, so may not be for you.
https://www.golfmonthly.com/best-golf-deals/best-golf-balls-for-high-handicappers-208166
I'd be inclined to have a read through that, see what you think applies to your game and try a couple of different models to see what you think, then stick with one brand. Good luck.
Bassfisher
Active member
Hi thanks for your input! I’ll def read that!!! My putting was about the first thing I had to sort out, it’s acceptable now!
nickjdavis
Head Pro
I missed this thread first time around but my answer would have been...
1. Bridgestone B330 RXS (number 3)
2. Bridgestone B330 RXS (number 4)
3. Bridgestone B330 RXS (number 1)
Firstly....I cant see why anyone who is hoping for any degree of consistency (especially around the green) would want to have multiple different balls in their bag. Secondly...I just cant play balls numbered 2!!!!!
However....the real reason for this post is that around this time of year, knowing that manufacturer's often revamp/revitalise/bugger up their ball offering's, I start doing a bit of research around balls and whether I should change what I play with. I like a soft feeling ball....especially off the putter and enjoy a muted thud rather than an eggshell like like click. I've never been a big hitter and as age and continental midriff drift take their toll, I'm probably hitting the ball as short as I've ever done (215yd driver, 135 yd 7 iron). Likewise I don't spin the ball hugely and "drop and stop" is a reasonably alien aspect of ball performance...especially in the summer.
Over the years I have enjoyed playing such balls as the Molitor 422 ("scary long" said the packaging...OK I was just a beginner!!!) Maxfli A10, Maxfli BlackMax, TM Penta (original one which I believe was based on the BlackMax) and Callaway Chrome Soft (before they screwed it up totally which I always attributed to the Graphene layer - but which reading much of what has been written above may actually have been down to manufacturing variances). During periods where there hasn't been a ball I've truly liked, I've probably flirted a lot with Titleist NXT Softs and other similar midrange balls from various manufacturers and in recent years have stuck to the B330RXS.
A ball that has historically been missing from my armoury is the ProV1. I bought a dozen back in the early 2000's and (IIRC my handicap would have been around 20 then) and proceeded to lose 7 on my first round...spinning wildly away to the right on most tee shots and then 4 on the next round. The 12th ball was spanked down the range (went very straight). Now it was probably me as much as the ball (you don't say) causing the wild slices as anything but, with the exception of having a hit with odd ProV's that I would find on the course (which still reaffirmed my belief that they were evil spinning slice machines) I've never used them since.
I've always had the odd dabble with other balls....TP5/TP5x, Wilson Staffs, Z-Stars etc....but never really found them to deliver anything out of the ordinary. However, I'd never touched a ball of the ProV variety in "anger" since my original experience nearly 20 years ago.... until about four weeks ago.
Knowing that both balls have seen various updates over the years (and perhaps them confusingly swapping over their relative characteristics) I finally allowed curiosity to get the better of me. I bought a sleeve each of the V1 and V1x and have played a few rounds with them now, alternating balls, front nine with one, back nine with the other, reverse it the next round, play a full round with one and then the other.
During the course of this testing, I seem to have (bearing in mind the lower temps, greater wind - which on our course hinders far more than it helps, and softer ground conditions) gained a noticeable distance off the tee and even more impressively (actually not impressive at all because I'm still landing the ball short of the hole) seeing some stupid backspin around the greens that I've never seen before...especially with the V1x...even cost me a fiver the other day as my approach shot on 18 pitched 5ft short of the flag and ended up 10ft short of the same....robbing me of a nearest the pin prize....if the ball had stopped where it landed (or only come back a mere 2 or 3ft) I'd have been able to feed the family!!! Anyway...what I'm saying is that I was fully prepared for the ProV's to be a continued unmitigated disaster (dahling) but I have been more than surprised at their performance....and despite them being both much higher compression balls than the B330RXS (and me having a relatively slow swing speed of around 90mph) I seem to be getting more out of them than expected.
Based on what I've observed so far, the ProV's now seem to be a real potential alternative to the B330RXS and I've seen far more noticeable gains with them than any other ball I've dabbled with. I'm leaning towards the V1 for its softer feel but, knowing (believing?) that Callaway are due to update the Chromesoft in the coming months, and that perhaps they might have solved previous manufacturing issues that may have contributed to me falling out with said ball, I can see myself doing a lot more "spring research" into balls before deciding whether to change or not.
I'd hazard that most major ball manufacturers would potentially offer fitting from their own ranges....however what I'd really like to do is to get an hour or so on an indoor LM with half a dozen ball models and see if there is a real objective difference between the performance for my swing....has anyone had any such ball fitting experiences with independent fitting centres?
1. Bridgestone B330 RXS (number 3)
2. Bridgestone B330 RXS (number 4)
3. Bridgestone B330 RXS (number 1)
Firstly....I cant see why anyone who is hoping for any degree of consistency (especially around the green) would want to have multiple different balls in their bag. Secondly...I just cant play balls numbered 2!!!!!
However....the real reason for this post is that around this time of year, knowing that manufacturer's often revamp/revitalise/bugger up their ball offering's, I start doing a bit of research around balls and whether I should change what I play with. I like a soft feeling ball....especially off the putter and enjoy a muted thud rather than an eggshell like like click. I've never been a big hitter and as age and continental midriff drift take their toll, I'm probably hitting the ball as short as I've ever done (215yd driver, 135 yd 7 iron). Likewise I don't spin the ball hugely and "drop and stop" is a reasonably alien aspect of ball performance...especially in the summer.
Over the years I have enjoyed playing such balls as the Molitor 422 ("scary long" said the packaging...OK I was just a beginner!!!) Maxfli A10, Maxfli BlackMax, TM Penta (original one which I believe was based on the BlackMax) and Callaway Chrome Soft (before they screwed it up totally which I always attributed to the Graphene layer - but which reading much of what has been written above may actually have been down to manufacturing variances). During periods where there hasn't been a ball I've truly liked, I've probably flirted a lot with Titleist NXT Softs and other similar midrange balls from various manufacturers and in recent years have stuck to the B330RXS.
A ball that has historically been missing from my armoury is the ProV1. I bought a dozen back in the early 2000's and (IIRC my handicap would have been around 20 then) and proceeded to lose 7 on my first round...spinning wildly away to the right on most tee shots and then 4 on the next round. The 12th ball was spanked down the range (went very straight). Now it was probably me as much as the ball (you don't say
) causing the wild slices as anything but, with the exception of having a hit with odd ProV's that I would find on the course (which still reaffirmed my belief that they were evil spinning slice machines) I've never used them since.I've always had the odd dabble with other balls....TP5/TP5x, Wilson Staffs, Z-Stars etc....but never really found them to deliver anything out of the ordinary. However, I'd never touched a ball of the ProV variety in "anger" since my original experience nearly 20 years ago.... until about four weeks ago.
Knowing that both balls have seen various updates over the years (and perhaps them confusingly swapping over their relative characteristics) I finally allowed curiosity to get the better of me. I bought a sleeve each of the V1 and V1x and have played a few rounds with them now, alternating balls, front nine with one, back nine with the other, reverse it the next round, play a full round with one and then the other.
During the course of this testing, I seem to have (bearing in mind the lower temps, greater wind - which on our course hinders far more than it helps, and softer ground conditions) gained a noticeable distance off the tee and even more impressively (actually not impressive at all because I'm still landing the ball short of the hole) seeing some stupid backspin around the greens that I've never seen before...especially with the V1x...even cost me a fiver the other day as my approach shot on 18 pitched 5ft short of the flag and ended up 10ft short of the same....robbing me of a nearest the pin prize....if the ball had stopped where it landed (or only come back a mere 2 or 3ft) I'd have been able to feed the family
!!! Anyway...what I'm saying is that I was fully prepared for the ProV's to be a continued unmitigated disaster (dahling) but I have been more than surprised at their performance....and despite them being both much higher compression balls than the B330RXS (and me having a relatively slow swing speed of around 90mph) I seem to be getting more out of them than expected.Based on what I've observed so far, the ProV's now seem to be a real potential alternative to the B330RXS and I've seen far more noticeable gains with them than any other ball I've dabbled with. I'm leaning towards the V1 for its softer feel but, knowing (believing?) that Callaway are due to update the Chromesoft in the coming months, and that perhaps they might have solved previous manufacturing issues that may have contributed to me falling out with said ball, I can see myself doing a lot more "spring research" into balls before deciding whether to change or not.
I'd hazard that most major ball manufacturers would potentially offer fitting from their own ranges....however what I'd really like to do is to get an hour or so on an indoor LM with half a dozen ball models and see if there is a real objective difference between the performance for my swing....has anyone had any such ball fitting experiences with independent fitting centres?
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Boomy
Well-known member
The new/updated Chromesofts have already been launched as far as I know but very little stock came to the UK. You can get the white ones quite easily but not the yellow (which I prefer as I struggle seeing white balls)
I play Chromesofts, have done since starting back in September 20 - I’ve tried other balls but just prefer every aspect of the Chromesofts - the Srixon Z star would be my second choice if I couldn’t play the Callaways. I am tempted to try the Bridgestone Tour B RXS (in yellow) out of curiosity and as I fear yellow Chromesofts are going to be hard to get this coming season.
My only thoughts on the ProV1 are would you be hitting them hard enough to capitalise on the cores set-up/potential with the distances you quoted?! Please don’t take that the wrong way, I’m not a hard hitter/or fast swing speed player myself - hence why I think I get on so well with the Chromesofts. I didn’t get the distance or control out of the V1’s for my game when I tried them (I’m a Titleist fan, so really hoped the V1 would suit me but it just didn’t) I believe the Bridgestone Tour B RXS is dresigned to capitalise on flower swing speeds (<105mph)
I play Chromesofts, have done since starting back in September 20 - I’ve tried other balls but just prefer every aspect of the Chromesofts - the Srixon Z star would be my second choice if I couldn’t play the Callaways. I am tempted to try the Bridgestone Tour B RXS (in yellow) out of curiosity and as I fear yellow Chromesofts are going to be hard to get this coming season.
My only thoughts on the ProV1 are would you be hitting them hard enough to capitalise on the cores set-up/potential with the distances you quoted?! Please don’t take that the wrong way, I’m not a hard hitter/or fast swing speed player myself - hence why I think I get on so well with the Chromesofts. I didn’t get the distance or control out of the V1’s for my game when I tried them (I’m a Titleist fan, so really hoped the V1 would suit me but it just didn’t) I believe the Bridgestone Tour B RXS is dresigned to capitalise on flower swing speeds (<105mph)
nickjdavis
Head Pro
No offence taken...
...and that's exactly why I was somewhat surprised by the results I got out on the course...but my view was that I've been hitting the ball to places where I would not expect in the winter...or hitting clubs longer into greens...maybe there are other things "at play" other than simply compression....maybe a bit more spin is giving me a bit more lift...a bit more "airtime"...and a bit more distance.....hence my thoughts on seeing some objective LM data.
JGolfer
Active member
1. Snell MTB X
2. Snell MTB Black
3. Taylor made TP5 Pix
Just wish the snells had patterns like the pix / Truvis from callaway, as aesthetically I prefer those.
But comparing the snell on the course v Taylor made / callaway / titleist, I noticed little to no difference on any test I did, so it had to come down to value for me due to no difference in performance.
2. Snell MTB Black
3. Taylor made TP5 Pix
Just wish the snells had patterns like the pix / Truvis from callaway, as aesthetically I prefer those.
But comparing the snell on the course v Taylor made / callaway / titleist, I noticed little to no difference on any test I did, so it had to come down to value for me due to no difference in performance.
Boomy
Well-known member
Thanks for taking the discussion in the context I meant it.
Yes absolutely it could be down to spin, or maybe the compression is bang on for your swing. It’s got to be worth further investigation as it could be a game changer for the season ahead.
srixon 1
Journeyman Pro
Same here. Tour Speed for winter.
