MarkA
Head Pro
the driver was free but I would buy one now having used it. The balls I buy as lake balls so not £5
I can;t argue with the 22 h/c though
You haven't got to justify yourself to anybody!
Golfing Bravado
- Thread starter jimbob.someroo
- Start date
You haven't got to justify yourself to anybody!
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
A wee bit selective there MarkA
Gibbo was just being honest as the title of the thread was about Golfing Bravado.
One Planer
Global Moderator
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
Seems a bit strange to me that higher handicappers are praising the stopping ability of premium balls on the green, the majority of amateur's shots come up short of the flag.
Why would you want a ball that's going to stop quickly?
Well said Scratch.
Couple that with stopping ability of a ball when they hit 2 greens in reg.
Sweep
Journeyman Pro
It depends on who you listen to. Bridgestone make a big thing about premium balls not being suitable for those with swing speeds of less than 105mph. Titleist say fitting for swing speeds is a myth and every golfer will benefit from a premium ball around the green. They say you shouldn't fit for 14 drives per round and that a ball should be suitable for all shots.
I think there is a certain amount of equipment snobbery but we play the game for fun, so why not let people buy what they want. Personally, I think the game is hard enough and would play with anything that suited my game the best. I think it is worse when you see players who are struggling playing with inferior equipment, scruffy old balls etc. Interestingly, I also think there is some reverse snobbery among the better players, who seem to want to play with the oldest stuff and look as scruffy as possible. A kind of backwards "all the gear, no idea" thing. Many wouldn't be seen dead using an electric trolley, no matter what their age.
MarkA
Head Pro
Not really as you were being pretty judgemental. No one has to justify the gear they use to another golfer,be they 24 handicap or scratch, similarly with balls if using a prov1 gives confidence then what's the problem? Its a different matter if that 24 handicapper starts pontificating about control and feel
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
MarkA
I suggest you re-read what I posted, especially the bit that says 'fair enough if you can afford it and don't care less'.
Region3
Ryder Cup Winner
This is something I used to think about, but don't worry now and just use the balls I like.
My thinking went something along these lines...
Premium balls are always marketed as less spin off the driver and more spin with approach shots.
The way I understand they do this is by having different layers in the ball that react differently when compressed, so different clubs give different spin characteristics of the ball.
Bear in mind that the ball doesn't know which club it's been hit with, or who is holding that club.
So a pro hits the ball with his driver at 110mph. The balls is designed to spin less.
The pro then hits the ball at 90mph with his 7 iron and wants lots of spin.
What happens when an amateur hits the ball at 90mph with his driver? (<---rhetorical question
)MarkA
Head Pro
Sometimes its better to think things rather than say things!
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
its all a load of balls. 
ive taken range balls, provs and distance balls out on the course and tested them against each other. they ALL go a ver similar distance. there really isnt that much in it at our level.
the most important aspect is quality of strike.
i would reccomend anyone playing to use a softer ball, not neccessarily a pro v, but something that is going to sit down a little quicker when chipping.
on sat i moved my clubs from one bag to another. i forgot to shift the balls over so when i got to a muni course i had to buy two pinnacles so i could play. i found one pro v in the bag. saturdauy was hot and the fairways and greens were baked. the greens unreceptive. i found it a nightmare chipping with the pinnacle distance balls. they just kept on running.
the very next day i played bolton old links with my usuall pro v balls and i was back to my best with some lovely little chips. these greens were more recpetive and it was alot easier to control chips and also hold greens with mid iron approach shots.
so my advice to anyone of any level would be to play a softer ball, no need to buy the most expensive balls. just somthing that will behave around the greens. i dont think high handicapers are doing themselves any favors using distance balls in an attempt to gain a yard or two on drives if it makes the short game ALOT harder!!
ive taken range balls, provs and distance balls out on the course and tested them against each other. they ALL go a ver similar distance. there really isnt that much in it at our level.
the most important aspect is quality of strike.
i would reccomend anyone playing to use a softer ball, not neccessarily a pro v, but something that is going to sit down a little quicker when chipping.
on sat i moved my clubs from one bag to another. i forgot to shift the balls over so when i got to a muni course i had to buy two pinnacles so i could play. i found one pro v in the bag. saturdauy was hot and the fairways and greens were baked. the greens unreceptive. i found it a nightmare chipping with the pinnacle distance balls. they just kept on running.
the very next day i played bolton old links with my usuall pro v balls and i was back to my best with some lovely little chips. these greens were more recpetive and it was alot easier to control chips and also hold greens with mid iron approach shots.
so my advice to anyone of any level would be to play a softer ball, no need to buy the most expensive balls. just somthing that will behave around the greens. i dont think high handicapers are doing themselves any favors using distance balls in an attempt to gain a yard or two on drives if it makes the short game ALOT harder!!
Stuey01
Journeyman Pro
I said it on a couple of threads now... But I'll say it again.
Bridgestone E5 is a great idea for a handicap golfer. Two piece soft compression distance ball, but with a urethane tour cover for control around the greens. It might be the perfect ball for the average golfer. Cheap too.
Bridgestone E5 is a great idea for a handicap golfer. Two piece soft compression distance ball, but with a urethane tour cover for control around the greens. It might be the perfect ball for the average golfer. Cheap too.
Ian_S
Challenge Tour Pro
No bravado here. I use a set of second hand clubs bought from a guy at work, and generally use whatever brand of ball I find among the deep rough while searching for the one I just sliced in there.
Not good enough (or rich enough) to be fussy
Not good enough (or rich enough) to be fussy
Hacker Khan
Yurt Dwelling, Yoghurt Knitter
Very good point well made. Marketing departments always infer that distance is king, but distance is nothing without control. And as you say, as most shots are picked up on the short game then surely it's better to have a ball to give you maximum assistance in that part rather than a ball which goes 8 yards further but makes it harder to play a good short game.
Jay Gee
Assistant Pro
Good point, but did you compare the Pro V to the Pinnacle on the mini course? I know you said you found one in your bag, but your comparison referred to a different course with more receptive greens, which would make a big difference regardless of ball used.
I still accept your point though
dufferman
Journeyman Pro
its all a load of balls.
ive taken range balls, provs and distance balls out on the course and tested them against each other. they ALL go a ver similar distance. there really isnt that much in it at our level.
Do range balls really compare to mid-range or even low priced balls? My thought was always that you'll get 10 yards less on a range ball than a good mid to high priced ball? I may be wrong?
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
Good point, but did you compare the Pro V to the Pinnacle on the mini course? I know you said you found one in your bag, but your comparison referred to a different course with more receptive greens, which would make a big difference regardless of ball used.
I still accept your point though
sorry this took so long. i played with pinnacles, a callaway ball, a top flight and the pro v. i hit them all at various times. i also went down the 1st again as it was quiet. i spent around half an hour chipping and hit a few bunker shots.
the pro v sat down alot quicker on the baked greens on approach shots and i was also able to hit a nice pitch that checked up lovely by the hole.
i played quite a few flopped shots with a 60 wedge and these all ran too far with the distance balls. i also had two brand new vokeys with me a 52&56 so i spent a bit of time on them chipping with them. in general was a bit of a lottery. some ran on, others didnt. it just got me thinking why anyone would use a distance ball all the time when it has such an impact at the scoring end of the game.
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
at my old place we have srixon range balls. they are pretty decent as far as range balls go. im sure they are designed to last. i found a few littered around the course and stuck them in my bag. when i was on the first one day on my own. i decided to blast a load of drives as it was pretty deserted. all the balls, and there was quite a mixture in there landed in a pretty similar distance. some slightly further than others. i seem to remember being surprised that the range ball was acutally one of the furthest.
the fact that they were all pretty similar led me to conclude that i should just play a ball that behaves itself around a green. ie. a softer ball.
the reason people think they hit it longer on the course than the range might be due to the fact that most ranges do not keep their grass as short as their fairways so there is less run. simples
Evesdad
Tour Winner
I'll also confirm that a softer ball really helps. Being a high hcper myself my iron play has improved a lot recently, that coupled with the recent good weather I've found that the ball wasn't holding the greens as much. I played last night with a prov1 and a prov1x and the difference was night and day. Balls into the green and chips were much better with far less run out. Now I'm not in the prov1 camp at all as I simply can't afford it or justify it but there are good quality soft balls and good prices out there that I will def be trying out. I'm lucky in that I've a decent stock of provs at the moment so will be using them up but will def be looking at the e5's etc for the long term.
Evesdad
Tour Winner
On a side note to my above post! Bad hits with a driver can be made worse, my worst drive came after I switch to the prov1 on our par five 8th. A big slice onto the 5th fairway. Then to completely contradict myself I also had the best driving round I've had in a long long time! When I got hold of it they really flew! My shot at the 8th would prob of sliced big right anyway but didn't help mentally that I'd changed to the softer ball with more spin! After that I had no problems and most went long and straight so must have been operator failure.
No I'm not having that it can't have been me! It was the balls fault!
No I'm not having that it can't have been me! It was the balls fault!
jimbob.someroo
Journeyman Pro
You are right, to an extent
as you say, it still would have been a slice, but maybe not as severe with a harder ball.I tried the new 2013 Pro V1 last weekend and hit what I would call a 'soft fade'. With the Lethal ball I'd been playing with, or even a Pro V1x, I'm certain it would have stayed in the fairway, maybe the first cut at most. However, this thing just kept spinning. The guy who I was playing with was the one who suggested it might be the ball and can't help feeling he was right. In the interest of my inconsistency I hit a draw a couple of holes later which, with a harder ball, potentially wouldn't have come back enough - but with the new Pro V, just crept on to the right side of the fairway.
