RRP of balls. Is it getting beyond ridiculous?

[Blue in Munich]

Hands up who's actually paying 50 quid a dozen..?

OK, 45 quid ain't cheap but....it ain't 50 either.

Last year Golfbidder were doing loyalty packs (I think that's what they were called) on Taylor Made TP5's and TP5x's; 4 dozen balls in one big box but without the individual dozen boxes, just the 3 ball sleeves, at £130. £32.50 per dozen, less than the RRP of faux tour balls. Snainton Golf have the Bridgestone Tour series at £32.90 per dozen (5p less than the Taylor Made Tour Response), or under £30 par dozen if you buy 3 dozen or more.

Whilst the RRP of balls is getting ridiculous, does anyone actually pay the RRP?

 

[Deleted member 30522]

Yeh, 10 feet is most definitely my desired outcome with a wedge. My point is, if I played for that and didn't get the strike I'd be 30 ft past

Ah OK, I thought the desired outcome was stiff where you'd dropped it, not ten feet short where it screwed back to. Ah well.

 

[srixon 1]

I dread to think how much a dozen of the new pro v1 will cost when they come out next year.

 

[Pants]

I dread to think how much a dozen of the new pro v1 will cost when they come out next year.

Apart from the marketing, a tweak on the paintwork, price, what difference will there be against this year's model, last year's, year before, etc ??????

Every year they tell the world that the ball is the dog's danglies. How can they improve on "perfection" every year?

Shakes head in exasperation ...

 

[BubbaP]

How long have you played golf, cos that seems like a serious question? A brick is a solid distance ball that literally has the feel of hitting a brick, there's virtually no backspin to be spoken of, no stopping power at all.

It was a little 'tongue in cheek', but referencing the majority trend of last decade of budget balls becoming softer and premium balls becoming firmer - hence your comment came across a tad 'stuck in the past' ?

 

[Brechin balata]

I do a totally (un)scientific ‘bounce’ test with any ball (even new but especially ‘foundlings’) before I play it
Just bounce it off the concrete and see how much bounce height it has and what sound it makes. If it doesn’t meet my stringent standards I’ll give it to a PP
(I see all the tennis players do something similar in their game)

Just the kind of placebo confidence needed before a tee shot [/QUOTE


I tap a ball on me teeth try it with a brick of a ball and then with a premium ball you can tell the difference instantly.

 

[Deleted member 30522]

It was a little 'tongue in cheek', but referencing the majority trend of last decade of budget balls becoming softer and premium balls becoming firmer - hence your comment came across a tad 'stuck in the past' ?

OK, fair comment.

 

[jim8flog]

When I’ve read up on soft feel balls they always seem to talk about increased distance for slower swings etc. What’s the difference between a soft ball and a distance ball? For example, the srixon soft feel versus the srixon distance?

I would class a brick/rock as something old like a top flight/Slazenger distance. And although they may not change your score, you can certainly feel them vibrate up the club like tuning fork on a cold winter day, and I’d rather avoid that!

A topflite what?

When they were made by Spalding there were some really high spin Topflite balls made eg the Infinity high Spin, the Tour exceptional Spin and of course the Strata.

However I presume you mean Topflite XL.

Personally I would add the the ball you mention to that list Srixon Distance.

If ever I went to a 2 piece ball Srixon Soft feel would be a contender.

 

[jim8flog]

I was doing some more research (via MyGolfSpy's 2021 ball test as usual) and it looks like the AVX would be a really good ball for me. I just really don't think I'm willing to spend £45 on a box of balls. I don't lose too many, but as soon as I start paying that you can bet I will!

If you are thinking AVX then these might well suit

https://www.clubhousegolf.co.uk/acatalog/Honma-TW-S-Golf-Balls.html#SID=9403

They have become my ball for the coming months.

 

[jim8flog]

I can't agree more. IF you have consistent strike. Do you? Because I don't and I'm a single figure golfer.
consistent spin numbers with premium balls requires consistent strike. If you don't get the strike you're not going to get the anticipated spin.

Golfer :"I'll send this wedge nice and low for a one hop and check shot".
Golfer then catches it a groove low and it doesn't check!!!! Bye bye ball

I became a single figure golfer primarily because my short game around the greens was as good as most pros I played with. Mind you back then I probably hit about a 1000 balls a week in short wedge practice and these days as I do not practice your comments can be very true on the odd occasion.

 

[Oddsocks]

I was fortunate enough to pick up 10 doz supersofts at a very sensible price at the start of the year, that will do me for 3 years even if I get back to singles. I played 3 piece dx3’s from 14 down to my lowest at 7 so I’m good with 1.50 per ball.

I honestly feel so many buy into marketing. I’ve seen great ball strikers stop distance balls, I’ve seen poor strikers (even off low h/c) fail to stop premium balls.

 

[patricks148]

I find there's a fair few balls I won't use, but more personal preference. Hate the tp5 doesn't feel right to me off any club, avx the same. One of the Bridgestone though I can't remember which it was the one for the higher swing speeds, which I find the Srixon z star x the same though I.like the reg z star. I do prefer a softer ball,esp off the putter. Vice just feel like rocks to me. I did find a Honma ball a while ago and played a few rounds with it admittedly in winter. It felt OK, I was expecting it to be one of their tour offerings which were even more expensive that Pro v1, but turned out to be mega cheap £12 a dozen.

Use what works for you and gets the best out of your game, which might not always be a premium ball as much as the manufacturers would have you think that?

 

[hovis]

I played in a work comp today where all golfers where given 1x srixon distance they Had to play with. Those who made it back with said ball put it in a hat for a draw (£50 prize) . It was amazing how many golfers returned with great reviews of the ball ? me included. Not a bad ball at all

 

[srixon 1]

Rushed to the 1st tee today as running late because of work. Pushed driver right only to see the balls first bounce come off a cart path and go miles right into the jungle never to be seen again by me.
One hit and a fresh out of the box Titleist Tour speed gone like a flash. ? I just hope that when it is eventually found it has a massive scuff on it. ?

 

[Deleted member 30522]

I played in a work comp today where all golfers where given 1x srixon distance they Had to play with. Those who made it back with said ball put it in a hat for a draw (£50 prize) . It was amazing how many golfers returned with great reviews of the ball ? me included. Not a bad ball at all

I've got free bricks in my golf cupboard from 20 years ago that I'll never use. I must be mad buying new balls all the time eh?

 

[Pants]

I played in a work comp today where all golfers where given 1x srixon distance they Had to play with. Those who made it back with said ball put it in a hat for a draw (£50 prize) . It was amazing how many golfers returned with great reviews of the ball ? me included. Not a bad ball at all

To quote ...

"The bestselling ball on Amazon is the Srixon Distance, although this can fluctuate with the Srixon AD333, which is another ball that many amateur golfers will be familiar with."

 

[Backsticks]

I wouldnt say mad Banchory, its just that golfers get really caught up in controllable elements of their game, despite them being insignificantly small in their effect.

So much of golf is out of our control, and we are just incapable of dealing with the 99% of what makes a good golfer good, a good shot good, or a good round good. So they go down a rabbit hole of trying to optimise the remaining 1% where yes, than can make clear definitive decisions : hence people paying £500 for a driver that probably wont, but maybe just will, or maybe its worth a try just in case it will, improve their golf. Ditto with balls, people worried about what spike design they fit to their shoes, pink castle tees with low friction polymers to reduce ball launch friction, putters with big grips, aimpoint, how tacky or not their grip is, club fitting, etc. But the gains are either so small that they make no stroke difference to your score, or are so small that they arent even measurable at all, but into the realm of superstition and delusion.
An advertising execs dream prey.
So no, not mad, just caught in the flow of trying to gain a possibly there, possibly not, in fact probably not, but heck its only £50, minute chance that of improvement in ones golf by 0.0001%.
How many shots improvement is that on ones score card ? None. Even over your lifetime. But its a clear action you can take, unlike the uncontrollable 99%.

 

[Deleted member 30522]

I wouldnt say mad Banchory, its just that golfers get really caught up in controllable elements of their game, despite them being insignificantly small in their effect.

So much of golf is out of our control, and we are just incapable of dealing with the 99% of what makes a good golfer good, a good shot good, or a good round good. So they go down a rabbit hole of trying to optimise the remaining 1% where yes, than can make clear definitive decisions : hence people paying £500 for a driver that probably wont, but maybe just will, or maybe its worth a try just in case it will, improve their golf. Ditto with balls, people worried about what spike design they fit to their shoes, pink castle tees with low friction polymers to reduce ball launch friction, putters with big grips, aimpoint, how tacky or not their grip is, club fitting, etc. But the gains are either so small that they make no stroke difference to your score, or are so small that they arent even measurable at all, but into the realm of superstition and delusion.
An advertising execs dream prey.
So no, not mad, just caught in the flow of trying to gain a possibly there, possibly not, in fact probably not, but heck its only £50, minute chance that of improvement in ones golf by 0.0001%.
How many shots improvement is that on ones score card ? None. Even over your lifetime. But its a clear action you can take, unlike the uncontrollable 99%.

What you say would have more effect if you played off 2, instead of being a duffer

Your cause is rather stilted by the fact you spout this anti-technology guff, and then play like an absolute rabbit

 

[Voyager EMH]

Went out on my own for nine holes yesterday and played a two-ball scramble. I was thinking about this thread so I used a TM RBZ Speed (distance brick) and a Srixon soft feel.
Ping Zing driver, stiff graphite shaft and jumbo grip. (£3)
Ping Eye2 3 and 5 woods with steel shaft regular with standard grips. (33p each)
Set of Shamrock irons 2-SW, steel shafts regular with jumbo grips. (£6.50 the set)
Carnegie Clarke "King" putter that someone gave to me.

I've never played with jumbo grips before.

No discernible difference between the two balls with the driver or the woods. A different sound was noticeable with the irons, but not in performance. I hit two 2-iron second shots on the 8th hole that finished one yard apart. When hitting the green with a mid or short iron, they both stopped in the same way. The different note or sound was more noticeable with the putter, but I did not feel any need to alter the way I putted.

The TM RBZ Speed appears to be more durable.

Scored one over par for the nine holes thanks to a birdie on the par-4 9th where I used the brick for each shot.

 

[Mandofred]

I've been playing Bridgestone RX for the last 6 months. Going to switch to Callaway Supersoft for the winter. My best round (even par) in the last 7 years I used a Supersoft. I was using Titleist Tour Speed before the RX.....found them really hard, both off long shots and the putter. They are supposed to be a good ball, but just not to my liking.