School me on balls - the tech and theory

[McToot the Bandit]

Another noob question I know, but was just reading the thread on Inesis and Wilson balls and was struck by how little I know about what make golf balls good, bad, soft or long...

To be honest, I'm not yet good enough or experienced enough to be able to tell the difference between 'decent' balls beyond the obvious comparison between range balls and the Callaways or Titleist I play with. But I'm interested in the tech and theory. What are the key features behind why manufacturers charge what they do for balls?

BTW - as a parting aside - i thought it might amuse people to know that when I was a kid and first came into contact with golf, and golf balls specifically, I thought Titleist was pronounce Tit-leist, not Title-ist. Tickled me pink it did. How disappointed I was when I realised the error of my ways.

 

[virtuocity]

BTW - as a parting aside - i thought it might amuse people to know that when I was a kid and first came into contact with golf, and golf balls specifically, I thought Titleist was pronounce Tit-leist, not Title-ist. Tickled me pink it did. How disappointed I was when I realised the error of my ways.

I still hear this occasionally- particularly from the more mature amateur golfers out there.

 

[Imurg]

Oh..where to begin..
There's 3 main types of ball - cheap, mid-range and premium
Within each type there will be firm, normal and soft examples
All balls go, pretty much, the same distance off the driver given the same strike.
Titleist balls are within 5 yards of each other regardless of cost
You get 2, 3, 4 or 5 piece ball and they will be of varying compression
Covers are made of ionomer surlyn or urethane. Urethane provides more spin, possibly less durability but more pennies.
Its normally a good idea to try a few types and find one that feels ok.
Either buy a sleeve or use found balls and experiment
Some will spin more than others - which you may or may not want, some will feel softer or firmer
Price also comes into it. Dont use a ProV1 if you're scared of losing 4 quid.

 

[RangeMonkey]

You might like this:

https://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/feat...er/robot-tested-which-golf-bal-suits-my-game/

 

[Grizzly]

What I have learned - there will be a ball that suits your game. There may not be a great deal of rhyme or reason to the question of which that is, at least not until you have a pure enough technique to hit the ball in the middle of the club most of the time. A lot of it will be psychological as well. I tried a lot of different types - and eventually found that a Pro V1 was the ball for me. That makes me sound posh - I should explain, its a yellow Pro V1, and the thing that most affects its suitability is how damn visible the thing is in the worst of rough!

 

[Chico84]

What I have learned - there will be a ball that suits your game. There may not be a great deal of rhyme or reason to the question of which that is, at least not until you have a pure enough technique to hit the ball in the middle of the club most of the time. A lot of it will be psychological as well. I tried a lot of different types - and eventually found that a Pro V1 was the ball for me. That makes me sound posh - I should explain, its a yellow Pro V1, and the thing that most affects its suitability is how damn visible the thing is in the worst of rough!

I only ever use yellow balls for the very same reason!

 

[Grizzly]

I only ever use yellow balls for the very same reason!

Its safe to say that the time travelling 18 year old me hates the 42 year old me. But I'm sure there is a scientific study that shows how that particular shade of yellow is just so easy to locate.

 

[BubbaP]

Decide how much you are prepared to spend (lose). There is a fair argument that by playing the same (or similar) type of ball regularly that you'll become used to its characteristics and adjust.

 

[larmen]

Most people seem to go for a ball that goes miles of the driver and spins like hell of a wedge.
But mostly we play iron shots and put.

I picked my winter ball because it is available in red.

 

[McToot the Bandit]

Thanks for all the replies chaps and the link - very interesting. At the moment I mostly play Tit-Leist beause I was given a couple of dozen after a corporate event that my company puts on. They feel ok enough for me, but then they were free...

 

[hovis]

at the moment don't bog yourself down with ball choice. just play anything. it really won't make any noticeable differences. People desperately want to believe that the answer to good golf is in ball choice when it's not. i play almost exclusively with plus handicap golfers and even at their level they'll play anything that's mid level to premium. they do comment they they can detect differences but nothing that is going to change a score card. I also know many golfers that stick to one ball and shoot in the 100's. strange old world

 

[davemc1]

I’m not a big one for feel, whether it be balls, shafts etc. To me a well hit *** feels as good with most balls.

I bought some of the inesis 900s on the advice from here. £20 a dozen. They feel fine, as good as a ball can do for me.

I also bought a box of yellow inesis 100 to use a provy, £5 a dozen. They’re the balls im now using full time. They stop and spin no problem on Winter greens. Summer greens maybe a different issue, maybe... ?‍

 

[Karl102]

Whichever none lake ball I can find on fleebay the cheapest.....
Don't overly like the supersoft balls off the putter......

 

[huds1475]

Just find something you like, at a price that you don't mind paying.

Then stick to it.

As already said above, ball makes little to no difference at this level.

 

[IanM]

....yep. you'll have plenty of time to have irrational likes and dislikes about golf brands! (brought on by massive advertising budgets!)

 

[YorkshireStu]

You might like this:

https://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/feat...er/robot-tested-which-golf-bal-suits-my-game/

Thanks for sharing this. For the price difference, the two 2-piece balls performed very well. Gives me a few thoughts re the AD333s for when my current stash of Bridgestone e6s run out. Cheers!

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

Another noob question I know, but was just reading the thread on Inesis and Wilson balls and was struck by how little I know about what make golf balls good, bad, soft or long...

To be honest, I'm not yet good enough or experienced enough to be able to tell the difference between 'decent' balls beyond the obvious comparison between range balls and the Callaways or Titleist I play with. But I'm interested in the tech and theory. What are the key features behind why manufacturers charge what they do for balls?

BTW - as a parting aside - i thought it might amuse people to know that when I was a kid and first came into contact with golf, and golf balls specifically, I thought Titleist was pronounce Tit-leist, not Title-ist. Tickled me pink it did. How disappointed I was when I realised the error of my ways.

I would definitely stay away from golf balls that aren't spherical in shape.
Otherwise, you'll need to use "league" balls into the wind and "union" balls with the wind at your back.

One of the hardest things to find is a golf ball that will play better than the player hitting it.
But by all means, let me know if you find one.

 

[Leftie]

I'd like to say a big thank you to all those who buy new golf balls and promptly lose them leaving them for us old geezers to find and use. It must be over 25 years since I paid good money for one and I have a very nice collection of slightly used balls that will outlast me. Apparently ProV1's are meant for the "better" golfer. A mate of mine is in the process of selling over 800 of them, lightly used, that "better" golfers have lost and he has found. The strange thing is that he found them in similar locations to where his Srixon/Callaway/TM/whatever ball he was playing went.

OK, you may feel more comfortable with the feel of one ball over another, but unless you are a very consistent ball striker, I doubt that the ball you use will have a significant effect on your scorecard. IMO of course.