Stuck in your ways or following the herd? Balls question.

[brendy]

I know there are some kit tramps out there (wont mention any names Jon....... D'oh!) who like to have the premium named kit. I myself am torn, I have premium woods, irons and a putter but mixed in there is a BB plus Nickent 5 wood an MD wedge and golfbag. The 5 wood is there simply because I am yet to be wooed by anything better.

Before I ask the question,I will try to explain with an example.
I have always used Titleist golf balls since I can remember back in the day starting with Titleist professional 90 and 100's and the odd tour balata (which lasted around 4 holes before opening up a smile wider than kris Akabusi's at Christmas) then the newer prov range, recently I have tried and fallen for MD golf kit and Bridgestone B330s balls.

With golf it has always been expensive is good, ie quality, aesthetics and longevity. I have found that the likes of the MD wedges and Bridgestone balls are not premium names but perform equally if not better than their expensive counterparts. I used the same ball last week for 27 holes and it had the smallest scuff from a bunkershot but barely noticeable. If that was a titleist pro v ball it would have been fit for the practice bag and no more.
I also tried the Tour iX Callaway ball (another top shelf premium title) and as nice as it is looking and performing, it marks faster than Rocky Balboa and looks awful within a couple of holes.
My question is this, do you follow the herd when it comes to balls and clubs simply because tried and tested is king in your eyes, or are you open to suggestion?

 

[Mike_j_golf]

Hi,
I have MD wedges and a Fred Daly putter both of which would not be big brand names before those i had muzino wedges and a oddesy 2ball putter I would always go for the brand that i think could take a few shots off the handicap rather than just the brand name.
Mike

 

[golf_bug]

I think a lot of club players in general would benefit from using cheaper, harder balls, and not premium Pro V1s etc. As you say they scuff more, but more importantly they spin a hell of a lot more. This is great if your short game is teh stuff of golfing legend, but not if you are a habitual slicer/hooker of the ball. This winter I have been using Srixon distance balls - a tenner for a dozen. Some playing partners however have been using premium Titleists and Taylormades, and have had no advantage whatsoever.

 

[USER1999]

I would like to think I am not brand dominated, but if I look in my bag, it is all Titleist (even the putter is a Scotty by Titleist) apart from the wedges, which make Titleist look cheap. In the ball pocket of my Titleist bag are normally ProV1s, so I guess it is hard to argue that I am not a gear tart.

However, I didn't mean to end up like this, it has just evolved. If it wasn't Titleist, it would be full of other big brands (I have recently owned MacGregor irons, TM R7, Mizuno fairways, TM rescue etc).

My bag is fixed for a while, so I guess it will remain this way, but if I was looking to change, I would look at certain brands, but may be not others. I think a lesser brand would really have to perform well, but I would probably not try it, as I would be drawn to the top end stuff.

 

[Robobum]

I couldn't give a toss what it says on my clubs or ball, if LIDL made the clubs that suited me best then I would have my wife (I couldn't be seen dead in Lidl!! ) go and buy them.

Golf bug makes a decent point about folk playing a Pro V or similar when they cannot hit it well enough to get the benefits from such a ball. It has to be a little trial and error to find what suits although I belive that ball fitting is starting to become a custom fit option.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have to agree that winter golf is a great leveller. No run on the ball, frozen greens, temporaries etc and I'e reached the conclusion that a premium ball in these conditions is not going to make any difference to my game. The only exception to that would be if it is extremely windy where I have found there is some benefit from a TM TP black or a Cally Ix where they do penertrate through the wind better.

However once the greens begin to firm again and we get some run on the fairway I will be going back to a top end ball. I have the new Z Star to try and the Nike Platinum I won in the GM review competition so will be giving them a run first. If they don't set my world alight I'll go back to my TP blacks or Mr Reliable the ProV. I'm not adverse to trying different makes but I do tend to be brand loyal once I have found something I like. I have a load of URC's I won in a society day but I don't really get on with them but I've kept them in the hope of giving them another go

 

[Parmo]

I generally buy whats best for my game, I love the MD Cobalt wedge and would consider a full set in summer of the new ones if the price becomes more realistic. Balls, last year I played with Srixon AD333 about £38 for 3 dozen but I wanted a quality ball with less driver spin but with good feel and went for the Z-URS (£58 for 3 dozen), these have been great for distance but since I am down 50% on the previous lot I opted for a dozen Z-Star's to see what they are like as I don't seem to be loosing that many.

 

[birdieman]

Agree with the bridgestone balls being good but they are as expensive as the other premium ones, aren't they?

I like Titleist or Mizuno forged irons, will happily play either. Have wandered off to Ping, Cally and Cleveland but always come back to the forged irons, I probably am a brand snob with irons.
Drivers - I will play any brand, long is good!
Putters - I've tried them all, really wanted a RedX after trying one out and now I have one.
I buy a lot of second hand gear or new gear that is not the current year, refuse to pay brand new prices.

 

[medwayjon]

Always willing to try something new, hence why I use Wilsomn Staff DX2-Soft balls regularly. I am also trying the ad333 again when fit.

When I renew my irons, I will be looking at more than just titleist.

 

[GB72]

I am not at all brand led. Current driver, lob wedge and hybird are MD because I found them better than the more expensive options, 3 wood is Adams because it is the only one I have found that I strike consistently. I still have an Orka wedge in my bag because I have found nothing better. The only big name is Taylormade and the irons found their way into the bag courtesy of GM.

As for golf balls, never found anything better for me than Wilson Staff so switch between DX2 and PX3.

 

[brendy]

Almost birdieman, the bridgestones work out around £2.45 each and the new pro v1's are £3.00, out of all of the softest balls, they are the cheapest that I can see bar buying a bucket of range balls. I suppose what Im saying is that you dont have to spend top dollar any more to get the best performance per pound.

 

[slugger]

I wish i could afford to be a brand snob!

At the moment i'm using the Nike One Platinum i won from Golf Monthly. They're actually one of the best balls i've used. I really like the Callaway Hot Bite and will probably go back to them or Taylormade Burners once i've lost them all.

 

[SammmeBee]

Until last year, I wouldn't use a Pro V1 if you gave it to me and was quite happy with using Nike One Platinum (a Bridgestone ball) - for some reason, can't remember why, I decided that if the herd used Pro V1 then there must be something in it and TBH I have to day the herd is correct....

If you take your golf seriously, I really can't see why you wouldn't want to use the best (forget price) and Pro V1 is the clear proven market leader....

If you do want to use something else though, it pays to practice with what you play with in competitions so you know how the ball will react - as all balls do react differently whatever anyone says....

 

[clubchamp07]

It's nearly time for my yearly shop in our pro shop, I was thinking of giving TM balls a go and see how I get on with them. I see Brendy say's their a good ball, I'll let you know how I get on. As for My club's their all Ping except my putter which is a scotty. I get the feeling I'll be back to pro v's soon

 

[Macster]

I play with ProV1's, as I like the feel and tbh, dont find them too delicate.
I get good distance, good spin/stop, and most importantly, good feel and consistency, which is important if you want to improve.

I pick up plenty of balls lost on the course, and a lot of them feel like bloody marbles in comparison, god knows how anyone hits them.

I also bought some ProV practise balls too, as to me there is no point in practising with any old rubbish and then switching for your games, it just doesnt develop the same feel.

As far as clubs go, yes I have a bag full of Titleist now, instead of my old Pings, but I had used those for 12yrs.
AP2's as I wanted more of a players club, a couple of Vokey's which I love the look of and do stop very well, and a new 909D2 coutesy of GM & Titleist.

Its nice to have a tidy bag

However, and in my defence, I also have an old steel shafted Cally War Bird 5 wood, which I cant see me changing, its just uber reliable and very long, tis something I feel close to, and the one break with brand snobbery I'll permit myself.

Mind you, I keep it covered with a plain Head Cover

 

[EchtLoon]

I'm a brand snob, but only in that I will stick with a brand I like once I find it works.

As far as balls go, I am a one year convert to ProV1s (a year i got back down to equal my lowest ever handciap). I have never been a fan of Titleist balls, didn't seem to suit me and always seemed to play short, and for as long as I can remember, going back as far as the original small UK-size DDH then 65i, I have played dunlop then Maxfli's softest ball.

However last year having exhausted my supply of Revolutions, and not liking their replacements I tried a few rounds with ProVs, and found for the first time that I was getting along with Titleist.

As I've bought a years supply already, I won;t be changing theis season, but if I find a ball I liked as much as the old maxflis, I would change in a second regardless of brand or image.

 

[andiritchie]

I use bridgestone b330-s balls and in my opinion they are better overall than anything i have ever used,the good thing with these ball as everyone buys pro v's etc i haggled a great deal £100 for 5 boxes then added 3 more dozen from ag this year

As for clubs my current and last set are Titleist and i wouldnt change brand ever,my putter is a Scotty and i will have that forever.

Wedges are Titleist but have a Vega 60 so yeah iam a bit of a brand snob

Drivers however i buy what works currently a Srixon Z-RW which goes so good i dought ill change for a few years,also have a Cobra pro which is great,and a Cobra pro 3 wood

I stuck in my ways iron/putter wise but everything else i open to explore esp the md hybrids

 

[EchtLoon]

I pick up plenty of balls lost on the course, and a lot of them feel like bloody marbles in comparison, god knows how anyone hits them.

I've always played practice rounds with any old tat in the past, but this year I've loaded up on ProV practice balls as well. My short game was weak last year, and I attribute that laregly to playing anything during the week and not getting used to the spin I'll get with ProVs at the weekend.

 

[theeaglehunter]

Check my bag out, I certainly have no individual brand allegiance. Although from what I have tried Ping gear seems to suit me the best all round and if I were to have a full set of clubs, bag etc from one brand it would be Ping.

I definitely prefer using premium gear though, I just can't help thinking if say I bought a £40 MD wedge 'I wonder what I'm missing compared to a vokey' feeling that the extra £30 must go somewhere.

 

[Herbie]

I think its ok to practice with anything generally, but if you are comming up to a comp of any importance, get yourself a run up practice method and stick to the same ball you use in comp.

As far as ball choice goes, I think its about how good you are with a particular ball rather than how good you feel having a certain make.

If I still had skill and feeling that I once had I would use top balls all day long, but I dont, so I dont. I take a reasonable middle of the road ball usually purchased from any retailer offering a good deal. (currently using slazenger, next time it might be pinacle etc etc)having said that, if I had money to spoil myself regardless I would have prov's or similar.