Cernunnos
Journeyman Pro
I'm a gear snob/tart, but one that knows his own mind enough to make his own mind up about something.
I'm no sheep I don't use Pro-v1 balls I see no reason to. I have used Titleist balls though. When I first started I was bought Titleist PTS so~lo balls which to be honest although alright I saw no point in using. I instead tried Pinnacle Exception balls when they first came out & was impressed. This was before they got re-packaged & before they went uber expensive. At the time I also tried Maxfli Noodle & was in too minds about. I stayed with the Pinnacle Exception until I decided that £20 for a box of Titleist NXT-Tour wasn't too much for the quality & feel I wanted. Though there was an interim period where I was using Dunlop DDH balls which were £8 for 24 balls. They were hard but you could putt with them & could control them too once you were used to them.
Infact there is still nothing wrong with NXT Tour imho for a player like myself. Did have a mess about with various Callaway balls everything from Warbirds thru Big Bertha Blu & Big Bertha red balls right up to Tour56. Now there was a lovely ball. Found the HX Hots a bit hard & take some getting used to but do work well when you do get used to them, but Warbirds though hard putt well enough. I did discover a ball from Maxfli I thought was fantastic. & after using Warbirds & Big bertha balls were lovely the Maxfli Fire Tour. Great ball, but not that readlily available. Though the standard Maxfli-fire was easier to find. Used these for quite some time, until I could not get any more. It was then I realised that the same layer build makeup was available with the Taylormade TP-Burner, albeit with a when they first came out, I started using the TP Burner, but was satisfied enough to stick with the TP-Burner.
I did move over to the TP Red when my game & especially ball striking improved enough to make the most out of the TaylorMade TP Red. I used a standard TM Burner ball over the winter. I have also tried some Srixon balls over the years, can't stand their distance ball but found the Z-UR a nice ball but they were being phased out at the time & had I tried the Z-URS & could have warrented the extra expense I might have gone with them, but the TaylorMade offerings were what I desired, though Srixon Trispeed were a convincingly quality feel yet with a forgiving nature.
Though I don't think I/we need spend big bucks for balls that we like.
AD333 & DX2 are now offering some reasonable offerings. The original WilsonStaff DX2 balls were bullets, but this recent re-incarnation of the DX2 soft is actually worth playing & at a good price.
Having recently tride three offerings from Bridgestone B330RX +e7 & Treosoft I think the B330RX are a great ball which I could easily be seen using come summer or even mid-late spring. But Srixon Z-URS is a very pleasant suprise to me, whether enough to ween me off the Taylormade TP Red I don't know.
I did buy a couple of boxes of Treosoft for Celtic Manor but when I tried them last week I wasn't that impressed, as they are no better than Srixon Soft feel.
There are some balls I'd happily use any day of the week some I'd use all the time because they are priced right & can still get what I want from. And then there are others I'm happy to pay the price for the advantage & the feel & confidence I get from them.
But overall the one thing I don't like doing is using the ball everyone else uses... usually.
For instance I've decided to use Dunlop 65 balls at Celtic Manor. Have now got 4 boxes of the retro packed blighters. Not tried them in anger yet, so the first few putts on the practice putting green at Celtic Manor & the drive on the First will be the first outing they get. Feel soft enough off the putter face on a few putts taken in the lounge. never one to go with the flow, or follow the trends. I like to set them.
I'm no sheep I don't use Pro-v1 balls I see no reason to. I have used Titleist balls though. When I first started I was bought Titleist PTS so~lo balls which to be honest although alright I saw no point in using. I instead tried Pinnacle Exception balls when they first came out & was impressed. This was before they got re-packaged & before they went uber expensive. At the time I also tried Maxfli Noodle & was in too minds about. I stayed with the Pinnacle Exception until I decided that £20 for a box of Titleist NXT-Tour wasn't too much for the quality & feel I wanted. Though there was an interim period where I was using Dunlop DDH balls which were £8 for 24 balls. They were hard but you could putt with them & could control them too once you were used to them.
Infact there is still nothing wrong with NXT Tour imho for a player like myself. Did have a mess about with various Callaway balls everything from Warbirds thru Big Bertha Blu & Big Bertha red balls right up to Tour56. Now there was a lovely ball. Found the HX Hots a bit hard & take some getting used to but do work well when you do get used to them, but Warbirds though hard putt well enough. I did discover a ball from Maxfli I thought was fantastic. & after using Warbirds & Big bertha balls were lovely the Maxfli Fire Tour. Great ball, but not that readlily available. Though the standard Maxfli-fire was easier to find. Used these for quite some time, until I could not get any more. It was then I realised that the same layer build makeup was available with the Taylormade TP-Burner, albeit with a when they first came out, I started using the TP Burner, but was satisfied enough to stick with the TP-Burner.
I did move over to the TP Red when my game & especially ball striking improved enough to make the most out of the TaylorMade TP Red. I used a standard TM Burner ball over the winter. I have also tried some Srixon balls over the years, can't stand their distance ball but found the Z-UR a nice ball but they were being phased out at the time & had I tried the Z-URS & could have warrented the extra expense I might have gone with them, but the TaylorMade offerings were what I desired, though Srixon Trispeed were a convincingly quality feel yet with a forgiving nature.
Though I don't think I/we need spend big bucks for balls that we like.
AD333 & DX2 are now offering some reasonable offerings. The original WilsonStaff DX2 balls were bullets, but this recent re-incarnation of the DX2 soft is actually worth playing & at a good price.
Having recently tride three offerings from Bridgestone B330RX +e7 & Treosoft I think the B330RX are a great ball which I could easily be seen using come summer or even mid-late spring. But Srixon Z-URS is a very pleasant suprise to me, whether enough to ween me off the Taylormade TP Red I don't know.
I did buy a couple of boxes of Treosoft for Celtic Manor but when I tried them last week I wasn't that impressed, as they are no better than Srixon Soft feel.
There are some balls I'd happily use any day of the week some I'd use all the time because they are priced right & can still get what I want from. And then there are others I'm happy to pay the price for the advantage & the feel & confidence I get from them.
But overall the one thing I don't like doing is using the ball everyone else uses... usually.
For instance I've decided to use Dunlop 65 balls at Celtic Manor. Have now got 4 boxes of the retro packed blighters. Not tried them in anger yet, so the first few putts on the practice putting green at Celtic Manor & the drive on the First will be the first outing they get. Feel soft enough off the putter face on a few putts taken in the lounge. never one to go with the flow, or follow the trends. I like to set them.
) I am unlikely to be the sort of person who would. I guess I am a brand snob. I just firmly believe you get what you pay for and want the best. Naive maybe, however it's just the way I am. It is the mental security I would gain if not the actual performance of the club that would most likely swing it- if i knew I had a premium wedge I would be confident I have done everything possible on the club front to make my golf the best it can be. 
