0
“Pick the ball that’s best for your game.”
Oh, that’s good advice, but hard to follow. It’s such a subjective process. The perfect ball for you may very well not be the perfect ball for me. I’ve tried ‘em all, too. Just about every ball in every line. Taylormade, Titleist, Callaway, Nike, Bridgestone, Srixon, Noodle, Topflite, you name it, I’ve tried it. Two-piece, three-piece, distance, soft—I’ve tried so many balls up and down the ladder of so many brands, and I have found a few that “fit” me.
The HX tour, replaced by the Tour ix, both of those seemed to be the best ball for me. They just seemed to fit my game better than the Bridgestone, Srixon, Nike, Taylormade or Titleist equivalent. Like I said, it’s subjective. Distance off the tee was about the same for me with all the big-league balls, but it’s the short game where I decide.
The feel off the putter, the control around the greens--for some reason, the high-end Callaways just felt better in those areas than did any other.
Of course, they are a tad pricey, but my wife buys me a box for Christmas, my birthday, etc. While I really enjoy those balls, as much as I play, I needed a cheaper alternative. A ball I could really play with that didn’t cost 40 bucks a box. Hence, my quest.
My search for an affordable ball that fits never took me to the internet, despite all the deals I’ve seen posted here. Yes, I know you can get balls, especially used, dirt cheap. I have bought used balls, no problem there. I just like walking into a store, plunking down money, and walking out with what I want. I suppose I’m too impatient to click, order, and wait by the mailbox.
E6, E5, E7, Nike SS, Treosoft, Noodle, Taylormade Burner TP, Burner, D2 Feel, D2 Straight, HX Hot, HX Bite, AD333, TriSpeed, Juice, NXT Extreme, NXT Tour—any ball that didn’t cost an arm or a leg, I’ve tried. I’d pore over ball reviews posted here, thinking, “maybe this is the one!” But time after time, whatever ball I tried just didn’t deliver. It was beginning to look as though a ball is a ball is a ball. Sure, one is different from the other, they do have different characteristics, but none of ‘em set off the “WOW” factor. Playable, but just ok. There was always this feeling of, “well, it’ll do.”
Until.
I tried the Topflite Gamer V2. Missed the Gamer somehow, but picked up a box of V2’s at Wally World. I was skeptical, given that I had tried the D2’s, and just didn’t see the reason for the raves. But, in Sisyphus fashion, I now had one more rock to roll up the hill.
Wow. Finally.
Chipped and putted before the round, and they did feel good. They had a nice feel and sound off the putter, and behaved very well chipping. Promises, Promises, I’ve heard it before…
Then, off the first tee, the durn thing screeched into the sky like a rocket! Hmm…that oughta be pretty good…and it was. This ball was long, longer than any ball I’d ever hit. “Well, I musta really got a hold of that one!” Missed the green to the right, made a good chip, had a short putt for par…so far so good. Still thinking the first drive was a bit of a fluke, but the second drive dispelled that notion. Holy Cow! That ball better have a stewardess on it! “Hmmm…that’s two drives longer than normal in a row…”
It took a few holes for it to sink in. The Gamer V2 was actually longer on drives than even my favorite ball. After every drive, I was in uncharted territory. I did have to club down on approach shots, because I actually found myself sailing the green too many times. So, the distance wasn’t a fluke. But like I said, feel off the putter and behavior around the green is what makes me decide.
If I was going for a hop-and-stop, this ball would hop-and-stop. 40 yards, over a bunker, left a one-foot putt. If I was trying to let it roll out, it would roll out. Nice little 60 yard bump-and-run left a two-foot putt. 150 yards, it would fly true, and not roll another 20 yards when it landed. It felt so nice off the putter. Drained a couple of long putts (which will color your perception of ANY ball!) You know how it is, it’s hard to explain, it just feels good. And this ball feels good.
I’ve never had too much of a problem “shredding” balls with a wedge, maybe it’s my game. At any rate, durability was no problem, even with a few cart paths.
I was impressed with the distance off the tee, and really impressed and surprised by the control factor around the green. Shot an 83, which is a pretty average round for me. The difference between any other day and this day was that elusive “wow” factor. Almost every shot felt great, the ball did what I wanted it to do, like the HX Tour and Tour ix would do. It had the distance, too, that’s for sure.
Wow.
If you’re like me, and you go from ball to ball to ball and you start thinking they’re all the same, hang in there. That ball is out there, somewhere. Don’t give up. It might not be the Gamer V2, but if you haven’t tried it, I would strongly recommend it.
Topflite Gamer V2. Five out of five stars.
Oh, that’s good advice, but hard to follow. It’s such a subjective process. The perfect ball for you may very well not be the perfect ball for me. I’ve tried ‘em all, too. Just about every ball in every line. Taylormade, Titleist, Callaway, Nike, Bridgestone, Srixon, Noodle, Topflite, you name it, I’ve tried it. Two-piece, three-piece, distance, soft—I’ve tried so many balls up and down the ladder of so many brands, and I have found a few that “fit” me.
The HX tour, replaced by the Tour ix, both of those seemed to be the best ball for me. They just seemed to fit my game better than the Bridgestone, Srixon, Nike, Taylormade or Titleist equivalent. Like I said, it’s subjective. Distance off the tee was about the same for me with all the big-league balls, but it’s the short game where I decide.
The feel off the putter, the control around the greens--for some reason, the high-end Callaways just felt better in those areas than did any other.
Of course, they are a tad pricey, but my wife buys me a box for Christmas, my birthday, etc. While I really enjoy those balls, as much as I play, I needed a cheaper alternative. A ball I could really play with that didn’t cost 40 bucks a box. Hence, my quest.
My search for an affordable ball that fits never took me to the internet, despite all the deals I’ve seen posted here. Yes, I know you can get balls, especially used, dirt cheap. I have bought used balls, no problem there. I just like walking into a store, plunking down money, and walking out with what I want. I suppose I’m too impatient to click, order, and wait by the mailbox.
E6, E5, E7, Nike SS, Treosoft, Noodle, Taylormade Burner TP, Burner, D2 Feel, D2 Straight, HX Hot, HX Bite, AD333, TriSpeed, Juice, NXT Extreme, NXT Tour—any ball that didn’t cost an arm or a leg, I’ve tried. I’d pore over ball reviews posted here, thinking, “maybe this is the one!” But time after time, whatever ball I tried just didn’t deliver. It was beginning to look as though a ball is a ball is a ball. Sure, one is different from the other, they do have different characteristics, but none of ‘em set off the “WOW” factor. Playable, but just ok. There was always this feeling of, “well, it’ll do.”
Until.
I tried the Topflite Gamer V2. Missed the Gamer somehow, but picked up a box of V2’s at Wally World. I was skeptical, given that I had tried the D2’s, and just didn’t see the reason for the raves. But, in Sisyphus fashion, I now had one more rock to roll up the hill.
Wow. Finally.
Chipped and putted before the round, and they did feel good. They had a nice feel and sound off the putter, and behaved very well chipping. Promises, Promises, I’ve heard it before…
Then, off the first tee, the durn thing screeched into the sky like a rocket! Hmm…that oughta be pretty good…and it was. This ball was long, longer than any ball I’d ever hit. “Well, I musta really got a hold of that one!” Missed the green to the right, made a good chip, had a short putt for par…so far so good. Still thinking the first drive was a bit of a fluke, but the second drive dispelled that notion. Holy Cow! That ball better have a stewardess on it! “Hmmm…that’s two drives longer than normal in a row…”
It took a few holes for it to sink in. The Gamer V2 was actually longer on drives than even my favorite ball. After every drive, I was in uncharted territory. I did have to club down on approach shots, because I actually found myself sailing the green too many times. So, the distance wasn’t a fluke. But like I said, feel off the putter and behavior around the green is what makes me decide.
If I was going for a hop-and-stop, this ball would hop-and-stop. 40 yards, over a bunker, left a one-foot putt. If I was trying to let it roll out, it would roll out. Nice little 60 yard bump-and-run left a two-foot putt. 150 yards, it would fly true, and not roll another 20 yards when it landed. It felt so nice off the putter. Drained a couple of long putts (which will color your perception of ANY ball!) You know how it is, it’s hard to explain, it just feels good. And this ball feels good.
I’ve never had too much of a problem “shredding” balls with a wedge, maybe it’s my game. At any rate, durability was no problem, even with a few cart paths.
I was impressed with the distance off the tee, and really impressed and surprised by the control factor around the green. Shot an 83, which is a pretty average round for me. The difference between any other day and this day was that elusive “wow” factor. Almost every shot felt great, the ball did what I wanted it to do, like the HX Tour and Tour ix would do. It had the distance, too, that’s for sure.
Wow.
If you’re like me, and you go from ball to ball to ball and you start thinking they’re all the same, hang in there. That ball is out there, somewhere. Don’t give up. It might not be the Gamer V2, but if you haven’t tried it, I would strongly recommend it.
Topflite Gamer V2. Five out of five stars.
