[jrharden]

I was wondering what the majority of WRXers do when it comes to practicing their chipping and pitching? I typically use my balls from my bag (no pun intended) because I figure that is what I'm going to be using and want to know how they will respond. But as I've done this I notice that I have seen some freying on my balls (Nike 20XI-x). Is it better to use range balls and save my balls for the course?

[Ondeck25]

Walking 18 I find about 4-6 balls a round. I toss those in the shag bag and use those for practice. My gamers end up in the shag bag when they get too bad to play. So I have a mix that I use.

[sheldonjhacker]

My scratched Pro-V1x's go into a shag-bag that I bring to the short-game practice area. My guess is you want to practice with the same balls you play with.

[dukedsp]

I have a tube that I shag balls with. It holds 24 balls. At the beginning of each season I buy 2 dozen of whatever ball I am playing at the time for use in short game practice. This year it was Callaway Tour i(z).

[MileHighClub]

Ondeck25, on 12 September 2011 - 09:23 AM, said:

Walking 18 I find about 4-6 balls a round. I toss those in the shag bag and use those for practice. My gamers end up in the shag bag when they get too bad to play. So I have a mix that I use.

Same here. The Cally wedge that I often chip and pitch with is hell on urethane covers.

[raynorfan1]

jrharden, on 12 September 2011 - 09:16 AM, said:

I was wondering what the majority of WRXers do when it comes to practicing their chipping and pitching? I typically use my balls from my bag (no pun intended) because I figure that is what I'm going to be using and want to know how they will respond. But as I've done this I notice that I have seen some freying on my balls (Nike 20XI-x). Is it better to use range balls and save my balls for the course?

I find that short game can only be practiced with the same (or similar quality) balls to what you normally use. I used to practice with my 'retired' balls that had seen too many holes to keep in play, but this summer, I bought a dozen ProV1 practice balls, and that's been a better solution (for $25).

[cgbm]

i use old game balls (prov1x) and a few range balls, and a few low cost balls.


i like to see the difference with each ball.

i feel like if i can put the balls in the same location with an assortment of quality, then i must be doing good

[silentcmh]

sheldonjhacker, on 12 September 2011 - 09:30 AM, said:

My scratched Pro-V1x's go into a shag-bag that I bring to the short-game practice area. My guess is you want to practice with the same balls you play with.

+1 - Gotta practice the short game with the balls you use on the course. Unless you use economy/firmer balls then I suppose range balls would work just as well.

[502 to Right]

I never use range balls for chipping and putting practice.

[catch2285]

Like a majority of you, I use my older balls for practice.

[bomberman]

Older balls, though not always my gamers.

I game mainly Srixon ZstarX,

My shag bag is a mix of Cally Tour i, ProV1s, a few srixons and some taylormades mostly LDP blacks

[atlanta golfer]

I think it's useful to look not just at what you're using but how many. Placing a half dozen gamer balls in your pocket and chipping and pitching from various spots, is way more realistic and useful than hitting a couple dozen of anything from the same spot.

[raynorfan1]

atlanta golfer, on 14 September 2011 - 06:01 AM, said:

I think it's useful to look not just at what you're using but how many. Placing a half dozen gamer balls in your pocket and chipping and pitching from various spots, is way more realistic and useful than hitting a couple dozen of anything from the same spot.

It's also super annoying if there are a couple of people using the chipping practice area and somebody is shagging 20 balls up to five different holes.

[nitram]

raynorfan1, on 14 September 2011 - 07:00 AM, said:

It's also super annoying if there are a couple of people using the chipping practice area and somebody is shagging 20 balls up to five different holes.

let alone the rudeness of it all.......

[atlanta golfer]

nitram, on 14 September 2011 - 07:02 AM, said:

raynorfan1, on 14 September 2011 - 07:00 AM, said:

It's also super annoying if there are a couple of people using the chipping practice area and somebody is shagging 20 balls up to five different holes.

let alone the rudeness of it all.......

Then there is the opporsite extreme - the guy who is using just one or two balls and keeps going up there to retrieve them every 90 seconds, usually by trying to flip them up in the air with his putter ....sorry for the threadjack, just couldn't help myself.

[raynorfan1]

atlanta golfer, on 14 September 2011 - 02:09 PM, said:

nitram, on 14 September 2011 - 07:02 AM, said:

raynorfan1, on 14 September 2011 - 07:00 AM, said:

It's also super annoying if there are a couple of people using the chipping practice area and somebody is shagging 20 balls up to five different holes.

let alone the rudeness of it all.......

Then there is the opporsite extreme - the guy who is using just one or two balls and keeps going up there to retrieve them every 90 seconds, usually by trying to flip them up in the air with his putter ....sorry for the threadjack, just couldn't help myself.

Those guys don't bother me as much. I'd have no issue with the two-dozen ball guys if they landed most of their chips within 3' of the hole. The problem is that they clutter up a 20' radius around the multiple holes that they're shooting at - and we just run out of real estate.

[talan]

I never use the range balls.

[ed27063]

I purchased 8 dozen PRO V1x practice ball earlier this year and a Titleist shag bag. I try to use only 20 of them each time/round and I only shoot at one target at a time if their are other people using the chipping/pitching practice area.

If I have the area to myself, I'll empty the bag. Very few people uses the "practice" ball so it's easier to pick mine out from the other folks practicing. Still doesn't stop some "less then dishonest" people form satching one of my PRO V1X every once in a while. Easier to show the other guy it's your ball when you can empty your entire bag and show them your playing the same ball.

Got them for 20.00 a dozen when buying bulk brand new.

200.00 may seam like a lot of money for balls to practice with for some folks, but the consistnacey of feel and response of hitting the same ball time after time takes the question of "is it me, or is it the ball/equipment" out of the equation. You can try different things with your swing and see the results. i.e. holding the face open to get more loft vs "turning it over" to get more roll with the same backswing.

On the putting green, I roll three balls at a time when I'm "going around the circuit". I can set up my own "workstation" off to one side (out of the way) of the green and hit 30 or so when I'm working on a specific drill.

[highergr0und]

Depends on what I'm practicing. The short game area goes out to about 80 yards and I spend a lot of time around 50. I use range balls for that since I care more about the strike than the spin once it hits. The range balls are probably 1 or 2 yards different than my gamers, and frankly, I'm not good enough to carry a 50 yard shot to 1 yard so it doesn't matter. For stuff just off the green, I use a ball tube with 20 or so balls. If it's just a chipping green, always my balls.

[benthegolfer]

I usually PLAY either ProV1x or Penta. When those get an ugly or are really worn, I put them in the practice bag. A mixture of those and Mid Range balls that I find (NXT Tour, Nike One, etc) are what I use. Any ball that is a relatively soft ball or a tour ball works for me, whether it is worn or not.

[Snuxx]

Never use range balls, terrible feedback.

[Twohey]

For me, chipping and and pitching is about finesse and control. So, I will only use my own balls since that will give me a better idea of how much they spin and roll out on different shots. All my used balls (that aren't lost...) go into a den caddy. So when I go to the range, I just grab a handful for short game practice.

[abc]

I practice with any ball lying around (range, old, new) in my backyard. It's about the chipping/pitching technique, not the ball.

[gr8 flopshot]

I actually buy pre-owned balls that are like the ball I am currently playing. For instance. I can buy 1 dozen Penta TP recycled balls for $16. I fill my ball tube with 20 balls and that is what i use to practice with. I like getting the same feel and reaction at practice and during rounds.

[storm319]

In general it is ideal to hit every practice shot with the same ball you game with but of course that is not always possible. I would definitely recommend short game practice with the same ball you play on the course.