18 replies to this topic

[Jack.Wil.78]

Currently play Gamer V2.  4.5 index, G10 irons, 56 years old, 90 - 95 mph ss.  Would like a little more spin on approach shots.  What mid priced ball is like the V2, with a little more spin?  Golf digest shows Q Star and Hex chrome as mid spin.  My home course has tall rough and so I can't miss fws.  my priorities are, 1- straight drive, 2- mid price, 3- mid spin approach.  Not concerned with length, don't need to work the ball, some run out on green is ok.  Suggestions or comparisons?

[butters!]

Jack.Wil.78, on 24 May 2012 - 12:35 PM, said:

Currently play Gamer V2.  4.5 index, G10 irons, 56 years old, 90 - 95 mph ss.  Would like a little more spin on approach shots.  What mid priced ball is like the V2, with a little more spin?  Golf digest shows Q Star and Hex chrome as mid spin.  My home course has tall rough and so I can't miss fws.  my priorities are, 1- straight drive, 2- mid price, 3- mid spin approach.  Not concerned with length, don't need to work the ball, some run out on green is ok.  Suggestions or comparisons?

i just bought a dozen wilson fg tour blem balls off ebay for 20 shipped.ive heard great things about them so im giving them a try.for 20 bucks they cant be too bad

[Jack.Wil.78]

Tried the Q Star last night.  Very similar to the V2. A little softer, straight with a little more green side spin.  I plan to use the Q Stars this weekend.  See what they do.  As they say, the biggest variable for me is my swing.  Variation in balls is small compared to the variation in swings.

[SDL]

Give the Hex Chrome a try -- it's a great ball!

SDL

[nbg352]

The new Titleist DT solo, NXT Tour or the new Nike Crush may work for you

[Wakey93]

butters!, on 24 May 2012 - 11:52 PM, said:

Jack.Wil.78, on 24 May 2012 - 12:35 PM, said:

Currently play Gamer V2.  4.5 index, G10 irons, 56 years old, 90 - 95 mph ss.  Would like a little more spin on approach shots.  What mid priced ball is like the V2, with a little more spin?  Golf digest shows Q Star and Hex chrome as mid spin.  My home course has tall rough and so I can't miss fws.  my priorities are, 1- straight drive, 2- mid price, 3- mid spin approach.  Not concerned with length, don't need to work the ball, some run out on green is ok.  Suggestions or comparisons?

i just bought a dozen wilson fg tour blem balls off ebay for 20 shipped.ive heard great things about them so im giving them a try.for 20 bucks they cant be too bad

the wilson staff fg tours are great i love them and you can't argue with the price superb ball

[Jack.Wil.78]

I'm a short hitter, only hit my 6i 150 yards.   Must be low swing speed or no lagg in my swing.  I like a controled swing wIth no plans to change my swing, I'm concerned about not being able to compress the Hex Chrome.  I may try a low compression ball like the Duo or Zip.  Concern is to still have mid spin on approach shots.  Thanks for the replies.

[Jack.Wil.78]

QStar is a good ball. Just not better than the V2 for me.  I'll try some of the other suggestions.  Thanks.

[SDL]

Jack.Wil.78, on 25 May 2012 - 11:39 AM, said:

I'm a short hitter, only hit my 6i 150 yards.   Must be low swing speed or no lagg in my swing.  I like a controled swing wIth no plans to change my swing, I'm concerned about not being able to compress the Hex Chrome.  I may try a low compression ball like the Duo or Zip.  Concern is to still have mid spin on approach shots.  Thanks for the replies.

Your swing speed will work great with the Hex Chrome. It's designed to work with moderate or slower speeds. Just try a sleeve and see for yourself.  You will not get reasonable short-game spin with the Duo.  In fact, it's not any better in that area than the Gamer V2 you've been playing.

SDL

[seniorgolfer1947]

+1 on wilson staff blems on sale at budget golf for $1495 per doz great ball you can't go wrong

[nitram]

Bridgestone e5

[LOVE4LPGA]

I'll chime in that the Wilson Staff 50 ELITE balls on discount everywhere ($12) will do same job as the Duo ($20). One is already in that neighborhood of ultra low compression balls intended for decent spin -- but mostly distance. They spec very similarly. Dropping a few compression points while already that low is not changing anything significant on a consistent basis.

That said, I play the ZIP instead of either Wilson Staff ball or the v2. More consistent distance on full swing speed shots than all of the other uber low compression balls I've tried. Maybe the middle layer serves to even out the compressive effect.

That said, I don't see anything better than the Gamer v2 without stepping up to urethane covers and three piece. Not just three piece and not just urethane cover. I would also like more spin and only steer to the ZIP over the v2 because I found a one-time deal for $10 a box at quantity. My off shots seem to be very wild this year and I don't want too much money going in the bush; not playing very regularly yet, so I am not concerned. More of a fall golfer.

Fact is, the Gamer v2 at those discount prices we were getting from Rhymes With Orange was one of the most ridiculous ball deals of our generation. If someone passed on that because it said "Top Flite", they missed a bargain boat and probably don't know that Top Flite developed much of the ball tech we now take for granted. They sold "rocks" because that was a niche at that time. Same factories and engineers also cranked out premium Strata brand balls.

Jack.Wil.78, on 25 May 2012 - 11:39 AM, said:

I'm a short hitter, only hit my 6i 150 yards.   Must be low swing speed or no lagg in my swing.  I like a controled swing wIth no plans to change my swing, I'm concerned about not being able to compress the Hex Chrome.  I may try a low compression ball like the Duo or Zip.  Concern is to still have mid spin on approach shots.  Thanks for the replies.

[cristphoto]

Try the Penta TP3 or TP5 balls.  This holiday weekend they're on sale - buy two get one free. They are usually $35 or $46 respectively. Do the math and you'l find these are great for the sale price.

[bigmoneyp]

Jack.Wil.78, on 25 May 2012 - 07:02 AM, said:

Tried the Q Star last night.  Very similar to the V2. A little softer, straight with a little more green side spin.  I plan to use the Q Stars this weekend.  See what they do.  As they say, the biggest variable for me is my swing.  Variation in balls is small compared to the variation in swings.

For me, these balls play nowhere near similar.  The Qstars is much softer and spins much less.  To the OP you won't find a better ball than the Gamer unless you want to spend more money and go Urethane.

[freddyottawa]

Anyone who plays the Q-star should try picking up the AD-333's. The specs are identical to the point that the only difference is the name.

[Jack.Wil.78]

Tried a sleeve of Hex Chromes last night for 9 holes.  One bird, one bogey.  Like the Chrome enought to give it some time.  Drives move a little more than V2 side to side.  But stay in the fairway.  Approach shots stopped in about half the roll out of a V2.  Have to check inpact on distance but did not see anything significant.  Thanks.

[tjumper78]

imo, the answer to the OP's question is callaway hx diablo tour balls.
very very very similar to gamer v2 but with slightly better greenside control.
however, i found gamer v2 to be a little longer than hx diablo tour, maybe like 5 yards on driver.
i like both balls a lot because they perform so much better but are cheaper than most other mid-tier balls.

[Steel Dillo]

SDL, on 26 May 2012 - 12:41 AM, said:

  You will not get reasonable short-game spin with the Duo.

SDL

I heavily disagree with this statement. The Duo bites very nicely on pitches & chips for me.

[SDL]

Steel Dillo, on 06 June 2012 - 03:15 PM, said:

SDL, on 26 May 2012 - 12:41 AM, said:

  You will not get reasonable short-game spin with the Duo.

SDL

I heavily disagree with this statement. The Duo bites very nicely on pitches & chips for me.

My statement was based on the half-wedge robot testing reported in the May issue of Golf Digest.  Those tests showed that only 2 other balls of the 34 tested had less short-game spin than the Duo.  Because the Duo produced the highest launch angle in the test, the high launch may offset the lower spin a bit to help stop shots on the green.  Also, you may be able to do some things with your chips that the robot can't, but the objective data show the Duo to be one of the lowest spinning balls on half-wedge shots.

SDL