18 replies to this topic

[edLmuldoon]

I am still far from being a "good" golfer, but I have recently done a lot of work both on and off the course to bring down my handicap.  For the longest time I believed "the ball doesn't matter".  About 3 months ago I switched mid round from a low end 3 layer ball, to a high end 5 layer ball after I watched the 3 layer ball slice beautifully out of bounds.  The next time I found myself around the green, I felt a DISTINCT difference in feel.  And it was that moment, a lightbulb moment if you will, I realized that maybe the ball really did matter.  I now only use the nicer balls because the confidence it gives me...have you had any similar experiences GolfWRX?

[8thehardway]

Proof that the golf ball matters ...

I've seen plenty of plenty of $100 wedges forgotten on the green, but everyone remembers to take their scuffed-up Top-Flites.

[RRFireblade]

Of course the ball matters.....

But does it make a difference.....?

[highergr0und]

As long as you know how a ball will react, it's playable. If I'm playing with a distance ball like a burner, I'm not gonna get much check on shots around the green so shot selection is a little different. I'm not good enough on approaches to have the little bit of extra rollout matter.

If I'm playing a high end ball I can try more tricky shots around the green which might actually lead to higher scores if I try something kind of dumb and miss just a little. Nothing like trying to add a lot of spin and catching it thin and hoping there's no OB behind the green

[hoosiervolunteer]

It matters, but if a guy can score, he can score with anything.  This urban legend that a person has to use a premium ball to shoot in the 70s is comical to me.  The courses I play don't have footlong rough around the green, so I can get up and down with any ball.  If they let the rough grow out like a PGA event, I would have to use a premium ball.  It really would not be an option.  They don't so I don't have to.

I learned how to play with distance balls because balata balls were too expensive for me.  I can get up and down, just have to use different shots.

To answer your question, I noticed the ball mattered the first time I played a course that had really thick and deep rough.

[Llortamaisey]

I noticed the golf ball mattered in 2001 when the Pro V1 came out. Picked up significant distance overnight.

[greasepin]

I used Z stars for two years and played nothing but them.  I then inherited about 3 dozen Pro V1's, I will never go back.  I played V1's for the rest of this season.  My scores started to become more consistent, and handicap dropped from 11.6 to 9.6 by the end of the season.  Is it the ball?  Maybe not, but I say it is.

[sheldonjhacker]

PROV1x is the best ball for my swing.

[Nessism]

In my experience, ProV1's are just another ball.  I have no complaint against them other than price, but they don't do anything special either.  All the premium urethane covered balls are interchangeable as far as I'm concern.  They may feel a little different from one another, but they all perform very similar.

[Gaijin_Golfer]

Im still not convinced that the ball matters all that much.

[jmvargas]

...there are so many different offerings of golf balls nowadays that you can almost "custom-buy" a golf ball to fit your game IF you know what you're looking for...

so assuming you know what you're looking for in a golf ball and can find one that fits then you WILL notice that the ball matters..

...normal ball behaviour that is usually noticeable among different types/models of balls are feel...distance...and response to shaping....reaction when hitting the green..

..other more refined behaviour that can also be affected by choosing the right ball are trajectory..carry distance..amount of roll..

Edited by jmvargas, 13 November 2012 - 07:04 AM.

[plus8]

When did the golf ball matter?  When I got to the point where I needed to nail greens and place drives in certain general areas on the fairway. I guess at about a 12-13 hci I started really noticing the nuances of different balls, and now that I am below 10, I notice almost immediately if there are diferences that affect my playing style (mostly hardness, workability, and stopping ability).  Over time, I've switched - some temporarily and some longer - to different balls, including 2-piece bargains, 5-piece 'performance' balls, straight, curvey, spinny (or not), etc, and I can say that if you play enough, and you gain enough consistency, then you will notice that your ball can definitely make  difference.  

Of course, everybody likes different things or has different expectations -- that, too, comes only with playing time and experience.

[dlygrisse]

It matters as soon as you figure out how to hit proper shots from inside 50 yards to the green.  There is no comparison IMO when stopping a short game shot with spin especially to a firm green, it is the difference between being 2' and 4 or 5 feet often times.  For the beginner they both might look like good shots, but for someone who is an accomplished short game player the difference will seem huge.

[Chilli9880]

Yes, a ProV1 will "check" more around the greens than a NXT. Yes a NXT will spin less off the tee so the ball can driver and roll further. But I've shot under Par with a NXT and I've shot under Par with a ProV1. If the ball gives you mental benefits, good for you. It's always been the Indian first and not the Arrow

[nbg352]

The ball began to matter to me when they started costing more than 2 bucks apiece and I was still losing them with amazing regularity.
It was then that I determined that I needed to starti hitting the ball straighter. So, I worked and worked and am I ever glad that I did. Today, I  lose far fewer of the now 4 dollar balls than I did 2 dollar balls, so I'm a happy camper.........

[Eriktheviking]

i just shot a 69 (2 under) as a 9.5 hcp with a srixon AD333. i used to think i had to play a Pro V1 to shoot in the 70's.... not now. In the summer when the greens are rock hard i may go to a ball with more spin but then, more spin off the wedge equals more spin (sidespin) off the driver and irons.

[cardoustie]

Llortamaisey, on 11 November 2012 - 02:53 PM, said:

I noticed the golf ball mattered in 2001 when the Pro V1 came out. Picked up significant distance overnight.

ditto
ProV1 was so much longer than the balls I was playing at the time

[Shrapnac]

When I couldn't get the football I was trying to putt to roll straight.

That's when I realized a golf ball matters while playing golf.

[KaBoom21]

Most recently, it was last week.  Usually play the Z Star (12 handicap, 95 mph driver speed) because I love the greenside control around the green and how it feels off the putter. Once temps drop to high 30s/low 40s, I switch to a softer, cheaper ball for last 2-3 weeks of the season.

Anyway, temps were in the 60s and I played the Srixon AD333. Of course the launch was higher and I experienced less spin around the greens, but I was BOMBING the ball with my irons.  Easily 1 club more, maybe 1 1/2. I hit a 6 iron over a group of trees that I never would have tried with the Z Star.  I am low-mid flight hitter playing DGR300 SL shafts.   Really made think I need to reconsider ball/shaft.

Edited by KaBoom21, 16 November 2012 - 01:17 PM.