Beginner questions about balls and gloves

waynesurvey · 16-11-2009 12:06pm #1

Hi,

I'm a beginner, and I've posted a query here before, so thanks to those that replied, it was very useful.

I'm looking to buy some balls, and out of curiosity/laziness flicked through the Argos catalog to see what they have. I was expecting one or two options, but they have quite a range. Are there any particular brands or specifications that are more forgiving for beginners? What does hard/soft/distance mean when printed in the box? Which are suited to the beginner and why?

Also, another quick question: I'm also looking to get a glove. Again, there seems to be loads on the market. Are there any guidelines/rules of thumb (sorry, no pun intended) for getting the right glove to suit your hand? Should it be tight or loose, or what should I watch out for?

Many thanks.

Wayne

stumpypeeps · 16-11-2009 12:12pm

As far as balls go, if your a beginner, the cheaper the better. Your going to be losing a lot of them. Trust me, its no fun watching your 40 euro pro v1's splash into water.:(

As for gloves, just find one that fits well and you like. They are plenty in the 10 euro range.

PhilipMarlowe · 16-11-2009 12:21pm

Hard balls are the same thing as distance balls... they spin less than soft balls and will fly straighter and roll more. They are more suited to a beginner and they are usually much cheaper too which is important when you are likely to lose more of them.
Soft balls will spin more and are nice to play with when you are more accomplished. They will stop better on the greens and if you are a particularly good ball striker you can get the backspin that you see on the TV.
However, because they spin more they will also side-spin more so that slice or hook will be exaggerated too. They can cut up and mark easily too so they won't last as long as the hard ball.. and they cost more too. They 'feel' nicer, particularly for chipping and putting.
Stick with a good value distance ball until you find that you are having trouble stopping shots on the greens (no trouble this time of year anyway).

Gloves - should be a good snug fit because they will stretch a little. You can ask to try on a few in the shop (not Argos!) to get your correct size... the dearer ones are not necessarily better in my opinion... I use one of the cheaper footjoy ones (around €10)... I keep a few part worn ones in a ziploc bag in my golf bag for wet days when you need to change the glove to a dry one regularly.

kagni · 16-11-2009 12:30pm

Heatons have some Dunlop balls that are grand for this yime of year, and are dirt cheap so it won't bother you too much if you lose a few.
I got tired of wearing a glove, they always ended up crumpled and smelly at the bottom of the bag, so I don't bother any more. Can't say I've really noticed much difference unless it's a really hot summers day, which doesn't happen too often.

conno16 · 16-11-2009 1:04pm

gloves are great for grip
gives you a real confidence as you're about to unleash with the driver (or 7 iron)

Whyner · 16-11-2009 1:26pm

conno16 wrote: »

gives you a real confidence as you're about to unleash with the driver (or 7 iron)

Still?

You shouldn't need a glove unless your grips are worn or you've sweaty palms

conno16 · 16-11-2009 1:30pm

each to their own i suppose
i dont have sweaty palms and my grips are relatively new
no way am i playing without a glove though
golf digest always say gloves improve performance by 5% as well

waynesurvey · 16-11-2009 1:30pm

Great, thanks for replying. Some great info there.

I guess the "cheaper the better" option makes sense for a beginner that will inevitably loose balls.

@ Whyner: I have second hand clubs, and although they seem fine for me right now, a more experienced golfer said to me that the grips were quite worn. That's why I thought the gloves would be essential

Whyner · 16-11-2009 2:02pm

Sure get a glove so, they're only €10...those balls in Heatons sound perfect for now.

PhilipMarlowe · 16-11-2009 2:13pm

If your grips are very worn, they can be changed for about €10 per club. You can tackle this yourself and it will be even cheaper - plenty of instructions/videos online. Most serious golfers will change their grips once a year.
If they are not completely worn, they might benefit from being washed... warm water, some washing up liquid and a facecloth.. give them a rub down and then rinse them off and allow to dry... this can revive your grips a little assuming they are not completely knackered.
Not everyone plays with a glove so it comes down to personal taste I guess. I'd imagine that without a glove your grips would need to be fairly tacky.

Atlantic1 · 16-11-2009 10:12pm

Licksy wrote: »

Hard balls are the same thing as distance balls... they spin less than soft balls and will fly straighter and roll more. They are more suited to a beginner and they are usually much cheaper too which is important when you are likely to lose more of them.
Soft balls will spin more and are nice to play with when you are more accomplished. They will stop better on the greens and if you are a particularly good ball striker you can get the backspin that you see on the TV.
However, because they spin more they will also side-spin more so that slice or hook will be exaggerated too. They can cut up and mark easily too so they won't last as long as the hard ball.. and they cost more too. They 'feel' nicer, particularly for chipping and putting.
Stick with a good value distance ball until you find that you are having trouble stopping shots on the greens (no trouble this time of year anyway).

Gloves - should be a good snug fit because they will stretch a little. You can ask to try on a few in the shop (not Argos!) to get your correct size... the dearer ones are not necessarily better in my opinion... I use one of the cheaper footjoy ones (around €10)... I keep a few part worn ones in a ziploc bag in my golf bag for wet days when you need to change the glove to a dry one regularly.

Good post, Licksey.

OP, as a compromise, you should consider a ball like the Pinnacle Gold. They're designed as a hard ball but they have a very nice soft feel. And they're quite cheap also.

I use ProV1's in the summer but I switch to Pinnacle Golds in the winter. In the softer conditions, you can get very good control with them, i.e., you can fire them at the flag and they stop without going through the green.

rafared · 17-11-2009 10:22am

Ive always found the glove vs no-glove debate interesting.
Personally I wouldnt play without a glove because my hands tend to be sweaty:rolleyes:. A couple of my golfing mates dont wear gloves and cant understand why they are needed at all.
As regards the quality of the gloves Ive found the more expensve ones are softer and dont last as long. I usually buy mine them in batches of 3 or 5 from flea-bay. Someone recommended the cheaper footjoy gloves and I would second that choice. Ive also found Kasco and Mizuno gloves to my liking.

conno16 · 17-11-2009 12:37pm

woods wears a nike glove..

stockdam · 17-11-2009 1:20pm

You need to buy new golf balls. You can get reasonable 2nd hand balls. There's nothing worse than bringing out a new ball only for it to get lost after a hole or two.

Look around for bargains.....somes BOGOF.

Distance balls are usually a bit cheaper.

Dunlop Locos are fine so look in Heatons for them.

Gloves.....make sure you get them long enough in the fingers if yours are long. A glove should be reasonable tight.......not loose at all. Try them on before you buy.

jonas7 · 17-11-2009 6:32pm

conno16 wrote: »

woods wears a nike glove..

I bought a Nike glove at the start of the year and it lasted all of two rounds before holes appeared in the thumb and fore finger.Rubbish glove.Footjoy gloves on the other hand are excellent quality,last for ages.

Atlantic1 · 17-11-2009 6:56pm

jonas7 wrote: »

I bought a Nike glove at the start of the year and it lasted all of two rounds before holes appeared in the thumb and fore finger.Rubbish glove.Footjoy gloves on the other hand are excellent quality,last for ages.

I'd regard Footjoy as the best gloves also.