free balls: any good + should i try and use the same ball all the time

FranSansisco

2 Q's for you

Q1.

i've heard you should use the same ball all the time, which kinda makes sense, however i play to a 28 handicap would it make much of a difference?

Q2.

also my single handicapper friend gives me balls he wont use, usually 'cos if ever i get free ones (days out!) i give them to him, he recently gave me a bag of the below, could you let me have your opinions on them:

Srixon
AD333 x 1
Distance x 3
Z-Star x x 1
Softfeel x 1
Z-UR-S x 1

Titleist
Pro v1 x 4 (but my mate gets those back)

Dunlop
DDH x 1
Tour x 1
DDH II x 1
Double Ti x 1
Steelcore x 1

TaylorMade
Penta Td x 1
TP RED LDP x 1

Molitar
422 x 3

Pinnacle
Gold x 4
Gold Distance x 2
Platinum x 1
Exception x 1
Gold Lady x 1

TopFlight
XL High Trajectory x 4
SD Balata x 1
Titanium x 2
XL 2000 High Trajectory x 2
X2 Regular Trajectory
XL 5000 Long
XL Titanium T x 1
Titanium x 1
Tour 7 Balata x 1
XL Distance x 1

PLus another 10-15 of randoms (nike, wilson, maxfli, wilson staff, inesis etc)

so what should i use, what should i whack down the driving range

thanks in advance,

A

Amirani

I'd say try using the same ball around the practice greens for putting and chipping. Go for a softer ball, what you'll lose in distance you'll more than make up for around the greens. You can tell softness by the noise they make if you tap them against your club.

As regards driving range, use whatever you have. Try to know as close as possible exactly how far you can hit each club. Another thing to practice then would be to take one club (9 iron or so) and hit a ball at the flag. Then try hit the next one 5 yards past it. Then the next one 5 yards short. Just get used to knowing exactly the right club to be hitting at each yardage.

k.p.h

The Srixon Titliest and Taylormade are generally better than the rest. Well thats a simple way to put it but you could use it as a rough rule of thumb.

The softer balls spin more so are better around the green but if you are having an off day with your driver with shots slicing/hooking more spin is not desirable. So what you gain in one area can make it more difficult in another.

Best thing to do experiment with all the balls you have and see what suits you?

On a side note. Dose anyone know if the Top flight Balata's mentioned above are actually Balata's similar to the ones played by the pro's in the 80's & 90's. I think I have a few laying around somewhere was wondering should I bring them out for a bash, or would I need to try the Titliest ones . They are meant to spin crazy amounts.?

dines08

Having used Penta, pro v 1's and z star's all of which are premium balls I went back to the Srixon ad 333's. The premium balls are great around the greens but too much spin for me off the tee. I was hitting slight fades off the tee that when they hit the ground jumped right on me and more or less into trouble every time. Everybody is different really, you'll find one that works for you. The main thing to realise is that having the right ball can make a difference to your game. Which you seem to have already copped, try them all and you'll soon find a favourite.

blue note

If you're playing off 28 you're probably not striking the ball well enough for it to make any difference what type of ball you're playing.

Sorry, hope I don't offend.

Kid Charlemagne

blue note wrote: »

If you're playing off 28 you're probably not striking the ball well enough for it to make any difference what type of ball you're playing.

Sorry, hope I don't offend.

Im a 28er myself and would second this opinion.
Nothing more annoying than taking a brand new premium ball out and smacking it straight into a pond on its first stroke!
Now i buy the 20 lake balls for €10 in h/penny. Always at least 12-15 reasonably decent balls in the bag - titleist, nike, srixion, callaway (not their top tier balls though...)

Cubenio

As the last few poster said above - type of ball you're playing should be way down list of priorities at the moment

Instead of taking the time to list out all the balls you to use have spend that 5-10mins putting on the living room carpet or chipping in the back garden or hitting a bucket of balls down the range or getting a lesson...that stuff might actually help you get you to 27....

Some really careless advice given on this forum recently...disappointing

danthefan

I'm off 13, I like the Srixon AD333. Also was given some Precept Laddie balls and they don't seem a whole lot different to the AD333 to me.

TheDoc

danthefan wrote: »

I'm off 13, I like the Srixon AD333. Also was given some Precept Laddie balls and they don't seem a whole lot different to the AD333 to me.

Plus 1 on the Srixon AD333.

When ProV's were the new kid on the block I was using Srixons for some time and didn't want to change.

Granted Prov's are a decent price now buying in from Ebay and abroad, Srixons AD333 are still a really good ball.

While most lower handicap players prefer softer balls, as mentioned above, you should find a bal lthat suits you not just playwise but price wise.

A softball gives you more feel and feedback. You can feel if the shot was a solid strike or if it was weird.

Yes you will loose some distance but youll get a much better feel with your scoring irongs and wedges aswell as putting.

Hard balls are a thing of the past imo, they were always for wet wear and windy days but I always found a softball could cope just aswell, the pros outweight the cons too much.

d2ww

"Yes you will loose some distance "
Not if your ball flight is straight you won't. Just because a ball says distance on it does not mean it goes further than any other ball, the R&A have seen to that.