Pro V1's

blue note

What's the obsession? Everyone seems to be playing these regardless of what they are doing with them. Whatever about the low single figure handicappers, but lads playing off 18 driving the ball 220 yards seem willing to part with money for them. I would bet the price of a dozen Pro V1's that the majority of loyal Pro V1's users wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them and a noodle if the balls had no markings on them.

Tones69

You'd know by feeling them anyway To be honest you would notice a difference around the green using them, i wudnt pay the money brand new for them at the moment but i use used ones alright

MisterAnarchy

The power of advertising is the primary reason they are so prevalent.
Its getting a bit ridiculous allright ,almost everyone I play with in a competition uses them irrespective of handicap ,their shot type (spin) ,swing speed,and ball striking technique.
They are a nice ball ,lovely feel and soft but they are very expensive .
Not very suitable for a high handicapper ,someone with a low swing speed ,short hitters or someone who is wayward.

jock1962

I play off 16 and have found that when I changed to from Pinnacle to Prov 1 I increased my driving distance by about 15-20 yards. I am being fitted for a set of the new G20's and am told that will probably get me another 15 yards again. Looking forward to burning it up in the future

Corkblowin

What some people don't seem to realise is that a ball which generates more backspin also generates more sidespin - so slices & hooks are exaggerated.

jock1962 wrote: »

I play off 16 and have found that when I changed to from Pinnacle to Prov 1 I increased my driving distance by about 15-20 yards. I am being fitted for a set of the new G20's and am told that will probably get me another 15 yards again. Looking forward to burning it up in the future

Off-topic but that reminds me of an article in one of the mags a few years ago. The author had started playing in the 70's with drives in the 230 yard range. He then went through all the changes and innovations since that promised him 10, 20 or 30 yard increases such as
metal headed drivers, graphite shafts, new golf balls, longer tees, titanium heads etc and calculated his average drive should now be in the 700 yard range

staker

Corkblowin wrote: »

What some people don't seem to realise is that a ball which generates more backspin also generates more sidespin - so slices & hooks are exaggerated

Have played with the odd new one and for that reason alone would never buy them til my handicap comes down...
My AD-333's seem to at least stay in play off the box,whereas anything slightly wayward with the Pro-V1 seems to be exaggerated!But it's probably more of a reflection on the player than the ball:o

bustercherry

Some deluded fools about. One thing I have noticed about golf is it attracts a lot of them and you know what they say about a fool and his money :rolleyes:

Corkblowin is correct, I watch a guy of 21 go through 7 off them last Saturday and he swore he had more control round the greens, apart from the time he bladed one across into the bushes :rolleyes: Also he didn't get up and down once. Not much point having control if it takes you 5 shots to get on either IMO.

Also If I hear another idiot shout check when it's absolutely clear from their technique they don't down on the ball to generate any spin.

Tones69

bustercherry wrote: »

Some deluded fools about. One thing I have noticed about golf is it attracts a lot of them and you know what they say about a fool and his money :rolleyes:

Corkblowin is correct, I watch a guy of 21 go through 7 off them last Saturday and he swore he had more control round the greens, apart from the time he bladed one across into the bushes :rolleyes: Also he didn't get up and down once. Not much point having control if it takes you 5 shots to get on either IMO.

Also If I hear another idiot shout check when it's absolutely clear from their technique they don't down on the ball to generate any spin.

How are the Pro V's goin for you so ? Funny aul game golf is

slave1

I was 5 years out of the game and came back a month or so ago, I had loads of balata's to use up and found a ProV1 whilst looking for a mates ball so decided to play it, first drive went further and on the first green I pitched past and drew it back around 3 foot, something I was not achieving with my "old"/new balatas so I believe there is a notable difference.
High/mid handcappers probably better off keeping their grooves in better shape though rather than €3+ a ball.

bustercherry

Tones69 wrote: »

How are the Pro V's goin for you so ? Funny aul game golf is

You worry about your own game Tones, mine is fine. Run along now and start another thread about yourself.

alxmorgan

bustercherry wrote: »

You worry about your own game Tones, mine is fine. Run along now and start another thread about yourself.

Having a Steve Williams moment are we ?

Tones69

bustercherry wrote: »

You worry about your own game Tones, mine is fine. Run along now and start another thread about yourself.

Huh? Was just a joke dude

Keano

I bought into the hole golf ball thing at the start but now I use what comes to hand. Until I can start shooting in the 80's consistently will I think about the ball I use.

The_Kew_Tour

Playing the local club back home I have often just come across lost Pro V1'S

I say off the last 30 balls found 20 have been pro v1's..

Be honest they are a great ball, but having been out of the game 10 years I really just try to use distance balls till I can start to get lower numbers in the card..

pinseeker

Think your missing a big point bustercherry.You mentioned how this guy swore they gave him more control.Personally i feel a huge part of golf is mental and confidence.So this guy feels more confident using that ball then good on him,regardless of handicap.Sure he might not hit chips perfect but any ball will do same when bladed across green,but the odd shot played well he will see benifit of using pro v.
Main thing i see is that titleist do such a good job of making people feel its only good ball out there most overlook other premium balls that are just as good and some cheaper.
Callaway i s or i z,srixon z stars,pentas and even nike tour one will all do same job.

blue note

I read in one of the magazines that for most golfers (including golfers in high single digits) that they just don't have the swing for ProV1's and would be better off with NXT's.

Now as for people who think that they can tell the difference between a ProV1 and a ProV1x - they really need to stop imagining things. It's not healthy for grown ups.

SM746

bustercherry wrote: »

Some deluded fools about. One thing I have noticed about golf is it attracts a lot of them and you know what they say about a fool and his money :rolleyes:

Corkblowin is correct, I watch a guy of 21 go through 7 off them last Saturday and he swore he had more control round the greens, apart from the time he bladed one across into the bushes :rolleyes: Also he didn't get up and down once. Not much point having control if it takes you 5 shots to get on either IMO.

Also If I hear another idiot shout check when it's absolutely clear from their technique they don't down on the ball to generate any spin.

Did you shoot 36 points of scratch first time you played golf? If not maybe take it easy on the improving players as everyone starts somewhere? I can honestly say I have more fun playing golf with mates who play of 16/17/18 than playing with lower handicaps who tend to be know it alls who judge every shot as if they are Butch Harmon. And before you have a little go at me for being a beginner, I play of 8.

As for the ball, Im pretty sure a regular pro v1 user could tell the difference. I have played the e6 more or less since its inception and I would be confident if I got a different ball I would notice it? Must actually try that as a little test to see if I actually could As someone else rightly said, golf is all about confidence and if your confident in a particular ball and how you think it will respond then you surely would play better?

MisterAnarchy

bustercherry wrote: »

Also If I hear another idiot shout check when it's absolutely clear from their technique they don't hit down on the ball to generate any spin.

Thats another thing thats grossly overated ,the spin on the Prov1's
Sure they stop pretty quickly but some people think their balls will be spinning back on every shot.:D

Tones69

SM746 wrote: »

Did you shoot 36 points of scratch first time you played golf? If not maybe take it easy on the improving players as everyone starts somewhere? I can honestly say I have more fun playing golf with mates who play of 16/17/18 than playing with lower handicaps who tend to be know it alls who judge every shot as if they are Butch Harmon. And before you have a little go at me for being a beginner, I play of 8.

As for the ball, Im pretty sure a regular pro v1 user could tell the difference. I have played the e6 more or less since its inception and I would be confident if I got a different ball I would notice it? Must actually try that as a little test to see if I actually could As someone else rightly said, golf is all about confidence and if your confident in a particular ball and how you think it will respond then you surely would play better?

Thats a good post right there

k.p.h

I wish everyone used V1's . Theirs nothing worse than spotting a stray ball and approaching it with excitement only to find it's a Top Flight. Definition of disappointment ..

Tones69

Speaking of which , i found 3 Pro v's last week

Corkblowin

If someone wants to use a particular ball then fire away - it's no ones business but their own. Its a bit snide to tell someone they havent the skill to get the benefit of a high performance ball ( even if it happens to be true).

However I would recommend that people use the same ball as much as possible, be it a pinnacle, top flight, pro v whatever. Sure many players won't notice the difference for long shots (& 90% are short of the flag most of the time anyway - whats the backspin needed for!) but for the short game you need to get used to the speed the ball comes off the putter or from wedges on chips. There's a world of difference between the balls, and even between a new ball and one that you found today that's been in the long grass for a week.

Its harder to have a consistent short game if the balls you use are inconsistent. It's the small things that make the differences.

nocal

Corkblowin wrote: »

If someone wants to use a particular ball then fire away - it's no ones business but their own. Its a bit snide to tell someone they havent the skill to get the benefit of a high performance ball ( even if it happens to be true).

However I would recommend that people use the same ball as much as possible, be it a pinnacle, top flight, pro v whatever. Sure many players won't notice the difference for long shots (& 90% are short of the flag most of the time anyway - whats the backspin needed for!) but for the short game you need to get used to the speed the ball comes off the putter or from wedges on chips. There's a world of difference between the balls, and even between a new ball and one that you found today that's been in the long grass for a week.

Its harder to have a consistent short game if the balls you use are inconsistent. It's the small things that make the differences.

Massive +1.

Iangolf

jock1962 wrote: »

I play off 16 and have found that when I changed to from Pinnacle to Prov 1 I increased my driving distance by about 15-20 yards.

I'm by no means having a go, but I think most of the time if you hit a ball 15-20 yards further, its more to do with your swing, contact or other outside influence rather than the ball.

There is probably only a 10 yard difference between the longest ball and shortest ball (excluding nike one platinum) on the market. There is also a common misconception that the Pro V1 is super long, when it is actually pretty much middle of the road off the driver.


I do agree that players should get used to playing the same ball and how it reacts for them.

mr.mickels

They do spin alot more around the green, so for those with a precise short game it may make the difference, but for the average player a ball that spins less would make little to no difference to their scores, just allow for the extra roll.

bustercherry

SM746 wrote: »

Did you shoot 36 points of scratch first time you played golf?

Nope but I think you knew that.

SM746 wrote: »

If not maybe take it easy on the improving players as everyone starts somewhere?

There is a difference between improving players who know their game and play to their strengths; than a guy blading Pro V's across the green shouting check.

SM746 wrote: »

I can honestly say I have more fun playing golf with mates who play of 16/17/18 than playing with lower handicaps who tend to be know it alls who judge every shot as if they are Butch Harmon.

Agreed, but it is infuriating to see a guy attack a pin, rather than play a chip and run because they reckon they can get the ball to stop. Mainly because they play pro v's and they pull the shot off 1 in 10. Over confidence (not being realistic) leading to a poor shot selection.

SM746 wrote: »

And before you have a little go at me for being a beginner, I play of 8.

Irrelevant.

SM746 wrote: »

As for the ball, Im pretty sure a regular pro v1 user could tell the difference. I have played the e6 more or less since its inception and I would be confident if I got a different ball I would notice it? Must actually try that as a little test to see if I actually could

I'm sure a lot of them could tell the difference in feel. My point while there are a vast amount who could tell, they also don't have consistent ball striking to get the best of them. IMO they are getting zero return on investment and would be better off saving their money.

SM746 wrote: »

As someone else rightly said, golf is all about confidence and if your confident in a particular ball and how you think it will respond then you surely would play better?

People are going on about it being a game of confidence and a premium ball will give you that. It is brand hype that people are buying into, much like you get with designer clothes.
Confusing using a consistent ball, and the confidence that you gain by understanding how it behaves around the greens, to the benefits of a premium ball has to offer is ridiculous. Not everyone can take advantage of a premium ball and get an acceptable return on investment.

bustercherry

pinseeker wrote: »

Think your missing a big point bustercherry.You mentioned how this guy swore they gave him more control.Personally i feel a huge part of golf is mental and confidence.So this guy feels more confident using that ball then good on him,regardless of handicap.Sure he might not hit chips perfect but any ball will do same when bladed across green,but the odd shot played well he will see benifit of using pro v.
Main thing i see is that titleist do such a good job of making people feel its only good ball out there most overlook other premium balls that are just as good and some cheaper.
Callaway i s or i z,srixon z stars,pentas and even nike tour one will all do same job.

Maybe overconfident, thus leading to bad shot choices. The point is, if you are only getting the odd shot to behave how you want it too, it's not the balls fault.

pinseeker

Corkblowin wrote: »

If someone wants to use a particular ball then fire away - it's no ones business but their own. Its a bit snide to tell someone they havent the skill to get the benefit of a high performance ball ( even if it happens to be true).

However I would recommend that people use the same ball as much as possible, be it a pinnacle, top flight, pro v whatever.

Its harder to have a consistent short game if the balls you use are inconsistent. It's the small things that make the differences.

Great points made there corkblowin.Something i see every time when up in fota academy is people keeping 10 or whatever balls from basket they got and chipping and putting with them.You need to know how ball reacts in short game and using balls that dont in any way resemble what they use on course is not doing them any favours.
I tend to keep any scuffed balls in bag so can use them in short game practice,least i know its same ball i play with on course.
Also whatever handicap you are use what ball your comfortable with end of.I certainly wouldn't be taking the time to notice how many pro vs a guy is going through and calling them deluded for using a ball they like using

pinseeker

bustercherry wrote: »

Maybe overconfident, thus leading to bad shot choices. The point is, if you are only getting the odd shot to behave how you want it too, it's not the balls fault.

I know what your saying bustercherry but each to there own.Better to be overconfident than not eh.Least the ball he using has chance of reacting how he wants than not at all.

bustercherry

Corkblowin wrote: »

If someone wants to use a particular ball then fire away - it's no ones business but their own. Its a bit snide to tell someone they havent the skill to get the benefit of a high performance ball ( even if it happens to be true).

However I would recommend that people use the same ball as much as possible, be it a pinnacle, top flight, pro v whatever. Sure many players won't notice the difference for long shots (& 90% are short of the flag most of the time anyway - whats the backspin needed for!) but for the short game you need to get used to the speed the ball comes off the putter or from wedges on chips. There's a world of difference between the balls, and even between a new ball and one that you found today that's been in the long grass for a week.

Its harder to have a consistent short game if the balls you use are inconsistent. It's the small things that make the differences.

It's an anonymous forum, nothing snide in pointing out the obvious. Would you say it to someone you don't know on the course, nope that's just manners.

As I said it is infuriating to see a guy attack a pin, rather than play a chip and run because they reckon they can get the ball to stop. Mainly because they play pro v's and they pull the shot off 1 in 10. Over confidence (not being realistic) in their ability leading to a poor shot selection.

bustercherry

pinseeker wrote: »

I know what your saying bustercherry but each to there own.Better to be overconfident than not eh.Least the ball he using has chance of reacting how he wants than not at all.

If you losing 2 boxes a round, is it worth the money just for that 1 shot you pull off by luck?

Corkblowin

Wasn't actually thinking of you when writing that buster, I have played in groups where it's been said to others - it's the height of rudeness & I believe poor etiquette to give a negative comment on someone's game when it's not affecting anyone.

Here - anything goes

Tones69

bustercherry wrote: »

If you losing 2 boxes a round, is it worth the money just for that 1 shot you pull off by luck?

Anyone who loses 24 balls a round should consider taking up a board game Either way if they wanna do that and are happy to do so then let them be at it, just because you wouldnt do it doesnt mean theyre idiots!

Keano

Only reason I use any ball is purely mental reasons. I was very guilty of over thinking every part of my game. Now I just pick a ball and get on with it.

bustercherry

Corkblowin wrote: »

Wasn't actually thinking of you when writing that buster, I have played in groups where it's been said to others - it's the height of rudeness & I believe poor etiquette to give a negative comment on someone's game when it's not affecting anyone.

Here - anything goes

No worries. Yeah I agree there's no call for it and would have words with someone behaving like that.

nocal

Anyone who loses 24 high spin expensive balls a round is an idiot. Chances are that they would lose less balls if they played a ball more suited to their game.

Look at the Bridgestone ball fitting evenings - they will actually recommend cheap balls to some of the participants.

Srixon have just released a value ball in the States - the Q-star with the marketing based on "question everything". They are aiming the ball at those who play value balls claiming that the Q-star ball is a much better all-rounder. They are also aiming the ball at those who play tour balls but who may get almost as much out of the Q-star but at a lower cost per ball.

I have posted this guideline before when discussing balls and I think it is very sensible (it is something I read on the Golfdigest site):

If you are losing more than a sleeve a round then only pay about €20 a dozen.
If you are losing 1-3 balls a round then pay about €30 a dozen.
If you regularly finish the round with the same ball then spend what you like on balls.

Keano

nocal wrote: »

Anyone who loses 24 high spin expensive balls a round is an idiot. Chances are that they would lose less balls if they played a ball more suitable to their game.

Look at the Bridgestone ball fitting evenings - they will actually recommend cheap balls to some of the participants.

Srixon have just released a value ball in the States - the Q-star with the marketing based on "question everything". They are aiming the ball at those who play value balls claiming that the Q-star ball is a much better all-rounder. They are also aiming the ball at those who play tour balls but who may get almost as much out of the Q-star but at a lower cost per ball.

I have posted this guideline before when discussing balls and I think it is very sensible (it is something I read on the Golfdigest site):

If you are losing more than a sleeve a round then only pay about €20 a dozen.
If you are losing 1-3 balls a round then pay about €30 a dozen.
If you regularly finish the round with the same ball then spend what you like on balls.

That was the quote I was looking for today nocal. Great motto

SM746

bustercherry wrote: »

Nope but I think you knew that.

Had my doubts for a short while

Its all part of the learning curve that we all went through! In your mates case its a little unwise to be forking out 35euro+ for pro v1s if he is losing a good few of them. However, if he feels he is shooting his best golf with those balls then fair play to him and it obviously doesn't affect him financially so its all good. Eventually the 1 in 10 shots will become 2 in 10, etc, etc.

Personally, I wouldn't spend that money on pro v1s when there are cheaper balls such as the e6 and numerous others I do not even know about. The main point coming out of the thread is to use the same ball though and its one of the most important fundamentals overlooked imo. Even a spalding or some cheap thing would give you some more consistency.

This thread has me intrigued now so I think I am going to pick up 2/3 of them in the club tomorrow and try them out for a few rounds

Freemount09

Quick tip for anyone who plays Pro V1's - go down and play in Cork GC ! I played there today and found 8 balls 7 of them pro v1's ! I'd say the all the members play them and don't bother their arse looking for them after any wayward shots !

You could make your greenfees back in money saved to buy the balls !

The_Kew_Tour

Freemount09 wrote: »

Quick tip for anyone who plays Pro V1's - go down and play in Cork GC ! I played there today and found 8 balls 7 of them pro v1's ! I'd say the all the members play them and don't bother their arse looking for them after any wayward shots !

You could make your greenfees back in money saved to buy the balls !

Same in Doneraile...young lads leave them all over played there 3 times in a many weeks and found 7 so far from rough etc

FixdePitchmark

try to Play Titleist NXT , great ball. But would play anything

Anyway, found a pro v1 other day , looked very new, played about ten holes. The amount the ball was scuffed and cut up was unreal.

Did get about ten foot backspin on a par 3, never seen so much back spin.

Anyway 4euro a pro v1 is off the wall in the cold light of day.

i loose 2 to 3 balls a game (bad slice / water).

thewobbler

I opened a similar thread a few months ago and got the same mix of replies from agreement to outrage.

In the meantime I bought a couple of dozen practice Pro Vs and gave them a rattle.

My own findings is that they do help with stopping on greens from distance - though not as much as others make out. I've a high ball flight and the difference in roll for a full five iron is about 8-10 feet between a Pro V and a DT.

Now if I was accurate enough to control my 5 iron in terms of feet instead of acres, this might actually matter!

In terms of putting, I can't see what a Pro V does differently. A feel for length has nothing to do with a ball.

Chipping is better with Pro Vs as the soft ball has more feedback.

Driving, I'm undecided. I lose 2-3 off the tee every round. Whether it's a killer whale or a Pro V I'm using doesn't matter; my swing problems in that regard are ball
independent.

In summary, the only notable help for me was in chipping. That, no matter how you add it up, is not worth £2 extra per ball.

But each to their own.

Hunter21

I honestly think that Callaway HX tours are a far better ball. Way more feel with them around the green can help.
But also on the other hand, if your any bit good you should be able to play any kind of ball well, just look at the Nicklaus generation of players

mags1962

I only buy them in $'s in the states and have a couple of dozen spare at the moment. I don't lose many hence the spare and have the issue of wearing them out first. Whilst in the states buying some stuff from a golf pro he threw in some free Srixon AD-333's. Thinking they would be a bit naff as they were free I found them very similar to the Pro-V's in terms of feel, distance etc but where they performed better was their durability. So it's a catch 22 for a lot of golfers, do I want a premium ball that I will lose a lot or that will wear out quickly or do I want a good consistent ball that will not cost the earth every year.
The decision my friends is up to each and every one of us.

stockdam

My game is so poor at the moment that I can use almost any ball and not notice. I rarely loose a ball and generally wear them out but I find any ball goes the same distance when chipping out sideways from trouble,

FixdePitchmark

mags1962 wrote: »

I only buy them in $'s in the states and have a couple of dozen spare at the moment. I don't lose many hence the spare and have the issue of wearing them out first. Whilst in the states buying some stuff from a golf pro he threw in some free Srixon AD-333's. Thinking they would be a bit naff as they were free I found them very similar to the Pro-V's in terms of feel, distance etc but where they performed better was their durability. So it's a catch 22 for a lot of golfers, do I want a premium ball that I will lose a lot or that will wear out quickly or do I want a good consistent ball that will not cost the earth every year.
The decision my friends is up to each and every one of us.

Interesting ---- as i said , after about 4 holes with a pro v1 , I had to take 3 looks at the ball to see if it is mine , due to the ball being so damaged. Now I was playing sweet.

It seems Titleist , for so long, won the marketing , they are almost a starbucks / mcDonalds of the golf ball world, or something-- even twenty years ago you'd be mad to find a titleist.

About time I gave up on the name and looked at other makes, good reports here. But, I find the names of some of the other balls not very obvious of who they are for...... like what the hell does AD--333s mean.

Tour ball, pga ball, pro ball, all a bit more sensible.

k.p.h

333 is the amount of dimples on the ball I think. very Important ..

FixdePitchmark

k.p.h wrote: »

333 is the amount of dimples on the ball I think. very Important ..

LOL, exactly call it "The great f'ing ball for control like Phil **** yes."

Well , that's not that catchy really.

The Engineer came up with 333 name.

BTW, how do you know that ? Google.?

k.p.h

Just knew that is what it is because of a previous experience .. Actually didn't want to mention it in case you harmed yourself ...

Do you remember the Pro V1 392's and 332's

LOL

newport2

k.p.h wrote: »

333 is the amount of dimples on the ball I think. very Important ..

You're right, it is the number of dimples. Never realised myself just how important they were until I read the article below a couple of years ago!

"During his winter break, Mickelson and his family took a trip to the snow and another to Hawaii. Lefty also hung out at home over the holidays, partaking in, among other things, daughter Amanda's fourth-grade science project. "She's doing it on the difference between a golf ball with dimples and a golf ball without," he said. "We went to the Callaway test center, and it was fascinating. The ball without dimples has no lift and goes all over, diving in all different directions, but not far. I hit wedges, 6-irons and drivers, and they all went about the same distance. From about 103 to 113 yards. Imagine that. Take a full swing with a driver, and the ball goes only maybe 110 yards." "

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2009-02/gw20090202verdiop

k.p.h

Yeah I was reading a bit about that too .. Also less dimples less distance but also less slice/hook .. Their are balls on the market that use this idea.. But thats cheating