Right Golf Ball

greyc

I play off 9 and my average driver swing speed is 95mph. Just wondering what would be the best ball to use taking into account that the course I play will have fast greens. I've been using Pro V 1s but I'm not sure if my swing speed is fast enough to make the most of the compression needed to get the best out of these balls. Tried the Srixon Z Star today, but can't say I noticed much difference.

Anyone got some recommendations?

thewobbler

greyc wrote: »

I play off 9 and my average driver swing speed is 95mph. Just wondering what would be the best ball to use taking into account that the course I play will have fast greens. I've been using Pro V 1s but I'm not sure if my swing speed is fast enough to make the most of the compression needed to get the best out of these balls. Tried the Srixon Z Star today, but can't say I noticed much difference.

Anyone got some recommendations?

Yep, don't ask a bunch of randoms on Boards.ie golf.

There's a lot of folks on here passionate about golf, but the overwhelming majority of opinions on equipment are from people who simply have neither the experience nor the knowledge to qualify their opinions.

Balls are the perfect example. This thread will fill up with people who've not played anything else but a Pro V1 for years. Their opinion is worthless. Then it'll fill up with the fad followers, who'll tell you that Penta is a better ball as it lasts longer, though they've never actually managed to get 18 holes in with just the one ball. Worthless. Then you'll get the cynics like me who'll tell you that expensive balls are a waste of time. But as I've never played longer than a few rounds with any particular ball, my opinion is actually worthless too.

FixdePitchmark

thewobbler wrote: »

Yep, don't ask a bunch of randoms on Boards.ie golf.

There's a lot of folks on here passionate about golf, but the overwhelming majority of opinions on equipment are from people who simply have neither the experience nor the knowledge to qualify their opinions.

Balls are the perfect example. This thread will fill up with people who've not played anything else but a Pro V1 for years. Their opinion is worthless. Then it'll fill up with the fad followers, who'll tell you that Penta is a better ball as it lasts longer, though they've never actually managed to get 18 holes in with just the one ball. Worthless. Then you'll get the cynics like me who'll tell you that expensive balls are a waste of time. But as I've never played longer than a few rounds with any particular ball, my opinion is actually worthless too.

Lol.

Give up on life

irish bloke

thewobbler wrote: »

Yep, don't ask a bunch of randoms on Boards.ie golf.

There's a lot of folks on here passionate about golf, but the overwhelming majority of opinions on equipment are from people who simply have neither the experience nor the knowledge to qualify their opinions.

Balls are the perfect example. This thread will fill up with people who've not played anything else but a Pro V1 for years. Their opinion is worthless. Then it'll fill up with the fad followers, who'll tell you that Penta is a better ball as it lasts longer, though they've never actually managed to get 18 holes in with just the one ball. Worthless. Then you'll get the cynics like me who'll tell you that expensive balls are a waste of time. But as I've never played longer than a few rounds with any particular ball, my opinion is actually worthless too.

:D

FixdePitchmark

Nxt Tour.

Has it all.

Makes you think your good when you know your bad. Life in a way.

Pro V1 are for people who like something good at the start but damaged very soon - I won't say what that is like.

f22

Try Bridgestones, they have various models tailored to different swing speeds.

golfnut1

greyc wrote: »

I play off 9 and my average driver swing speed is 95mph. Just wondering what would be the best ball to use taking into account that the course I play will have fast greens. I've been using Pro V 1s but I'm not sure if my swing speed is fast enough to make the most of the compression needed to get the best out of these balls. Tried the Srixon Z Star today, but can't say I noticed much difference.

Anyone got some recommendations?

The whole SS to compress the ball idea is irrelevant. Most golfers use Pro v's for it's short game benefits where the ss for a short chip or pitch would be closer to 10-20 mph. So the whole SS issue is a non runner.
Personally I have tried every kind of ball out their but none as good as the pro v1 when it comes to control. Top flights, pinnacles and warbirds for distance but nothing compares to a pro v1 for scoring.
Just my own worthless opinion.

Jul3s

greyc wrote: »

I play off 9 and my average driver swing speed is 95mph. Just wondering what would be the best ball to use taking into account that the course I play will have fast greens. I've been using Pro V 1s but I'm not sure if my swing speed is fast enough to make the most of the compression needed to get the best out of these balls. Tried the Srixon Z Star today, but can't say I noticed much difference.

Anyone got some recommendations?

Think you answered your own question there.

Henry Ford III

9 handicap - within reason any of the better golf balls would do you fine. No offence.

There are small differences, but not enough to make any appreciable difference at your level.

The obsession with custom clubs, balls etc. is crazy here.

PRAF

I've started using ProV1s for the simple reason that (1) I was given some free ones and liked them and (2) I had to use up a McGuirks voucher recently and so decided to buy some new golf balls rather than a new shirt.

I can't tell you the pros and cons of different brands and models. All I will say is that you are probably better off sticking with one brand and one model.

Switching from a ProV1 to a Noodle to a DDH to a Srixon between rounds (or during rounds depending on how many you've lost) will not make scoring any easier for you. I find switching screws up my putting and chipping in particular as each ball has a different feel and roll.

Tidyweb

I prefer a ball that floats and glows in the dark.

BigChap1759

IMO if you are good enough to hit greens consitantly then you want to play a premium ball that stops quickly - I have not played one with better drop and stop than a ProV1

charlieIRL

PRAF wrote: »

I've started using ProV1s for the simple reason that (1) I was given some free ones and liked them and (2) I had to use up a McGuirks voucher recently and so decided to buy some new golf balls rather than a new shirt.

I can't tell you the pros and cons of different brands and models. All I will say is that you are probably better off sticking with one brand and one model.

Switching from a ProV1 to a Noodle to a DDH to a Srixon between rounds (or during rounds depending on how many you've lost) will not make scoring any easier for you. I find switching screws up my putting and chipping in particular as each ball has a different feel and roll.

am in the same boat Praf, i also was given a large bag of pro v1's from my brother in law. You need to have a very consistent swing to get the best from them - i notice with my driver expecially. i get a lot more wayward shots using a softer ball than when i use a nike / ultra ball. However when i'm using a wedge into the green i can get them to stop after only one bounce. I used a srixon ad333 the last round and got on well with it though. Catch 22 for me.

Jul3s

charlieIRL wrote: »

am in the same boat Praf, i also was given a large bag of pro v1's from my brother in law. You need to have a very consistent swing to get the best from them - i notice with my driver expecially. i get a lot more wayward shots using a softer ball than when i use a nike / ultra ball. However when i'm using a wedge into the green i can get them to stop after only one bounce. I used a srixon ad333 the last round and got on well with it though. Catch 22 for me.

Catch 22 my hole, what are you on about?
FYI no one can stop a shot without at least one bounce.
Hats off to wobbler he called it perfectly from the word go.

charlieIRL

Think you might have taken me up wrong.

Catch 22 my hole, what are you on about?

Hard ball suits me off the tee and soft one around the green. With a soft ball, a badly struck drive punishes you more which i suffer with a bit. If i use a harder ball i can't get the result below.

FYI no one can stop a shot without at least one bounce.

When i chip onto the green from the fairway, i can get the ball to bounce once and stop, whats so hard to believe about that one??? I didn't say it doesn't bounce at all.

Osgoodisgood

Henry Ford III wrote: »

9 handicap - within reason any of the better golf balls would do you fine. No offence.

There are small differences, but not enough to make any appreciable difference at your level.

The obsession with custom clubs, balls etc. is crazy here.

It's a golf forum. The subjects were bound to come up. :rolleyes:

Henry Ford III

Osgoodisgood wrote: »

It's a golf forum. The subjects were bound to come up. :rolleyes:

Granted. It's the amount of gravitas given to them by people who should be looking elsewhere for game improvement that befuddles.

newport2

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Granted. It's the amount of gravitas given to them by people who should be looking elsewhere for game improvement that befuddles.

True.

The only advice I would offer as an amateur golfer myself to another amateur golfer is not to take advice from amateur golfers.

BigChap1759

Jul3s wrote: »

Catch 22 my hole, what are you on about?
FYI no one can stop a shot without at least one bounce.
Hats off to wobbler he called it perfectly from the word go.

Hope this isn't a serious comment - anyone halfway decent ball striker playing a premium ball on softish greens does it all the time(ie the ball will either stop at or before the pitchmark) - different story in the height of a dry summer.

BigChap1759

newport2 wrote: »

True.

The only advice I would offer as an amateur golfer myself to another amateur golfer is not to take advice from amateur golfers.

You seem to be missing the point of this forum

thewobbler

Well see I'd think the value of this forum is that you can talk as equals about courses, trips, the pro tours, special offers, open competitions, etc. Things that anyone can have a valuable opinion, tip or advice on.

The equipment threads are daft though. If you want good advice on equipment, ask a pro, or ask a vendor, or even look up comparison charts in magazines.

But don't take the advice of 19 handicappers on boards.ie.

In any given the thread, the chances are that the respondents are:

a) the minority of equipment fiends, who simply change it up every season and then boast about how it helps his score. These people are quite simply mad, as they believe equipment is the holy grail in golf, and not a good swing, and not lots of practice.

b) the majority, who have settled on their equipment for quite some time, and will tell you they're happy with it. So their opinion is of no value. They aren't comparing equipment, they just like their own.


Me, I've just recorded the best run of scores of my life. Last year I struggled to break 90, now I'm heading towards 80. I've got here because I played every single weekend this winter, and have dramatically improved my course management. That's all I'd encourage any golfer to do. An adjustable driver is a distraction, a soft ball is a distraction. It's you and the course.

Loire

I usually buy re-furbished (:o) Pro v1s but have noticed these have gotten a bit dear. On Saturday I bought a box of Nike PD Soft (The green box) and found them very good yesterday. Fiddling a bit with my driver at the moment so difficult to tell exactly if they were longer/same/shorter off the tee but if I had to make a guess they would be marginally shorter. Having said that I found them more forgiving - I hit loads of fairways.
They were perfect for my irons too...same distance as Prov 1s but a better flight if anything. Again around the green I found no noticeable difference to the Pro V1, so for 17.99 for 12 they're my new best friend!

BigChap1759

thewobbler wrote: »

Well see I'd think the value of this forum is that you can talk as equals about courses, trips, the pro tours, special offers, open competitions, etc. Things that anyone can have a valuable opinion, tip or advice on.

The equipment threads are daft though. If you want good advice on equipment, ask a pro, or ask a vendor, or even look up comparison charts in magazines.

But don't take the advice of 19 handicappers on boards.ie.

In any given the thread, the chances are that the respondents are:

a) the minority of equipment fiends, who simply change it up every season and then boast about how it helps his score. These people are quite simply mad, as they believe equipment is the holy grail in golf, and not a good swing, and not lots of practice.

b) the majority, who have settled on their equipment for quite some time, and will tell you they're happy with it. So their opinion is of no value. They aren't comparing equipment, they just like their own.


Me, I've just recorded the best run of scores of my life. Last year I struggled to break 90, now I'm heading towards 80. I've got here because I played every single weekend this winter, and have dramatically improved my course management. That's all I'd encourage any golfer to do. An adjustable driver is a distraction, a soft ball is a distraction. It's you and the course.

That's fine but there are also plenty of golfers who enjoy trying new kit out regularly, buying and selling cubs, learning to make adjustments to their own clubs, change their own grips etc, etc and they are not mad, just mad into golf - please let us have our fun.

If you think we're mad then do not comment on the golf equipment threads...

Loire

thewobbler wrote: »

Well see I'd think the value of this forum is that you can talk as equals about courses, trips, the pro tours, special offers, open competitions, etc. Things that anyone can have a valuable opinion, tip or advice on.

The equipment threads are daft though. If you want good advice on equipment, ask a pro, or ask a vendor, or even look up comparison charts in magazines.

But don't take the advice of 19 handicappers on boards.ie.

In any given the thread, the chances are that the respondents are:

a) the minority of equipment fiends, who simply change it up every season and then boast about how it helps his score. These people are quite simply mad, as they believe equipment is the holy grail in golf, and not a good swing, and not lots of practice.

b) the majority, who have settled on their equipment for quite some time, and will tell you they're happy with it. So their opinion is of no value. They aren't comparing equipment, they just like their own.


Me, I've just recorded the best run of scores of my life. Last year I struggled to break 90, now I'm heading towards 80. I've got here because I played every single weekend this winter, and have dramatically improved my course management. That's all I'd encourage any golfer to do. An adjustable driver is a distraction, a soft ball is a distraction. It's you and the course.

37 points yesterday and scratched a handy par 5 due to course management! I don't mind a bad shot (everyone has them) but bad decisions really upset me!!

Jul3s

charlieIRL wrote: »

Think you might have taken me up wrong.

Hard ball suits me off the tee and soft one around the green. With a soft ball, a badly struck drive punishes you more which i suffer with a bit. If i use a harder ball i can't get the result below.

When i chip onto the green from the fairway, i can get the ball to bounce once and stop, whats so hard to believe about that one??? I didn't say it doesn't bounce at all.

No I haven't taken you up wrong at all, you seem to think that stopping the ball after only one bounce is exclusive to soft balls, well it's not, if you put a consistent decent strike on the ball then any ball (hard or soft) will stop after only one bounce.
As for the driving that's more to do with the size of and the amount of dimples than the hardness of the ball.

BigChap1759 wrote: »

Hope this isn't a serious comment - anyone halfway decent ball striker playing a premium ball on softish greens does it all the time(ie the ball will either stopat or before the pitchmark) - different story in the height of a dry summer.

I certainly hope it isn't as well, I've never seen a ball that can make a pitchmark without actually travelling that far, maybe it's something special and exclusive to your part of the world.

thewobbler

BigChap, I don't object to equipment threads per se, it's the questions on them I always find amusing.

The people asking the questions tend not to understand what it is they're trying to achieve by changing equipment.

If, for example, you find that you're losing lots of Pro V1s because you believe it accentuates your hook, the truth is that you've got a hook, and you're better off playing with cheaper balls simply because 4 lost balls per round at 3EUR a touch will cost you 600EUR a year, whereas losing the equivalent number of 1.50EUR balls will cost you 300EUR per year.

Similarly, if you're thinning your wedges, it's not a new club you need, it's a couple of hours in front of a practice bunker with a few hundred balls, where you can work on stances and planes. Ironically, the first thing many people do with a new wedge is exactly that, which is why their game improves. The club isn't the issue.

Changing putters regularly is insane. Putting is about touch and rhythm. Once you have your hands on a putter you like the weight of, then practice hitting 6 footers with it for an hour. Don't change to a completely different putter as unless you're super coordinated, it's basically undoing every piece of putting practice you've ever done.

Asking anyone, even a pro, for advice on a putter is in fact insane. A pro can't teach you touch, he can only give you the drills to improve it, and he can't understand your touch unless you consistently use the same putter in the same way.

Gurn over. I'm not trying to spoil anyone's party with my comments. But in the year or so I've been following this board, terrible equipment advice from average golfers has been constant. I'm a very average golfer, but maybe because I've been playing a long time, I can see issues with so much of the advice. I'd hate to think there are actually people spending money on Vokeys, Pro v1s, custom fits and R11s on the back of what the read here.

newport2

BigChap1759 wrote: »

You seem to be missing the point of this forum

Mainly meant tongue in cheek, but an element of truth in it

BigChap1759

Jul3s wrote: »

No I haven't taken you up wrong at all, you seem to think that stopping the ball after only one bounce is exclusive to soft balls, well it's not, if you put a consistent decent strike on the ball then any ball (hard or soft) will stop after only one bounce.
As for the driving that's more to do with the size of and the amount of dimples than the hardness of the ball.


I certainly hope it isn't as well, I've never seen a ball that can make a pitchmark without actually travelling that far, maybe it's something special and exclusive to your part of the world.

Sorry but I have to disagree with you here - a cheap ball(Donnay for example) will not spin no matter how good a strike you put on it unless the greens you're hitting into are very, very soft(waterlogged I'd suggest) - the cover is just too hard.

In terms of a ball finishing before it's pitchmark.....it's called backspin.

BigChap1759

thewobbler wrote: »

BigChap, I don't object to equipment threads per se, it's the questions on them I always find amusing.

The people asking the questions tend not to understand what it is they're trying to achieve by changing equipment.

If, for example, you find that you're losing lots of Pro V1s because you believe it accentuates your hook, the truth is that you've got a hook, and you're better off playing with cheaper balls simply because 4 lost balls per round at 3EUR a touch will cost you 600EUR a year, whereas losing the equivalent number of 1.50EUR balls will cost you 300EUR per year.

Similarly, if you're thinning your wedges, it's not a new club you need, it's a couple of hours in front of a practice bunker with a few hundred balls, where you can work on stances and planes. Ironically, the first thing many people do with a new wedge is exactly that, which is why their game improves. The club isn't the issue.

Changing putters regularly is insane. Putting is about touch and rhythm. Once you have your hands on a putter you like the weight of, then practice hitting 6 footers with it for an hour. Don't change to a completely different putter as unless you're super coordinated, it's basically undoing every piece of putting practice you've ever done.

Asking anyone, even a pro, for advice on a putter is in fact insane. A pro can't teach you touch, he can only give you the drills to improve it, and he can't understand your touch unless you consistently use the same putter in the same way.

Gurn over. I'm not trying to spoil anyone's party with my comments. But in the year or so I've been following this board, terrible equipment advice from average golfers has been constant. I'm a very average golfer, but maybe because I've been playing a long time, I can see issues with so much of the advice. I'd hate to think there are actually people spending money on Vokeys, Pro v1s, custom fits and R11s on the back of what the read here.

Wobbler, are you seriously trying to suggest that you can't buy a game