An update regarding my balls.

ShriekingSheet

Discussion / reasonable bargain alert.

A majority of people I play with seem to use ProV1s. Without generalising too much, it might be fair to say it's the case with the lions share of club golfers south of a 12 handicap.

I've been playing with the Srixon Z Star since the back end of the season and find it really good. They've also been €25 per dozen in American Golf (and possibly other places) for some time now. Given that most places have Titleists at €45-€50, I think it's a straight forward decision.

There's also a red-number version, seemingly following the Titleist x option.

I'd always just bought Titleists without thinking too much about it (bar an ill-fated daliance with a harder ball). Not any more. If anyone else is similar, give this a try.

As regards performance, I'm not sure anyone can claim the Titleist is so much better (or even any different) as to merit double the price... and keep a straight face. But by all means, fire away if you think so.

ForeRight

The only thing better about the pro v is the marketing campaign.

Golf balls ain't magic!

big_drive

I've recently switched from the titleist pro v1x to the srixon Zstar XV

Delighted with the move. As already mentioned €25 per dozen in American golf so I bought 2 dozen of the white and 2 dozen yellow. Should last for a good while.

staker

Mine are resting warmly and happily in their onion sack.

TRS30

I get my Pro V1x from across the pond so don't cost as much. Have tried some other balls but none have performed as well; for me anyway.

lowelife

ForeRight wrote: »

The only thing better about the pro v is the marketing campaign.

Golf balls ain't magic!

Titleist and Prov's
The Apple of the golf ball world....and doing it long before Apple came on the scene

Srixon user at present but was a Maxfli HT90/100 player back in the day when the Titleist Tour Balata 90/100 was the daddy in the same way ProV's are now

BigGrayKettle

lowelife wrote: »

Srixon user at present but was a Maxfli HT90/100 player back in the day when the Titleist Tour Balata 90/100 was the daddy in the same way ProV's are now

I absolutely loved the Tour Balata's (I was only a kid when they were for sale however so it made my day when I'd find one on the course!) Happened upon a dozen brand new in the box a few months back in the bottom of an old drawer. They look so nice I don't ever want to use them! Wouldn't be a great distance ball though these days!

Agree about the hype surrounding the likes of the Pro V1 - I've seen data comparing the likes of a Pro V1 and others on Trackman before and there isn't a whole lot between any of the market leaders to be honest, except the price!

BigChap1759

Personally I still find ProV1/X to be the best ball, especially in terms of spin but, as pointed out by the OP, not worth twice the price.

Recently picked up 6 doz FG Tour cosmetic blemish for £15/doz - too cheap to refuse!

newport2

I think the most important thing is to consistantly use the same type. I use Titliest PV1, and when trying others I definitely notice a difference. That is not to say they're better or worse, just different.

Don't play with other guy's balls, stick to your own......

spacecoyote

Played the Z-Star myself for the whole of last year, and found them very good myself. The fact they are down to €25 per box now makes a big difference too, think the first 2 dozen I bought, were on sale for €35 per box

ShriekingSheet

A little thing I found is that you're more likely to replace the cheaper ball as you go, more readily than you would an expensive one.

Say you have a long SW bunker shot on the front 9. As can often happen with the likes of Vokey SM wedges, the ball can scuff. It doesn't take Trackman or any scientist to tell you that a scuffed ball, be it Titleist or Pinnacle, is not going to perform well.

If you've invested in a few expensive balls, you're less likely to throw the slightly scuffed one in the bag after 6 holes, and take out a new one. Having spent not so much on plenty of Srixons, I find myself way more readily replacing any kind of blemished ball (and using it in practice/casual golf later).

Russman

I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between the top manufacturers balls to be honest. Certainly for club golfers there isn't much. There's little or nothing between Pro V1, Taylormade TP5, Srixon Z Star, Bridgestone B300 S etc etc.
One may feel slightly different than the other but in terms of overall performance its much of a muchness IMHO. I think there's an element of placebo effect when someone says there's a huge difference between any of them. Like when you go back to a Pro V1 after trying another, you convince yourself its soooo much better, I think all that shows is the marketing works !!
Obviously the pros play what they're paid to play, but if any ball was significantly better they'd all play it. If you're good enough to notice a big difference then you probably shouldn't be paying for balls

Johnny_Fontane

I pay a euro a pro v (sometimes less, you might get 110 in the bag) from my old dog wielding friend who gets them off the beaches beside royal dublin and st annes....

but you're not getting his number - nobodys getting his number.

onlyfinewine

BigGrayKettle wrote: »

I absolutely loved the Tour Balata's (I was only a kid when they were for sale however so it made my day when I'd find one on the course!) Happened upon a dozen brand new in the box a few months back in the bottom of an old drawer. They look so nice I don't ever want to use them! Wouldn't be a great distance ball though these days!

Agree about the hype surrounding the likes of the Pro V1 - I've seen data comparing the likes of a Pro V1 and others on Trackman before and there isn't a whole lot between any of the market leaders to be honest, except the price!

Don't know if any can be got on special order or otherwise, but the balata covered Titleist and the Maxfli HT 100 balata were serious balls for backspin before the ProV's were produced.
The Pro V does hop and stop but the balata did spin so much that with the right conditions you could back up 20 feet on a wedge shot no problem. Some of the pro's like Greg Norman had so much "juice" on the ball that they had to land the ball so far towards the back of the green that they were in trouble if the green had a run-off towards the back. Look at some of the older stuff and you will see what I mean. Mind you the courses were not as stretched at the time so distance(relatively speaking) was not an issue.

slave1

BigGrayKettle wrote: »

I absolutely loved the Tour Balata's (I was only a kid when they were for sale however so it made my day when I'd find one on the course!) Happened upon a dozen brand new in the box a few months back in the bottom of an old drawer. They look so nice I don't ever want to use them! Wouldn't be a great distance ball though these days!

Ha, I have a few dozen of these still, never got around to using them before I took a break from the game and still in their boxes!

Benny Cake

Just bought 3 dozen z.star vx on onlinegolf.co.uk delivered for 25eur per dozen.... Great value....