Ball Fitting

gypsy79

Few questions from a curious mind

Has anyone done one? How do they work?

Secondly, ball compressions, does anyone have a site that lists all balls by their compression. I notice Seed arent exactly transparent on their site, listing as high/low and not a lot more

Any other information. I note the new Taylormade Soft Response is advertised as 35 but in reality this comes close to 70-80 in reality when you take in covering. I think I read that somewhere

spacecoyote

The MyGolfSpy guys have been doing detailed ball testing in the last year or so. They might have some good detail on there, for the balls they've tested at least

gypsy79

https://mygolfspy.com/best-golf-balls-2021/

I think this is latest one...thanks

Interesting see how poor the TP5 did

Ivefoundgod

I didn't have a ball fitting as such in that we didn't hit different types to check the stats but when I had my fore golf fitting they recommended the Bridgestone Tour BX as its low spinning off the driver and suited to my club head speed. He did say the Pro V1X would also work for me but the Bridgestone are cheaper. Using them so far this year and happy with them. Didn't recommend Chromesofts and mentioned that seed are very inconsistent in terms of quality control. Had heard Callaway have had massive issues with that in the past too.

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119069277#Comment_119069277

Any info on the seed quality control?

I've been using the pro 1 and more recently the pro x1 over the last couple of years. I don't know what I would be looking for but always thought they performed well. The only difference between the balls was that I felt the older pro 1 was slightly softer and had a bit more spin on wedges.

EDIT: I recall finding a Honma ball in amongst a new sleeve of seed balls last year. Couldn't really tell much difference and played the ball. Thinking about it now, I probably should have cut the balls open to compare them.

Ivefoundgod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119070192#Comment_119070192

I don't think its unique to Seed to be fair, I think mygolfspy cover the consistency of the ball when reviewing. Only thing he said was that the Seed balls are not consistent and the tolerances for QC are lower compared to the higher end balls. I can't say I've noticed anything with Seed balls, thought they were fine if not quite at a Prov1 level.

benny79

I think seed is a great ball personally

gypsy79

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119075688#Comment_119075688

I think I am agreeing. I think the SD-05 is an OK ball but there are better available for cheaper

benny79

I think the seed SD-01 is equivalent to the Pro v1 and the SD-02 is equivalent to Pro v1x

TheDoc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119075688#Comment_119075688

Yeah I've moved to them since I came back golfing. Using the SD-X1 which has been lovely. Am testing out the SD-01 at the moment, not getting a lot of roll on my putter so just wanted to try something a tiny bit firmer.

But its marginal stuff, I've shot good rounds with both. Probably getting two rounds out of a ball before I put it into the practice bucket, they do seem to blemish pretty badly.

benny79

Yea they do but so do pro v's 2 rounds out of a premium ball is good going though.

Ivefoundgod

Srixon Z star are the least durable ball I've used recently, don't think Seed are any worse. Biggest issue with seed is they aren't good value anymore IMO, €35 delivered on the subscription model if starting a new one. My older SD-01 subscription is €29. You can get chromesofts, Bridgestone Tour BX/XS and last years Pro V1s or TP5s for around the same price or €40 which makes it less attractive to me. I bought 4 dozen Bridgestone Tour BX from clubhouse golf for €29 per dozen in April. Similar deals for the premium brands but slightly dearer.

Will still use Seed occasionally but I'm sticking with the Bridgestones for the foreseeable future.

benny79

Yeah I notice seed are creeping up the prices! Chromesofts for €29! where was that? Everywhere I have seen them they have been €45/50 which is madness They were only €30 when they came out. I like them but not for that price!

Ivefoundgod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119084554#Comment_119084554

Sorry it was Bridgestones I got for €29 from here; https://www.clubhousegolf.co.uk/acatalog/Bridgestone-Tour-B-XS-Corporate-Colour-Golf-Balls-White.html#SID=8560 you need to buy 3+ to get the best value.

They did have last years chromesofts for around €35 a dozen earlier this year but you have to buy 3+, they still have some LS here;https://www.clubhousegolf.co.uk/acatalog/Callaway-2021-Chrome-Soft-X-LS-Golf-Balls-White.html#SID=8561

If you bulk buy the 4 for 3 deals you can usually get TP5s, Prov1s or Chromesofts for about €40 a dozen. Mcguirks have the chromesofts here https://www.mcguirksgolf.com/p/callaway-chrome-soft-ball--white/ca22d0105001 but Taylor Made and Titleist didn't run their promo this year because of stock issues.

blue note

Sadly, I can't comment on durability :(

But I can't see how you say that the seeds aren't good value any more. €35 delivered is for one dozen. I get two dozen every 3 months and have cancelled the last couple of deliveries because I wasn't ready for them. But if you're playing a lot you should get through it. And at 2 dozen per deliver it's €32 a dozen I think. It's a similar quality product to the other premium balls and you won't find many cheaper than it. Certainly not significantly cheaper.

I don't understand paying €40 for and feeling you got a good deal when you could have paid less for a similar product. Plus they're Irish. I certainly like to support local where I can.

Ivefoundgod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119084717#Comment_119084717

Point I was making was you can get premium brand balls for a similar price to seed which IMO negates the direct to consumer model of Seed. The whole point of D2C is they can sell them to you cheaper, when I can get a dozen from a premium brand for only a few euros more then I think it loses some of the appeal, especially if I can walk into the likes of McGuirks and get them.

I think spending €40 and getting a 'golf' brand is going to appeal to much more golfers than paying similar money for a relative unknown. The same thing has happened with Vice and Snell balls in the US. They started out a lot cheaper than ProV1s but over time that has changed. They are a similar product but I do think a ProV1 or TP5 (haven't used chromesofts much) is a better ball and as I said earlier, the guys in Foregolf reckoned their QC isn't as good as the bigger brands which is not surprising IMO. Again I have no problem with seed and think they are decent balls, just that they make less sense to me now that I can get the premium brands for a similar price, that's just a personal preference though. I'll still use Seed and have a few of their gloves (which are excellent quality IMO) plus plan to get a bag and umbrella at some point.

blue note

You seem to notice a difference with the ball which I don't. So for me for the ball they're the same performance wise and I prefer the seed logo to the premium brand ones.

But on price, it's convenient with seed that they're €29 a dozen plus delivery. You don't have to go looking for an offer. And you can just get them delivered twice a year. If you're getting 6 boxes, that's €12 delivery per year. So €31 per dozen. To me that's a lot cheaper than looking for a €40 per dozen offer in McGuirks. And it means you don't have to go look out for an offer and go to McGuirks!

At a glance from their website these are the prices - all on offer (discount for buying 2 dozen for example).

Chromesoft €41

Z Star €45

ProV1 €50

TP5 €42.50

You'll save €4 less per box than you used to with seed, but you still save a lot using their balls.

Ivefoundgod

If you don't notice a difference then its a moot point really. It could all be in my head with the balls, I just think the Seeds don't spin as much around the green and feel a bit firmer than the comparable ball in a premium brand. Haven't tried the X1s though.

blue note

If you've more confidence around the greens, regardless of whether that's because they're doing what you think they are or because you just think they are that's worth something. Confidence standing over the ball will convert to shots. So even if that confidence comes from Titliest spending money on ads, it might be a real difference in terms of performance.

Also, they might actually just spin more around the greens!

Ivefoundgod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119085730#Comment_119085730

One thing I did notice, when using a putter with an insert (Spider X in my case) vs a milled face I found the Prov1 and TP5 noticeably softer off the milled face than the Seeds. Noticed it much less when using the Spider. Possible that the insert deadens the feel a bit, not sure on that.

IAmTitleist

I've been using the Bridgestone RX pretty religously for the past 2/3 years. Amazon generally sell them for £30 with free next delivery is why i first bought them.

But last night found a Titleist AVX on course and hit a few tee shots with it, when i really connected with it it was giving me about 10 yards more with the driver. AVX was producing a more penetrating flight launching lower than my Bridgestone RX which i liked.

I'm reluctant to give up playing Bridgestone because i like walking up to my ball on a fairway and knowing immediately which is mine because Bridgestone is a rarity amongst a sea of Titleists.

Anyone know which of the Bridgestone line up would be most similar to the AVX so i can buy a dozen and compare?!

gypsy79

I did a club fitting yesterday and ball recommendation was actually Bridgestone RX

Will try some soon

Ivefoundgod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119088650#Comment_119088650

I've noticed that since switching to the tour BX as well, nobody using Bridgestone or at least no one I've played with. I'm delighted with the Tour BX, I think the AVX is meant to be very good ball too but they are ProV1 pricing and I've never seen them on any sort of deal.

spacecoyote

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119088650#Comment_119088650

If you go to the Bridgestone website, there is a Find My Ball tool. Think you could input your details and state that you're playing the AVX currently and it should try match you to the equivalent Bridgestone that lines up with it

higster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119091969#Comment_119091969

From playing with it looks to me recommendation mostly determined by swing speeds (RX for <105 mph speed).

where do you get Bridgestone? Struggle to get them in shops around Limerick area. Want to give it a try

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119088650#Comment_119088650

very similar experience here. Found one, liked it a lot and playing it since. Definitely too big of a price for my skill level but do like the feel and flight (when connect properly).

big_drive

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119093569#Comment_119093569

Bridgestone balls on sale in mcguirks at moment for €40 per dozen. Probably the best deal around for the premium end balls

TheDoc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119085590#Comment_119085590

I've been going between the SD01 and SDX1 this year. Reason for the test is I just found the SDX1 a little weird to put with, in that I was just getting no pace control on long putts. So went to the slightly harder SD01 to try it out.

Reality is it's probably just me and I need to work on it. Have shot mid 70 rounds with both balls. I find the spin and stopping power on both excellent.

But I agree with your point that if their price continues to creep, then they start to lose their appeal a little.

As someone back to the game this year after a long break, the fact there is more balls than just a PROv1 to use is a cool thing imo. I hear alot about these bridgestones and Chromesofts. General plan is to pick up boxes as I go through the year and just try them all out for a few rounds, see which ones I like.