Golf balls

swingking

The properties of golf balls got me thinking:

Will you play better with a better golf such as a prov1 or a not so good ball such as a pinnacle or a top-flite?

What makes these balls so expensive because I rarely buy expensive golf balls and I still shoot in the mid 70s

okden

swingking wrote:

What makes these balls so expensive because I rarely buy expensive golf balls and I still shoot in the mid 70s

some brands are dearer than other brands, but if there from the same company the price difference is in the production process, T_prov's cost more to make than T_nxt's.

this is a rough breakdown, half of which you know anyway

soft balls dont go far
hard balls wont check up around green
exspensive balls go far and check up
very exspensive balls go far and check up, if your swing speed is v. high (110+ mph for prov1s)

truth is most people using prov1s could get the same check/feel and more distance off tee with a different exspensive ball, they just dont have the swingspeed they are disigned for.

you should buy some 3 packs of a few different exspensive and 2nd most exspensive balls from a few different companies, sounds like your not loosing many while playing. the ball you like is the ball you should play with, but its definately worth experementing.

Trampas

okden wrote:

soft balls dont go far
hard balls wont check up around green
exspensive balls go far and check up
very exspensive balls go far and check up, if your swing speed is v. high (110+ mph for prov1s)

What are talking about when you say you need to swing at a 110mph to use a prov1's

Do you know what you are talking about.

I know people who play off low singles handicap 4 and less and don't swing fast and use prov1's

okden

yep, i know what im talkin about, titleist actualy took it off there web site when they became so popular with normal slower swingers. fact is there designed to maximise distance for an optimium ss of 110+ mph without loosing their buttery feel around the greens.
you dont need any ss to play them or any other ball, its just that there are other balls on the market designed to maximise distance without loosing their buttery feel for slower swing speeds that a lot of prov1 users should try out. its a quick route to gaining 5 yards of the tee.
its all aerodynamics.
i saw faldo on tv hit an antique ball with a new driver 150 yards, and then a new ball with an antique driver 250 yards. he then summed it up as, "its the ball stupid!".

copacetic

okden wrote:

yep, i know what im talkin about, titleist actualy took it off there web site when they became so popular with normal slower swingers. fact is there designed to maximise distance for an optimium ss of 110+ mph without loosing their buttery feel around the greens.
you dont need any ss to play them or any other ball, its just that there are other balls on the market designed to maximise distance without loosing their buttery feel for slower swing speeds that a lot of prov1 users should try out. its a quick route to gaining 5 yards of the tee.
its all aerodynamics.
i saw faldo on tv hit an antique ball with a new driver 150 yards, and then a new ball with an antique driver 250 yards. he then summed it up as, "its the ball stupid!".

no they didn't, you must be getting the normal pro-v1 mixed up with the pro-v1x..

okden

yeah they did, although it was the original prov1 if thats what you mean, it was before they made the prov1x at the request of some pros who wanted a sligthly lower spin rates, before all the wins and all the hype, ".....prov1 ....optimised for 110+mph ss". im not saying dont play them, just experiment.
this link explains ball choice better than i can.

copacetic

okden wrote:

yeah they did, although it was the original prov1 if thats what you mean, it was before they made the prov1x at the request of some pros who wanted a sligthly lower spin rates, before all the wins and all the hype, ".....prov1 ....optimised for 110+mph ss". im not saying dont play them, just experiment.
this link explains ball choice better than i can.

maybe the original was in between the current ball and the x? I know that the current pro-v1 does niot require anything like a swing speed of 110mph to get the best out of it, it is a perfect ball for anyone who can afford it really, as long as they are a reasonable player. They are a bit steep though and this years model seems to have a little less spin for me, I've been trying the nike one platinum which is 39 for 12 and they are pretty good, as good for my game as the pro-v1 or the hx tour. This years NXT Tour is very similar to last years pro-v1 - gone to basically a 3 piece style design and it is good value at 33 or so for 12 also.

The lower end balls I have tried can tend to be designed for slower swingers though, which means if you strike the ball well they tend to ballon - eg the pts solo..

okden

yeah they change them so often its hard to keep track, (i found nike to be the worst for rapid changes).
i think it was around the time of the prov1* which is pretty early.

the prov1 slipped in as legal by getting an exponential increase of distance as clubheadspeed increased above 98 mph, which was the max speed used for testing at the time. the new max testing speed is 120mph, but the new speed tests had to allow for the balls they had already let slip through.

upshot is all these premium balls have a built in set clubheadspeed, where anyspeed gain above that point gives bonus yardage. idealy we'd all be using a ball that gave us a bonus yardage for our own clubheadspeed, finding the ball is the hard part.

the titleist website now has ballspeed to represent them, if its accurate there looks like a much more even distribution between the line, form nxt->nxt tour->prov1->prov1x. id still say IMHO prov1s look like a 100mph ball, to realy reap the benifits that is. when i say most prov1 users dont need them, its just i see a lot of 70mph swingers with a bag full of them, they may aswell have a bag full of old balata's. im not talking about good golfers swinging in the 90s, although its still worth experimenting.

i realy liked the hx tours, i might give thoose platinums a try. have you tried any others you liked i was going to try some of the hogan premiums.

copacetic

100mph would make sense I guess since I am prob around there, maybe a little lower
have heard the hogan tour deep is nice, but the hogans are made in same factory as the hx tours so maybe similar?
Have heard the new bridgestone B330s (the s is for 'spin') is meant to be a great new ball, I tried the original B330 and it was similar to the pro-v1x, good for distance but not enough spin for me.
Haven't been able to source the B330s as yet in UK or Ireland though.

Think I will stick with the one platinum for the time being, only downside so far is the 'swoosh' is pretty crap for lining up the ball, and the little 'one platinum' logo is a bit small for lining up. Am also interested in the HX Tour 56, which apprently is an even better version of the standard HX tour.

Another interesting one is that I understand all Nikes premium balls are made under license by Bridgestone in the same factorys they make their own balls.

okden

the b330s was the other ball i wanted to try, couldnt find it either, their 733 combo iron set looks sweet too, hopefully theyll start stocking their products here.
interesting stuff about the factories.

swingking has any of this convinced you too splash out.
3 nxt tour and 3 prov1, would be a good place to start for a longer than average good ball striker.

swingking

I tried the prov1 golf balls and I am sold. I love the distance and the spin, not to mention the feel. THe only problem is the fact that they go for 15eur a sleeve or 50eur a box of 12. Bit pricey.

okden

at least the 2nd hand market is flooded with them

swingking

Where can you get second-hand prov1s (other than the internet) in Ireland, I have tried everywhere

okden

i know ive seen them in one of the courses ive played in, they were seperated in to their own basket i think they were 2.50 each but i cant remember which course it was.

but i was thinking ebay or buy and sell, id say half the balls on ebay are provs

which reminds me has anyone ever used these guys
http://www.golfballsireland-uk.com/

merlinsmerryman

Try using Nike Taz 2Lng fantastic ball great feel distance and control

EnjoyandImprove

Watch out for those refinished ProV1s, they can get very scuffed very quick!

I have some new Provs on adverts.ie

heavyballs

for anyone who's interested my local pro in greystones is selling a dozen pro v1x's(not the new model) for €32 euro,don't know how long that will last

spurscormac

Ok - has anyone got any advice on a reasonably priced ball for the not so regular player?

I currently play with Ultras or Top Flights, which I've heard described as crap hard rocks.
Can anyone advise on a mid range ball, not too hard, not too soft at a good deal?

jeemojney

Titl pts-roll about 20 yoyos for 12, I find prov's too dead for putting personally

Sandwich

spurscormac wrote: »

crap hard rocks.QUOTE]

What have you got against crap hard rocks?

Beware of swallowing the marketing spiel that soft=good, hard=bad. It just so happens that soft=expensive, hard=cheaper. Makers bing more intersted in extracting your euros from you than helping your golf game, have an interest in convincing you that expensive=good.

(Yes I know, spin, control, 'feel' (the ball is already gone by time you 'feel' anything!!), etc. But really, for the average or even good golfer. Money down the drain (or into it)).

spurscormac

Sandwich wrote: »

spurscormac wrote: »

crap hard rocks.QUOTE]

What have you got against crap hard rocks?

Beware of swallowing the marketing spiel that soft=good, hard=bad. It just so happens that soft=expensive, hard=cheaper. Makers bing more intersted in extracting your euros from you than helping your golf game, have an interest in convincing you that expensive=good.

(Yes I know, spin, control, 'feel' (the ball is already gone by time you 'feel' anything!!), etc. But really, for the average or even good golfer. Money down the drain (or into it)).

Thanks for the advice - I suppose what I'm looking for is a decent mid-range ball, or an under-priced good ball.
Found the Wilson Staff Dx2 Soft while looking online - anyone have thoughts on it ?
http://www.onlinegolf.co.uk/mens/golf-balls/distance-golf-balls/196scog/1692pog.asp

Sandwich

spurscormac wrote: »

Sandwich wrote: »

Thanks for the advice - I suppose what I'm looking for is a decent mid-range ball, or an under-priced good ball.
Found the Wilson Staff Dx2 Soft while looking online - anyone have thoughts on it ?
http://www.onlinegolf.co.uk/mens/golf-balls/distance-golf-balls/196scog/1692pog.asp

Its what you're looking for if you do want that softer feel. Feels a lot softer than the cheaper piinnacles, ultras etc.

CLADA

spurscormac wrote: »

Sandwich wrote: »

Found the Wilson Staff Dx2 Soft while looking online - anyone have thoughts on it ?
http://www.onlinegolf.co.uk/mens/golf-balls/distance-golf-balls/196scog/1692pog.asp

Never used them but saw them in American golf on the belgard rd yesterday on special for €14.50 a box.

Hutch_10

Srixon add333 are a fairly good ball, as far as I'm aware they're the exact same as the titleist nxts but they're €15.99 a dozen in american golf

jonas7

Hutch_10 wrote: »

Srixon add333 are a fairly good ball, as far as I'm aware they're the exact same as the titleist nxts but they're €15.99 a dozen in american golf

Used these about six months ago and thought they were a really nice ball but they were 30 or 35 euros.Are american golf having a sale or something?thats a great price.

Hutch_10

jonas7 wrote: »

Used these about six months ago and thought they were a really nice ball but they were 30 or 35 euros.Are american golf having a sale or something?thats a great price.

Just checked the website, they're listed at €18.99 a dozen on that but I'm nearly sure they were cheaper in store, its a while since I picked them up so don't hold me to that

GreeBo

just get the prov1 practice balls...perfectly legal, just the odd tiny printing error...25 a dozen

G1032

Trampas wrote: »

What are talking about when you say you need to swing at a 110mph to use a prov1's

Do you know what you are talking about.

I know people who play off low singles handicap 4 and less and don't swing fast and use prov1's

'Swinging fast' and 'fast swing speed' are two different things. Them guys who play off 4 or less might not swing the club really hard, but they more than likely have a very fast swing speed. You need the clubhead speed at impact and swinging fast might not help you achieve that goal. Look at Ernie Els - doesn't swing it hard or fast but has a very fast swing speed at impact.

MiniGolf

Hutch_10 wrote: »

Srixon add333 are a fairly good ball, as far as I'm aware they're the exact same as the titleist nxts but they're €15.99 a dozen in american golf

I bought them at €13.99 in American Golf Dundrum about a month ago!