Do you test golf balls?

Equipment
#1

I have too much downtime and not enough drugs in my back… so I’ve been thinking about my golf game, and to quote my current catchphrase, I’m looking for ACTIONABLE stuff to help improve… Golf balls is one of the things I think about… I find it an insanely interesting market from a business perspective, and I find it confusing and overwhelming as a customer… I’ve been thinking about buying sleeves of all the major players and getting on the simulator once my back is healed and my swing is better… but as I think about it, I go back to ACTIONABLE ™.

  1. One of the things I didn’t think about until MyGolfSpy last year was quality of build… a consistent golf ball is going to give more consistent results… This should help dispersion overall, even if only 1 of 12 balls is off… Should this be the primary concern? Is there a way to test it beyond MGS findings? I’m not sure it’s actionable outside of picking the brands with the best reputations and avoiding the big misses on the MGS list.
  2. What am I trying to optimize? Distance off the tee? Spin into greens? Both? Straightest ball? Easiest ball to find in the rough? (lost ball penalty is no joke!)… What’s the balance for me between optimized, consistent and price? XXIO makes a ball. It’s not cheap. I know it’s not worth that!
  3. How do I determine what’s best for me? My basic thought is to the options I like, hit them on a monitor and make sure I get consistent results that are in line with my expectations…

I do believe different balls perform differently, and it’s important to pick one a season and (mostly) stick with it… I usually have some cheap Maxfli’s or Costco balls in my bag in case I’m really playing poorly… but if I’m planning on scoring a round, I want to play the same ball (Snell last year).

I think I’ll test a few different options this year… Snell. Costco 4 piece (if it gets decent reviews), Bridgestone (my favorite ball last year, just expenisve), ProV1 and probably TaylorMade… and see which one performs the best, verify it’s worth the extra money and play with it all season…

Anyone else loyal to one ball? Anyone have a favorite I didn’t mention? I’ve never liked Callaway balls, so they haven’t made the early cut.

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#2

I moved from Prov1X to B X last year. First time in 20 years Titleist is not my ball. When testing, I always test from the green back. If you stay in the same quality of ball the distance will not be significantly different but they are way different around the greens IMO.

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#3

I used to think that as long as a ball had a urethane cover, it was good enough for me, but I’ve become even pickier. I don’t like playing the ionomer covered balls as I feel like I have to adjust my chipping/pitching too much. Some are better than others, but I agree with Pelz that a ball with a urethane cover is better around the greens. I would buy whatever deal I could get on a urethane covered ball, but after a while I realized there were differences there as well. Some seemed noticeably shorter off the driver, some seemed “jumpy” off wedges and short irons, and other less noticeable differences. I find myself trying to find that “compromise” ball that goes decently off the driver and still checks up on the greens…and that isn’t $45-$50 a box.

I really liked the original Costco 4-piece ball. I bought a bunch and only played that ball 3? years ago. I liked some other balls a bit better, but that ball was a bargain and I felt like I would be more consistent with using just 1 type of ball. I was hoping to like the 3-piece, but I just liked it and found it noticeably shorter off the tee for me. It was a super bargain, but just not quite good enough IMO.

I did a bit of testing at my clubfitter a couple of years ago. I took winter lessons and he also lets people pay for time hitting balls with the launch monitor. I would try some different balls and see the results. I was hoping to do that this past winter, but never had time before Covid hit. I probably will not this year either, but I think I know which balls I like any way.

I played 2 different balls this year, the previous year’s Tour B X and the Snell MTB-X. Both worked well for me and the price was right. I was going to buy a bunch of Snells for this year (still might), but I liked the Bridgestone just a bit better and am hoping to see a winter deal. I was able to try some different balls and I liked the TP5X, Z Star XV, Tour B X, MTB-X along with ProV1X. I have a box each of the Srixon XV and ProV1x for next year as I snagged them during year end tournaments. I would like to play just 1 ball so I maybe should snag more Srixons while they have a sale, but I do like the Bridgestone just a bit better.

I did used to really like the Cally balls, but I saw early on about the quality and got shy of buying more. I won’t pay the price for ProV’s. I like the ball, but there are always deals on TM, Bridgestone, Srixon, etc and I like those too. For me there is not enough performance difference in the Prov1x…but if they are on the table when I get to pick during a raffle I will grab them lol.

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#4

I really like the b x last year… gamed the snell due to the cost, but might have to put the two head to head and make sure I’m not losing any performance.

I’ve noticed some significant distance differences in various balls, but it might just be a sample size problem.

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#5

Will, man you’ve got a lot going on here. Let’s simplify it. First, MGS is full of crap and they’re not that smart. Ignore their list. Second, identify an area where you need a ball to perform the most. That’s it. For me, its 140-in, how it releases (especially with a wedge) and feel off the putter. Third, find a ball or 3 and go test them on the course. My pro lets me go off the back at 7:30a to test. Sorry but testing in a bay doesn’t work. Finally for you its price point. Dude, we’re club Am golfers. Our swings and impact areas are inconsistent and play a larger role in performance than the standard manufacturing variance of a club or ball.

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#6

Ha, please understand that most of this is me taking things to the logical conclusion… I’ve very rarely blamed a ball for any part of my score (I lost a chip off in a member guest because I mistakenly used my partners ball and it did not check the way I expected it to)

I mostly play snell, but might upgrade to the Bridgestone this season… I don’t go through a ton of balls a season.

As for monitor vs course testing, I’ll try to do both this season and see if there is a difference… the 10th hole is a good straight hole to test on.

#7

Ha! If that’s the case don’t start digitally specing your clubs against OEM’s stated specs. Gibson can guide you indoors at HQ but outdoors is where its at. Especially out of the bunker.

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#8

I’m fortunate that our club has 2 GC Hawks on order and should be up and running about the same time as my back is back online… I always plan on taking the indoor stuff with a grain of salt, but using it to establish a baseline and help build repeatability… In other words, I’m less worried about the exact number a 1/2 wedge travels, and more worried about it travelling the same number every time… then I can figure out what that number actually is on the course.

With my new focus on dispersion, I’m less concerned with golf balls, as I don’t think they will change my dispersion all that much, so I’m less worried about 10 yards here or there if they go where I expect them to go…

But I do think random tests like this are fun and a good way to demonstrate how much more important the golfer is than the equipment! While it’s also good to figure out how to maximize returns with the equipment you have, simply because you can.

It also allows me to practice things like “can I spin this ball more?” and screw around with launch parameters to better teach myself to adjust on the fly when I’m on the course.

#9

I work on a course with trees and areas of long grass, so I’ve had a variety of players donate to my personal ball-testing. The only balls I’ve bought have been Snell, which I love around the greens. The mtb-x can spin too much on approaches, though; my steep approach combined with irons that spin a bit too much for me anyway made this ball a bit of a headache in the wind. I really like the TP5x, too. Not as much spin around the green as the Snell, but I absolutely love the flight I get tee-to-green. The Pro-V was a good ball for me, too, but not as good for me as the Taylormade tee-to-green, and not as much spin around the green as the Snell, which is an important feature as my bad short game miss is low and hot; the Snell mitigated that miss better than the Titleist, or any other ball I played this year.

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#10

I have a bad habit of trying different balls frequently, which I will eventually stop doing once I work through my stash. But currently I consider the OnCore Avant55. “my” ball.

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#11

I’m curious if this is because I lack feel or if other people are just more sensitive (or more insane) than I am… but can you feel the difference in golf balls while putting?

For me, I can tell the difference between a range ball, a cheap surlyn ball and a urethane ball… but I’ve putted interchangeably with Snells and TP5s this offseason, and can’t feel or hear a difference. I haven’t tried them side by side, and it’s been cold… but I’ve never noticed a urethane ball “feeling” different off my putter face.

I guess if I master my tempo, I can start rolling different balls and seeing if the difference changes… that’s a fun side goal for good tempo!

I’m not confident I can feel it when hitting them either, though I will notice different ball flights.

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#12

I have played Titleist my entire life. Started with Tour 90 Balata. When ProV1 came out with the urethane cover, I reluctantly began moving to the 2 and 3 piece construction and have since played them for years. (no one likes to mess with what was working) What convinced me was you couldn’t knock a plastic ball out of round. After 2 rounds with same Balata Ball you were hitting an egg, and putting with an out of round ball was no fun so there it was. ProV1x was like hitting a rock to me, it felt like hitting a Spalding TopFlite from back in the day! Even though I’m a single digit hdcp, after my injury and then finding how dramatically I had lost form and clubhead speed after a 2 year layoff I found that a ball switch was in order to help me as much as possible. Even though through mechanics and position re-training and using a monitor, I have been able this year to dramatically increase my swing speed from 84mph to 95mph I am still going to play a softer compression ball for now (as I have a couple dozen). My ball of choice at the moment is Callaway SuperSoft It’s about a 38 compression. I like the sound off the clubface and, on the monitor, I’m getting 10mph ballspeed more than the ProV1s I also have a few dozen of. I am getting driver spin rates of 1800-2300 depending on my body function on any particular day and that increases my distance alot! I’m getting good distance, limited sidespin and because my swing, in general produces a high ball flight naturally, huge backspin isn’t a premium for me. If I can get consistently back up over 100mph, then I may switch back. For now I am satisfied. After I stopped about 20 years ago playing competitive amatuer golf I really started to model my equipment choices around those of LPGA golfers. I can relate to their course distances, their clubhead speeds etc. I can no longer relate to PGA players today…their performance is great to watch and is must see TV, it just makes no sense to use what they do…not even close. you want to model yourself after players you can relate to and with. Even on the Champions Tour, Langer (he’s my age) is only busting out there 260 or so and to be honest, my game does not equate or relate to Vijay, Stricker or Phil…as much as I want to think and lie to myself that it does…LOL

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#13

I can’t tell the difference when putting. Maybe because we have small greens and no matter what ball I use it has a urethane cover? I can definitely see a performance difference especially around the greens and I can feel it on full shots. If you gave me a TP5 and TP5X I probably couldn’t tell them apart putting, but off the tee and on full irons and wedges I’m 99.9% sure I’d know which was which just by feel.

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#14

I never felt much of a difference putting except going from Balata to Plastic. The balls I have putted are basically all urethane and for 40+ years I used only 3 putters, for about 5 years I used a Wilson 8802 I got from my uncle, then I played for 28 years with a 1975 Ping Anser (old habits are hard to break on the greens). I switched over 2 years ago to a TM Rossa Daytona 6 with the agsi insert. It’s basically a Kia Ma knock off from TM. Who is Kia Ma, well he taught Scotty Cameron. The insert is giving me a more consistent roll! My putter length is custom for me as I modeled my putting after Ray Floyd. So my putter length is 36.5 inches (I stand more upright, than bent over). I think the insert helps with YOUR FEEL. I liked the Daytona 6 for the look and performance and I just couldn’t see (and still can’t) spending $600 or more for a blade. The balls should all basically perform the same as far as roll on a green because you are not compressing it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2NTzNi7LDE&t=256s …it’s the chipping and pitching you will find the difference in ball performance. I’ve never been good enough to perform the magic todays PGA level players do around the greens even when I was at the top of my game. So I just don’t see how a ProV1x or TPS5 is going to drastically alter my game…If that makes sense.

#15

My favorite ball, ever, was Hogan Tour Deep. Buy, alas…

Now, my primary balls are Wilson Duo and On-Core Avant.

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#16

Never used either of those. I know I gained 15 yards going to the lower compression ball. Distance is everything to me at the moment. I have to get back to 250 or more consistently to compete against younger guys. On my home course that’s only 6150, accuracy is a premium on 6 holes. We have very severe doglegs get it out 200 or so then 120 in. Everyone is even steven on those. The longer straight par 4s are only 425, 430, 440, but if your only whacking 220 off the tee, it’s long bombs for approaches. If I can weasel out 250-260 I can get home with 7 or 8 iron. Then I can compete, I can’t compete when on every hole they have wedge in hand. So soft compression ball cheats me 12 yds, good swing mechanics gets me 240. I always played titleist, I liked the hogan tour 392s, I just never played them. Try the supersofts, they are reasonable in price and you might be surprised at the feel

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#17

I have to agree with you on this that it is really hard to tell much of a difference between premium balls when putting. The only ball that I noticed was pretty different with the short game was when I tried the Chrome Soft. I found that ball really squishy on long putts and couldn’t really get a feel for it. The X version I tried a sleeve of them and it was better but I just haven’t gone back. I am liking the Snell’s, I am generally a TP5x player though. I think they feel the same putting.

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#18

Awesome… I saw someone breaking down the feel on a putter on various urethane balls and I was curious if I was the only one who couldn’t tell the difference…

I’m tempted by the Bay Hill TP5Xs… they look sweet. I like the ball just fine, but if I’m going to spend money on a premium ball I go ProV or Bridgestone.

I’m probably going to buy 4 dozen Bridgestone if they have a 3 for 4 sale, which I’ve heard is coming… I’m also excited to try the Costco ball, but no idea when that is coming out.

#19

I did buy 3 dozen get one free with the TP5x last year and they lasted almost the whole season for me. I don’t lose a ton of balls, and I guess that is relative to each individual and the courses you play.

There is one course up here that I have mentioned several times- The Shattuck- and its built on a marsh basically. It is very narrow target golf but fun at times in its own right. I don’t like to take the premium balls here because a good shot can still end in a lost ball quite easily and they add up.

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#20

My course is feast or famine for me… It’s fairly wide open, but then basically falls off into houses.

There aren’t 2 contiguous fairways on the entire course… Not much water, but plenty of OB.

If I’m wild, I move to Costco balls and call it a day!

I like supporting small businesses, so I tend to buy Snell… but I was CRUSHING the Bridgestone and liked it around the greens… so I might have to buy 4 dozen.

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