"High-end golf balls with high...handicap"

In the thread "You know you're a hack if..."

...When you play high end golf balls with a high end handicap...

I wonder about this. Are "high-end" balls really inappropriate for high 'cappers? What if money is not a factor? Should a dude who hasn't broken 100 throw back a found Pro V1? After all, he will play worse with it.. right? Should a player with a 28 handicap who receives the newest $50 pack of Bridgestones for his birthday let them sit in his closet and collect dust until he shoots his first 85 round, and keep playing his cheap 2-piece distance balls in the mean time?

I think this was more true back before ball technology took the big leaps in high performance solid core designs.

Prior to that, you had balata and you had solid core "rockflites". The spinny, durability challenged balata ball just didn't have much to offer the high handicapper. They exaggerated bad swings, they cut, they were expensive, and they flew shorter. The solid balls spun less, went farther/straighter, lasted longer, and they were cheaper...they also felt terrible.

Modern premium "high end" balls are low spin with the longer clubs and high spin with the shorter clubs. They are durable. They perform in all areas. They don't hurt the high handicapper except in the wallet, because high handicappers tend to lose more balls. At that level they don't *need* high end balls, but they aren't hurt by using them, either. There are also plenty of soft, low spin "budget" balls on the market that perform just fine.

I do not believe that high end balls are ideal for most double digit HCP golfers, but by all means play them if you are given or find them (but not for a tournament of $$ match) ! You may notice fades and draws wanting to become slices or hooks with the driver, or approach shots stopping shorter than you want. But your good swings will be fine and they should be playable. Should you spend $45-$50.dozen? No, and I believe there are dozens of balls better for most golfer's game for under $35.

Just ignore that thread, it's a way for posters to feel better about themselves by demeaning others.

Is there any benefit for a high handicapper to play high end balls? No

But if you have the cash, go for it.

Only time I've ever had this conversation in real life on the course is around the greens and hitting a little skipper that checks up. Sometimes people have asked how you do that. I usually ask them what kind of ball they're playing and explain the virtues of urethane covers. But aside from that, the type of ball someone plays almost never comes up unless I'm helping them to look for their ball.

I am still a high-handicapper and I've noticed the difference between the urethane balls and non-urethane balls. There are many reasonably priced (< $25/dz) urethane balls out there and I feel the price difference is justified when the ball does exactly what you want it to do. I think it's not really handicap that determines what ball but play-style. A low-handicap or even high handicap player that plays bump and run chip shots around the green can probably play any ball they desire, probably a ball that rolls more will work, but a low/high handicapper that plays high-pitching/lob shots type of style will benefit more with "higher" end 3-4-5 piece urethane balls.

An absolute benefit even for us hackers is that it feels so much better standing over a premium ball than a Pinnacle, you´ll feel more Rory than Charles Barkley looking down at an expensive "tour ball". I´m serious.

One of the top players in my men's club shot a 68 last year with a pink lady's (non-premium) ball on a dare. It was his lowest round of the year.

Play what you want.

If you look at the Golf Digest spin chart published annually, spin with the driver is very similar across all price ranges (within 450 rpm). Unless you're absolutely trying to optimize for a very repeatable swing, that 450 rpm up or down is going to vary more from swing inconsistencies than it is with the design of the ball.

There is a more significant difference in "half wedge" spin (about 3300 rpm from lowest to highest). Whether that half wedge spin helps, hurts, or doesn't matter to your game has little to do with handicap and has more to do with your personal short game method and whether you tend to leave it short or long on touch shots.

The same is true with approaches. If a high handicapper consistently misses short, more spin is not going to help. If a high handicapper is consistently running it off the back, it can help. I think the former is more common, but I play with some higher handicap players who tend to hit low trajectory approach shots and pitches with non-urethane balls and struggle with running the ball through the green. They would benefit from a high spin ball (or a technique change) but don't believe they are "good enough" to play a premium ball.

Conditions also matter. Here in the PNW it is regularly soft, even in summer when courses tend to over water. I have no problem stopping any ball on the market on local greens and sometimes the highest spinning urethane balls spin too much. On the other hand, I notice a significant difference on chips and short pitches because I like to spin those shots and make them bite.

I am a mid/low HI. I have about 170 premium balls in mint condition I have found on my home course this year. I am still debating when to play them...and I didn't even pay for them. :-)

I'm a 5.4 hdcp with my max drive distance being 250. Most drives are around 230. I use DT Solo because of the trajectory they offer. A Pro V1, Penta, Z Star....premium urethane cover ball just flies way too low for me. I get a nice high launch with DT Solo. I see the same thing with a lot of players that have a good all around game but just seem to feel it's more manly to use the balls they see on tour. They tee up a Pro V1x that gets no more than 20 feet off the ground. I'd say 90% of players out there, including a lot of single digit hdcp players should leave the high end balls on the shelf. It's a lot more enjoyable to look up and see your ball on a nice high trajectory even though it's not what Rickie and Rory are playing.

[quote name='Sean2' timestamp='1409611496' post='10046435']
I am a mid/low HI. I have about 170 premium balls in mint condition I have found on my home course this year. I am still debating when to play them...and I didn't even pay for them. :-)
[/quote]

You aren't alone I've got a bunch of quality Pro V1's that I've found and don't really use. My son will use them however. I do tend to play last year's tour balls that have been discontinued or marked down substantially. The performance around the greens or the occasional thin shot into the green justifies using a high end ball for a mid capper. I've got about 12 dozen good quality Prov1's and x's.......don't know why I will not play them (found..no cost) and will play Wilson FG Tours, TM Penta TP5 or TM Lethals.....I'm just quirky

[quote name='CoolPercussion' timestamp='1409546807' post='10043353']
In the thread "You know you're a hack if..."
[quote name='TMelectric' timestamp='1408739730' post='9989339']
...When you play high end golf balls with a high end handicap...
[/quote]

I wonder about this. Are "high-end" balls really inappropriate for high 'cappers? What if money is not a factor? Should a dude who hasn't broken 100 throw back a found Pro V1? After all, he will play worse with it.. right? Should a player with a 28 handicap who receives the newest $50 pack of Bridgestones for his birthday let them sit in his closet and collect dust until he shoots his first 85 round, and keep playing his cheap 2-piece distance balls in the mean time?
[/quote]
I really encourage high caps to play high end balls. The higher the cap the better. Especially on tight courses with narrow fairways. High caps will not gain anything at all from them cause they have no game, but it will allow me to find more tour balls in the rough to add to my bag.

^^ Lol.

Yes, they will often help even a high-capper, mainly due to ability to hold greens. But typically, the difference is literally maybe 2 strokes in a round. But, since money generally is a factor, if my game is such that I'm losing 5 balls in a round, I know for myself I'd normally rather have the $15 more in my pocket than the 2 strokes. YMMV.

You can get good spinning urethene balls for approach shots for much less money than the balls the pros use - Project (a), Maxfli U series, e5, and Gamer Tour are a few examples. I find even the high spin Project (a) better (longer and straighter) off the driver than a Prov1 or Prov1X for my swing.

Plenty of good inexpensive options with good greenside spin for the high capper.

Those mentioned above are good options especially the U series. Also Maxfli Revolution Spin and Callaway Supersoft are good options.

I play off 18. Don't normally play with a Pro V1 but do occasionally play one if I happen to have one land in my garden (pretty frequently as I live by the course). No doubt they are good balls and I play them well enough. I still like Bridgestone's and pick up last years 330's for c. $30. On the other hand, balls at the cheaper end do seem to feel that way. Having said that, I also picked up a few boxes of Bridgestone xFix's for around $15 and am pleased to say are v good distance balls and stop very nicely (better than e6's). Honestly, anybody can play with an ball they want as long as it feels right for you. No reason not to play a premium ball if it works for you and suits your pocket (just don't be surprised if the cost mounts up if you lose too many).

[quote name='rstlne' timestamp='1409604318' post='10045833']
I am still a high-handicapper and I've noticed the difference between the urethane balls and non-urethane balls. There are many reasonably priced (< $25/dz) urethane balls out there and I feel the price difference is justified when the ball does exactly what you want it to do. I think it's not really handicap that determines what ball but play-style. A low-handicap or even high handicap player that plays bump and run chip shots around the green can probably play any ball they desire, probably a ball that rolls more will work, but a low/high handicapper that plays high-pitching/lob shots type of style will benefit more with "higher" end 3-4-5 piece urethane balls.
[/quote]

Agree with this completely. A high handicapper misses a lot of greens, sometimes by 20-30 yards and has to hit the ball over a greenside bunker and get it to stop on the green. A ball with a urethane cover is night and day better for this. I will take a ProV1X, Project a or U3 every time over a Supersoft or E6. Having tried urethane covered balls this season, I am not going back to surylin.

I believe you need 2 criteria for balls:

Price

Swing Speed


I know lots of golfers that have SS over 90+ and shoot in the 100's. My swing speed is under 90 and I'm a scratch golfer.