Distance: Good Ball vs. Bad Ball

I play a lot of golf which increases my chances for losing balls quite dramatically. I think used premium balls suck quite frankly, so I cheat when I play. I play old practice balls (any brand) most of the time, except when I'm around the green and replace the ball in the exact position with a premium Chrome+. Used crap balls don't have spin at all, the Chrome+ obviously does. I realize this is a violation of rules, but I don't play any kind of tournament and therefore do not care. So please don't tell me I'm doing something wrong there :)

That being said, I pulled out the Chrome+ the other day accidentally and hit it off the tee box. I smashed it 30 yards further than the crap balls I played the rest of the day. I didn't know I hit it that far until I measured it with my GPS, otherwise I would have hit the crap ball to see the comparison. Later in the round I pulled out two crap balls and drove them both on the same hole. I feel pretty confident I hit them both exactly the same, even on the exact same line. One of them was a good 30yd behind the other.

So question, do good, brand new balls really make a difference in distance? A significant difference? My results would say yes, but I'm not certain that my grounds for testing weren't flawed. I may have to start playing the Chrome+ all the time and deal with it when I lose them.

I don't believe this has so much to do with one ball being old and another new. Were the balls all the same kind? You didn't say what kind the old "crap" balls were. I think this is probably where your difference in distance is coming from, but 30 yards between 2 balls does seem to be a dramatic difference. I think when it comes down to it, ball testing has to be done by the individual. I will say, it does sound like you have a winner on your hands with the Chrome+. If it feels good, do it!

Chrome+ are being run out right now so are pretty affordable. Stock up while you can.

Both were Top Flite.

New balls vs. old balls don't make that big a difference unless the ball has been in water or something adverse or years old. The ball that mat hers your ability to compress it is far more important. Since more than half of your strokes are within 50 yards of the green the ball that performs best for you around the green is the one you should choose. One caveat - if the ball has been in your car over night or in your garage where the core of the ball is so very cold- you can lose up to 20% distance in your shots. So keep your golf balls warm and don't let them get blue

Heck, I would play a Pinnacle Gold off the tee and to the green, and substitute the Chrome+ when necessary. Pinnacle Gold are cheap and they go.

forget the compression stuff; they all go about the same off the tee, except some go a bit better off the tee like Titleist Velocities, Pinnacle Gold and some others.

[quote name='gvogel' timestamp='1389927328' post='8475505']
Heck, I would play a Pinnacle Gold off the tee and to the green, and substitute the Chrome+ when necessary. Pinnacle Gold are cheap and they go.

forget the compression stuff; they all go about the same off the tee, except some go a bit better off the tee like Titleist Velocities, Pinnacle Gold and some others.
[/quote]

Cool, I may have to start buying those instead! But then again I know my approach is wrong and unorthodox, so playing a different ball for every shot based on the ball that's the best at that moment might be a little too unfair! I only do it to save money at the moment.