Ugghhhh... I thought I could get away with it

So its been almost a year since I bought golf balls (Before I would by Pinnacle Golds, $15 for 12 cheeep!!!!)..... My golf game doesnt quantify premium stuff.....Clubs, gloves or "Golf Balls".....anyways I feel if the ball isnt busted up, I can still use it. so if I am close to an area where there might be plenty of balls Ill jump in the bushes to grab a few. I play on some "private" courses so finding some ProVs are not so hard..... I can come off a course with at least 3 - 5 brand newish ProVs

Anyways I have been playing with a bunch of "Promotional" balls you know those ones you get at tournaments? Get a whole box of golf balls for free!!! WOOHOO.... It took me 7 months to finally go through 3 full boxes of these "promotional balls" not thinking much about them just playing them. Scores wasnt to bad and just dealt with how the ball played.

Yesterday I finally stuck my hand in to the "premium" ball slot of my golf bag (HAHAHAH, you know you guys got 2 slots one for water holes and one for open fairways) and played the whole round with ProVs..... Holy crap what a difference around the green. Chipping in general was amazing. I saw the ball doing things I have never seen in the last 7 months. Where I aimed it actually stuck if I wanted it to sit it sat. If I want a little back it actually did.....

as a 15hdcp does a ball really make that much of a difference or did I just have one of those good days? I cant imagine that you can make a ball that different (Other than comparing Driving range balls vs Real balls). It almost makes me think the those promotional balls are almost at the level of driving range balls.... Damn.....

Must resist the urge to spend $50 for golf balls.. .must dive in bushes........

I think they do personally, Unfortunately the idiot swinging my clubs cannot avoid the blowup holes to bring the scores down. I have always been a subscriber of the premium balls, especially since I struggle with GIR's. With wedge in hand I want that ball to bite.

The ball definitely makes a bit difference.

Just think about gaming a true dog (Top Flite XL 2000/Pinnacle Gold) like you get in the events vs. a semi-decent ball (Bridgestone Fixx).

There's no reason to go out and spend $50 on a box of balls when there is plenty of selection out there. Bridgestone Fixx, TM RBZ, Srixon Q Star...

You can also go to some of the resale sites and pick up mint balls for 50% off retail price.

Yeah as a fellow 12-15 capper I will say balls do make a difference. In fact my biggest equipment goal this year is to find my ball moving forward for this year and beyond. As others said though tons of options for premium balls on the cheap. I am a frequent shopper at Target for their refurbished Pro V's. $20 a dzn, all like new and I have yet to tell the difference between those and the $50 ones. Also look at some of the 4 piece balls or similar balls. For years I played the Nike Power Distance Super Soft. $20-22 a dozen with a high end ball performance. Plenty of options.

You are correct I am all for those half price balls, I have been such a grinch that I havent paid for balls for so long I cant imagine going out looking for them ahahah

just wanted to see if there was a consensus, I can see at a pro level a ball makes a difference but a weekend hack does a ball really matter? I would ask the age old question of what balls do you recommended. But I can use the search function so I will keep the flames off and keep the question to myself.

I just would like some direction to make sure I am looking up or searching in the bush when I find a good ball, My comparisons I would say are

Range Balls - Crap we all know it, good enough to put in a safeway bag and take to the range
Promotional Balls - Free bees from tournaments "Slazenger Raw Distance" man they were handing them out like candy so i played them Yikes!
Cheap - Pinnacle Golds - $15 for 12 Ignorance was bliss I had no Idea it was cheap
Mid Range - TM Burner/RBZ (What is considered midrange? Give me some suggestions)
High End - ProV 1s (What are the premium balls I just know ProVs anything else?


Can you people throw out some balls in the category so I can start digging through buckets I have LOL!!!!

Mid Range - The Wilson Staff Duo's are popular among people who have given them a try. No more than $20/dozen retail.

Cheap - I'd put the Burners in this category, since they are usually around $15/dozen new. Callaway Warbird/Diablo Hex, etc.

Mid Range - Srixon Q-Star, TM Project a, Bridgestone E5,E6, etc, Callaway Hex whateverisaround$30, NXT Tours.

I'd add the new Tour Preferreds to the High end, as well as Nike 20Xi's and Bridgestone B-3300s, Srixon Z-Stars and whatever Hex whatever Callaway has out.

I think it does and it doesnt. When you lose them very often then it does. If you usually go thru 2-4 rounds per ball than they are worth it. I myself play pd soft nike. They can be had a $20 dollars for 18 balls. Its all on feel. I played the expensive balls and some I dont really care for. At a 15 handicap I would say, stay away from too soft a ball as that will just add more negative spin and encentuate your swing flaws (if you have them). Many companys put out their own version of distance, soft, long, however they maybe called. I say experiment and see which one gets you the best feel off the putter and most action on the greens without losing too much distance.

During a recent round, I forgot to load up my bag with the used balls my cousin gives me (found balls from the water hazards at the golf course he works at). So i decided to buy a dozen bridgestone e6's in orange. I couldn't really tell the difference between the used prov1's and v1x's i had left and the bridgestones. The thing that I liked the most was the orange color made it easier to spot.

[quote name='llewol007' timestamp='1392065917' post='8638795']
I think it does and it doesnt. When you lose them very often then it does. If you usually go thru 2-4 rounds per ball than they are worth it. I myself play pd soft nike. They can be had a $20 dollars for 18 balls. Its all on feel. I played the expensive balls and some I dont really care for. At a 15 handicap I would say, stay away from too soft a ball as that will just add more negative spin and encentuate your swing flaws (if you have them). Many companys put out their own version of distance, soft, long, however they maybe called. I say experiment and see which one gets you the best feel off the putter and most action on the greens without losing too much distance.
[/quote]


This is funny... I can go 2 rounds using 1 ball and then 2 rounds using a dozen HAHAHA Just depends... I hardly lose balls now compared to before... Slicing 50 yards not its more gouging of the ball or knick a cart path etc.

I have tried the wilson duo's didnt notice much other than it being long. Spin around the green wasnt as awe inspiring that I saw with the ProVs. I have heard good things about bridgestone, I will look into those.

Them Nikes? that good? I see a lot of them now. I stay tend to stay away from TM as The Penta Series made me sad, i would go through 2 sleeves a round because the cover was so soft...I would rip them to shreds. Havent really gone back since.

Thank you everyone for the response, time to dig through the buckets!

quick tip: learn to spot the different in color that urethane covers have. Those will be (9 times out of 10) your tour/premium balls. They are off-white and not as bright. After a while, you'll be able to see the difference instantly.

Ok time for a slap in the back of the head. You have been a member here about 12 months and you never ventured into the Golfball subforum of the equipment forum. You think guys are crazy buying different clubs, ball hoes are WAY worse.

You said you did not think there was a difference in balls and that only pros should play a Pro V1 type of ball and not 15 cappers. But you DID notice the difference in green side performance, so you have the game for that ball and that is what you should be playing. OK lecture and berating is now over.

So buy some Callaway Hex Chrome or last years Srixon Z Star or Taylormade Lethals, all will be on sale for less than $30.00 a dozen. If that is too expense buy used grade A for about half of that price.

in terms of feel i'm sure we can agree that we don't want to hit top flite xl balls. what the heck was top flite thinking when they made those things! "lets make golf balls that feel like you're hitting rocks, phil" " great idea, jim!"

range balls aren't bad to practice with and you can still hit fades or draws with them. I don't care what ball(except those top flite xl) I use because when I tee off they all feel the same and go everywhere so it doesn't matter. personally, I play used bridgestone b330 i get from ebay. hitting pvo v's are a little too soft but they do have some good deals on 2012 pro Vs that I might purchase.

[quote name='Exactice808' timestamp='1392066990' post='8638899']
[quote name='llewol007' timestamp='1392065917' post='8638795']
I think it does and it doesnt. When you lose them very often then it does. If you usually go thru 2-4 rounds per ball than they are worth it. I myself play pd soft nike. They can be had a $20 dollars for 18 balls. Its all on feel. I played the expensive balls and some I dont really care for. At a 15 handicap I would say, stay away from too soft a ball as that will just add more negative spin and encentuate your swing flaws (if you have them). Many companys put out their own version of distance, soft, long, however they maybe called. I say experiment and see which one gets you the best feel off the putter and most action on the greens without losing too much distance.
[/quote]


This is funny... I can go 2 rounds using 1 ball and then 2 rounds using a dozen HAHAHA Just depends... I hardly lose balls now compared to before... Slicing 50 yards not its more gouging of the ball or knick a cart path etc.

I have tried the wilson duo's didnt notice much other than it being long. Spin around the green wasnt as awe inspiring that I saw with the ProVs. I have heard good things about bridgestone, I will look into those.

Them Nikes? that good? I see a lot of them now. I stay tend to stay away from TM as The Penta Series made me sad, i would go through 2 sleeves a round because the cover was so soft...I would rip them to shreds. Havent really gone back since.

Thank you everyone for the response, time to dig through the buckets!
[/quote] I like the pd soft. Get a lot of distance out of mine. Around the greens my ball doesnt spin back like you see on television but sorta lands checks and stops. I can play that all day. Its a good ball. I've played pro v's, nike 20xi, callaways i and z, to be honest it did not make that much of a difference to me not to play them. The funny thing is that you do find a lot of pro v's out on the golf course. I used to play whatever I would find but It was so much easier to stick with what works and not necessarily whats the most popular. Although I am trying to play all Tmag products so maybe I will give the penta's a go.

The prices of the lethal practice are really to good to overlook. The maxfli u4x is nice as well but I experienced inconsistency with the cover on them.

[quote name='Gbyeball' timestamp='1392072160' post='8639529']
Ok time for a slap in the back of the head. You have been a member here about 12 months and you never ventured into the Golfball subforum of the equipment forum. You think guys are crazy buying different clubs, ball hoes are WAY worse.

You said you did not think there was a difference in balls and that only pros should play a Pro V1 type of ball and not 15 cappers. But you DID notice the difference in green side performance, so you have the game for that ball and that is what you should be playing. OK lecture and berating is now over.

So buy some Callaway Hex Chrome or last years Srixon Z Star or Taylormade Lethals, all will be on sale for less than $30.00 a dozen. If that is too expense buy used grade A for about half of that price.
[/quote]

I know I know..... Im "asian" so we tend to be a little more humble and always say we arent good enough.....oh wait that must have been my highschool days when I would get picked on... anyways I was being cheep didnt want to venture, but I finally really tried to use the ball for what it was worth and realized..... heh.....I can do some of those nifty things I see on TV.

Srizon getting some love in the Golf ball forums and here....maybe I will dig and try to find them.... Thanks everyone again!

Srixon makes some fantastic golf balls.


Check ebay for some great deals on used golf balls. You can find everything from mint (only hit once or twice) to very used (great for shag bags) at really good prices.

Honestly to me the difference between an intermediate ball like an NXT Tour and a prov1 is huge, you can do things with a prov1 or something similar you just can't with other balls.

Can you use the promo balls in competition play?

[url="http://www.lostgolfballs.com"]http://www.lostgolfballs.com[/url]. Get the AAAA-rated Pro-V1x's. Comes out to about $1 per ball. Been buying from these guys for a few years now.

Or if you prefer to go brand new mid-range, I've always liked Titleist NXT Tour.

[quote name='Roody' timestamp='1392125076' post='8643219']
[url="http://www.lostgolfballs.com"]http://www.lostgolfballs.com[/url]. Get the AAAA-rated Pro-V1x's. Comes out to about $1 per ball. Been buying from these guys for a few years now.

Or if you prefer to go brand new mid-range, I've always liked Titleist NXT Tour.
[/quote]

That site is good. Their rating system reminds me of this commercial:

[url="http://vimeo.com/38177077"]http://vimeo.com/38177077[/url]

[quote name='TLUBulldogGolf' timestamp='1392101822' post='8642589']
Honestly to me the difference between an intermediate ball like an NXT Tour and a prov1 is huge, you can do things with a prov1 or something similar you just can't with other balls.
[/quote]
Well yeah, to a +3 handicap I would imagine there would be a noticeable difference between a ProV1 and an NXT. A 15 handicap probably won't notice that much of a difference between those two IMHO.

I can't believe that you have been so cheap. Glad I've never left my pitching wedge behind on a hole with you coming up next. Your next post would probably be about the difference in wedges. Lol. I can't believe you never used them and they have been in your bag for seven months. Weren't you ever curious?

[quote name='LiveWire' timestamp='1392173988' post='8649185']
I can't believe that you have been so cheap. Glad I've never left my pitching wedge behind on a hole with you coming up next. Your next post would probably be about the difference in wedges. Lol. I can't believe you never used them and they have been in your bag for seven months. Weren't you ever curious?
[/quote]

ummm.......yeah I just grab them and collect I got bags and bags of pretty decent balls, just never really paid attention to them till recently. As my game is slightly improving in which a chip actually matters and actually have the ability to make the ball do things.

I will not feed the troll..... but I hope that my savvy techniques of getting golf balls out of bushes do not compromise my integrity in which you seem to infer....

Now you know the ball does make a difference. The object is to score and a quality ball allows you to do that. There isn't much difference in driver distance among balls, but there is a world of difference in the short game ability of balls (which you just learned). I would recommend that you stick with one ball and learn its characteristics and your game should really improve. Enjoy.

I'd say it completely depends on your game and what you want out of a ball. The higher end balls are not necessarily better for everyone - regardless of skill level.

I'm on my 14th month playing the Duo and I know that where I lose shots during the round cannot be helped with a higher end ball. If I get quick at the top of my swing and fan one into the water off the tee - a better ball doesnt help that.

My recommendation is to start from the putter and work your way back. Find a ball you love off the putter blade that feels the way you want it to. Then find a ball that reacts to pitch shots the way you want it to. Are you a player that wants to throw the ball all the way to the hole and have it check up or are you one that prefers to play more lower, running shots? Next, on wedge shots. Do you need/want help with generating spin on shots or does your swing/ability allow you to get spin on the ball already? (In my case the spin I get on the Duo is perfect for me, I get way too much spin on other balls). Lastly, how does it feel to you off the irons? Do you prefer something that has a harder click to it or a more softer marshmellow feel?

Its all about what you want to play. I'm hoping to trend towards mid single digits this year and I dont think the Duo is holding me back at all. Hope not since I just stocked up at $10 a dozen at the golf expo lol.

TM Project (a) or E5? Cheaper and perform.

Check your local craigslist. Where I am at, there is almost always someone who lives near a golf course with 100's of balls they want to sell.

Edit: just checked my area and people are selling pro v's for as cheap as 40 cents each. Average price is a buck each if they're in great shape. One guy said he has all kinds of balls....and has six thousand available lol.

How about some Tour Balata 100's ?