One or Two balls?

This may be a crazy question, but I'm wondering if any of you switch between two different types of balls through your round. I have some friends, and I've done it myself, that play premium balls but when they get to a hole with lots of water they switch to a not-top-of-the-line ball. Then switch back to premium balls. If so, what two balls do you use? Sorry for the crazy question, but I had to ask.

I play my premiums every hole, if I am already mentally thinking I may lose the ball then I have already lost.

I play the same.

I guess it begs the question.... why are you playing premium balls to begin with? As long as your not changing the ball on your second shot to avoid hazards do what ya will.... Whenever someone I play with changes a ball and goes in the water they exclaim,"GLAD I CHANGED THE BALL!"..... I just say, "You should change that swing. " [size=4]But in all seriousness, it seems to me one is wasting money if they don't play with the same ball throughout the round. And, to me at least, it screams that person just wants to say,"I play a (insert premium name here)." [/size]

[size=4]I get most, if not all of my golf balls, Pro V1x, for free from wholesalers, I also play golf with them on occasion. Most of the balls they give away are DT Solo type, NXT etc.... they said they get tired of people who are 20+ HCP asking for Pro V's. Because while they are free to them it costs the wholesalers money... so now they just tell them they don't offer the Pro V's. (more for me!).... and they still gobble em up. [/size]

For me, It was not until I could get through a round of golf with 1 or 2 balls that I would play with a premium ball.

On a side note, there was a kid at a club in Florida who could not move back a tee box until he shot par.... Reds, gold, whites, blues, blacks..... He was 12 when I met him and he was playing the reds.... I played the blacks with him when he was 14. To be schooled about course management from a 14 year old is humbling.... very humbling.

I play the same brand ball for each shot in each round...new out of the sleeve. Dump one in the drink? Pull another out of the sleeve. In the interest of full disclosure, the balls played are not "top tier" or frightfully expensive.

It seems to me to be psychologically self-defeating to change balls on a water hole or when chipping/putting. It is an admission to yourself that the shot likely cannot be pulled off and somehow the price of the ball is a major factor in the game.

Thinking that much about failure is more apt to have it occur in a self-fulfilling prophesy sort of way.

Thanks for the response. I usually do play same ball through the whole round. I tend to play mid priced balls, and don't lose more than two per round. I was curious about how others play, since I've seen others switch balls depending on the hole. Thanks all.

Switching types of ball during a round is a rules violation......just sayin

I play the same ball type throughout the round. I do not play the ProV1, Lethal, or other top priced balls since they are not the best for my game, and tend to play balls that are in the mid-$20 to low $30/dozen so cost is not a major issue. Since the ball I am playing is one that I have chosen for my game, why would I want to switch?

I always play the same ball. Always? Well, on a fun round with buddies I might switch to a cheaper and officially retired ball if we bet if one of us can reach a green 250 yards away over water. But apart from that: always the same ball.

I play the same ball. Just haven't figured out which one yet. So several different balls, just one brand per round.

There is one particular hole at my home course that brutalizes me. I try to play a "found" version of the ball I normally play. It is completely psychological. If I lose it, I get pissed that I hit a poor shot, but don't care about the ball. If I don't have a recycled ball and lose it, that is twice the adversity I have to get over before I make the 30 foot walk to the drop zone.

[i]I never see the water.[/i]
[i]I don't switch balls.[/i]
[i]And I don't have a ball retriever...never have.[/i]
[i]If you see the water, you think about it. If you think about it, you're gonna go into it........[/i]

Yup.

[quote name='alittleoverpar' timestamp='1392305006' post='8659195']
Switching types of ball during a round is a rules violation......just sayin
[/quote]

This is not true.

Some high level events might have the "one ball rule" in effect, but for most tournaments and general rounds you are allowed to switch balls between holes.

[url="http://www.usga.org/rulesfaq/rules_answer.asp?FAQidx=177&Rule=15"]http://www.usga.org/...idx=177&Rule=15[/url]

[b]Q. [/b]May a player change golf balls during the play of a hole or a stipulated round? When the player is permitted to substitute another golf ball may he change to a ball of a different brand or type?
[b]A. [/b]Rules 15-1 and 15-2 explain that the player must complete play of the hole with the ball with which he began the hole unless he is proceeding under a Rule that permits him to substitute a ball. [u][b]The player may change balls between the play of two holes as well[/b][/u].

Play the same ball throughout the round except on those silly loooong carries where it's a 50/50 shot, then usually pull a ball I don't mind putting in the drink. Converse to other ideas above, playing a cheap ball lets me play freely and unafraid since I'm not worried about that $3 ball going into the drink.

I use the same ball throughout the round. Switching balls on water holes does not make a whole lot of sense, mentally you are defeating yourself before ever hitting the shot.

[quote name='Colby327' timestamp='1392335948' post='8663111']
[quote name='alittleoverpar' timestamp='1392305006' post='8659195']
Switching types of ball during a round is a rules violation......just sayin
[/quote]

This is not true.

Some high level events might have the "one ball rule" in effect, but for most tournaments and general rounds you are allowed to switch balls between holes.

[url="http://www.usga.org/rulesfaq/rules_answer.asp?FAQidx=177&Rule=15"]http://www.usga.org/...idx=177&Rule=15[/url]

[b]Q. [/b]May a player change golf balls during the play of a hole or a stipulated round? When the player is permitted to substitute another golf ball may he change to a ball of a different brand or type?
[b]A. [/b]Rules 15-1 and 15-2 explain that the player must complete play of the hole with the ball with which he began the hole unless he is proceeding under a Rule that permits him to substitute a ball. [u][b]The player may change balls between the play of two holes as well[/b][/u].
[/quote]

I interpreted the OP was implying a ball switch on the same hole. You are correct, you can change balls between holes.

I will play an older shagged ball or cheaper one on holes where im prone to lose it. Better ones on par 3s, wide open holes, etc

It's practical to switch balls I suppose, but switching isn't necessary. I'd say have some older balls for those holes that already have some wedge marks etc. Switching brands all together breaks the rules, and it's doing nothing for your game.

I'm gonna call the Titleist commercial on this. I never switch balls during a round because I know how my ball performs. The only time I will is if something is completely off for example confidence, wedge, or the putter. My game is very spin sensitive so I need to know what the ball is doing.

[quote name='alittleoverpar' timestamp='1392305006' post='8659195']
Switching types of ball during a round is a rules violation......just sayin
[/quote]

That's pretty misleading. It's only disallowed in event playing the "one ball" rule. In terms of normal amateur play, it's perfectly fine.

It is a violation to change balls during the play of a given hole. But it's fine to swap before teeing off, play the entire hole, then change again on a different tee box.

To the OP - I do it all the time. It's not an admission of failure, it's not talking yourself into a miss. It's a risk analysis decision. It there's an X percent chance you dunk the ball, and you use a ball that costs > X percent less than your normal play, you'll end up ahead. I don't toss my money in the fountain at city square, and I'm not going to toss it into a water hazard either. Tee up that POS you found in the woods the other day and have at it my friend.

I started to unzip my pants when I read the title, but when I kept reading I discovered...

Oh, wait...yep...

Two balls!

I use a different approach. The Callaway Chrome comes out when I play a course with little water. On my other home course where water is prevalent, I play bargain balls and will switch them out regardless of brand or type. I'm just playing for fun so if I we're playing in a tournament or something high stakes, then I would use 1 ball brand and type for that event.

Rules 15-1 and 15-2 explain that the player must complete play of the hole with the ball with which he began the hole unless he is proceeding under a Rule that permits him to substitute a ball. The player may change balls between the play of two holes as well.
Rules 26-1 (Water Hazard Rule), 27-1 (Ball Lost or Out of Bounds) and 28 (Ball Unplayable) are examples of Rules that permit the player to substitute another ball. Rule 5-3 permits a player to substitute another ball during the play of a hole when his original ball has become unfit for play during the play of that hole. Other Rules (e.g. Rule 18, Rule 24, and Rule 25-1) permit the player to substitute another ball only if the original ball is not immediately recoverable.
Note that Rule 16-1b, the Rule that allows the player to lift his ball from the putting green, does not permit the player to substitute another ball; this precludes the player from substituting a “putting ball.”
A player who substitutes another ball when not permitted to do so incurs the general penalty (loss of hole in match play or a two stroke penalty in stroke play) under the applicable Rule. For instance, a player taking relief, without penalty, under Rule 25-1 due to interference from ground under repair is required to do so with the original ball (unless it is not immediately recoverable). If that player substitutes a ball (and makes a stroke with it) when his original ball is immediately recoverable he incurs the general penalty under Rule 25-1 (as it is the applicable Rule in this case).
[b]When changing balls, the player is permitted to substitute a ball of another brand or type unless the Committee has adopted the One Ball Condition of Competition (see Appendix I; Part C; Section 1c). This optional condition (usually referred to as ‘The One Ball Rule’) is generally adopted only in events that are limited to professional golfers or highly-skilled amateur golfers. Generally, this condition of competition is not adopted in club-level competitions. [/b]

To answer the question: If I am having a particularly bad day with losing golf balls I become less and less picky about what I am hitting or the condition of said golf ball. In general, for long water carries, etc., I do not change balls to a "water ball" because that might negatively affect my round. I suggest that you practice the shot that is giving you so much trouble (downhill toward water, whatever).

[quote name='jesusdelallata' timestamp='1392299859' post='8658677']
This may be a crazy question, but I'm wondering if any of you switch between two different types of balls through your round. I have some friends, and I've done it myself, that play premium balls but when they get to a hole with lots of water they switch to a not-top-of-the-line ball. Then switch back to premium balls. If so, what two balls do you use? Sorry for the crazy question, but I had to ask.
[/quote]

1. Its a rules violation
2. This question is for people who cherish their "premium" balls like a fat kid cherishes candy.

Quit playing scared and play the premium the whole round! If I lose a ball on a hole, I will usually find one of equal value somewhere else during the round.

[quote name='puttttmaster' timestamp='1392589674' post='8681599']
[quote name='jesusdelallata' timestamp='1392299859' post='8658677']
This may be a crazy question, but I'm wondering if any of you switch between two different types of balls through your round. I have some friends, and I've done it myself, that play premium balls but when they get to a hole with lots of water they switch to a not-top-of-the-line ball. Then switch back to premium balls. If so, what two balls do you use? Sorry for the crazy question, but I had to ask.
[/quote]

1. Its a rules violation
2. This question is for people who cherish their "premium" balls like a fat kid cherishes candy.

Quit playing scared and play the premium the whole round! If I lose a ball on a hole, I will usually find one of equal value somewhere else during the round.
[/quote]

it pays to read the thread before commenting, especially the part where the rules were discussed.

Switching balls before a water hole is for losers.

[quote name='Arpeggi' timestamp='1392593783' post='8682141']
Switching balls before a water hole is for losers.
[/quote]

Very articulate. Thank you.

[quote name='puttttmaster' timestamp='1392589674' post='8681599']
[quote name='jesusdelallata' timestamp='1392299859' post='8658677']
This may be a crazy question, but I'm wondering if any of you switch between two different types of balls through your round. I have some friends, and I've done it myself, that play premium balls but when they get to a hole with lots of water they switch to a not-top-of-the-line ball. Then switch back to premium balls. If so, what two balls do you use? Sorry for the crazy question, but I had to ask.
[/quote]

1. Its a rules violation
[/quote]

Wrong.