Playing One Type of Ball Exclusively

[pmak]

Apologies for my poor searching skills, but haven't found much discussion about this topic. My question is: is it worth the investment to stock up on a single type of ball and play it exclusively (for consistency, etc.)?

Judging from general posts on this site, it seems players here try to find that one ball that suits their games, then play that one exclusively. For me, I play whatever ball I find or get gifted, as long as it's one of the "tour level" balls with urethane covers.

A bit of my game as background: I'm a scratch player that plays on weekends, with a low maintenance game (accurate decent-length driving, decent ball-striking, but a good short game to keep me at scratch level). I play a few club and provincial tournaments, and for those I might pull out some new balls I have lying around that are gifted to me (or bought using gift certificates I've won). I see my friends that play collegiate golf essentially get golf balls for free, so for them it's a pretty easy choice to just stick with one for consistency. I, however, don't have that luxury, so anywhere I can save some cash is nice.

Personally, I don't find there are much differences in the tour grade balls besides maybe some spin around the greens and drives, and firmness (or compression). Nothing a few practice chips and pitches on the putting green can't figure out though.

Some pros and cons I can think of:

Pros:

More consistency in terms of distance controlConsistent feel off the putter for better lag puttingConsistent spin for around the green and approach shotsCons:

Tour grade golf balls are expensive!How can I know that the ball I chose is the right one?To be honest, I kind of like tinkering with equipment, and finding a new brand/type is exciting to tryDid I mention expensive? :)For those of you who are in the single ball camp, some follow-up questions:

How did you finalize your ball of choice?How long do you play a single ball (if you don't lose it)? That is, when do you feel your ball is worn enough to switch to a new one?Have you noticed a significant improvement in your game after switching?Do you ever think about trying a new type of ball?How long will you stick to one type before giving in to try the new version that comes out every year or so? Seems like by the time you've stuck to a choice, a newer, better ball is out there.Appreciate any feedback! This is my first post here, so let me know if it could be improved in any way!

[PredsFan02]

I’ve played several different balls recently in order to find one I’ll stick with, and for me it’s the vice pro plus. 4-piece urethane with 3 color options, I like the lime green. To answer a few questions, since price is a major concern I’d recommend checking out direct to consumer companies. Vice, snell, and oncore all make great tour level balls, I’ve tried them personally and can strongly recommend all three. If you buy 6 dozen at a time from vice, they’re $25 a dozen. I chose the pro plus based off of feel and spin/control. The pro plus is by far the best feeling ball I’ve ever played. I’ll personally play a ball until there’s noticeable scuffing, which usually takes over 18 holes. It’s not like I instantly dropped several strokes after playing one ball, but having confidence in the ball and knowing how it’ll perform is huge, golf is mostly a mental game after all. I’d say get sleeves of around 3 balls you’re interested in and alternate using them throughout a round or two.

[Dashfast]

I was just thinking about this on course today. I’m in the process of trying a few different tour-level balls (mostly bought from golfballsdirect) and I’m finding it hard to narrow down. Last season, I played the Vice Pro Plus all season and wondered whether or not I was losing distance. I don’t hit it that long off the tee and could use a little bit of a boost in yards. Anywho, I guess it all depends on how sensitive you are to the various balls’ differences. For me, most of the high quality balls play similarly. When you flush a shot, it feels flushed no matter what the ball is...

[Jeff58]

Cons:

Tour grade golf balls are expensive!There’s no reason to buy at anywhere near retail. The current (typically early-season) multi-dozen deals from TM and Srixon place the tour level balls very near mid-range models

How can I know that the ball I chose is the right one?Virtually any tour level ball from a major manufacturer is going to have capabilities well beyond any amateur player. Each manufacturer typically has an X -level ball and a ‘standard’ one. The main difference tends to be compression. Though somewhat debatable, higher compression for higher swing speeds.

For those of you who are in the single ball camp, some follow-up questions:

How did you finalize your ball of choice?I refuse to pay retail, so I use TP5’s.

How long do you play a single ball (if you don't lose it)? That is, when do you feel your ball is worn enough to switch to a new one?If it makes 2 rounds, it becomes a lake ball. I also use older balls out of the sand in non-formal rounds.

Have you noticed a significant improvement in your game after switching?Depends what you changed from. If you change from a V1 to a TP5, the world will not alter course. There are two ways to look at the effect a ball has on your game -

Would changing the ball change your shot selection. The answer is almost invariably No. In other words, would I choose a different club, landing location, or grip because of my ball? For the majority of players this would literally never be the case, therefore the ball is basically irrelevant.Does the ball change your distance, trajectory, or spin rate to an objectively significant degree. The answer is that they definitely do. However, since these differences between models are generally repeatable ball to ball for a single model, it supports the idea of selecting one ball and sticking with it. Generally, the better your ball striking, the more the differences will be noticeable. In your case, though you’re a good player, since you’re changing balls constantly, you have no way of knowing whether the variation you’re seeing is because of the ball or your day to day swing variation. Removing the ball as a variable can only do you good.Do you ever think about trying a new type of ball?When you say ‘type’, I’m thinking you mean ‘model’. I’m unlikely to change to an e6. I tried several this year. There are some posts in the ball section if interested.

How long will you stick to one type before giving in to try the new version that comes out every year or so? Seems like by the time you've stuck to a choice, a newer, better ball is out there.The best balls don’t change yearly, and when they do the changes tend to be subtle. Better players will tend to abandon a ball if a manufacturer is changing the characteristics on a recurring basis.

 

[Tanner25]

In theory one ball is correct. Some would debate whether you need a winter ball. But, why buy 6 dozen? There's always something new coming out that you wish you can game and the feeling of getting stuck with balls is no fun.

[bluedot]

So many years ago, during the Titleist Professional era and just before the ProV1 era, I was playing in a scramble with a guy who is still one of the better senior amateurs in the country. The finances of golf were tough for me at that time; high school teacher/coach with two young kids, and I was lamenting the high cost of golf balls, and telling him that I sort of just played whatever I found or was given to me.

He told me this: It doesn't matter what ball you play; it only matters that you play the same ball ALL THE TIME, including practice rounds. His reasoning, of course, is that different balls react differently especially from 100 yds in and around the green. You can play well with any ball, as long as you know what that ball is going to do in terms of spin.

Fast forward to today, and it's still true, but MUCH easier than it was then because there are so many great choices out there, AND a mountain of independent testing data on distance and spin rates for various balls. And the same thing is true now that has ALWAYS been true for golf balls: Distance doesn't cost extra, but spin does. So you decide what you want a golf ball to do around the green in terms of spin, how much you can pay, and then you find a ball and play it ALL THE TIME, assuming that your goal is to play the very best that you can.

And be clear with yourself if you don't want to play the same ball all the time, and don't say it doesn't really matter, when you really mean that you have another goal besides shooting good scores, which is experimenting. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it is NOT the best way

[jjfcpa]

Last year I did a lot of experimenting with different golf balls - from tour level balls to DTC balls.

I've always believed that for those who want to improve their game as opposed to just playing the game, I think selecting a golf ball that you will use all the time is imperative. After a long and deliberate experimentation period, I decided on the following golf balls that would suite my game best.

Srixon Z Star

Bridgestone Tour B RX (2020)

Snell MTB-X

Callaway Chrome Soft (2020)

Last year it was the Z Star pretty exclusively. I would occasionally switch to the MTB-X (a little too firm for my slow swing speed), the previous Tour B RX (did not seem to be as long as the Z Star). This spring I tried the new Chrome Soft (2020) and at first did not feel that it was performing as well as the Z Star, but after a second outing with it I am finding that it is not only longer than the Z Star, but from tee to green, it's just a really solid ball that i could easily adapt to. Feel off the putter is very important to me and I'm finding it has a great feel off the putter. I'm going to play it for the foreseeable future.

[Phil VB]

I feel like every year I rotate between 2-3 types of balls depending on gifts, outing prizes or what may be on sale. I found myself gravitating toward the Z-Star mostly due to price and feel.

[dalehead]

Scratch player? Obviously you need to do something to shake up your game. Sticking with one ball just might be it.

[cristphoto]

To play your best its to your advantage to only play one ball. You can stock up when deals show up. And when a new model of that ball arrives you can play it. Despite what the marketing types say, at this stage of golf ball evolution there are only minor tweaks to new ball design.

[Hat Trick]

I was a ball experimenter to a fault. V1X, V1, TP5, TP5X, Chrome Soft, Chome Soft X, etc. I really started to drive myself nuts, especially when I had a really good round and then a not so good round with the same ball (5.9 index).

Finally, I just decided enough is enough. I had 2 dozen V1Xs left from last season and bought the buy 3 get 1 free 4 dozen for this year - I'm comfortable with that price. Titleist makes great balls (as do the others) but I have committed to play one ball and so far so good with consistency of iron yardage distances and spin plus feel putting.

Choose your ball and play it all year - it is the cheapest item in golf per ball than anything else (green fees, club membership, clubs, beers, food). I always think it is a bit funny that the guy who spends 100s or even 1,000s to play golf doesn't want to spend an extra $10-15 on a dozen balls that he will use on every shot he plays on every course he plays!!!

[jjfcpa]

Excellent point. Playing one ball exclusively just makes sense to me. I have a playing partner who will play anything he finds. He'll hit one into the deep weeds and come out with 3 balls, none of which are his, and he'll just pick one of them and start playing it. Drives me nuts.

For me, it's the 2020 Chrome Soft. Just seems to work really well and I'm going to stick with it. Backup will be the Z Star or Snell MTB-X, but only if I lose favor with the 2020 CS.

[rwbloom93]

The idea behind playing one ball is to educate yourself on the tendencies and characteristics inherent to that brand/model. Learning those tendencies can make you a more consistent player. So pick a ball that best performs in the aspect of the game that matters most to you (Driving, iron play, chipping, or putting).

 

Having said that, it also seems to me playing one ball has little value or purpose if a golfer doesn't practice or play much.

[Whereismydivot]

"My question is: is it worth the investment to stock up on a single type of ball and play it exclusively (for consistency, etc.)?"

One thing I've noticed through my years of playing is that the better the player is, the more important the choice of ball is to the player. A 28 index can play about any ball and usually does. The 15 index is starting to notice how his "old ball" doesn't spin. The sub 10 index notices for sure.

The exceptions to this are out there. I just played a 4 handicap in match play Friday. He beat me 2&1. He told me the ball he plays is irrelevant and he can use a Pinnacle or a Titleist ProV and his score remains consistent. He also is not a very long hitter, but deadly accurate with his approach shots. He is also a former college player.

I try different balls (8.2 index) on "play experimental days". My standard ball is the TP5X. I also dabble with the Z Star XV. The Titleist Pro V1 used to be my ball of choice. I find it is a little longer than my other 2 play balls but find it on the "hard" side. When we tee off, it can be 38^F (or less) and a hard ball feels like a rock. The day might finish at 72^ and all is good. The biggest reason I play the TP5x as my main ball is it feels good through all the temp ranges. It's difficult enough to pull a club whens the temperature is so variable. It affects club choice enough without adding the variable of a ball type change into the equation .

The Z Star XV plays better on a windy day for me.

As far as cost. If you want to save some money, last years closeouts can save $12-$15 a dozen.

[Myherobobhope]

Obviously what you are doing is working for you... I don’t get golf balls as gifts or gift certificates, so I buy snell 2 dozen at a time...

plenty of good balls out there, but the smell balances cost and performance for me. If I had an unlimited budget I’d probably put more effort into my search.

i try different balls on occasion for fun... I really like the new Bridgestone balls... but not enough to pay $40 vs $30 a dozen.