Getting to scratch with your balls..........

[darsony]

[quote name='duckjr78' timestamp='1394731713' post='8863717']
Whoa, whoa whoa, the title is not what you think, you weirdo! Okay, maybe a bit of double entendre on my part, but just read along and you will see what I really mean!

First off, a little background on my game:

I'm a 4 'cap and I would say that is pretty representative of my game. I am decent all around, with my strengths being distance (270 yds +) & short putting (make most of them) while my weakness are accuracy (8-ish GIR) & lag putting (over 45 feet, I'm screwed!). My bunker and short game play is fairly consistent with my 'cap. Also, I'm in Florida, where it's sea level, humid, & soft turf, so that affects the following as well.

So, I've been making a push with my game to get to scratch. I truly believe I can get there, and am trying to look at each and every opportunity to improve. As some of you may be aware, I have given up the "poseur, look like I am sponsored" bag, in favor of the "easier to use, shoot the best score I can" bag. Out with the long irons, in with the hybrids, out with the matching wedges, in with the old, ugly, reliable as heck Eye 2 wedges, etc., etc., etc.

The last piece of equipment to look at was the ball. Now, a perk of my job is free ProV's, so I am not motivated by price. And due to my recent "non-poseur" crusade, I am also not motivated by how I look playing a particular ball. There are no plus 'caps at my club. My sole motivation is to be the first.

So I decided to look at the pros and see how they played the game and what they required of their balls. The pros hit the ball far, so I wanted that. They hit it straight, so I wanted that to. They don't suck wedges off the front of greens, so I want that as well. In fact, I noticed that the pros tend to play way more front yardages than I do. A lot more of letting the ball release. Hmmm......

The pros also choose the easiest and most predictable short game shot, rarely going with too much loft or too much spin, unless absolutely necessary. Hmmm again......

The pros also tend to get putts to the hole. Hmmmm x 3...............

So what ball was it that fit these criteria? Well I want to hit it long, so a distance ball would be best, obviously. But I'm working towards scratch. I can't play one of those. I also need to hit it straight. Lots of balls claim this, so any ball will do here, hooray! But I have noticed, that the closer I get to a tour ball, the less straight they go. I want the ball to spin less into the greens. I can play more front yardages on the softer greens and let the ball release a bit. Again, sounds like not a tour ball, but a distance rock.

Okay, okay, okay, but what about short game spin!?!?! Well, you may remember that the pros are able to consistently control spin on these shots. I am not! I do have the spinny, slightly skulled, checking tour pitch shot in the bag. It checks just right 30% of the time. 40% it is a 40 footer coming back the other way. The other 30% spin to much and leave me a 15 footer left to the hole. So, what if I used height to slow the ball and played a ball that checked up exactly 0% of the time. Sounds weird until you rephrase it to "use a ball that spun predictably 100% of the time." No fear. No confusion over which shot to play. You land it there and roll it to the hole. Every time! Eureka! A distance ball could actually force me to use better course management! (For full disclosure, I should also note that the "use the bounce sorta-lob" is a much easier shot for me than the "use the bounce, spinny, checking, tour pitch.")

And then there is putting. A slightly harder ball, which some understandably don't like, can be easier to get to the hole. And if the feel is too bad, I can change to a putter with a softer insert.

So there you have it. I'm gonna play a Pinnacle Gold for the next month and see what happens. I'll update this post with my round reviews and see what shots I lack, and what shots become easier. Mainly, I will update my 'cap and see what the effect is. I have a feeling the results will be veddy, veddy in-ter-es-ting (Dracula accent).
[/quote]

ProV1s are expensive (but not for you). It is a great ball that delivers consistent results in all of my experience. It is not necessarily the best in every category but overall I get the best scores with it. If people could get the performance ofthe ProV1 for $15/doz don't you think they would be doing that? There is no way you can get short game spin (tight lob shots) with a Pinnacle instead of a ProV1, unless the greens are waterlogged or something.

If you are trying to get to scratch, fix the problems you have: Poor lag putting to eliminate three putts and you have got to get your iron game examined because no + handicap averages only 8 GIRs. You will need to be in the 12-14 range. Analyze why you miss the greens or play a round with a pro and have them evaluate your weaknesses.

[Dan Drake]

2nd round in. 74 same course, same tees. Really solid from tee to green, but only got up and down 1 time. Good day putting. Getting windy here over the past week+. I'm realizing that I really don't like the ProV in the wind. Not many ProV players winning the British Open over the past 10+ years, considering their market share. The Pinnacle simply doesn't get up and "ride" the wind anywhere near as much as the tour balls do. That means a great deal to me. A missed up and down only costs me 1 stroke. A lost ball costs more and I hit about as many foul balls as I do miss greens.

It would seem that the Z Star XV or perhaps a RBZ Urethane might be the final destination, but I want to keep trying more mid to low tier balls for a bit.

[Pepperturbo]

Its been my experience, there a number of balls that cut though the wind, but not nearly as many that from 50+/- yards, reliably bounce once and stick so we can save par.

Last week facing 1-2 clubs of wind, I tried some new balls, just to see. Of course my typical [b]Hex Black & ProV1X[/b], plus ProV and X2 Hot, Hex Chrome + and Hex Chrome. Each ball played as expected into wind, and they were all similar in distance, with Hex tour and ProV1x being slightly longer off driver. But where those two former balls really ran away with the show was short pitches and chips. I could not trust the later balls to stick under the same 10/11 green circumstances. Hex Chrome + did stick a few times, but run out far more times. And yet, it felt similar to Hex Black. Of course ProV stuck, but it wasn't as long off the tee, as my main two balls. And no matter what I did, it still felt soft off driver and non-existent off irons, and spun too much with my AoA. The other balls felt fine off the club heads, preformed as advertised, just failed to satisfy my pitching/chipping expectations. I suspect when my SS slows more with age, I will switch, but till then, I am going to stick with what the two balls I trust. Now, I got to check out Callaway's SR 3

[UGABMC398]

I agree with this premise a ton, but I actually use a few different balls based on my mood/course/game at the time and what I feel like doing.

Played TPC Sugarloaf last weekend and I brought my Penta TP 3s with me. I can stop those puppies on a dime with a 6-LW and need it because with my higher spin ball I had a nightmare of a time hitting greens with the short stuff and having it spin off false fronts or back into 4 foot high bunkers on my misses that are short. With the TP3, if I missed....it stopped and didn't get worse.

If I am playing my "home course" I generally use the TM Superdeep or the e6. Just a little roll out on each for me but my course has GIANT greens and is a slight links style so I can play the run of the course and get the ball where it needs to be based on the amount of runout I usually get with my wedges on approcach shots.

I think its all about finding a ball that fits your price range, fits your swing and what you are trying to do with the ball and then play the right ball for the course you will be playing.

[Dan Drake]

Shot an 82 last week in 20 mph sustained winds last week with the Pinnacle. Felt like a 76. Hit 1 wacky "jumper" from the middle of the fairway that inexplicably flew 20 yards farther than I expected. I'll take 1 of those every 3 rounds in exchange for all the the other ones that now end up pin high as opposed to short with the tour ball.

Short game shots are now all approached with a KISS approach as opposed to a "lets see how cute I can get with this one" approach. I also have to think about where to miss the ball on my approach shots. I don't seem to short side myself as much.

It's a work in progress. But, if you fell like ballstriking is holding you back a bit or your enjoyment of the game is tied more tightly to your ballstriking than putting or short game, give a distance ball a chance. You may find that your enjoyment goes up a bit.

[gopherguts]

Well "duck", I guess you just don't agree with the "professionals" when they say you should pick your ball from the green back to the tee.

Or do you ? You mentioned you can't seem to get the premium ball(s) to the hole with the putter. I agree that's a problem I have sometimes as well. But I'd rather work harder on my putting to hit a firmer putt than "give up" the ability to control the ball on chips and out of bunkers, rough, etc.

When I took tennis lessons a dozen years ago the teacher opined "Spin = control". In that respect golf is very much the same.

There are balls I've tried that I can simply not hit hard enough and/or feel "mushy" off the putter. Hex Tour Black and 20xi leap to mind.

My ATF ball was the Taylor Made Red LDP (Damn I miss that ball). Firm enough for my putter and, off my shorter irons (say 7-SW) would pretty much hit the green and stop right next to its pitch mark. Excellent distance off the driver as well.

My ball of choice for a while now has been the V1x. Bought 4 dozen last Spring. Very close to my old TM Red except still a little "soft" off the putter.

Just recently I've decided to try the NXT Tour. Getting some good results over the last few rounds. Getting a few more yards off the driver, probably a little straighter as well since it spins less than the ProVs, a little more release off of chip shots and shorter pitches (that I'll have to get used to/work on) and a bit firmer and a bit livelier feel off the putter.

Net-net, you want to become scratch (or better). The pros and almost pros play tour balls for a reason, CONTROL. I figure at some point, if/when your work starts paying off, you'll come to a similar conclusion,,,,,,,,,,,,,