Best distance ball for a slow swinger?

[RyKnocks]

I understand the disagreement from everyone, but I have to look at the reality of most courses and play... there are far fewer par 5's per 18 than 4's and 3's combined..most strokes in a round are taken from 150 yards in... not on reaching long par 5's.. and a 15 yard longer shot in the rough or off the green is not going to help you vs. a 15 yard shorter shot in the fairway or on the green. You can all disagree but that is how I see it folks.

 

I don't get what you're saying here. Regardless, I was referring mostly to the Par 4s. I drive the ball on average 240-250yds with my Wilson 50 Elite. If I have a 350yd par 4 and hit it 250yds, I have 100yds into the green and I can use an approach or PW into the green. My 50 Elite is usually hop and stop from that distance.

 

If I used a ProV1, I know I'll be at least 10-20 yds shorter (and possibly offline in the rough due to more side spin) and I'll be using a 9i or 8i into the green.

 

So with my 90-95mph SS, if I'm picking between long/straight vs shorter/maybe in the rough, I'll pick long and straight all day. Now if I had a 110mph swing speed and could drive a tour ball 275+ yds, then that'd be a different story.

[tsecor]

velocity or nxt tour sound perfect for you

[pmcuk]

velocity or nxt tour sound perfect for you

 

I've been looking at the spin data on balls here:

https://public.tableau.com/profile/mathieu7002#!/vizhome/GolfBallsComparaison/Dashboard1 2013

https://public.tableau.com/profile/mathieu7002#!/vizhome/2014GolfBallsComparaisonChart/Dashboard1 2014

 

The problem with the Velocity is that it spins the least of all balls on wedge shots in the 2014 chart, not so bad in the 2013 one. So it is going to roll and roll on greens. I'd like to settle on some kind of ball that will give predictable results on wedge shots onto the green so I can work on these shots and try to get more accurate. So I'm going to try some Supersofts - just bought 20. On the chart they spin least on driver but are mid performers on wedge shots. I tried them out with wedges and they roll out a lot, so the Velocity must roll even more. I haven't done any comparative tests on short game, but I will once I have a free day and it stops raining here. I have a selection of Ionomer balls from a few years ago - Wilson 50, Zip, DX2, DX3

 

The balls I've bought off ebay recently to try out are all Urethane:

E-5

B330RSX

Z-Star

TP Red LDP

RBZ Urethane

 

I'm going to try those out on wedge shots, and also on full shots when I next get to play a round. Sp I guess it will be some balance of spin on the greens and distance off the driver.

 

In terms of the distance debate I'm a S-L-O-W swinger, due to being in my 60s and quite a stiff body, so 80mph clubhead speed with driver and 110mph ball speed. Driver distance is around 150 carry and 175 with roll-out. 6 iron is 70mph clubhead speed, 90mph ball speed, 125yds carry and 140yds total distance. I could do with better technique of course, more height as well, and that could produce longer drives and iron shots. But I could seriously do with more distance on driver and iron shots - I'm just not getting it out there. I only play recreational golf, but even so I want to be competitive with playing partners. On a 300yd hole, it'll be driver, 6 iron, wedge and hopefully 2 putts so absolute best will be 5 on a par 4. On a 450yd hole it'll be driver, 6 iron, 6 iron, wedge and 2 putts best, so 6 on a par 5. That's playing perfectly so it's completely theoretical. 6 iron is a Speedblade so 26.5* loft. I pick the ball up better off the fairway with irons - I can hit it longer with my 19* hybrid if the lie is good.

 

So there we are - more distance would help my scores. But so would getting the wedge shots closer to the hole. Looks like a Urethane ball if I can get equivalent distance off the tee or close to it. But I'm open to any kind of improvement. It's not impossible to develop a wedge technique that factors in a lot of roll-out, but I don't know if I want to do that. I enjoy my golf, play once a week or twice if I can, do all my own club making, and I read a lot about instruction and technique, and I'd like to be a better golfer.

[HackerD]

Lots of gents in their 60's at my club, all affected by the physical limitations of aging to some degree, and most hit it longer than you. Which makes me think your swing could be better possibly? No disrespect.

[Tanner25]

velocity or nxt tour sound perfect for you

 

I've been looking at the spin data on balls here:

https://public.table...ison/Dashboard1 2013

https://public.table...hart/Dashboard1 2014

 

The problem with the Velocity is that it spins the least of all balls on wedge shots in the 2014 chart, not so bad in the 2013 one. So it is going to roll and roll on greens. I'd like to settle on some kind of ball that will give predictable results on wedge shots onto the green so I can work on these shots and try to get more accurate. So I'm going to try some Supersofts - just bought 20. On the chart they spin least on driver but are mid performers on wedge shots. I tried them out with wedges and they roll out a lot, so the Velocity must roll even more. I haven't done any comparative tests on short game, but I will once I have a free day and it stops raining here. I have a selection of Ionomer balls from a few years ago - Wilson 50, Zip, DX2, DX3

 

The balls I've bought off ebay recently to try out are all Urethane:

E-5

B330RSX

Z-Star

TP Red LDP

RBZ Urethane

 

I'm going to try those out on wedge shots, and also on full shots when I next get to play a round. Sp I guess it will be some balance of spin on the greens and distance off the driver.

 

In terms of the distance debate I'm a S-L-O-W swinger, due to being in my 60s and quite a stiff body, so 80mph clubhead speed with driver and 110mph ball speed. Driver distance is around 150 carry and 175 with roll-out. 6 iron is 70mph clubhead speed, 90mph ball speed, 125yds carry and 140yds total distance. I could do with better technique of course, more height as well, and that could produce longer drives and iron shots. But I could seriously do with more distance on driver and iron shots - I'm just not getting it out there. I only play recreational golf, but even so I want to be competitive with playing partners. On a 300yd hole, it'll be driver, 6 iron, wedge and hopefully 2 putts so absolute best will be 5 on a par 4. On a 450yd hole it'll be driver, 6 iron, 6 iron, wedge and 2 putts best, so 6 on a par 5. That's playing perfectly so it's completely theoretical. 6 iron is a Speedblade so 26.5* loft. I pick the ball up better off the fairway with irons - I can hit it longer with my 19* hybrid if the lie is good.

 

So there we are - more distance would help my scores. But so would getting the wedge shots closer to the hole. Looks like a Urethane ball if I can get equivalent distance off the tee or close to it. But I'm open to any kind of improvement. It's not impossible to develop a wedge technique that factors in a lot of roll-out, but I don't know if I want to do that. I enjoy my golf, play once a week or twice if I can, do all my own club making, and I read a lot about instruction and technique, and I'd like to be a better golfer.

 

Any issue on price? gamer soft and wilson duo spin are soft, long, some spin and priced right.

[pmcuk]

Lots of gents in their 60's at my club, all affected by the physical limitations of aging to some degree, and most hit it longer than you. Which makes me think your swing could be better possibly? No disrespect.

 

I'm sure you're entirely right, and quite right to point it out. I'm trying to maximise the equipment, which is something. But yes, I should be swinging more effectively. I don't think I'm putting enough into the turn and not bringing the shoulders right round in the follow through. I'm working on this, but not seeing any marked improvement yet in terms of distance.

[pmcuk]

 

Any issue on price? gamer soft and wilson duo spin are soft, long, some spin and priced right.

 

I buy Pearl/A Grade off ebay so price isn't an issue as long as it's not Pro V or some of the other faves like RZN Platinum. I'm in the UK so we see less of Maxfli and Top Flite.

[jmtbkr]

Don't know if I buy into the low compression ball for a slow swinger thing.

 

I am slow swinger, about upper 80's for my driver. I think it's more of a 'feel' thing than distance, for me at least. I've tried alot of balls from ProV1x's to Wilson Duo's. Yes, the V1x's feel like a rock compared to a softer ball, but as far as distance, I'm probably within a few yards of all the ones I've tried.

 

I've been playing NXT tours and occasionally DT solo's lately, with good fairway results.

This past week, we went to south Florida to close the house up for the summer and all I had in the garage were a dozen box of ProV1 overages with crazy stampings of courses I never heard of. My first reaction was I can't hit these things, they spin waaay to much for me and I'll be in the rough on every hole.

Well, I actually slowed my swing/tempo down a bit and wound up crazy accurate for the 5 rounds I played. Best part was, they really do stop on a dime when you hit the greens!

As far as distance, maybe it was the better tempo, but I was driving, on average, 250+. I usually hit it about 235. Maybe it was the high heat/humidity that carried farther.

 

I pulled a lone NXT and a SoLo out and they went almost as far. Hmmmm. Yes, a bit softer but not as far.....

 

SO, in the end, yes the low compression balls definately feel softer off the clubs, the harder V1 deifinately went further.

[Shi Guy]

I have a slower swing as well (~78 with my irons) and I've tried out a number of balls in the attempt to find the perfect ball for me. Here are my experiences:

 

Project A - My usual gamer. Not the longest off the tee but I love it's performance around the green. I can spin this one back pretty easily. The price is right as well.

Z-Star - Not the longest for me, but it was the stickiest by far, almost too much so. Very little roll. I had a number of approach shots that landed and just stuck.

Duo-U - Solid distance off the tee. More rollout on the greens than either the Project-a or the z-star, but it was predictably consistent.

Supersoft - Solid distance but too much roll on the greens. It just wanted to keep rolling and rolling.

Bridgestone 330 RXS - This was an overall average performer for me. Not the longest, not the stickiest.

[pmcuk]

 

I see this question a lot here and honestly I don't even know why. In my very honest opinion, most of us should forget distance... play the ball that gives us the most accuracy and the appropriate amount of spin for how we play, and play the set of tees that fits our game best. Distance should be down on the list of things we are looking for in your golf games.

 

 

Well, here is where I eat my words and agree with the above. Honestly, I don't know how distance is going to work out for me off the tee. I could do with as much extra distance as possible, and that includes irons off the fairway. So in theory I should be using all those soft low compression balls. I bought a bunch of Supersoft to test this out, and I still don't know off the tee yet since I haven't played any rounds since. So the distance part may well agree with the theory.

 

But short game turns all this on its head. Today I tried out the Supersofts against a few good urethane balls for chipping and putting onto the green, and it was almost laughable. The Supersofts just rolled and rolled, quite a few of them off the end of the green. No control at all. So that's the end of that - has to be urethane. I tried out RBZ-Urethane and B330RXS which were OK and very similar - nice soft feel and a lot more control on the green. Z-Star was a little better still. But the stars on the green were the 4-piece higher compression balls - in this case Z-Star XV and in particular some old stock TP Reds. Harder and clickier, but so much better control.

 

So there we are - driver off the tee and short game onto the green plus putting are two different worlds and looks like they require different balls. Right now, coming off the short course, I'm agreeing with Dpavs above.

[tsecor]

velocity or nxt tour sound perfect for you

 

I've been looking at the spin data on balls here:

https://public.table...ison/Dashboard1 2013

https://public.table...hart/Dashboard1 2014

 

The problem with the Velocity is that it spins the least of all balls on wedge shots in the 2014 chart, not so bad in the 2013 one. So it is going to roll and roll on greens. I'd like to settle on some kind of ball that will give predictable results on wedge shots onto the green so I can work on these shots and try to get more accurate. So I'm going to try some Supersofts - just bought 20. On the chart they spin least on driver but are mid performers on wedge shots. I tried them out with wedges and they roll out a lot, so the Velocity must roll even more. I haven't done any comparative tests on short game, but I will once I have a free day and it stops raining here. I have a selection of Ionomer balls from a few years ago - Wilson 50, Zip, DX2, DX3

 

The balls I've bought off ebay recently to try out are all Urethane:

E-5

B330RSX

Z-Star

TP Red LDP

RBZ Urethane

 

I'm going to try those out on wedge shots, and also on full shots when I next get to play a round. Sp I guess it will be some balance of spin on the greens and distance off the driver.

 

In terms of the distance debate I'm a S-L-O-W swinger, due to being in my 60s and quite a stiff body, so 80mph clubhead speed with driver and 110mph ball speed. Driver distance is around 150 carry and 175 with roll-out. 6 iron is 70mph clubhead speed, 90mph ball speed, 125yds carry and 140yds total distance. I could do with better technique of course, more height as well, and that could produce longer drives and iron shots. But I could seriously do with more distance on driver and iron shots - I'm just not getting it out there. I only play recreational golf, but even so I want to be competitive with playing partners. On a 300yd hole, it'll be driver, 6 iron, wedge and hopefully 2 putts so absolute best will be 5 on a par 4. On a 450yd hole it'll be driver, 6 iron, 6 iron, wedge and 2 putts best, so 6 on a par 5. That's playing perfectly so it's completely theoretical. 6 iron is a Speedblade so 26.5* loft. I pick the ball up better off the fairway with irons - I can hit it longer with my 19* hybrid if the lie is good.

 

So there we are - more distance would help my scores. But so would getting the wedge shots closer to the hole. Looks like a Urethane ball if I can get equivalent distance off the tee or close to it. But I'm open to any kind of improvement. It's not impossible to develop a wedge technique that factors in a lot of roll-out, but I don't know if I want to do that. I enjoy my golf, play once a week or twice if I can, do all my own club making, and I read a lot about instruction and technique, and I'd like to be a better golfer.

The velocity was re-done this year...it held the greens just fine when i played it. I don't think i lost any strokes because of that.

[pmcuk]

 

The velocity was re-done this year...it held the greens just fine when i played it. I don't think i lost any strokes because of that.

 

In 2014 it was the least spinny of all the balls tested on half wedge shots - it would have to come a long way! But I guess you adapt to the ball you play.

https://public.tableau.com/profile/mathieu7002#!/vizhome/2014GolfBallsComparaisonChart/Dashboard1

[tsecor]

The velocity was re-done this year...it held the greens just fine when i played it. I don't think i lost any strokes because of that.

 

In 2014 it was the least spinny of all the balls tested on half wedge shots - it would have to come a long way! But I guess you adapt to the ball you play.

https://public.table...hart/Dashboard1

 

 

 

Velocity

• Explosive initial velocity for powerful distance
  
• Low long game spin
  
• Precise, consistent ball flight
  
• Playable short game feel
  

[pmcuk]

The velocity was re-done this year...it held the greens just fine when i played it. I don't think i lost any strokes because of that.

 

In 2014 it was the least spinny of all the balls tested on half wedge shots - it would have to come a long way! But I guess you adapt to the ball you play.

https://public.table...hart/Dashboard1

 

 

 

Velocity

• Explosive initial velocity for powerful distance
  
• Low long game spin
  
• Precise, consistent ball flight
  
• Playable short game feel
  

 

Seriously - how do you adapt to a low wedge spin ball? Not necessarily the Velocity, haven't tried it, but I have some Supersofts. I was finding those very tough to chip/pitch - they just rolled out and off the green in a few cases. Do you:

 

1. Just get used to it and adapt you pitches/chips?

2. Use higher lofted wedges so the ball drops and stops?

3. Use spinnier wedges?

4. Develop better technique so you're imparting more backspin?

[tsecor]

The velocity was re-done this year...it held the greens just fine when i played it. I don't think i lost any strokes because of that.

 

In 2014 it was the least spinny of all the balls tested on half wedge shots - it would have to come a long way! But I guess you adapt to the ball you play.

https://public.table...hart/Dashboard1

 

 

 

Velocity

• Explosive initial velocity for powerful distance
  
• Low long game spin
  
• Precise, consistent ball flight
  
• Playable short game feel
  

 

Seriously - how do you adapt to a low wedge spin ball? Not necessarily the Velocity, haven't tried it, but I have some Supersofts. I was finding those very tough to chip/pitch - they just rolled out and off the green in a few cases. Do you:

 

1. Just get used to it and adapt you pitches/chips?

2. Use higher lofted wedges so the ball drops and stops?

3. Use spinnier wedges?

4. Develop better technique so you're imparting more backspin?

 

I am not a pro and cannot spin the ball back 15 feet like 99% of WRX members can. Like i have since I was 12 years old, I pick out my landing zone based on the firmness of the greens and try to hit my spot. If I am near the green, say 10-15 feet off the dance floor, i look for the bump and run shot. I do not think the ball can correct flaws in my game, but i do adapt to the conditions of the green for the most part. So, # 1 seems to fit.

 

the only ball i can spin back and check up consistently is the prov1.....no other ball i have ever played has reacted like this one. but at 47 a dozen, i cant afford those all the time

[Dpavs]

I see this question a lot here and honestly I don't even know why. In my very honest opinion, most of us should forget distance... play the ball that gives us the most accuracy and the appropriate amount of spin for how we play, and play the set of tees that fits our game best. Distance should be down on the list of things we are looking for in your golf games.

 

 

Well, here is where I eat my words and agree with the above. Honestly, I don't know how distance is going to work out for me off the tee. I could do with as much extra distance as possible, and that includes irons off the fairway. So in theory I should be using all those soft low compression balls. I bought a bunch of Supersoft to test this out, and I still don't know off the tee yet since I haven't played any rounds since. So the distance part may well agree with the theory.

 

But short game turns all this on its head. Today I tried out the Supersofts against a few good urethane balls for chipping and putting onto the green, and it was almost laughable. The Supersofts just rolled and rolled, quite a few of them off the end of the green. No control at all. So that's the end of that - has to be urethane. I tried out RBZ-Urethane and B330RXS which were OK and very similar - nice soft feel and a lot more control on the green. Z-Star was a little better still. But the stars on the green were the 4-piece higher compression balls - in this case Z-Star XV and in particular some old stock TP Reds. Harder and clickier, but so much better control.

 

So there we are - driver off the tee and short game onto the green plus putting are two different worlds and looks like they require different balls. Right now, coming off the short course, I'm agreeing with Dpavs above.

 

Glad you are finding something which comfortably fits your game... I think that is really what is important and I do personally favor control over distance any day of the week. Oddly enough, Z-Star XV is where I settled ... to me it's a ball with a very nice balance of distance and control. (at least for my swing)

 

Fairways and greens OP!