the age old question - should I play premium golf balls?!

[mja1129]

So i have been back and forth on this topic - I play off about a 12 handicap and am a relatively long hitter struggling with accuracy.

 

ive been playing prov1x but wondering if there is a need to stay with the $50/dozen ball.

 

watched this video, makes me wonder if tier two ball makers are catching up to a point its not worth it anymore? -> https://shrinke.me/Mc4N 

 

looking for thoughts on this and other ball recommendations!

[BlackDiamondPar5]

I'm about a 16, decently long hitter and have played my best rounds with a variety of balls from; ProV's  to TopFlite Gamer (good ball but not durable).  I started experimenting with Vice but that will have to wait until spring, but first impressions were good and they are a lot less $ than ProV.  I do know when I hit something like a Callaway Supersoft that it costs me some yards on the drive but I don't really care.

Edited November 19, 2020 by BlackDiamondPar5

[larryd3]

why don't you try some Snell MTB X or regular MTBs and see how they work for you.  Will save you some $$ also.  

[Jeff58]

Use $50 balls and don’t pay $50 for them.

 

For non-competitive rounds, use Lostgolfballs (not the recycled ones). You’ll do the world a bit of good and save a fair bit of cash -

 

https://www.lostgolfballs.com/golf-balls/brands/pro-v1.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8dHI9ZGP7QIVfBatBh235wtqEAAYASACEgLJo_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Buy new balls in the spring when many manufacturers, most notably TM and Srixon have two for one sales, or use PRACTICE balls, which are fully legal cosmetic seconds.

Edited November 19, 2020 by Jeff58

[DavidH88]

Hey there @mja1129 after reading your post, Most Golf balls nowadays are pretty similar and its a matter of finding one that works well and of course price is important. I have been through this same process myself. I have tried numerous Tour balls from ProV1 to Chrome Soft in the past and for the last 3 seasons I found that the Bridgestone Tour B XS, TP5 and Nike RZN Tour Platinum work well for me. I do however agree with some of the other guys above with the lost golf balls route. same ball lower price. I'd recommend the XS its pretty darn good ^_^

 

best of luck and good golf 

[Bad9]

If you want to yes.

[Members Only]

Let's put it this way. If you are "good enough" to play those $50/dozen balls and feel that you do not lose them at an unsustainable rate, then continue. If not, try looking into the used golf ball market or the re sale industry! You can find some great deals there. I know a guy that can hook you up! Message me if you're interested @mja1129

[Pepperturbo]

My FIL is in his 80's and plays ProVs, and I do as well.  A friend in his 50's plays to a 14 and loves playing ProVs, except he's too frugal to buy them.  As a result, he only plays the one's he finds or ones I give him.  Amazing how many he finds... There's not a damn thing wrong with him doing it that way either.  Lots of people probably should reconsider Premium cause they B losing too many. 

 

Anyhow, as we know, premium balls are expensive but especially for some people that have dispersion issues and lose them, worse when they are new.  Golf is expensive, but at $4 a ball that makes golf even more expensive.  Thankfully, my dispersion with clubs is almost zilch.  I seldom  lose a ball, just take them out of play with a new one.  Play what you can afford to lose. 

[CallawayOffCenter]

At that skill level, i think the best balance is to find good enough balls at good prices. Think "2nd" tier like Maxfli tour, project a, topflite gamer, snell mtb, just to name a few off the top of my head. Also, a great steal to be had is the ProV and TP5 "pratice" balls. PGATSS has them for 29.99 and every box I've bought has been normal pro v's or TP's with a company logo or some branding on one side and PRACTICE on another side. I've seen no difference numbers or performance wise. Try them out if you want to play Pro V's without paying for Pro V's.

[swagee]

8 hours ago, mja1129 said:

So i have been back and forth on this topic - I play off about a 12 handicap and am a relatively long hitter struggling with accuracy.

 

ive been playing prov1x but wondering if there is a need to stay with the $50/dozen ball.

 

watched this video, makes me wonder if tier two ball makers are catching up to a point its not worth it anymore? -> https://shrinke.me/Mc4N 

 

looking for thoughts on this and other ball recommendations!

 

If u can comfortably afford the best balls, then go with the best balls.

Different balls might not help a whole lot with accuracy, but premium balls certainly help with delivering more consistent and predictable distance, spin rate, trajectory. 

 

I hope it helps.

Cheers

[Tanner25]

There's so many affordable options, as discussed practice balls, Snells. Also, Kirkland, Vice, Oncore, MG or stock up on Black Friday. I personally like Soft Feel at 21.99 and the occasional Srixon bogo makes these a great value. 

Edited November 19, 2020 by Tanner25

[trojanhorse]

Srixon is running a deal right now that I couldn't pass up. I typically use maxfli tour x but dicks recently raised the price of them so I started looking at something else. Saw the buy 2 get 1 free deal on srixon and decided to give it a shot. 3 dozen of a direct competitor to the Prov1 at almost half the cost per ball. Hurts a little less when I see it fly in the woods now.

[aquapig]

17 hours ago, Bad9 said:

If you want to yes.

Really?

[aquapig]

At your handicap, absolutely not.

 

I play off a 4 handicap and I've shot some of my best rounds with a Cally SS (20.00/dozen), Taylormade Distance (14.99), Snell (29.00/dozen).

 

I've taken the 14.00 ball out on the course, actually 3 different courses, along with a ProV1x. I played both balls shot for shot and the differences between the 2 are very minimal. And I have a fairly repeatable and consistent swing.

 

At a 16, you are wasting money on balls that would be much better spent on lessons. 

 

 

[NRJyzr]

Unfortunately, the only real answer for each of us on the "should I or shouldn't I" play a premium ball comes from ourselves.  We have to examine if we're getting the benefit of those balls, the short game spin, and so on.  There's no simple answer.

 

If the cost aspect bothers you, play something cheaper.  There are plenty of alternatives out there, including top shelf products from prior years, or the odd sales here and there.  Like the Srixon two for one sale that seems to happen around Fathers Day every year.  Hard to argue with a top level ball for $20/dozen.  🙂

 

Some seem to love them, but I would avoid the recycled ball market.  There are plenty of studies out there showing how ball performance suffers from prolonged submersion.

 

[MtlJeff]

It's really up to you. One of my good friends is a 5.6 index who won our AA club championship using a Maxfli Noodle. He has buckets full of balls like that which he has found and just uses those. He actually won a box of Srixon Z Star XV's and just gave them to me. To him it makes no difference.

 

I like the feel of tour balls. I also play a short game that is very dependant on spin, since i cannot hit a flop shot or even high chips. So for me i like the added spin in the short game.

 

But i avoid paying full price. Every year our pro shop does like a "buy 5 boxes and get a 10$ discount on each" or something like that. And i just buy like 10 boxes. That will last me 2 years +

[aquapig]

At a 16 handicap there is a simple answer, and it's absolutely not.

 

Buy 12 ProVs and a dozen cally SS or  Wilson Duo...play a round a few rounds with each. I will be willing to bet your scores won't change based on the ball performance.

 

 

[jordan2240]

I don't have an official handicap, but generally shoot between mid 80s and mid 90s.  I've found that I prefer the softer 2-piece balls that are always on the inexpensive end of the market.  I had a friend recently relate a story about how one of his pals was directed away from premium balls toward a much-more-affordable softer ball at one of the large golf stores after they tested his swing speed, which turned out to be average for the weekend-warrior.  I had a friend that was always buying premium, and I suggested he go to a cheaper ball, and he liked its performance better.  So yeah, as an average golfer, you are likely getting no benefit from a premium ball.  When I hit a decent approach shot, I have never had trouble holding the green with a cheap 2-piece.  Most of us couldn't spin the ball like the pros if our lives depended on it.  One of my favorites in the Oncore Avant 55.  I was once playing it while another guy played the more expensive Oncore Elixir, insisting it was a better performer (though he wasn't playing any better than I was).  So I bought a dozen of those.  Was happy when I lost them so I could go back to the 55.  I also like the Srixon Soft Feel.  I think the ball definitely matters, and that many average golfers play the wrong one.

[Flyers99]

If possible I would try what aquapig says above and take a premium ball and cheaper ball and play side by side to SEE if there is a difference for you.  I have a guy in our work league who can spin the crap out of a Titleist Tour S (no longer made) ball. He purchase 20 dozen when they were getting discontinued a few years ago and still has a bunch left.  He cannot play the Pro V1/VX because he spins them back to much. He probably is an outlier but you need to play what works for you and not what the manufacturers tell you should or would work for you. 

[nitram]

On 11/19/2020 at 3:20 PM, Pepperturbo said:

My FIL is in his 80's and plays ProVs, and I do as well.  A friend in his 50's plays to a 14 and loves playing ProVs, except he's too frugal to buy them.  As a result, he only plays the one's he finds or ones I give him.  Amazing how many he finds... There's not a damn thing wrong with him doing it that way either.  Lots of people probably should reconsider Premium cause they B losing too many. 

 

Anyhow, as we know, premium balls are expensive but especially for some people that have dispersion issues and lose them, worse when they are new.  Golf is expensive, but at $4 a ball that makes golf even more expensive.  Thankfully, my dispersion with clubs is almost zilch.  I seldom  lose a ball, just take them out of play with a new one.  Play what you can afford to lose. 

 

Pepper said exactly what I was gonna. There's been volumes written about balls and handicaps et al. At the end of the day, it's your money and what makes you happy. If you think playing with the latest tour offering helps you lower your scores, I say go for it. Play what makes you happy.

[Sean2]

On 11/19/2020 at 4:20 PM, Pepperturbo said:

My FIL is in his 80's and plays ProVs, and I do as well.  A friend in his 50's plays to a 14 and loves playing ProVs, except he's too frugal to buy them.  As a result, he only plays the one's he finds or ones I give him.  Amazing how many he finds... There's not a damn thing wrong with him doing it that way either.  Lots of people probably should reconsider Premium cause they B losing too many. 

 

Anyhow, as we know, premium balls are expensive but especially for some people that have dispersion issues and lose them, worse when they are new.  Golf is expensive, but at $4 a ball that makes golf even more expensive.  Thankfully, my dispersion with clubs is almost zilch.  I seldom  lose a ball, just take them out of play with a new one.  Play what you can afford to lose. 

Our course is littered with hazards so I haven't purchased any golf balls in years. I find a lot of premium golf balls, especially ProV's, and like to play those as I like the responsiveness around the greens. I have never found any meaningful difference off the tee among golf balls...it's around the greens where I see the difference. 

 

During the off-season I play the other golf balls I find. 

[2bGood]

Play what you enjoy the most and worry about the price after. Premium Ball A that you like is $5, Value ball B that is compromise is $3.

 

If you re like me a ball last you at least 24+ holes. So the price difference is about $1.50 per round. I am willing to pay that for the ball I like the most.  

 

Twice a year Pro V1 go on sale fro around $40 a dozen. If you stock up then you can save a few bucks and make the price different even less. 

 

If you lose several balls around, these number don't make allot sense and you are also aren't at level where the details of ball choice matter as much.

[jafstar]

Yes if you:

Play in tournaments 

Keep a handicap of 8 or lower 

Have the money

 

[FakeClubPro]

Rick Shiels review of the Gamer.  Skip to 5:39 for durability test out of the bunker.   It did fairly well.  The older Gamer cover did not do as well.   The distance was comparable to the ball he uses.  Dick's had a black friday special and they usually run it of 3 dozen for $40 - I think

 

 

[FatThinShank]

I would also look for previous versions of balls on sale. You can get the gen 5 Srixon Z stars on Amazon for like 30$. 

[chippa13]

I just got Srixon 3 for 2 a couple weeks ago.

[QuigleyDU]

If by premium you mean a urethane covered ball. Then I think everyone should. There is not benefit other than price for playing something less..

[LukeDonaldsTiger]

I second the folks who recommended Vice or Snell. Fantastic, premium level balls at a lower price. 

I‘m a 19 hcp and can tell some of the differences: I really like the Srixon Q-Star Tour, but it has considerably more rollout on chips and pitches, which is undesirable to me (harder to judge where it ends up).

 

As @Pepperturbo said: „Play what you can afford to lose“. 

[munichop]

I have always looked at this question the other way. Why should I play the most expensive ball? Per the marketing line it is so you can play your best golf. Well my best golf was played with the gamer soft.  Right now I have switched back to the title it’s tru feel from the srixon soft feel.  I prefer the lower compression balls off the irons. But I score better with these kind of balls.  So anyone should ask themselves why play the ball they play.  The pro v balls are designed for the players with the best skills. I am not one of those. I am just a plus 2 but I don’t have the swing speed, short game or ball striking prowess to score better with a pro v than the humble low compression balls I use. That is just reality. Since golf is a game of misses when it comes to golf balls I need the forgiveness the game improvement balls offer and high end balls are not game improvement balls, they are like blade irons, which I also do not play.

[Golf4lifer]

1 hour ago, munichop said:

I have always looked at this question the other way. Why should I play the most expensive ball? Per the marketing line it is so you can play your best golf. Well my best golf was played with the gamer soft.  Right now I have switched back to the title it’s tru feel from the srixon soft feel.  I prefer the lower compression balls off the irons. But I score better with these kind of balls.  So anyone should ask themselves why play the ball they play.  The pro v balls are designed for the players with the best skills. I am not one of those. I am just a plus 2 but I don’t have the swing speed, short game or ball striking prowess to score better with a pro v than the humble low compression balls I use. That is just reality. Since golf is a game of misses when it comes to golf balls I need the forgiveness the game improvement balls offer and high end balls are not game improvement balls, they are like blade irons, which I also do not play.

How is the lesser ball more forgiving than the premium ball? 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Golf4lifer