Premium ball. Does it help high or low handicap more???

[pintail55]

Just curious what everyone opnion is on the subject whether a premium golf helps a higher handicap or a lower handicap more.

I've always heard that you should pick your golf ball from the green out. Most high handicap players are higher handicap beacuse they

need help around the green.

 

I would think that the higher handicap would benifit more from the more premium golf balls more than the lower beacuse of the added

control around the greens.

 

I tend to play to a higher handicap (10-15 inconsistant through the season) and I know every time I stray away from pro-v1 I seem to start

adding strokes. Maybe its a mental thing but its true. I have found balls that go straigher off the tee than the pro-v but if I just use my head

when it comes to course managment the added green side control helps worse than helps.

 

Whats everyones thoughts???

[Raven Logics]

10 to 15 is more "mid handicap" to me.

 

Finding the right ball is more important - whether it's premium or not. There are premium balls that are suited to high handicappers, and in my opinion they will alway be better than the average ball. The biggest mistake for a beginner is thinking that the cheapest ball is good enough for their game.

[Hnixon12]

I read an article from Rick Smith, and he said everyone who plays golf should pick a golf ball they like from the greeen back to the tee. You need a ball that you like to putt with, and holds the green well..truly where are all your strokes lost...from 100 yards in, thats true...on the flip side , you don't want aball that exagerates errant shots off the tee either.....hope this helps

[SaltytheSlicer]

I think a high-spin ball can also be counter-productive for high 'cappers. They don't know how to make the ball spin predictably, so some shots roll out and some stop unexpectedly. I think for them predictability of the spin is more important than crazy backspin. I agree on having good spin with full and half-shots, though.

[sshadow2]

High handicapper here and I play premium balls. I don't think its counter-productive at all, if you can hit the ball straight and not lose balls every five minutes. For me, I'm not looking to roll the ball back. I just want to make it roll less or if so, stop. At this point in my game, I can't impart much spin but I have been able to make the ball stop dead with both the Cally IX and the Z-Stars.

 

The latter falls into the category of what Hnixon12 said about errant shots though.

 

The problem I find with some teachers is that high handicappers are encouraged to roll the ball rather than trying the more complicated approach of imparting spin. I don't care to do it that way and I have found relatively good success with trying to stop the ball. Sure I blast the ball over the green sometimes but I'm having fun trying to make it work right and when it does, which happens pretty often now, it feels great and my confidence skyrockets.

 

A better solution however, is to play a mid-priced ball that has premium ball tendencies like the Burner TPs. They spin almost as much as any premium ball, cost almost half the price, and have great feel, distance, and durability.

[sk373]

I think a high-spin ball can also be counter-productive for high 'cappers. They don't know how to make the ball spin predictably, so some shots roll out and some stop unexpectedly. I think for them predictability of the spin is more important than crazy backspin. I agree on having good spin with full and half-shots, though.

 

this argument is always brought up when debating the short-game merits of premium balls for high handicappers. i think for the vast majority of high handicappers, it doesn't hold true for several reasons:

 

1) in the short-game, high handicappers don't impart that much spin to begin with. for the most part, a premium ball will give them enough spin so the ball doesn't roll out forever. they generally don't have the technique to make a ball check up. it's not that they don't know how to make the ball spin predictably, it's that they don't know how to spin the ball. of course, there are always exceptions--but imho, a high capper that can spin the ball on half-swings isn't likely to stay a high capper for long.

 

2) generally, a high capper's miss in the short game isn't the type where they spin the ball unpredictably. it's a chunk, skull, shank, pull, etc.--IOW, a really bad shot.

 

3) premium balls generally feel better when putting. that's something every golfer can benefit from, regardless of handicap.

[sshadow2]

Good post sk373.

 

but imho, a high capper that can spin the ball on half-swings isn't likely to stay a high capper for long.

 

This is my hope. I can stop some of these premium balls on half swings and they check pretty good on my quarter swings too.

 

generally, a high capper's miss in the short game isn't the type where they spin the ball unpredictably. it's a chunk, skull, shank, pull, etc.--IOW, a really bad shot.

 

Exactly! All of the above for me but, becoming much less frequent nowadays.

 

premium balls generally feel better when putting. that's something every golfer can benefit from, regardless of handicap.

 

Couldn't have said it better.