Quest for the "best" golf ball

[wfrogge1]

Little background about myself..... Been hitting golf balls since the age of 5 (mid 30s now) but didnt start to play until I was 18. From 2004-2006 I was anywhere between a 3 and 7 handicap and entered several local tournaments per year. Took a few years break from golf and starting this summer I got the bug again to play. My swingspeed with the driver is between 115-120 and most of the time I hit it around 260-280 pretty straight. 7 iron carry is around 160... I am more of a sweeper of the ball taking very small diviots with the irons and wedges with a very high ball flight. Most of my shots stop on the green in its mark or back up no more than a foot on flat greens. For putting I perfer a soft feel. For the past few months I have been trying several different golf balls and here is what I have found......

 

 

Pro V1

 

First ball I played when I started hitting again this summer. Felt good as always but a little more clickier off the putter than what I remembered but not anything too bad. The standard as to what I measure other balls to.

 

 

Callaway Tour IX

 

I have never been a fan of high compression balls but I gave this one a try when the went on sale for 30 @ dz a few months back. Contrary to what others will tell you about "10 yards further" they are not... They do have a different ballflight than the Pro V1 and do have more roll but in the end these were equal to the Pro V1. As expected you can really feel this ball when you hit it with every club. There is nothing soft about this thing. Even though my short game and putting didnt suffer the sound and clicky feel really turned me off. Tried two dz but never could get used to it. Just to dead for me and I will not be trying other "X" or "D" premium balls. With both the I and IX being replaced soon ill pass on either until the new models come out.

 

Srixon Z Star

 

This ball has a soft feel much more so IMHO than the Pro V1. For some this may be a distraction off the driver and irons but it didnt bother me much. Ball flight was about the same as the Pro V1 and distance was equal to the Pro V1 and Tour IX with all clubs. For the short game this ball again feels softer than the Pro V1 so its great for me off the putter. Nice ball but I figured its worth a try to try a few more.....

 

 

Nike Tour

 

Now this ball to me feels 100% like the current Pro V1, it even has the same sound off the putter IMHO. Ballflight, distance, short game all feel like the Pro V1. This may be the "one" for me..

 

 

Bridgestone B330-S

 

I used to play the B330 from 06 and really liked that ball a lot. Talking with some friends they suggested I try the -S as its pretty comparable to the old B330 and they are pretty dead on. Its a little softer than the current Pro V1 IMHO and has a more muted click sound of the putter as well. I say the feel is between the Srixon Z Star and Pro V1. Ballflight, distance, etc are close to the Pro V...

 

 

In the end as I expected all the softer premium balls felt nice with identical results for me. Didnt see one backing up more than another on the green or loss of distance even when compared to the holy grail of distance balls the Tour IX. In the end I think its going to come down between the Pro V1 and the Nike Tour. If the price of the Nike balls stay at $30 @ dz like they are now its a no brainer. If the price creeps back to to 40 saving 5 bucks wont make or break me so ill run with Titleist.

 

 

 

Just MHO for those looking.

[Aces-6]

Lots of good balls in the marketplace now for sure. I've tried them all and [i][u]for me [/u][/i]the Pro v1x is the most consistent performer.

[toms]

[quote name='wfrogge1' post='2028910' date='Oct 27 2009, 12:18 PM']Little background about myself..... Been hitting golf balls since the age of 5 (mid 30s now) but didnt start to play until I was 18. From 2004-2006 I was anywhere between a 3 and 7 handicap and entered several local tournaments per year. Took a few years break from golf and starting this summer I got the bug again to play. My swingspeed with the driver is between 115-120 and most of the time I hit it around 260-280 pretty straight. 7 iron carry is around 160... I am more of a sweeper of the ball taking very small diviots with the irons and wedges with a very high ball flight. Most of my shots stop on the green in its mark or back up no more than a foot on flat greens. For putting I perfer a soft feel. For the past few months I have been trying several different golf balls and here is what I have found......


Pro V1

First ball I played when I started hitting again this summer. Felt good as always but a little more clickier off the putter than what I remembered but not anything too bad. The standard as to what I measure other balls to.


Callaway Tour IX

I have never been a fan of high compression balls but I gave this one a try when the went on sale for 30 @ dz a few months back. Contrary to what others will tell you about "10 yards further" they are not... They do have a different ballflight than the Pro V1 and do have more roll but in the end these were equal to the Pro V1. As expected you can really feel this ball when you hit it with every club. There is nothing soft about this thing. Even though my short game and putting didnt suffer the sound and clicky feel really turned me off. Tried two dz but never could get used to it. Just to dead for me and I will not be trying other "X" or "D" premium balls. With both the I and IX being replaced soon ill pass on either until the new models come out.

Srixon Z Star

This ball has a soft feel much more so IMHO than the Pro V1. For some this may be a distraction off the driver and irons but it didnt bother me much. Ball flight was about the same as the Pro V1 and distance was equal to the Pro V1 and Tour IX with all clubs. For the short game this ball again feels softer than the Pro V1 so its great for me off the putter. Nice ball but I figured its worth a try to try a few more.....


Nike Tour

Now this ball to me feels 100% like the current Pro V1, it even has the same sound off the putter IMHO. Ballflight, distance, short game all feel like the Pro V1. This may be the "one" for me..


Bridgestone B330-S

I used to play the B330 from 06 and really liked that ball a lot. Talking with some friends they suggested I try the -S as its pretty comparable to the old B330 and they are pretty dead on. Its a little softer than the current Pro V1 IMHO and has a more muted click sound of the putter as well. I say the feel is between the Srixon Z Star and Pro V1. Ballflight, distance, etc are close to the Pro V...


In the end as I expected all the softer premium balls felt nice with identical results for me. Didnt see one backing up more than another on the green or loss of distance even when compared to the holy grail of distance balls the Tour IX. In the end I think its going to come down between the Pro V1 and the Nike Tour. If the price of the Nike balls stay at $30 @ dz like they are now its a no brainer. If the price creeps back to to 40 saving 5 bucks wont make or break me so ill run with Titleist.



Just MHO for those looking.[/quote]
You are not going to like the durability of the Nike Tour - worst in class versus the Prov1 which is arguably best in class.

[wfrogge1]

If so than the Nike Tour will be on the way out for sure.

[Dei3Nascar8]

[quote name='wfrogge1' post='2029000' date='Oct 27 2009, 01:59 PM']If so than the Nike Tour will be on the way out for sure.[/quote]

I completly disagree. The Pro V1 to me has the worst durability of all balls on the market. The Z-Star also scuffs for me but not like the Pro V1. I can stretch a Nike ONE Tour far more holes than a Pro V1. I guess to each his own. I take large divots and impart a ton of spin on the ball. I recently purchased a box of B330S's and while I love the balls feel and trajectory it spins WAY more than I anticipated. Twice yesterday I hit a ball over a ridge only to see it come spinning back over 8 feet and then another 10 off the ridge (lob wedge and sand wedge shots). A third time I hit a low skipper short of the ridge, let it hop on top and stick. Seemed to work much better. I am always looking for a better ball but this year it is the ONE Tour. I have some Pro V1's, B330's and Nike ONE Tours in the bag and play them all depending on how I feel or what I need out of a ball for the course. I will not be purchasing any more Pro V1's until they offer a softer, spinnier ball though. The durability of the Pro V1 would be acceptable if it was the softest, highest spin ball on the market. The fact that it is not pushed me to other manufactures. What I would love to see would be a ball that had the feel of a Wilson Zip/Z-Star, the Trajectory of the Nike ONE Tour D, the spin of the Bridgestone B330-S and yeah the cool factor of a Pro V1. I could care less what it was called and it could be pink for all I care. (Yeah I tried the Pink Precept too, my girlfriends fav ball)

[toms]

[quote name='Dei3Nascar8' post='2029201' date='Oct 27 2009, 03:50 PM'][quote name='wfrogge1' post='2029000' date='Oct 27 2009, 01:59 PM']If so than the Nike Tour will be on the way out for sure.[/quote]

I completly disagree. The Pro V1 to me has the worst durability of all balls on the market. The Z-Star also scuffs for me but not like the Pro V1. I can stretch a Nike ONE Tour far more holes than a Pro V1. I guess to each his own. I take large divots and impart a ton of spin on the ball. I recently purchased a box of B330S's and while I love the balls feel and trajectory it spins WAY more than I anticipated. Twice yesterday I hit a ball over a ridge only to see it come spinning back over 8 feet and then another 10 off the ridge (lob wedge and sand wedge shots). A third time I hit a low skipper short of the ridge, let it hop on top and stick. Seemed to work much better. I am always looking for a better ball but this year it is the ONE Tour. I have some Pro V1's, B330's and Nike ONE Tours in the bag and play them all depending on how I feel or what I need out of a ball for the course. I will not be purchasing any more Pro V1's until they offer a softer, spinnier ball though. The durability of the Pro V1 would be acceptable if it was the softest, highest spin ball on the market. The fact that it is not pushed me to other manufactures. What I would love to see would be a ball that had the feel of a Wilson Zip/Z-Star, the Trajectory of the Nike ONE Tour D, the spin of the Bridgestone B330-S and yeah the cool factor of a Pro V1. I could care less what it was called and it could be pink for all I care. (Yeah I tried the Pink Precept too, my girlfriends fav ball)
[/quote]
Dude, you're one the first to report the 2009 prov1-less durable than most of the tour balls, but I like what you say in your sig and respect it, I just have had the opposite experience. Nevertheless, a ball to keep an eye on is the Wilson FG Tour that is shipping the first of the month from what I hear. I was able to test a prototype version of the ball and it was very soft, ZIP soft, softer than the SrixZstar - which IMHO is the softest of the tour balls.

[Dei3Nascar8]

Yeah I too have had my eye on the FG Tour. Just hope they roll out some retailers around me so I don't have to buy off the internet with the added cost of shipping. First reports say that it is a little firm but I hope that is not the case. I really want to like it already without trying it. It just sounds like the right mix of everything.

[toms]

Some "firm" reports on the FG Tour just don't add up. One person said it was not as soft as the TP Red (110 compression) the Wilson is reported to be 50-70 compression. So I'm just going to have to judge for me self.

[petter7]

The Cally iX was the surprise ball for me this year.

Will be trying the 330RX soon and the Penta ball when released.

[jda]

I can easily take chunks out of any ball when I want them to spin back. What I look for is a ball that will still act like normal after it has a few scuffs. For me, the V1x is the best at this - other than the looks, i can play with one with 3 or 4 bite marks and it will play like normal. If I find and play a nike tour or cally, they are one bite and OK, but two bites and done with severely exaggerated spin.

I play every premium ball that I find for a hole or two, but I will only buy Pro V1x and use it when it matters.

The most important thing is not the ball that you choose, but to pick a ball and play it to where you can rely on it. Get to where you know what to expect and it will help your game. For example, a low wedge with a Pro V1x for me is one skip and a dead stop. The same shot with a bridgestone is 2 skips and a 12 inch runout. I can work with either as long as I know what to expect. I would play the crappiest (for me) premium ball any day over using a different one each round.

[toms]

[i]"The most important thing is not the ball that you choose, but to pick a ball and play it to where you can rely on it. Get to where you know what to expect and it will help your game"

[/i]Couldn't have said it better myself.

[300yard+]

I've been playing nike one black's for the past several months then found a 2007 Pro V1. I gained about 15 yards on my drives and 1 club longer with the Pro V1 . I tried the 2009 version and seems to me it has a slightly harder cover. So I now i'm trying to find as many of the 2007 Pro V1's I can find.

[ph00ny]

Quick question. Isn't 160 yard carry for 7 iron kind of short for a 115~120 driver SS? Same goes for the driver distance

I get a little more yardage out of the pro v1x over pro v1 and most folks have reported ix to be slight longer than pro v1x

[silver77]

you should have tried the cally tour I . Best ball on the market and soft

[maskedman]

Good thread. It's been a confusing year for balls, and a lot more work finding a game ball than it should be. For me, the Nike ONE Tour, ProV1 and B330S are all in my bag and get play depending on conditions. The ZStar and B330RX just felt too soft; the Callaway Tour iX was too hard; and the Callaway Tour i just never performed. I had some good rounds with the Nike ONE Tour D and Bridgestone e5+ but I seem to gravitate to the top three listed here. This is just my own experience. I don't like experimenting as much with balls (vs. clubs) and I am really hoping that the ball companies settle down and introduce new features and models only when significant improvements are made.

[wfrogge1]

I got in 18 holes (alternating 9 holes each round) with the B330-S and Nike One Tour this weekend. My game was "on" this weekend so the results were fair for both balls. For now im giving the nod to the Nike One Tour only because its cheaper than the B330-S and Pro V1 by a few bucks right now.

[Golf4423]

I've played them all, For me it depends on what ball is making me the most confident at the current time.. Never been a Nike fan and have never really cared for their golf balls.. Always been a prov1 guy and I really likethe 330S for cold weather play.. I'd have to say though if you tend to launch your irons then I would go with a ball that will give you minimal spin.. I hit the ball high as well and my mp14's as great as they are can really baloon into the wind with a high spin ball. If i'm playing in high wind or wet conditions than I move to a balll such as the standard b330 or a Titlist NXT tour.. Id rather know my distances and control my shots than have the soft feel in this conditions..

[wfrogge1]

I launch the ball high regardless if its a Pro V1x or Pro V1..... For me it comes down to feel.