Least favorite / most ridiculous ball of all time?

[outwardnine]

For those in the UK, how about the Donnay?

A good freind of mine swears that if you freeze them for long enough then really go after them with a driver they shatter like glass! Apparently you have to use an old driver as it caves the face in really quick.

[valmario]

when i was a liitle kid, my mom would only buy me x-out molitors from K-Mart, i didnt mind them much back then

[ABgolfer2]

[quote name='valmario' date='20 March 2010 - 04:48 PM' timestamp='1269125297' post='2329763']
when i was a liitle kid, my mom would only buy me x-out molitors from K-Mart, i didnt mind them much back then
[/quote]

How @^@^ bad did a Molitor have to be to be an X-out?

As good as the newer Top Flites are, I still laugh at some of the shots I played with a Spalding Starflite.

Star Flites were worse than Kro Flites, but better than "Pro Shops". They were really short and could not be played in even the slightest wind - they were like feathers.

Who the hell names a ball, "Pro Shop"? Wasn't "Golf Ball" available? You could see the seam and they felt like a rock covered in wax - or maybe processed cheese.


Hardest ball? Anything with DDH on it.

[Rockfish]

[attachment=561678:golf ball.jpg]

[grm24]

The original wound version of the Titleist Tour Prestige. The hands down worst premium tour level golf ball that Titleist ever made. Possibly the shortest ball Titleist made as well.

[MMB1500]

[quote name='outwardnine' date='20 March 2010 - 06:03 PM' timestamp='1269108223' post='2329333']
Callaway warbird. I'm sure that thing was actually made from granite. Got given a sleeve at a corporate day a couple of years ago. Didnt even take them out of the packet, just threw the whole lot into the nearest lake.
[/quote]

+1. I prefer not to play balls that are actually harder than the metal my clubs are made of.

[mat562]

Anything rock hard is an obvious candidate, but the worst ones I remember were what we affectionately called 'hamster balls' back when I was a junior.

I've no idea who made the things as they were devoid of logos, but they were a truly terrible ball in every regard. The colour for starters was horrible. A sickly beigey/yellow that brought to mind images of gone-off mustard or peanut butter and which was the approximate colour of a typical hamster's coat (hence the monicker) or goat vomit, the things had a feel not dissimilar to how I'd imagine hitting a camel's eyeball must feel. Construction-wise, we learned (after seeing one that the dog chewed into two pieces) that they were basically a one piece design. Beigey/brown rubber all the way through with no discernable cover, core or mantle. Just the appearance of a big lump of used chewing gum that had been lobbed in a ball-shaped mould until a crappy beige golf ball came out a few days later.

They went nowhere, felt horrible (and, curiously, as if they were extremely heavy) and spun like.... well; they [i]didn't [/i]spin. A 70 yard nipper with a Ping L wedge and an Ian Woosnam divot that would ordinarily have a Tour Edition accelerating bacwards like a Ferrari when it hit the green had the thing landing and rolling out like 4 iron shot, and the greenside spin was so poor that you had to essentially aim for a spot ten feet short of the actual hole when you chipped to get anywhere near.

Throw in that familar feature of all cheapo balls, the universally-sized dimples arranged in distinctly unglitzy straight lines across and around the ball, and you had a truly terrible creation that, even as juniors who ordinarily treasured any find on the course as valuable ammunition for the practice ball bag, had you chucking it back into the bushes when the dog came trotting out of the gorse and, with abject disappointment, you realised that he'd found a lemon and not the nearly new balata that you were hoping for. The thing that was unfathomable was that you used to find them out on the course. [i]Someone,[/i] God knows who,[i] [/i]was actually playing the things as their usual ball. Madness.

Anyone else who played golf in the UK during the 1970s and '80s remember them? Really, really horrible things. Possibly Penfolds?

[jaskanski]

Let us not forget the Commando either.

[outwardnine]

Matt, I know the ones you mean. After a bit the outer used to perish and crack, covering the whole ball in little black lines. Could have been a penfold or a commando?

[mat562]

Having passed an All Arms course in my younger days, I'm both ashamed and outraged that Penfold had the audacity to put 'Commando' on something as utterly crap as that ball.

Unbelievably, they were still being sold in golf shops, as a new ball, the late 1980s. The same rubbery cover, unispiring dimple pattern and crap elastic middle bit that was the order of the day in the mid '70s. Can you imagine trying to sell those things next to Maxfli HTs and Titleist balatas? It's like plonking a Sierra Cosworth down next to a Morris Ital and asking someone which one they want.

['53 Precision]

[quote name='mrhills0146' date='19 March 2010 - 02:13 PM' timestamp='1269029599' post='2327700']
IIRC the first Ben Hogan ball was a real dud and I think had major quality control issues.
[/quote]


Which "first Ben Hogan ball" are you referring to? The Hogan balls from the 70's and 80's or the last iteration of the Hogan ball. The first edition of the Hogan ball was the #1 ball in golf, and on tour, for a few years until they quit producing them and Titleist took over the title. The second edition from the late 90's on was a pretty decent ball too and the patents are the main reason that Callaway bought The Ben Hogan Company. Just wondering what you were referring to.

[JJK]

Trio Hollanders, Fireballs, Golden Bears, and Ram Tours. The only time I ever saw a Frieball wear out was once when a mover ran over it, and cut it in half, but they were guarenteed not to crack, so you go a free replacement. The Trio Hollanders, had, I believe, a negative compression, and actually sucked energy out of your club; the Ram Tours used to put dents in the other balls in my shag bag, and there is now way Nicklaus played that Golden Bear, which felt as if the ball had been fossilized, back in the Jurassic age. Still, you played what you could afford, or whatever you found!

[Skip1020]

Maxfli Tour Patriot

Titleist Tour Distance SF

Wilson True

Wilson Ultra 500

Ben Hogan Legend 15 ball pack

Top Flite System C and System T

Cobra Dista - BIGGEST BALL FLOP EVER

[Sause]

I'm really surprised to not see this name up here yet but I was given two boxes of slazengers late last year. Not the RAW branded balls.

Last year was my first year back in gold since 2001 and I was hitting all sorts of balls with the exception of the rock flights, pretty much whatever I could find... anyway I figured what the hell I'll hit them and even with my 25+ year old warn out irons I was wrecking the cover. I mean these things were trashed after one hole.

They were pretty much my first experience playing a VERY bad ball. It was almost like the ball was melting from my driver. Then my irons would crack the case and I'd be left watching the f'in deformed thing bounce around while putting.

I normally play a Callaway Warbird or a TM Burner. They are ok I think the burner is alittle softer. I am gonna buy in bulk once I figure out what I like. Next ball on the list is the Nike Distance SFT since I just came back from lunch and found 24 sitting on my desk.

[flounder]

I'm old enough to remember the Faultless, one of the first cut proof balls as advertised by Johnny Carson. He would put the ball in a little guillotine to prove it wouldn't cut. The trouble was, the ball was solid, rock hard and wouldn't make it through a round without flying to pieces. Even us young kids could generate enough power to crack them into several pieces.

[avgjoe]

tail of the tiger

[Mr D]

[quote name='mat562' date='21 March 2010 - 09:36 PM' timestamp='1269207371' post='2331486']
Having passed an All Arms course in my younger days, I'm both ashamed and outraged that Penfold had the audacity to put 'Commando' on something as utterly crap as that ball.

Unbelievably, they were still being sold in golf shops, as a new ball, the late 1980s. The same rubbery cover, unispiring dimple pattern and crap elastic middle bit that was the order of the day in the mid '70s. Can you imagine trying to sell those things next to Maxfli HTs and Titleist balatas? It's like plonking a Sierra Cosworth down next to a Morris Ital and asking someone which one they want.
[/quote]

Nice car reference. Surely the Talbot Samba or Austin Princess would also make it as a car equivalent?

[mat562]

The Maxi and the Austin All Aggro 'fig biscuit' could probably have been used as examples of Penfold Commando-esque crap late '70s cars too.

Truly a piss poor golf ball (and selection of cars) but, I still maintain, not a patch on the old hamster balls in the crapness stakes.

[Mr D]

Excellent

[nando]

Slazengers,,,,,who plays them? They are ridiculous, but, someone plays them, too much marketing for them not to be in use.

[HappyG]

[quote name='kyldo' date='20 March 2010 - 03:53 PM' timestamp='1269114816' post='2329490']
The molitor gets my vote. I'm convinced that whoever made it set out to make a ball that was firmer than the clubface.
[/quote]


"Scary Long!"...those weren't only firmer than the clubface, they could dent it too! Those were like trying to tee off with a marble!

[Pepperturbo]

I have no idea how to determine the worst ball.  No ball stays in play very long if it's not meeting minimal expectations.  Which begs the question why would anyone keep playing a ball that's not positively performing in some fashion.

[mshills]

[quote name='Pepperturbo' date='23 March 2010 - 06:06 PM' timestamp='1269382005' post='2336193']
I have no idea how to determine the worst ball. No ball stays in play very long if it's not meeting minimal expectations. Which begs the question why would anyone keep playing a ball that's not positively performing in some fashion.
[/quote]

If it was not clear enough, this is a thread designed to elicit a chuckle on some of the "innovations" in recent memory. [u]Most[/u] people who responded seem to have gotten it.

[mat562]

A tip for those struggling with the concept, and an easy way to achieve the goal of this thread is to think of all the balls you've hit during your golfing life - [i]whether or not it became a regular arrangement with that particular model[/i] - and then identify the particular ball that qualified as being the worst from a performance standpoint and thus presumably your least favourite.

An analogy would be to answer the question [i]'who is the best looking person you have ever seen?'[/i] In this example, it's possible to make an objective assessment of beauty without necessarily having to have been married to the person you name in your answer.

Take that principle, apply it to the question raised in this thread, and [i]voila.[/i] Your least favourite golf ball.

[ScooterMcTavish]

...and also, a lot of golfers are big fans of the old trial and error. I think back to when I used that stupid Royal (wet cat) ball. I carried that thing around in my bag for years before finally deciding to hit it because I was sure it was the going to be the perfect ball.

...and also, a lot of golfers started off as "sneak on to the course and find balls" type players, and often we were disappointed after finding a good ball, and finding out it was actually crap (see: Wilson Aviator, Top Flite Plus, Titleist ProV).

...and also sometimes we buy things cheap because we think, "How bad can it be?" and find out just how bad it actually is.

(cackling like a maniac and running to the hills)

[Pepperturbo]

[quote name='mrhills0146' date='23 March 2010 - 05:53 PM' timestamp='1269388395' post='2336404']
[quote name='Pepperturbo' date='23 March 2010 - 06:06 PM' timestamp='1269382005' post='2336193']
I have no idea how to determine the worst ball. No ball stays in play very long if it's not meeting minimal expectations. Which begs the question why would anyone keep playing a ball that's not positively performing in some fashion.
[/quote]

If it was not clear enough, this is a thread designed to elicit a chuckle on some of the "innovations" in recent memory. [u]Most[/u] people who responded seem to have gotten it.
[/quote]
Well it flew right over my head... or just maybe I knew it was a chuckle and haven't bothered messing with odd balls, so I posed a question for doofuses on the board that have.  Take your pic. 

[golfnut5438]

Can't remember if it had a model name, but the first Surlyn covered "cut proof" Top Rocks, er I mean Top Flites!!

[Mr. Fair]

How about the Top Flite balls that were made specifically for either Callaway or Taylor Made drivers?

[kanzaclimber]

What is this?. . . . .

[Midnightexpress]

The Canadian golfers might remember this one.. Canadian Tire's Match Play balls.. they came in 3 colours.. yellow, white and orange. the yellow was like mustard, the orange was was a dull pumpkin looking orange and the white faded and looked almost grey. not to mention these balls played like crap, they didnt get cut but you can take chunks about 1 quarter size of the ball. they were 9.99 a doz i think about 20 years ago. My Dad played them all the time.. it was the only new ball he bought.. very frugal.