Srixon Q-Star and Tri-speed, Callaway Hex Diablo Tour or Titleist NXT Tour S: Which of these are the

[nikpharmd]

Trying to find a new ball

Myself: Third year golfing
Age: 33
Clubs: Woods/Hybrids Ping G15, Irons Mizuno JPX-800 HD, Wedges Cleveland CG14 Black Pearl and Putter Odyssey White Hot XG #1
Handicap: 20
Driver SS: 95-105
Driver: 240-275 yards
6-iron: 175-180 yards
PW: 125-130 yards
Workability: I am not interested in really working the ball, but am more interested in some help when I slice the ball off the tee.

I have been all over the place with golf balls. I read all of the reviews, talk to the pros at golf courses, talk to fellow golfers and ask the "experts" at golf stores. I was swayed to hit the Bridgestone e6, which I really liked because of my slice; last year I played the Nike One Vapor Speed religiously. However, I don't think I like them enough to say they are my ball. I was told to consider the Srixon Q-Star or Tri-speed, Callaway Hex Diablo Tour and Titleist NXT Tour S. Any opinions out there? Additionally, I am not sure on the whole yellow ball thing because I am a bit of a traditionalist. However, the idea of being able to see the ball better in the rough sounds like a good idea. How does a yellow ball look at address?

[tjumper78]

i havent tried the new nxt tour series b/c it's too expensive for mid-tier ball.
however, i have tried the hx diablo tour, trispeed tour and q-star.
for me, hx diablo tour is the best. i actually prefer it over any other ball out there, including all the fancy premium balls.
trispeed tour is longer than q-star and spins better off irons than q-star.
q-star was softer off putter and was more durable than trispeed tour.
you can get the trispeed tour balls for cheaper than q-stars at golf galaxy.

try callaway hx diablo tour balls.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

I don't think any of the balls are going to be hugely different for your game than the e6 or Vapor Speed but it's fun to try something different each year.

I have played, briefly, the e6 and it didn't strike me as especially good or bad. It works fine if you don't want the ball to spin. Maybe overdoes the no-spin thing that that's better than the opposite, if you know what I mean.

I have played for quite a while with the HX Diablo Tour and aside from the fact it costs more than $2/ball I would still be playing it now. It really rolls nicely on the greens when putting or chipping, i get as much distance out of it as any ball (there's not much magic to distance, basically I find a lot of balls go about the same for me and a few a quite a bit shorter). With cost as no object it's probably my favorite ball mostly because I think it really, really works well on the greens. Spins more than an e6 but not much more.

I briefly played the Q-Star. It's one of those pretty much the same distance balls. Spins the same or a tiny bit more than the HX Diablo Tour but I didn't see that really nice roll when putting and I never played it long enough to get dialed in with my chippng as well as with the HX Diablo Tour. Given that it costs the same as the HX Diablo Tour I never used it after that first sleeve was gone. Good ball and it does come in yellow.

I may have tried a sleeve of Tri-Speed a long time ago but don't remember anything about it. The NXT Tour S is new and I've not gotten around to trying it. Once again, costs about the same as a HX Diablo Tour or Q-Star and I have no reason to think it would be any longer or spinnier than those.

Any of these will spin a bit more than the e6 but none of them are going to spin enough to turn your slice into a huge problem. All of them cost around $2.25/ball or in that ballpark. I did find the Q-Star more durable than the HX Diablo Tour. I think balls with the "hex" pattern dimple mark up worse than conventional dimples and I also suspect it's that dimple style that makes them roll so well on the greens. But just speculating.

P.S. About the yellow ball thing, it looks fine on the tee. After a round or two you quit noticing it. I do not find it any easier to track in the sky or on the ground when the grass is summertime green. On our dormant Bermuda grass that is brown all winter, the yellow balls work brilliantly and you can spot them from much farther away. I just don't see it, so to speak, in normal conditions.

[ScooterMcTavish]

First - Yellow Balls.

I started trying these a couple of years ago when they made their resurgance, and played e6s and Z-Stars in yellow. I've gone back to white - the yellow just looks too odd to me. That being said, I'll still play them in fall when it's easy for balls to disappear.

Regarding the balls you mentioned, I've tried just about every ionomer 3-piece ball out there (and many 2 piece) trying to find the best mix of distance, spin, and feel. My comments on the balls you listed:
[size="2"]Nike One Vapor Speed - A ball I liked, but never fell in love with. Spun OK, feel was meh
Srixon Q-Star - AD333 but $5 more per dozen. Found the covers to be sadly non-durable. Feel nice off irons
Tri-speed - First sub-40 round at the local 9 was with a Trispeed - OK ball but same cover durability issues as AD333/Q-Star. Actually preferred the Trispeed Tour - better feel and worth gaming.
Callaway Hex Diablo Tour - Never did it for me - even though the compression is low, Diablo-series balls have all felt harder than they're supposed to.
Titleist NXT Tour S - Haven't played the S yet, but I have tried the NXT Tour on 3 separate occasions, and found it overrated for spin and feel

However, all of the balls listed above will work fine, and it'll be up to you to find which you you develop an affinity for. As you can tell from my comments, I like a "feel" ball, and as someone who grew up playing wound/balata/Tour Edition balls, a ball must have a softer feel for me to truly like it.

If you want to try one more ball, I'd suggest the Wilson Staff C:25. An updated version of the Zip, I think it's about the closest thing I've felt to one of the old balata balls. Tacky cover, good durability, decent spin, and a cushy feel, all at a great price. What isn't there to love?[/size]

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

Or the Zip itself, cheap-cheap nowadays. I like it as well as I like the HX Diablo Tour but have been getting "blems" for less than a dollar a ball. Brand new they are about $26 for a two-dozen pack, widely available.

[joeunc]

i tried out the HX Diablo Tour over the weekend, I normally play NXT Tour. The Diablo Tour was definitely longer, didn't notice any difference in stopping on the greens with irons. Pitches and chips checked nicely. Putter feel was great , no 3 three putts all day rolled nicely.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

joeunc,

Interesting. I had played the NXT Tour for a year or so before "discovering" the HX Diablo Tour. Same observations as yours pretty much.

[Callaway23jc]

[quote name='Fourmyle of Ceres' timestamp='1334669466' post='4737038']
I don't think any of the balls are going to be hugely different for your game than the e6 or Vapor Speed but it's fun to try something different each year.

I have played, briefly, the e6 and it didn't strike me as especially good or bad. It works fine if you don't want the ball to spin. Maybe overdoes the no-spin thing that that's better than the opposite, if you know what I mean.

I have played for quite a while with the HX Diablo Tour and aside from the fact it costs more than $2/ball I would still be playing it now. It really rolls nicely on the greens when putting or chipping, i get as much distance out of it as any ball (there's not much magic to distance, basically I find a lot of balls go about the same for me and a few a quite a bit shorter). With cost as no object it's probably my favorite ball mostly because I think it really, really works well on the greens. Spins more than an e6 but not much more.

I briefly played the Q-Star. It's one of those pretty much the same distance balls. Spins the same or a tiny bit more than the HX Diablo Tour but I didn't see that really nice roll when putting and I never played it long enough to get dialed in with my chippng as well as with the HX Diablo Tour. Given that it costs the same as the HX Diablo Tour I never used it after that first sleeve was gone. Good ball and it does come in yellow.

I may have tried a sleeve of Tri-Speed a long time ago but don't remember anything about it. The NXT Tour S is new and I've not gotten around to trying it. Once again, costs about the same as a HX Diablo Tour or Q-Star and I have no reason to think it would be any longer or spinnier than those.

Any of these will spin a bit more than the e6 but none of them are going to spin enough to turn your slice into a huge problem. All of them cost around $2.25/ball or in that ballpark. I did find the Q-Star more durable than the HX Diablo Tour. I think balls with the "hex" pattern dimple mark up worse than conventional dimples and I also suspect it's that dimple style that makes them roll so well on the greens. But just speculating.

P.S. About the yellow ball thing, it looks fine on the tee. After a round or two you quit noticing it. I do not find it any easier to track in the sky or on the ground when the grass is summertime green. On our dormant Bermuda grass that is brown all winter, the yellow balls work brilliantly and you can spot them from much farther away. I just don't see it, so to speak, in normal conditions.
[/quote]

You had said, "With cost as no object it's probably my favorite ball mostly because I think it really, really works well on the greens. Spins more than an e6 but not much more.". Here..Were you speaking of off the tee or around the greens?