Golf balls and distance control

[Wedgie]

I have always struggled with distance control. I'm not talking half shots from 80 yards, I'm talking full swings. I may hit a club 150 on one hole, 170 on the next then 130 a couple holes later. Sometimes it is a miss hit and I understand wind and other factors may cause this but I'm wondering if anyone finds certain balls offer better distance control?

 

I have never really settled on a certain ball and often play lower compression balls from the duo to e6. I seem to play best in the 55-75 compression range. Anyway, picked up some Z Stars for a round last weekend and pretty much everything I hit was pin high all day. You can argue no roll out with a urethane ball but I am accustomed to flying the green 2 or 3 times a round with my irons.

 

Can a ball help in this regard?

 

 

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[revkev]

Pick a quality ball and stick with it -

 

Then you will know if it's you or the ball

 

 

 

 

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[HeathS16]

I'll second what Rev said. Control one variable at a time and you can then compare results. I play srixon golf balls and find them very consistent. Good luck!

 

 

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[revkev]

I'll second what Rev said. Control one variable at a time and you can then compare results. I play srixon golf balls and find them very consistent. Good luck!

 

 

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As much as I can't stand Srixon (because of its advertising) they make a very good ball.

 

There are lots of great choices of balls, pick one that spins around the green and play it exclusively for the season.

 

 

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[GregB135]

Concur with what the others have said. Choose a ball and stick with it. 

The only time I've seen distance vary the way you described and I could reasonably attribute the results to the ball was when I tried to go cheap and used recycled balls. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

There's already enough variables in golf from lie, weather, the swing that I try to reduce them as much as possible by playing the same ball or very similar characteristic ball so I know what it will do.

[tony@CIC]

Pick a quality ball and stick with it -

 

Then you will know if it's you or the ball

 

 

 

 

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Rev gives great advice. You need to eliminate all of the variables and the golf ball is one of them. Another variable you didn't provide are wind and temps. Was there a temp difference? What about the wind? Is the distance variability under the same conditions? I played in 40* temp and a stiff wind the other day - I definitely didn't get my normal distance that day.

 

Same ball, same weather conditions, on the same course and now you're down to operator error.

 

From that's the case then then I'd suggest a bit of time with a pro to identify swing flaws.

 

 

 

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[Wedgie]

Rev gives great advice. You need to eliminate all of the variables and the golf ball is one of them. Another variable you didn't provide are wind and temps. Was there a temp difference? What about the wind? Is the distance variability under the same conditions? I played in 40* temp and a stiff wind the other day - I definitely didn't get my normal distance that day.

 

Same ball, same weather conditions, on the same course and now you're down to operator error.

 

From that's the case then then I'd suggest a bit of time with a pro to identify swing flaws.

 

 

 

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I played the other day and when I tee'd off it was 35 and I was a club shorter which I would expect. Warmed up to 55 after the first 9 then the problems began again. Same e6 speed ball the entire round and wind was fairly light all day. It probably is me more than the ball but since I never play “tour” balls and the one time I did my yardage's were spot on it got me thinking. I am going to stick with the Z Star and see what happens over the course of several rounds and not base everything on one round with the Z Star.

 

 

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[Wedgie]

Thank you guys for the input. I'm hoping a permanent ball is the fix. If not I'll blame my irons.

 

 

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[00sportsman]

I played the other day and when I tee'd off it was 35 and I was a club shorter which I would expect. Warmed up to 55 after the first 9 then the problems began again. Same e6 speed ball the entire round and wind was fairly light all day. It probably is me more than the ball but since I never play “tour” balls and the one time I did my yardage's were spot on it got me thinking. I am going to stick with the Z Star and see what happens over the course of several rounds and not base everything on one round with the Z Star.

 

 

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Sounds like a smart way to go.  Make sure you let us know what you find out.

[revkev]

I played the other day and when I tee'd off it was 35 and I was a club shorter which I would expect. Warmed up to 55 after the first 9 then the problems began again. Same e6 speed ball the entire round and wind was fairly light all day. It probably is me more than the ball but since I never play “tour” balls and the one time I did my yardage's were spot on it got me thinking. I am going to stick with the Z Star and see what happens over the course of several rounds and not base everything on one round with the Z Star.

 

 

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Now you're talking.

 

 

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[Reesedw]

a standard ball will definitely help consistency, like Rev said. But as you described starting at 35* and getting warmer to 55* can also be the culprit cooler temps mean YOU"LL be less fluid and as the round progresses you'll loosen up and be swinging more freely.. also there is the moisture factor, Dew on the grass and in the ground, could be compounding a less then perfect strike meaning if your hitting slightly fat your going to dig in a little more then once the ground drys out and firms up.. Now you'll get a little bounce and create a better strike..  I play the E6 soft and they are very consistent, and a good ball. 

 

Something to think about.. 

[StrokerAce]

I don't necessarily agree with playing the EXACT same ball ... I think, more importantly, is to play the same type of ball.

[AH1980MN]

Well, ideally you wouldn't have four different types of tire on your car, as it could then handle inconsistently and unpredictably, same concept here...

[pulledabill]

I think playing all winter on many different balls messes with a guy. I was actually playing ladies balls when it was in the 30s and 40s. I bet Ive played at least 10 different balls this year. Many Ive found or dont care for since we lose so many to plugging. As the weather has gotten nicer Ive gone to more premium but feel it messes with me off the tee. I dont see any real measurable distance difference, but I do feel when I make a bad swing with say a high spin ball to say a Chrome soft, I miss more greens and fairways with the higher spinning ball. Im going chrome soft as I feel I post lower scores when I do. I really never gave it a ton of thouht until this pozt about taking out the variable of different balls.

[PING Apologist #9]

Rev gives great advice. You need to eliminate all of the variables and the golf ball is one of them. Another variable you didn't provide are wind and temps. Was there a temp difference? What about the wind? Is the distance variability under the same conditions? I played in 40* temp and a stiff wind the other day - I definitely didn't get my normal distance that day.

 

Same ball, same weather conditions, on the same course and now you're down to operator error.

 

From that's the case then then I'd suggest a bit of time with a pro to identify swing flaws.

 

 

 

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Good stuff there Tony!

[Shifty]

Ball types vary alot. I myself don't like srixon balls, even after testing them extensively. Maybe just me. I prefer Bridgestone. Even if you don't like Bridgestone, you can do a free golf ball fitting on their website to find out what type fits your game. At least you will know what type of ball you need regardless of brand. Helped me at least. And as my game improved, my ball type changed. Maybe this will help you...

https://www.bridgestonegolf.com/en-us/find-my-ball/ball-selector-tool#/

 

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[revkev]

With all due respect I think the Bridgestone ball fitting process, live or on their site, is a crock.

 

Their balls a great however.

 

There are slight differences between balls in every category - I would continue to maintain that during your season you should pick one ball and stick with it. For a guy who is serious, like all of us, urethane is almost certainly the best choice because it is easier to control around the green.

 

 

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[yungkory]

With all due respect I think the Bridgestone ball fitting process, live or on their site, is a crock.

 

Their balls a great however.

 

There are slight differences between balls in every category - I would continue to maintain that during your season you should pick one ball and stick with it. For a guy who is serious, like all of us, urethane is almost certainly the best choice because it is easier to control around the green.

 

 

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Yeah, the bfit thing is weird for sure, especially having tried the entire lineup side by side at the practice area. From 100 yards in they all feel the same to me across the X, XS, RX, and RXS. It made a fraction more sense when they were recommending it based on swing speed vs typical scores

 

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[pulledabill]

Here is a question...Lets say I miss lefy or right 20 yards (random numbers) due to swing flaws with say a high spin ball. Will those misses say be cut down to (again random numbers) to 10 yards misses with the same swing on a low spin ball?

[Wedgie]

Here is a question...Lets say I miss lefy or right 20 yards (random numbers) due to swing flaws with say a high spin ball. Will those misses say be cut down to (again random numbers) to 10 yards misses with the same swing on a low spin ball?

I think if you hook it left or slice it right a higher spinning ball will make it worse. But a push or pull will have the same result regardless of the ball.

 

 

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[Wedgie]

Let me rephrase my original question. If you had a robot hitting golf balls with everything being the same such as no wind, level ground, sea level, etc...will higher quality balls have tighter dispersion for distance than lower quality balls?

 

 

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[RickyBobby_PR]

With all due respect I think the Bridgestone ball fitting process, live or on their site, is a crock.

 

Their balls a great however.

 

There are slight differences between balls in every category - I would continue to maintain that during your season you should pick one ball and stick with it. For a guy who is serious, like all of us, urethane is almost certainly the best choice because it is easier to control around the green.

 

 

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I agree for the most part other than I think the live fit helps a player find the right compression ball for their swing or get them in the right ball park since the compression numbers across all brands in each category of ball is relatively close.

 

I am a fan of titleist approach of working from the green back

[Wedgie]

You guys got me thinking so I went back into my Grint app and looked at my history. In 2013 I played the Wilson Duo with Wilson Di11 irons and broke 80 seven times that year. Of course I thought I was too good for those balls and clubs so I switched out both in 2014 and have broken 80 once since then. My handicap was 9.8 then, now it is 13. I'm now back to more forgiving irons, I guess it is time to put the Duo back in play.

 

I have 6 new sleeves of Chrome Soft X Truvis and a dozen Z Stars that I'd be happy to send someone that can use them. They were gifts so I hate to charge anyone so the first to PM me gets their choice of the 2. The second to PM me gets whatever is left. I will only ship within the lower 48 states and I can ship for free from my office.

 

 

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[PING Apologist #9]

I agree for the most part other than I think the live fit helps a player find the right compression ball for their swing or get them in the right ball park since the compression numbers across all brands in each category of ball is relatively close.

 

I am a fan of titleist approach of working from the green back

Then Snell approach to fitting is like that too

https://www.snellgolf.com/pages/dean-snell-golf-ball-fitting-philosophy

[revkev]

Here is a question...Lets say I miss lefy or right 20 yards (random numbers) due to swing flaws with say a high spin ball. Will those misses say be cut down to (again random numbers) to 10 yards misses with the same swing on a low spin ball?

What club are you hitting? The entire point of the modern tour level ball is that it doesn't spin as much. There is a negligible difference in spin rates off the driver between it and its mid level counterpart.

 

If you are hitting short irons it's a different matter.

 

This topic actually came up while I was watching the tournament yesterday. The point was made that distance control was an issue for the guy not playing his regular ball in the alternate shot format.

 

@Wedgie - the duo is a perfectly good choice. It limits your shot selection around the green but who cares really? Maybe your preferred short shots match well with those the Duo fits best for. Regardless I'd affirm your choice of that particular ball and say - go for it!

 

Good luck

 

 

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[Wedgie]

What club are you hitting? The entire point of the modern tour level ball is that it doesn't spin as much. There is a negligible difference in spin rates off the driver between it and its mid level counterpart.

 

If you are hitting short irons it's a different matter.

 

This topic actually came up while I was watching the tournament yesterday. The point was made that distance control was an issue for the guy not playing his regular ball in the alternate shot format.

 

@Wedgie - the duo is a perfectly good choice. It limits your shot selection around the green but who cares really? Maybe your preferred short shots match well with those the Duo fits best for. Regardless I'd affirm your choice of that particular ball and say - go for it!

 

Good luck

 

 

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Hi Rev,

 

I play Cobra one length Irons. Played the Duo for the back 9 on Saturday and this ball just seems to work for me. I'm a little shorter off the tee with it but a little longer with the Irons so it's a wash.

 

I played the Z Star on the front and with my swing speed the higher launch of the Duo stopped better on greens. If I short side myself I'm screwed no matter what ball I play.

 

I guess the good news is the best ball for me is cheap too.

 

 

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[cnosil]

Let me rephrase my original question. If you had a robot hitting golf balls with everything being the same such as no wind, level ground, sea level, etc...will higher quality balls have tighter dispersion for distance than lower quality balls?

 

I think your use of the term “quality” is incorrect. Golf balls have different characteristics that come into play based on the clubs hitting them and the speed that the club hits the. This is why golf balls have different layers.

 

From what is have read. With perfect driver strikes and perfect conditions all balls will go basically the same distance. As you start working through the set the amount of spin will start to vary and the balls may go different distances. Off the wedges you will probably see the most variation as spin numbers will result in different performances.

 

When you do human testing you start getting into the forgiveness of the clubs and less consistent swings. As a result the launch and spin on a ball will vary more causing a wider dispersion. Balls designed to spin less with generally go less offline;however, if spin gets too low, you may experience more curve and knuckleballs due to exaggerated side and not enough backspin.

 

This is why it is suggested that you test balls from the green backwards to help give you the performance you wan and need as you get closer to the hole.

[russtopherb]

^^^ This is an excellent post. Dispersion is far more a factor of the human element than it is the ball.

 

 

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[Kor.A.Door]

You guys got me thinking so I went back into my Grint app and looked at my history. In 2013 I played the Wilson Duo with Wilson Di11 irons and broke 80 seven times that year. Of course I thought I was too good for those balls and clubs so I switched out both in 2014 and have broken 80 once since then. My handicap was 9.8 then, now it is 13. I'm now back to more forgiving irons, I guess it is time to put the Duo back in play.

 

I have 6 new sleeves of Chrome Soft X Truvis and a dozen Z Stars that I'd be happy to send someone that can use them. They were gifts so I hate to charge anyone so the first to PM me gets their choice of the 2. The second to PM me gets whatever is left. I will only ship within the lower 48 states and I can ship for free from my office.

 

 

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PM sent.