Trying golf balls

[ericlawhead]

So I recently did the Titleist virtual ball fitting and it was between 3 balls so they sent me 3 2 packs of the potential balls. My next step is to figure out which one works. The fitter’s suggestion was to take the balls out and hit shots from different spots on the course and see how I like them. Well I don’t have the ability to just go out on the course and hit multiple shots with different balls to test things out. So I thought to head to our local PGA Tour Superstore and rent a practice bay and hit these balls on their systems to see if I can see any differences with the numbers. 
Long story short I was wondering a couple things:

1. Has anyone ever done this?

2. Any tips on which clubs to hit with them?

3. Any other tips you’d give on how to best test out potential new balls?

 

Thanks!

[RickyBobby_PR]

Hit partial shots with your wedges, full swings with whatever wedge is the last one you use for full swings. Hit shots from 150 yards, a distance for longer approaches like 175-185 and hit tee shots

[NC Golfer]

interesting how they always come up with ProV's off a "fitting".

[null]

4 minutes ago, NC Golfer said:

interesting how they always come up with ProV's off a "fitting".

If you tell them you care about green side performance and want to play a urethane covered ball then yes. If you tell them you want to play the cheapest ball possible then it will likely have different results 

Truth is most people actively seeking out a golf ball fitting aren’t going to be looking for a non urethane ball. 
 

 

[ericlawhead]

20 minutes ago, NC Golfer said:

interesting how they always come up with ProV's off a "fitting".

The fitting was interesting learning about the different model balls they carry. She gave some interesting info on how many tour players play other balls outside of ProV1 or X. Not one tour player plays AVX. So yeah I’d guess they likely always get to one model of ProV1 one way or another. It’s legit the best ball on the market (see ball lab). For me I just want to see what (if any) differences these might bring to my game. 

[Rover]

@RickyBobby_PR touched on this.  Start with shorter shots - see how each ball feels off your putter, then increase the distance.  As noted above, be sure to include partial wedge shots.  Ideally, you'd be able to observe the trajectory and whether the ball checks up or rolls out on those wedge shots.  Hard to do that in a practice bay, but you will get numbers on launch angle and spin at PGASS.  

Do you have a sense of your current launch angle and spin rates?  Because I hit down on the ball (too much), my goal with balls is to reduce my launch angle and spin rate.  Plus, I like the feel of a softer ball around the green.  By the process of deduction based on those factors, the ProV1 is the ball for me.  Hope you're able to find one that works best for you.  Good luck and enjoy the process!

[benb1989]

Book the last tee time at a local course, take all the balls out with you and you should have as much time as you need

[RickyBobby_PR]

10 hours ago, NC Golfer said:

interesting how they always come up with ProV's off a "fitting".

And yet some of the members who did the ball fitting were put in avx or the toursoft.

 

[ericlawhead]

9 hours ago, Rover said:

@RickyBobby_PR touched on this.  Start with shorter shots - see how each ball feels off your putter, then increase the distance.  As noted above, be sure to include partial wedge shots.  Ideally, you'd be able to observe the trajectory and whether the ball checks up or rolls out on those wedge shots.  Hard to do that in a practice bay, but you will get numbers on launch angle and spin at PGASS.  

Do you have a sense of your current launch angle and spin rates?  Because I hit down on the ball (too much), my goal with balls is to reduce my launch angle and spin rate.  Plus, I like the feel of a softer ball around the green.  By the process of deduction based on those factors, the ProV1 is the ball for me.  Hope you're able to find one that works best for you.  Good luck and enjoy the process!

I’m not totally sure currently what my launch angles and spin rates are but I know my launch is low. I’m very steep and tend to hit the ball low. That’s why the ProV1x was suggested along with the ProV1 since they are made for high flight. The left dash was more of me wanting to see what it does. It’s supposed to be longer off the tee because it has less spin than the others. But it’s not designed for high flight. She sent it to me just to check out. Thanks for the help, hope the small sample leads to an easy decision. 

[ChuckZ]

A great way to determine which of the premium Titleist balls work best for you.  I went to a fitting many years ago and am still playing the Prov1.  

[Tsecor]

16 hours ago, ericlawhead said:

So I recently did the Titleist virtual ball fitting and it was between 3 balls so they sent me 3 2 packs of the potential balls. My next step is to figure out which one works. The fitter’s suggestion was to take the balls out and hit shots from different spots on the course and see how I like them. Well I don’t have the ability to just go out on the course and hit multiple shots with different balls to test things out. So I thought to head to our local PGA Tour Superstore and rent a practice bay and hit these balls on their systems to see if I can see any differences with the numbers. 
Long story short I was wondering a couple things:

1. Has anyone ever done this?

2. Any tips on which clubs to hit with them?

3. Any other tips you’d give on how to best test out potential new balls?

 

Thanks!

just use the prov1 and send me the left dash....they suck so il take them off your hands

[PankaGolf]

What shots do you most hit at home course? 
 

mine is 70 yards, 120 180 and tee bombs. I judge off that. I usually retest what I want it use start of every year and then just use Pro V1. 
 

I can never ever ever get on with Pro V1X off the putter face. Rest are much of a muchness 

[Deepred]

I may be a bit unusual in my old timer approach, I hit a lot of knockdown shots from 120 or so in, but i have no issue stopping most decent spin golf balls from full iron shots on all but the hardest greens. That being said, if you are a low ball hitter, the PV1 is going to be your ball unless you generate over 100mph clubhead speed with an iron. 

[HDTVMAN]

When fitting I've had customers bring their ball of choice. With specific iron fitting we use a 7 iron, however, with testing a ball I'd use a driver, 5,7,9,SW. Write down the ball speeds, apex, distances, and spin. Plus, which ball feels the best when struck. Then compare your numbers.

[ALD]

Last fall I tested 7 golf balls to see which was the best for me.  I am 74 and carry a 7.9 index.  I just wanted to see if I needed to change away from the pro v1x.  I tried Bridgestone B330 and S, TP5 and X, ProV 1 and left dash and just for kicks I put the AVX in for the test.  The suggestion from the Titleist rep was to try the AVX because I told him I wanted more feel.  I hit shots from 150 with every ball and recorded how many hit the green, how fast they stopped and if I missed the Green was it the swing or a mishit ball.  I did the same from 125 and from 100.  I then moved to 75 and to 50 and then green side rough.  I also hit sand shots.  I went back to the tee box and hit all of the balls from the tee.  Measured fairway shots only.  Finally went to the putting green and spent time with 25 foot, 15 foot, 10 foot and 5 foot putts.  The results ended up surprising to me....I felt the AVX and kept distance, accuracy and control in all phases of the game.  It just took me about a week going late every evening to do this on the same hole with two different golf balls each time. 

I enjoyed the test and learned that I needed a lower flight ball that I could still get good spin with and good feel around the greens.  The AVX and the left dash ended up being my two favorites but I got a quicker feel with the AVX with my putter and shots around the green, wedges, lob shots from the rough and knock downs came off easier and with more touch so I went with the AVX and lowered my index by one complete shot.

[JoshDay]

I really think the best thing is to just see what you think works best for you. Golf is so mental, if you think it's best, it's going to be.

If you really want to test on course, go out late and hit extra shots then.

[korsmot]

Always start with the effect or deficiency you are trying to get to.  More length off the tee?  More spin on iron shots into the green? too much? more spin with the pitches/chips/half wedge shots?

Even at a 10 HCP you probably aren't hitting it so flush every time that the differential in balls (in the same price category) is probably not a massive upgrade.   A mis-hit on the driver face center by 1/4 inch could cost you 10 yards.  Changing balls won't probably get you 10 yards off the driver (again assuming you are already playing a premium ball).   But depending on your issues, 4000 rpm on the driver, super high ball flight etc, you might be able to find a ball that helped in those regards.  Despite advertising, there is no ball that is crazy long off the tee, low spin with the driver, high spin with the wedges, solid with the iron shots and soft on the putter.  Unless you change price point categories.  

Assuming you are looking in the $40+ per dozen price point, lots of that goes to feel and spin.  I have tried this experiment several times; playing a couple of rounds with one type of ball then switching to another for a few rounds and then thinking about those in comparison.  Hitting 10 seven irons into a green with one ball, then 10 with a different ball to see "stopping Power", etc.  Can you hit a low spinning chip like the pros that flies 80% of the way, one bounce and then full check spin to throw on the brakes?

Summary: My experience has been if stay at the premium price point (40+), it will just be feel and preference.  I firmly believe that single digit hcp (I am 6.7) could play ten rounds with one premium ball and ten with another and it won't change your average score at all.  It is way more body/swing impacted and mental challenges than equipment.

However all of this goes out the window if you are scratch, aspiring mini-tour player that pulls the string on every wedge in every green to suck it back 15 feet.  That is a different game than most of us are playing on the weekend.  The Tour player is trying to suck every ounce out of every facet of their game.  But it absolutely fun to tinker with this stuff and see if you find out anything.   Also, if you BELIEVE you are playing the right ball, right clubs etc, it really builds confidence which is big!  So why not mess around with it?  Have fun!

[RickyBobby_PR]

10 hours ago, ericlawhead said:

The left dash was more of me wanting to see what it does. It’s supposed to be longer off the tee because it has less spin than the others. But it’s not designed for high flight.

This is not true. The left dash is just low spin while still being a high flight ball. If it was low flight and low spin they wouldn’t need the avx

edit: went to titleist site to confirm my statement 

Pro V1x Left Dash is for players who are looking for lower spin on all shots. It features flight characteristics very similar to Pro V1x (high flight), and a higher compression design, which deliver both lower spin and a firmer feel than both Pro V1 and Pro V1x.

https://www.titleist.com/teamtitleist/b/tourblog/posts/3-things-you-need-to-know-about-pro-v1x-left-dash

[NC Golfer]

On 5/27/2021 at 6:57 AM, RickyBobby_PR said:

And yet some of the members who did the ball fitting were put in avx or the toursoft.

 

I don't think we'll see a Velocity and TruFeel combo. 

[ericlawhead]

22 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

This is not true. The left dash is just low spin while still being a high flight ball. If it was low flight and low spin they wouldn’t need the avx

edit: went to titleist site to confirm my statement 

Pro V1x Left Dash is for players who are looking for lower spin on all shots. It features flight characteristics very similar to Pro V1x (high flight), and a higher compression design, which deliver both lower spin and a firmer feel than both Pro V1 and Pro V1x.

https://www.titleist.com/teamtitleist/b/tourblog/posts/3-things-you-need-to-know-about-pro-v1x-left-dash

You’re right. I was off on that. 
I went yesterday and with limited shots, just for timing and getting tired hitting the 3 different balls. I found that based on the small sample that the ProV1X preformed best. The Left Dash actually wasn’t ahead of the ProV1 as well. There is definitely a difference in distance with the Left Dash over the other two for sure. 
When it’s all said and done overall there isn’t a ton of difference in the 3 but I’ll likely play the X as it’s just the most comfortable.