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How many of us out there play 2 piece balls? I constantly see on this website, MGS, the number of people that play "TOUR" style balls, for any myriad of reasons. Some folks play them just because some tour pro plays them, your buddy plays them, you want the best you can get, or it's a mindset. Anyway, this is NOT about them! This is about the everyday, high handicap(or not), does not want to spend $50 a dozen, loses at least 2-3 balls a round, doesn't play every weekend, or even twice a month golfer. So, how many of you out there have a 2 piece ball in your bag? From the cheapest offerings in WalMart, DTC, or anything in the big box stores, as long as it is "2 PIECE". Soft, distance, rock hard, x-outs, gloss, matte, color. Whatever you play! Let's hear from you! WE probably make up 75-80% of the golf ball market!? 

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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For myself I play Srixon Soft feel golf balls. I play them for several reasons.  First,with my age and slow swing speed, I find I do better with soft golf balls. Secondly, they are more cost effective for me.  Online I can get them between $15 and $25 a dozen.  Lastly I play them exclusively because I believe I do better sticking with one ball and leaning how to deal with that one, and not jump from ball to ball, as many of my friends do.

  • Bag             1590477705_SunMountain.png.3391233ea391e8b6fde951d09bc76f6b.png  C130, 14 way Cart Bag
  • Driver         Titleist2.png.8b09d3ee0000870a77d83dce357a0efd.png      TSR1
  • Fairway      default_callaway-small.jpg.aef84328349c576af498d3d5dca1addb.jpg               GBB Epic 5
  • Hybrid        default_callaway-small.jpg.aef84328349c576af498d3d5dca1addb.jpg               Epic Flash 4H
  • Iron             lazarus.png.24092c99689747a2f7bd9cb786badde7.png              2 iron
  • Irons          635785482_Cleveland3.png.bafd9f7d003e9f8afcafc6c28e307467.png      Launcher HB, 4 through PW
  • Wedges     635785482_Cleveland3.png.bafd9f7d003e9f8afcafc6c28e307467.png      CBX2, 54 & 60 degree
  • Putter        Seemore3.jpg.1cb64ec83d2511c1ee1a386340a04d4e.jpg    Seemore Si1 Putter
  • Ball            Titleist2.png.8b09d3ee0000870a77d83dce357a0efd.png       Titleist pro v1x
  • Other        2000014788_ArccosSig.jpg.af5434230b907b708eb89aebd4125f95.jpg

 

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I’ll play the Duo Soft or Soft Feel in the early and late season. Likewise with the Hammer Control. All decent balls at great price points. My current favorite e12 Contact is a 3 piece, though. 

In my  :wilson_staff_small:  carry bag:
:mizuno-small: ST-X 10.5* Kai'li Blue R Flex
:mizuno-small: ST-Z 15* Kai/li Blue R Flex
:mizuno-small: ST-Z 4h Linq Blue R Flex
:cleveland-small: Launcher 5h
:cleveland-small: Launcher CBX 6i-PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 54* & 58*
:cleveland-small: Huntington Beach #10
:bridgestone-small: e12 Contact
CURRENTLY TESTING - Mizuno Long Game

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When you learn to drive a car you don't start out in a manual shift Ferrari.  Its the same with golf. You don't start out playing a 4 or 5 piece high end ball. I would presume all of us started playing with inexpensive 2 piece balls when we started playing because we lost so many and couldn't afford  to lose expensive balls. 

For me, as soon as I started playing better and found better balls in the rough or woods while looking for my own ball, I put them in play. Until I lost it of course. Then as you progress in your golf game you can appreciate the performance of a better ball. It will stop on the green or hop and stop instead of rolling out 12 to 20 feet or even rolling off the green.

The average male golfer does not break 100 in a round of golf. He also loses several balls during a round.  I golfed with a guy that lost a dozen balls in one round. If we didn't help him find his ball it would have been more like two dozen. There were several holes with water!

28 million golfers lose 300 million golf balls a year. Roughly a dozen per person as an average. But this doesn't reflect better golfers losing less or higher handicaps losing more. It also doesn't take into account that better players play more thus having the potential to lose more as well. Driving ranges use a lower quality ball. So the amount of 2 piece balls being sold will always be higher than high dollar balls.

The MGS Forum is for golfers obviously. Your average play once or twice a year guy is probably not going to be involved here or even know about MGS. So when you see a majority of us playing a better ball it is because a majority of us have been around the course a few hundred times.  I would expect that the amount that reply to using two piece balls in this forum would be low compared to the amout using a better ball.

You can as the topic creator set up a poll to see who uses a two piece or not.

:titleist-small: Driver, TSi 1 S Flex

:cobra-small: 3 wood, Aerojet Max UST Helium Nanocore R Flex

:cobra-small: 5 wood, Aerojet Max UST Helium Nanocore R Flex 

:cobra-small: 7 Wood, Aerojet Max UST Helium Nanocore R Flex 

:cobra-small: 5 Hybrid King Tec MMT R Flex

:cobra-small: Irons, Tour UST Recoil 95 R Flex (6 - Gap)

:cobra-small: Wedges, Snakebite KBS Hi- Rev2.0 54* & 60*

:cobra-small: Agera 35"

image.png Ultralight 14-way Cart Bag

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I failed to mention which 2 piece offering I play. TopFlite Hammer Control in yellow is my gamer for this season. I was playing Maxfli Softfli in matte green last year, along with Cally SS. I did start this year with Pinnacle Rush, but switched after blowing thru the 15 balls in 4 rounds. Good ball if you want to be "out" there! A little firmer for the shots around the green. The HC is a breath of fresh air around the greens. Checks up, with some rollout. Has decent distance off the tee, and approach shots from 150 are not really a problem. With the higher launch, decent spin, landing on a green is not bad, unless it's hard like a ping pong table. Second coming of the D2 Feel...

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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You can do what you wish - I certainly have played two piece balls in my playing "career," even as a single digit player.  Having written that they simply do not perform the same way that a urethane covered ball does.  It means that you will play different shots, particularly around the green, if that is your choice.  It will limit what you are able to do and how you make your score beyond a doubt.  Perhaps that's not all bad - I may have three options on a shot out of light rough around the greens.  The player using a two piece ball has one - he's not going to deal with the uncertainty that could creep into my head.  🙂

 

The reality that there are lots of options for purchasing urethane covered balls at less than half the $50 price tag should be included in this thread though. Costco has its kirkland line, we know about Snell as well.  Probably the better choice though would be those Maxfli balls from Dicks.  We've had two rounds of testing on those.  Dicks often runs Bogo or buy 3 get one deals on the those balls.  The straight "tour" model fits just about anyone.  It's an incredible value that you can pick up for around $20 a dozen.  Regardless of what ball you use you certainly should play the same ball all the time throughout the season and save your trials for late or early season or a casual round now and again.  

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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2 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

When you learn to drive a car you don't start out in a manual shift Ferrari.  Its the same with golf. You don't start out playing a 4 or 5 piece high end ball. I would presume all of us started playing with inexpensive 2 piece balls when we started playing because we lost so many and couldn't afford  to lose expensive balls. 

For me, as soon as I started playing better and found better balls in the rough or woods while looking for my own ball, I put them in play. Until I lost it of course. Then as you progress in your golf game you can appreciate the performance of a better ball. It will stop on the green or hop and stop instead of rolling out 12 to 20 feet or even rolling off the green.

The average male golfer does not break 100 in a round of golf. He also loses several balls during a round.  I golfed with a guy that lost a dozen balls in one round. If we didn't help him find his ball it would have been more like two dozen. There were several holes with water!

28 million golfers lose 300 million golf balls a year. Roughly a dozen per person as an average. But this doesn't reflect better golfers losing less or higher handicaps losing more. It also doesn't take into account that better players play more thus having the potential to lose more as well. Driving ranges use a lower quality ball. So the amount of 2 piece balls being sold will always be higher than high dollar balls.

The MGS Forum is for golfers obviously. Your average play once or twice a year guy is probably not going to be involved here or even know about MGS. So when you see a majority of us playing a better ball it is because a majority of us have been around the course a few hundred times.  I would expect that the amount that reply to using two piece balls in this forum would be low compared to the amout using a better ball.

You can as the topic creator set up a poll to see who uses a two piece or not.

You are very much correct in your statement. I have been around the course more than a few times(sta rted 1998). I have tried many 3-4-5 piece balls, and to my lack of playing regularly, or just not having a consistent game, or swing, I have chosen to stick to the cheaper of the species, as I can lose $40+ a dozen balls faster than I care to. Played some better balls I have found plenty of times, only to lose them later on in the round, but figured out what I want in a ball. I am self taught, taken a few lessons, but pretty much struggle to keep my game enjoyable. I do move from ball to ball, not too frequently, but if I find something that works fairly well, I will stick with it until the next best thing strikes me. Started playing the TopFlite Hammer Control this season, and my game has really been fun, and scores are coming down sllghtly. Never gonna be a 10 hdcp, or even a 15, but I want my game to be fun. It is not fun to struggle on the course, and put 110-115 on the card. Been there, done that for like 6-7 years. Game is looking up, and those 2 piece HC's are helping, especially around the green. My CBX2's really like this ball, as they are predictable with chips, and pitches.                                          I have seen my share of high handicappers who play the premium balls, but really should play something less, as they lose them with great frequency as we play, and then complain about the cost, or the ball doesn't do what it promised, but only because their skill level is not anywhere near what they think it is. Golf ego gets in the way! I have played with guys who have lost 6-7 ProV's in a round, complained about the cost, but come out next time, only to do the same thing. WHY! I don't say anything, but do get tired of looking for their $4 ball. Anyway, golf should be fun...

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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9 minutes ago, revkev said:

You can do what you wish - I certainly have played two piece balls in my playing "career," even as a single digit player.  Having written that they simply do not perform the same way that a urethane covered ball does.  It means that you will play different shots, particularly around the green, if that is your choice.  It will limit what you are able to do and how you make your score beyond a doubt.  Perhaps that's not all bad - I may have three options on a shot out of light rough around the greens.  The player using a two piece ball has one - he's not going to deal with the uncertainty that could creep into my head.  🙂

 

The reality that there are lots of options for purchasing urethane covered balls at less than half the $50 price tag should be included in this thread though. Costco has its kirkland line, we know about Snell as well.  Probably the better choice though would be those Maxfli balls from Dicks.  We've had two rounds of testing on those.  Dicks often runs Bogo or buy 3 get one deals on the those balls.  The straight "tour" model fits just about anyone.  It's an incredible value that you can pick up for around $20 a dozen.  Regardless of what ball you use you certainly should play the same ball all the time throughout the season and save your trials for late or early season or a casual round now and again.  

Agreed that a ionomer ball is limited vs. a urethane ball. Have tried them, love them around the greens, but are trouble for me out of the tee box. Too spinny for me, and I get in trouble, or I lose it in the trees. My swing is a litte inconsistent, so I just play something that can get me out of the tee box, yet can still help me out around the greens. Played the Maxfli Softfli, but wanted a little more distance. The TopFlite Hammer Control in yellow is my choice for now, as it has decent distance, but has nice manners around the green. Still have to execute the shot correctly, but the ball does check. Yup, and 2 piecers are rapidly approaching $30 a dozen, but the quality is so much better than it used to be. Agreed "to play the same ball every shot". I play with a few guys that play whatever they find, and wonder why their game is not anywhere near consistent, overshoot a green on this hole, with one ball, end up short on the next hole, but with a different ball. Don't even start with chips and pitches, or putting. I just want it to be enjoyable.

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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I am not sure, I am fine with 2 piece balls and love the Soft Feel. But, it's fun to see the greenside spin. There are deals out there on urethane balls plus the ksig.  In comparison a super soft will cost the same as the second tier tour balls when bought in bulk or a promotion. 

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46 minutes ago, NC Golfer said:

 

 

I am not sure, I am fine with 2 piece balls and love the Soft Feel. But, it's fun to see the greenside spin. There are deals out there on urethane balls plus the ksig.  In comparison a super soft will cost the same as the second tier tour balls when bought in bulk or a promotion. 

This is true. But, the subject here is 2 piece balls. And who is playing them. High hdcps, or low hdcps, beginners, long time players, or just the occasional player. What ball are they playing? What they like about it, or don't? How much is it? We know about the deals that can be had at Costco, or bulk DTC's! So, 2 piece balls, who, and why?

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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19 hours ago, drb1956 said:

This is true. But, the subject here is 2 piece balls. And who is playing them. High hdcps, or low hdcps, beginners, long time players, or just the occasional player. What ball are they playing? What they like about it, or don't? How much is it? We know about the deals that can be had at Costco, or bulk DTC's! So, 2 piece balls, who, and why?

Happy to stay on topic. I have been playing two piece balls as a long time player (I do rotate a few different balls depending on the time of year). My favorite 2 piece is Soft Feel at $22.99. I don't think you can beat the price, feel, compression (60) and great yellow color. The last two versions are very good. 

Edited by NC Golfer
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21 hours ago, drb1956 said:

Agreed that a ionomer ball is limited vs. a urethane ball. Have tried them, love them around the greens, but are trouble for me out of the tee box. Too spinny for me, and I get in trouble, or I lose it in the trees. My swing is a litte inconsistent, so I just play something that can get me out of the tee box, yet can still help me out around the greens. Played the Maxfli Softfli, but wanted a little more distance. The TopFlite Hammer Control in yellow is my choice for now, as it has decent distance, but has nice manners around the green. Still have to execute the shot correctly, but the ball does check. Yup, and 2 piecers are rapidly approaching $30 a dozen, but the quality is so much better than it used to be. Agreed "to play the same ball every shot". I play with a few guys that play whatever they find, and wonder why their game is not anywhere near consistent, overshoot a green on this hole, with one ball, end up short on the next hole, but with a different ball. Don't even start with chips and pitches, or putting. I just want it to be enjoyable.

I was wondering when you'd get around to mentioning the biggest difference between 3pc urethane and 2pc ionomer balls - it's not often "because some tour pro plays them, your buddy plays them, you want the best you can get, or it's a mindset." If your approach game is to hit, release and run it onto greens (and I know a lot of low handicap seniors who play that game very well) then there's no real performance need for 3 pc urethane***. However, if you want to stop or back up your approach shots, there's no 2pc ball that will compare to a good 3pc urethane ball. I'm in the latter camp, and I buy MaxFli Tours for $26/dozen, I couldn't really save anything with 2pc balls. And if you really want dirt cheap, you can always buy Kirkland Performance for $15.50/dozen or less. Sorry I couldn't help with 2pc ball recommendations.

*** Although those who have to rely on the ball landing and releasing to run out to the pin, often can't get the ball in the air very well, and 3 pc urethane balls would help with that...they might be better off with Kirklands.

Funny how some of the same people who want more distance buy "soft" golf balls - you can't really have both.

  • Titleist TSR2 11° HZRDUS Red CB 50 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize
  • Titleist TSR2 16.5º HZRDUS Red 60 CB 6.0 & TSR2 21º HZRDUS Black 4G 70 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize
  • Mizuno JPX923 HMP 4-GW, T22 54.12WS, T22 58.04DC w Lamkin ST+2 Hybrid Midsize
  • Evnroll EV5.3
  • Maxfli Tour & ProV1
  • Ping Pioneer - MGI Zip Navigator AT
  • Payntr X 002 LE, Ecco Biom C4, FJ DryJoys
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11 minutes ago, NC Golfer said:

Happy to stay on topic. I have been playing two piece balls as a long time player (I do rotate a few different balls depending on the time of year). My favorite 2 piece is Soft Feel at $22.99. I don't think you can beat the price, feel, compression (60) and great yellow color. The last two versions are very good. 

I have tried the Soft Feel a couple of times, different iterations. I can't get past the feel off the tee. I know its soft, but it just feels different from other 2 piece soft golf balls I have tried. Must be something to that "Gradient Core"-how did that go? Firmer outer, softer toward the middle? Can't remember. Just always felt like a marshmallow, that you could hit a long way. Could never chip well because of the feel of this ball. Never felt like I was hiiting a ball...

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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4 minutes ago, Middler said:

I was wondering when you'd get around to mentioning the biggest difference between 3pc urethane and 2pc ionomer balls. If your approach game is to hit, release and run it onto greens (and I know a lot of low handicap seniors who play that game very well) then there's no real performance need for 3 pc urethane***. However, if you want to stop or back up your approach shots, there's no 2pc ball that will compare to a good 3pc urethane ball. I'm in the latter camp, and I buy MaxFli Tours for $26/dozen, I couldn't really save anything with 2pc balls. And if you really want dirt cheap, you can always buy Kirkland Performance for $15.50/dozen or less. Sorry I couldn't help with 2pc ball recommendations.

*** Although those who have to rely on the ball landing and releasing to run out to the pin, often can't get the ball in the air very well, and 3 pc urethane balls would help with that...they might be better off with Kirklands.

All above is agreed to. Must of us that have played for awhile all know this! So, with that being said, some of us can't play a 3 piece(too spinny off the tee, leads to a slice), or just don't want to pay the price(deals included). I just stick with a 2 piece ball, that works for me. Not going to be a 10, or even a 15 hdcp., so I'm not concerned with being much better than I am at my age(65). My body is already placing limits on my swing. I stretch, and work with what I have to use. Not going to play something that I'm constantly hitting into the tree line, never to be seen again. The ball I'm playing now is keeping me in the fairway, decent distance, and works fairly well around the greens for me. I can't ask much more from a ball! 

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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21 hours ago, revkev said:

You can do what you wish - I certainly have played two piece balls in my playing "career," even as a single digit player.  Having written that they simply do not perform the same way that a urethane covered ball does.  It means that you will play different shots, particularly around the green, if that is your choice.  It will limit what you are able to do and how you make your score beyond a doubt.  Perhaps that's not all bad - I may have three options on a shot out of light rough around the greens.  The player using a two piece ball has one - he's not going to deal with the uncertainty that could creep into my head.  🙂

 

The reality that there are lots of options for purchasing urethane covered balls at less than half the $50 price tag should be included in this thread though. Costco has its kirkland line, we know about Snell as well.  Probably the better choice though would be those Maxfli balls from Dicks.  We've had two rounds of testing on those.  Dicks often runs Bogo or buy 3 get one deals on the those balls.  The straight "tour" model fits just about anyone.  It's an incredible value that you can pick up for around $20 a dozen.  Regardless of what ball you use you certainly should play the same ball all the time throughout the season and save your trials for late or early season or a casual round now and again.  

Not disputing your points Rev except to say that I have spent quite a bit of time testing various balls, 2-piece to 5 piece, urethane and Ionomer/Surlyn, in H2H on the course play, and have seen very little difference.  I shot two of my best rounds last season, one tying my personal best, with a Velocity.  That said, I do mostly play tour grade balls; Maxfli, Titleist, BS, and TM because I've bought into the "their better" opinion of most golfers.  Perhaps they are and I'm benefitting but, at least for me, we're talking to the right side of the decimal place.  

I do notice some feel difference on extreme ends of the compression spectrum and there are definitely some low end 2-piece offerings that do not perform as well in both distance and checking up on greens; Mojo, Nitro and, etc. (which are never in my stash).  I honestly feel like I could just reach in the bag, grab a ball, and it wouldn't make a difference.

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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In my opinion, ball choice should also be predicated on the course you play. If you play a course with elevated greens (they just have to have up slopes fronting the green), playing the bump and run could be a 50/50 chance, that the ball will not hit the up slope and go sideways,or even just stop short, depending on grass type and mowing height. Also to take into consideration is the greens speed and if the greens are firm or soft. I'm fairly sure that these factors are greatly overlooked by the vast majority of us that play the game. 

Total Callaway bag - except putter

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On 7/24/2022 at 8:28 AM, fixyurdivot said:

 

I do notice some feel difference on extreme ends of the compression spectrum and there are definitely some low end 2-piece offerings that do not perform as well in both distance and checking up on greens; Mojo, Nitro and, etc. (which are never in my stash).  I honestly feel like I could just reach in the bag, grab a ball, and it wouldn't make a difference.

Never used any of those balls. Have tried quite a few 2 piece orbs. Pinnacle Gold, Platinum Feels, and Rush. Wilson Tour Acuuracy Feel. Srixon Soft Feel. TaylorMade Burner. TopFlite XL, XL 1000, XL 7000, Strata, D2 Feel, Hammer Control yellow(current ball). Callaway SuperSoft, and early Titleist(DT Carry). Nitro is not on my radar, now or ever. Golds when I was learning to play. Platinum Feel was a good all around ball, again discontinued after 2 seasons. Rush has been recent, and it gets out there, tough around the greens. Wilson was a good ball that I played for a couple of seasons, while looking for a better ball. Never found that ball! All the TopFlites, except D2, were back in the day, and went thru a lot of them. The Strata was a 3 piece, and the first sub-80 compression ball that I played. And the D2 is no different than current HC, with control around the greens. TM Burner was a decent ball, and could get out there too. TM Aeroburner Pro was one of the best 3 piece balls I have ever played! Great distance, with low spin off the driver, outstanding on approach shots with a hop and stop. Chips and pitches would just check up, with minimal roll.  Soft Feels just not my ball. Did not like the feel off the clubs.  Cally SS is a recent player, really decent ball with my swing speed(80 mph), but can hold back on distance, and control around greens. DT Carry is one of my favorites, as it only had 252 dimples, would go a long way, then just fall out of the sky. Only a couple of seasons on DT, they discontinued it. There are a lot of options, and each one of these did play differently, at least to me. 2 piece balls ARE not range balls. They each have their own feel, dimple pattern, and all react differently off of your club, dependent on the shot needed. Some really get out there. Others work well around the green. I don't need the ball to back up, just need some control of distance on, or around the green. If you can do that, reach in, no matter the ball, your game is better than mine. 

Edited by drb1956
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Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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4 hours ago, ballhawk said:

In my opinion, ball choice should also be predicated on the course you play. If you play a course with elevated greens (they just have to have up slopes fronting the green), playing the bump and run could be a 50/50 chance, that the ball will not hit the up slope and go sideways,or even just stop short, depending on grass type and mowing height. Also to take into consideration is the greens speed and if the greens are firm or soft. I'm fairly sure that these factors are greatly overlooked by the vast majority of us that play the game. 

I don't play certain balls on certain courses. I just play what I am playing with now. I don't over analyze the course. If the fairways are hard, great. If the greens are fast, I adjust. If the wind is blowing, I adjust on that hole. I will use whatever knowledge I have learned thru the years.  I just want it to be fun!

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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Oh why not... 

The best 2 piece golf ball, Titleist Velocity. Are there others are are also about as good? Yes. But if you are going to play a 2 piece ball, that is the one I would recommend.

And I'll tell you why! but first, I want to address a few myths on the Ionomer(2 piece) vs Urethane(3 piece +) that I have had the time to test.

Myth #1: Urethane balls spin more with driver. 

Reality #1: False. There are some very high spinning urethane balls(kirkland) but also some very low spinning ones(pro v1). Ionomer balls tend to fall right in the fat part of the ball spin bell curve, and for good reason. The OEMs are trying to get a ball that fits the most people. If you slice a Urethane ball off into the woods... you would have sliced an ionomer ball into the woods. 

Myth #2: Ionomer balls don't stop on the green

Reality #2: Mostly false. With full a swing using an 8i or longer club , there isn't much difference. Testing a Velocity vs a Pro V1 the Velocity launches  slightly higher, with less spin, but it lands coming down steeper. The end results are more or less the same.  With shots less then that... the lower spin on a ionomer ball becomes more noticeable. Mostly because the slightly higher launch doesn't make up for the difference when the shot doesn't go that high to start with. This is where people are very correct is saying that the roll out on short shots around the greens can play out differently. If you are lofting a 56° wedge in from 15y, they will behave pretty differently. You need to plan accordingly. 

I joked with @fixyurdivotduring our annual meetup. He was cleaning his wedges after using the range. I know he often puts an ionomer ball into play and I was remarking that there was no reason for him to clean his wedge to get that extra 1k backspin, if he just used a urethane ball he would get an extra 3k.... Joking, but not joking 😃

The other really big not discussed difference is performance in the wet. Ionomer covers do not like being wet, at all. A Pro V1 handles being wet shockingly well, without too much change in launch and spin from driver through wedge. But ionomer balls will launch SIGNIFICANTLY higher and with about half the spin. You basically hit a flyer on every shot. The Pro V does better then most other Urethane balls, but every Ionomer I have tested does the same. They become moon rockets. Again, some thing you need to be aware of and play accordingly. 

As others have mentioned, the $$$ difference is generally pretty minimal. Some of the Vice urethane balls are like $15/dz, Maxfli's are often 26/dz. And others are in that range. 

All that said, the Velocity is my pick because with driver and with an iron, it performs as good as any good 3 piece (or more) urethane ball out there. It is higher on compression for the 2 piece ionomer ball market, but still on the softer side of the "Tour" balls. You aren't losing distance do to it being soft.

The other reason I'd game the Velocity, its a Titleist. No other OEM makes balls as consistently as they do. The same level of QC that goes into the Pro V1 goes into their Ionomer offerings. 

WITB:

Driver:   :taylormade-small: SIM2 Max 12° - Accra TZ6 M4

FW Wood:     th.jpg.d6e2abdaeb04f007fd259c979f389de6.jpg Gen5 0311 7w  Fujikura Motore X F3

Irons:   :srixon-small: ZX7 PW-7i, ZX5 6i-5i

Wedges: :cleveland-small:  Zipcore 50°, 58°

Putter:   :taylormade-small: MySpider X

Cart: image.png.5aa5e9b8c0d6e08a2b12be76a06a07ca.pngOnewheel XR+

Ball: :srixon-small: Z-Star Diamond/ Z-Star XV

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59 minutes ago, Thin2win said:

I joked with @fixyurdivotduring our annual meetup. He was cleaning his wedges after using the range. I know he often puts an ionomer ball into play and I was remarking that there was no reason for him to clean his wedge to get that extra 1k backspin, if he just used a urethane ball he would get an extra 3k.... Joking, but not joking 😃

That makes perfect sense... and I would taken the advice and stopped cleaning, like I do after each shot in play, were it not for my clean clubs OCD (aka in the medical profession as CCOCD) 😆.

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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I'm a high handicap golfer and lose 1-2 balls a round on average and I play tour balls pretty much exclusively.  The performance benefits on distance and spin are well documented and if you plan in advance there really isn't a reason why anyone can't afford tour balls.  I always buy them on sale and I'm willing to stock up when needed.  Currently I'm playing the maxfli tour x and was playing z-star xv before that and I paid under $30 a dozen on average.  

 

While I admit that's more than the $15 you pay for 15 rocks at Walmart,  it's worth the $2-3 a round extra to me.  I've got a couple grand tied up in clubs, $45-65 a round each weekend and beers at $6 each after tip so for me the extra $70 per season for a higher performing ball is a no brainer.

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I like the Titleist Trufeel. I like that it feels a little firmer than most of the softer balls I’ve tried but still has a nice feel off the driver. I really love how it feels off the putter. I usually have proVs in my bag that I’ve gotten as presents and I will say they do stop better on chips and pitches but I’ve never liked putting them for some reason. I’m not quite sure for my game I’m ready to pay the more for something like a Pro V when I’m pretty happy with the Trufeel. 

D- Tour Edge EXS 220

4W- Sub 70 949X

Hybrid- Sub 70 949X

Utility- Sub 70 699 U  21 degree

Irons- Sub 70 749 5-PW

Wedges- Sub 70 286 50+54, Tour Edge 1 out 58 degree 

Putter- Cleveland Huntington Beach soft # 11

Ball- Titleist Tour Soft

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5 hours ago, Thin2win said:

Oh why not... 

The best 2 piece golf ball, Titleist Velocity. Are there others are are also about as good? Yes. But if you are going to play a 2 piece ball, that is the one I would recommend.

And I'll tell you why! but first, I want to address a few myths on the Ionomer(2 piece) vs Urethane(3 piece +) that I have had the time to test.

Myth #1: Urethane balls spin more with driver. 

Reality #1: False. There are some very high spinning urethane balls(kirkland) but also some very low spinning ones(pro v1). Ionomer balls tend to fall right in the fat part of the ball spin bell curve, and for good reason. The OEMs are trying to get a ball that fits the most people. If you slice a Urethane ball off into the woods... you would have sliced an ionomer ball into the woods. 

Myth #2: Ionomer balls don't stop on the green

Reality #2: Mostly false. With full a swing using an 8i or longer club , there isn't much difference. Testing a Velocity vs a Pro V1 the Velocity launches  slightly higher, with less spin, but it lands coming down steeper. The end results are more or less the same.  With shots less then that... the lower spin on a ionomer ball becomes more noticeable. Mostly because the slightly higher launch doesn't make up for the difference when the shot doesn't go that high to start with. This is where people are very correct is saying that the roll out on short shots around the greens can play out differently. If you are lofting a 56° wedge in from 15y, they will behave pretty differently. You need to plan accordingly. 

I joked with @fixyurdivotduring our annual meetup. He was cleaning his wedges after using the range. I know he often puts an ionomer ball into play and I was remarking that there was no reason for him to clean his wedge to get that extra 1k backspin, if he just used a urethane ball he would get an extra 3k.... Joking, but not joking 😃

The other really big not discussed difference is performance in the wet. Ionomer covers do not like being wet, at all. A Pro V1 handles being wet shockingly well, without too much change in launch and spin from driver through wedge. But ionomer balls will launch SIGNIFICANTLY higher and with about half the spin. You basically hit a flyer on every shot. The Pro V does better then most other Urethane balls, but every Ionomer I have tested does the same. They become moon rockets. Again, some thing you need to be aware of and play accordingly. 

As others have mentioned, the $$$ difference is generally pretty minimal. Some of the Vice urethane balls are like $15/dz, Maxfli's are often 26/dz. And others are in that range. 

All that said, the Velocity is my pick because with driver and with an iron, it performs as good as any good 3 piece (or more) urethane ball out there. It is higher on compression for the 2 piece ionomer ball market, but still on the softer side of the "Tour" balls. You aren't losing distance do to it being soft.

The other reason I'd game the Velocity, its a Titleist. No other OEM makes balls as consistently as they do. The same level of QC that goes into the Pro V1 goes into their Ionomer offerings. 

Nice choice! I probably will never play Velocity. And yes, there are a lot of good deals on balls. I have played the Maxfli Softfli. Right now  I'm liking the Hammer Control in yellow. Seems to fit the bill right now. Been fooling around looking for a ball to play this season. Seems like I have found it. And yes, Titleist QC is over the top.

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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5 hours ago, ChitownM2 said:

 

 

While I admit that's more than the $15 you pay for 15 rocks at Walmart,  it's worth the $2-3 a round extra to me.  I've got a couple grand tied up in clubs, $45-65 a round each weekend and beers at $6 each after tip so for me the extra $70 per season for a higher performing ball is a no brainer.

For me it was more than $70 a season. I would lose a box in 4 rounds on average. Everytime I buy a box of my next gamer, I send them into ball purgatory..I have given up on anything that costs north of $25 a box. I say a box, because some boxes have 15 balls in them. So, I like the value that some offer on that level. My experience with 2 piece balls is they are not cookie cutter. They all have some attribute built in that makes it different from another ball. Yes, even 2 piece balls! So, I have $400 driver, a fairway @$150, 2 hybrids that were $65 to build, hybrid irons that cost $400 custom, $500 in wedges, and a $130 putter. So, lets see, that makes about $1550. You would think I would play a better ball. Well, been there, done that! I am a high hdcp. golfer, lose more than 1-2 a round sometimes. So, I choose to play a value ball. That $40 a box can get a little pricey after the 3rd box! I also enjoy my game, not stressing about lost balls. 

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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Depends on what I am doing. Our course has a strong Srixon presence so I have a lot of various Srixon balls. In fact won another dozen Q Star Tours on a door prize drawing. When it is cooler weather I play the Soft Feels right now it is Q Stars or Z Stars. Now in a little while I am planning to do a dew sweeper round there I will more than likely play some Q or Z Stars from the shag bag or I may play some of the 2 piece Srixon Marathons which I like for a 2 piece ball. 

A lot of the whole ball of wax has to do with ones swing and AOA and the type of clubs one plays no joke. The Soft feels I like in cooler weather but I have to watch them in the wind some. I hit a trap cut by design with blade irons and get a lot of spin off of any ball. In the wind I can get those spinning and can float spin them in the wind especailly with a 7 & 9 woods. Me I have played long enough I can adapt to just about any ball. I am not a Srixon fan boy per say but I have won so many over the last 3 years I basically play them for free. Before joining my current club some 3 years ago now I was playing Vice , Snell or Master Grip C-4 balls. In fact I found 9 brand new C-4s the other day and put them in the vintage bag. Certain holes I do not risk losing some of my prized balata or wound balls. 

Driver ---- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha  Speeder 565 R flex- 5W TM V-Steel Fubuki 60r--- 7W TM V-Steel UST Pro Force Gold 65R----- 9 W TM V Steel TM MAS stiff---- Irons 2015 TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R--- GW Callaway Mack Daddy 2 52* shaft unknown junk pile refugee. SW Callaway PM Grind 56*  Modified sole grind--- KBS Tour Wedge-- LW Vokey 58* SM5 L grind--- Putter Ping B90I Broom Stick 

 

 

 G

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7 hours ago, drb1956 said:

For me it was more than $70 a season. I would lose a box in 4 rounds on average. Everytime I buy a box of my next gamer, I send them into ball purgatory..I have given up on anything that costs north of $25 a box. I say a box, because some boxes have 15 balls in them. So, I like the value that some offer on that level. My experience with 2 piece balls is they are not cookie cutter. They all have some attribute built in that makes it different from another ball. Yes, even 2 piece balls! So, I have $400 driver, a fairway @$150, 2 hybrids that were $65 to build, hybrid irons that cost $400 custom, $500 in wedges, and a $130 putter. So, lets see, that makes about $1550. You would think I would play a better ball. Well, been there, done that! I am a high hdcp. golfer, lose more than 1-2 a round sometimes. So, I choose to play a value ball. That $40 a box can get a little pricey after the 3rd box! I also enjoy my game, not stressing about lost balls. 

Exactly--- Sometimes on disposable things it pays to be thrifty---- Yes I say on your part that is a smart move

Driver ---- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha  Speeder 565 R flex- 5W TM V-Steel Fubuki 60r--- 7W TM V-Steel UST Pro Force Gold 65R----- 9 W TM V Steel TM MAS stiff---- Irons 2015 TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R--- GW Callaway Mack Daddy 2 52* shaft unknown junk pile refugee. SW Callaway PM Grind 56*  Modified sole grind--- KBS Tour Wedge-- LW Vokey 58* SM5 L grind--- Putter Ping B90I Broom Stick 

 

 

 G

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1 hour ago, BIG STU said:

Exactly--- Sometimes on disposable things it pays to be thrifty---- Yes I say on your part that is a smart move

Ok, so I can't back it up, or it doesn't exactly check, and stop on a dime. That's ok! But, I can get it to check, with rollout. It's playable on that level for me. I am getting good feedback with this ball(Hammer Control), and distance control has been good as late. If I need to stop hard, I try to flight it coming in higher than a normal pitch. Have done a couple of times this year  Had one shot that I needed 68 yards(GPS) to the front. Pin sat back about 3 yards on right side, just off the front, guarded by a bunker. Sand wedge 54*, full swing, came in really high, landed in front of pin maybe 4 feet, bounced forward about 6-7 foot from its pitch mark, putted for par. The guys talked about that shot the rest if the round..So, yeah, I am liking this ball, and the price is easy to take, especially with the 2fer deals...

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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15 hours ago, ChitownM2 said:

I'm a high handicap golfer and lose 1-2 balls a round on average and I play tour balls pretty much exclusively.  The performance benefits on distance and spin are well documented and if you plan in advance there really isn't a reason why anyone can't afford tour balls.  I always buy them on sale and I'm willing to stock up when needed.  Currently I'm playing the maxfli tour x and was playing z-star xv before that and I paid under $30 a dozen on average.  

 

While I admit that's more than the $15 you pay for 15 rocks at Walmart,  it's worth the $2-3 a round extra to me.  I've got a couple grand tied up in clubs, $45-65 a round each weekend and beers at $6 each after tip so for me the extra $70 per season for a higher performing ball is a no brainer.

I agree 100%.  Golfers have a bad tendency to look at the cost of the ball they use in a vacum, like it is the only thing which adds to the cost of a round of golf every week. It is not the only thing.  I have done a very long explanation of the math of this, and I will spare everyone the long version.  My point is this  my $1800 Callaway Mavrik Irons (purchased 2019), 4 years and roughly 152 rounds later are still adding $11.84 to every round I play.  To only look at the cost of the ball as the only thing which adds to the $30 a round cost of golf is in error.  If you figure in the cost of everything associated with the cost of a round of golf the actual cost to use a premium ball is negligible.

I will say this.  If you are playing less than 20 rounds of golf in a year, and are going to lose 5 dozen balls in the $15/20, then you can save about $5 a round.  $20 balls save you $2.17 a round on 30 rounds, $25 balls/ $1.34 a round,  $30 balls/ .50 cents a round.   I guess my point is this.  What ball you use is entirely up to you.  The only thing I question is when people point to cost, as a primary reason.  If you like inexpensive great, if you prefer some other ball, and with evaluation as to how you play you determine that another more inexpensive  ball plays better for you given your swing etc, great again. But over 30-40 rounds the actual cost of premium balls losing 5 dozen is not actaully very much, when to take into account everything which adds to the cost of a round. 

 

Driver: Cobra King Speedzone

Irons:  :callaway-small: Mavrik 4-GW

Wedges:  :cleveland-small: CG-14 56 & RTX 52

Putter:  :ping-small: Scottsdale Wolverine

Woods:  Gigagolf  3W, 2H, 3H

Ball:  Srixon Z-Star XV 

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Can't argue with the math!! With all that being said, value is good. But, then again, like I have said over so many threads on here, I was not staying in the fairway playing those "better" balls. So, I'm playing what works. Gotta get down the fairway to get to the green...

Driver-Ping g410 SFT, 3W-Callaway Diablo Octane, Hybrids-Snake Eyes Viper 18*+ 21*, Irons-GigaGolf Reva Hybrid Irons 24*- 46*, Wedges-Cleveland CBX2's 50*54*58*, Putter-Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11c

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On 7/24/2022 at 9:07 PM, drb1956 said:

For me it was more than $70 a season. I would lose a box in 4 rounds on average. Everytime I buy a box of my next gamer, I send them into ball purgatory..I have given up on anything that costs north of $25 a box. I say a box, because some boxes have 15 balls in them. So, I like the value that some offer on that level. My experience with 2 piece balls is they are not cookie cutter. They all have some attribute built in that makes it different from another ball. Yes, even 2 piece balls! So, I have $400 driver, a fairway @$150, 2 hybrids that were $65 to build, hybrid irons that cost $400 custom, $500 in wedges, and a $130 putter. So, lets see, that makes about $1550. You would think I would play a better ball. Well, been there, done that! I am a high hdcp. golfer, lose more than 1-2 a round sometimes. So, I choose to play a value ball. That $40 a box can get a little pricey after the 3rd box! I also enjoy my game, not stressing about lost balls. 

 

5 hours ago, drb1956 said:

Can't argue with the math!! With all that being said, value is good. But, then again, like I have said over so many threads on here, I was not staying in the fairway playing those "better" balls. So, I'm playing what works. Gotta get down the fairway to get to the green...

 

I get what you're saying, but like I mentioned before, with a little planning and a willingness to stock up when they are on sale could have you playing a better ball for $0.75 more a round.  I paid $28 a dozen for the Maxfli tours and bought enough to last me the entire season, possibly longer since I seem to be losing less on average this season than last.

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