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Range Rocks for Short Game


Bluesman57

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I went to the range today, armed with my wedges and ESB1 to reassess carry distances.  More importantly, I spent the bulk of my time in the short game area to work on 15-40 yard pitches.  I want to dial in carry and roll as best as I can, so I hit pitches of various distances, aiming to carry just to the front of a green that is ~10 yards deep; roll-outs were 8-12 yards, depending on the club/distance.

Anyway, I was using Pinochle range balls, so I am wondering if I can trust those numbers to be the same with my gamers (Snell MTB-X).  I know MGS has included range balls in their testing,  but I am just wondering if there would be a significant difference at such slow speeds.  Tanks as always.

 

:ping-small: G430 Max HL Max Driver

:ping-small: G430 Max HL 5- and 7-Woods

:ping-small: G430 Max  HL 4-Hybrid

:titleist-small: T300 6-GW Irons

:ping-small: Glide 3.0 52 and 58 degree Wedges

:titleist-small: Vokey SM9 56 degree Sand Wedge

:bettinardi-small: BB-8W Putter

:titleist-small: ProV1x Balls

 

Semper ubi, sub ubi.

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I wouldn't trust any numbers with range balls.  A range ball is not going to react off the club or on the green like your MTB-X.  

I use range balls (nice new Srixon) for pitching to only work on my technique; I use slightly used gamers (currently Maxfli Tour X) for distance and reaction on the greens.

Try your MTB-X and see for yourself.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Thanks, I'll do that.  I didn't have my bag with me yesterday,  so I am just questioning whether I should trust my results.

:ping-small: G430 Max HL Max Driver

:ping-small: G430 Max HL 5- and 7-Woods

:ping-small: G430 Max  HL 4-Hybrid

:titleist-small: T300 6-GW Irons

:ping-small: Glide 3.0 52 and 58 degree Wedges

:titleist-small: Vokey SM9 56 degree Sand Wedge

:bettinardi-small: BB-8W Putter

:titleist-small: ProV1x Balls

 

Semper ubi, sub ubi.

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12 minutes ago, Bluesman57 said:

Thanks, I'll do that.  I didn't have my bag with me yesterday,  so I am just questioning whether I should trust my results.

I wouldn't trust anything short-game related with range balls. I always use my own balls for chipping, putting, pitching etc. practice so I know what the real results would be that I'd see out on the course.

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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I would be reluctant to trust run outs with range balls.  I think that you can trust carry distances for short shots - 40 yards or so - not for full shots because you will get lots of variance there - but unless you are using a two piece ball run out is not the same at all between a range ball and a gamer.  I try to only have balls in my shag bag that are at least similar to my gamer.  

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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I have an entire shag bag full of used Titleist ProV1s that I take to the short game area with me. Even warming up before a round, I chip and pitch with the balls I am playing as opposed to the range balls we keep in the chipping area. And I'm lucky - our range uses brand new AVXs, so they're actually not bad for full shots.

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Pretty much what everyone else has said. It’s like anything else in golf, practice with what you play with whenever possible.  It would be like practicing your buddy’s driver that has a different shaft and then going to play with your own and trying to figure how it’s going to go. 

Instagram:  @tony_rosselli_

:SuperSpeed:Training

Pre training max driver speed: 124mph

Current: 130mph

WITB:

Driver: :ping-small:G425 Max, 9*

Woods: :taylormade-small: 2007 Burner TP 3 wood and 5 wood

Irons:  :srixon-small: Z765 4-PW (1 degree flat) with KBS $-130 shafts

Wedges:  :vokey-small: SM7 50/12/F, 54/10/S and 58/12/D

Putter:  L.A.B. Directed Force 2.1

Ball:  :titelist-small: ProV1

 

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Agree with a lot of the comments previously made. Distance might be ok, but I wouldn't trust the rollout on those pinnacle range balls compared to your gamers (unless your gamers are pinnacles 😁). I always work on the swing mechanics with range balls but verify with the balls I actually golf with at a local course that allows pitching and putting. Let us know what you end up doing and how it goes!

 

MdGolfHacker 

TSssWhat's In This Lefty's Bag?

Driver: :titleist-small: TSR2 11° Project X HZRDUS Black 4G 60g 5.5 Flex

Fairway Woods: :cobra-small: F8 3W Project X Even Flow Blue 75g shaft

Fairway Woods: 

Hybrid: :titelist-small: TSR2  18° Graphite Design Tour AD DI-85 Shaft

Irons: :titelist-small: 2021 T200's 4-GW AMT RED shafts Regular Flex

Wedge: :cleveland-small: Tour Satin RTX 4 Wedges in 52° and 56° 2 Dot

Putter: :nevercompromise-small: Gray Matter TDP 2.2 32.75"

Bag: :1590477705_SunMountain: Three 5

Ball:  :titelist-small:  PRO V1 / :srixon-small: Z*Star

RangeFinder:918457628_PrecisionPro: In search of new range finder

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Agree with all the above comments...stands to reason that range balls are there for a reason...not to trust them for short game purposes.

 

Happy you are working on your short game...only way to bring your hc down....keep it up...I see a single marker hiding in there.

 

 

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8 hours ago, goaliedad30 said:

I have an entire shag bag full of used Titleist ProV1s that I take to the short game area with me. Even warming up before a round, I chip and pitch with the balls I am playing as opposed to the range balls we keep in the chipping area. And I'm lucky - our range uses brand new AVXs, so they're actually not bad for full shots.

where can I go to this place!! that's amazing avx for practice that's awesome. 

Jlo

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When I go to a particular range that has two different short game practice areas I always take and use my own balls. I buy a small bucket at the shop - like paying rent for my time - but I use my own. I get some odd looks for other players. A) mine are yellow OnCore Vereox so they stand out, B) I’ve got to go shag them rather than just keep wailing away C) why am I leaving a bucket un-used….   But A) always practice with the ball you intend to use for spin and rollout - and I’m lucky the range balls are white so I can spot mine B) keeps me moving around the different greens so I’m not just hitting the same distance from the same lie, C) some junior golfer always gets a nice surprise…

Walking ahead of my BagBoy QuadXL w Alphard eWheels
Driver: Callaway Mavrik SubZero 9* Neutral w stock Evenflow Riptide R flex shaft
3W  Titelist TS2 15* Draw w Tensei Blue R flex
3H, 4H Cobra One Length F9 Speedback hybrids (1”short) w Fujikura Atmos R flex shaft
5I-GW Cobra Forged TEC Black One Length (1”short, 2* flat) KBS 90 R flex shafts
56, 60 Cobra King MIM One Length Black (1” short) KBS HiRev2.0 125 S flex shafts
ER7  or Scotty Futura X - 35”

OnCore Elixr (lemon or lime)

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17 hours ago, revkev said:

I would be reluctant to trust run outs with range balls.  I think that you can trust carry distances for short shots - 40 yards or so - not for full shots because you will get lots of variance there - but unless you are using a two piece ball run out is not the same at all between a range ball and a gamer.  I try to only have balls in my shag bag that are at least similar to my gamer.  

Thanks, Rev.  I went to Chestnut Hills, which has a nice short game area.  Since I only hit wedges, I left my bag in the car, and so had to use their Pinochles.  BTW, I have room in my small suburban back yard to work on 15 and 20 yard carries, but obviously not run out.  I'll have to get back there and see what difference there is when using my Snells.

:ping-small: G430 Max HL Max Driver

:ping-small: G430 Max HL 5- and 7-Woods

:ping-small: G430 Max  HL 4-Hybrid

:titleist-small: T300 6-GW Irons

:ping-small: Glide 3.0 52 and 58 degree Wedges

:titleist-small: Vokey SM9 56 degree Sand Wedge

:bettinardi-small: BB-8W Putter

:titleist-small: ProV1x Balls

 

Semper ubi, sub ubi.

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I think I remember that the distance dropoff of range balls decreases with shorter distance.  Driver, range balls might be 15 yrds shorter, but on little wedges, only 1 or 2 yrds at most????

 

And yes, I never use range balls when chipping & putting.  Ug.  I do have some new 2 piece and some nearly new urethanes, and I use both to test my touch on different clubs on chips n putts.

Driver: PXG 0211, A flex Evnflo Riptide (2021). And an old Callaway 454 TI (2004) on regular flex.

3 W: Callaway Steelhead Xr A flex Tensei CK 55 gram. The rest are Regular flex.

5 W : Titleist TSi 1 on Aldila Ascent regular flex.

Driving Iron: Mizuno MP 18 MMC 3 18 degree, on Mamiya Recoil reg flex.

4 iron:  Mizuno Fly-Hi, 24 degree hybrid iron, GFF, even tho it is a hollow body iron.

6,7,8,9,wedge: Ping I 500, on Recoil reg flex shafts.

Gap wedges: 52 x 9 Mizuno forged S5, wedge shaft; 60 x 6 Mizuno forged T7, wedge shaft.

Sand: Old original Hogan Sure Out on Apex original shaft, probably 56 / 12.

Chipper:  (yep I carry a chipper) old Don Martin "Up n In" bronze? copper? 🙂

Putter: Just switched Jan 2024 to a Odyssey Stroke lab "R" Ball with the 2 piece, multi material shaft.🙃

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Basically just repeating recommendations here...but my strategy is to keep a lot of used / slightly damaged balls for this purpose (emphasis on slightly - anything with significant damage is out). When I take them out of play during a round, I put them in a shag bag or tube to use later in some way -- some friends will take damaged "good" balls for their own use, and I keep a tube of the better-condition balls that I leave in the trunk for short game sessions. The tube holds 18 or 20 balls, and helps with collecting the balls from the green. 

Bonus tip, depending on whether you're open to colored balls (you could also do this with ball number, but I found colors more effective at keeping me honest): bring a mix of colors/designs to the green with you, and change your shot based on the ball. For Snell, you could hit your typical shot with the white, and then hit a high one with the yellow (or low, you pick); for a PIX- or Truvis-style ball (or Vice with all their colors), there are more options, so you could have balls for three different shots (in my tube I have 3 designs, and depending on the design will hit stock/square, open face, and low-checker). This makes the session a bit less robotic and forces you to adapt to different shots you might need on the course. 

Driver: :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus 8* (adjusted to 8.75*), Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 70 X Flex (New toy incoming!)

Fairway: :taylormade-small: Stealth2 Plus, 15* (adjusted to 14.25*) w/ Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 7X

Irons:  :titleist-small: U505 1 Iron (16*), T200 "Utility Build" 3 and 4 irons, all with Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 95 X Flex, :titleist-small: T100S 5-9 with Nippon Pro Modus 120 X Flex (2021 MGS Test). These things are monsters. 

Wedges:  :vokey-small: SM9 46.10, 54.12, and 58.08, all with custom etchings & KBS Tour Masters-themed shafts, X-flex (CHA Post)

Putter: Total headcase and Putter Ho. Down to two main options in the rotation (one mallet, one blade), but have 4-5 by the basement putting green that might make it in the bag at some point this year... Mallet: :L.A.B.: Mezz XL 36" Orange; Blade: :L.A.B.: Link.1 w/Accra White shaft & :garsen: grip

 

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