Finding a new ball

[Shortknocker]

Been playing the Z Star diamond and while it's a very good ball I feel like it's short for me especially on irons and off tee. I'm a 4 cap with 92 SS. What would be a good ball that could give me the distance I need? I like a ball with good green side spin but not a ton. 

[Blueberry_Squishie]

You're in luck. The results of the 2023 ball test are due to be released in the next week or so. Have a look at the results and you'll be able to identify a few options to change to.

[GolfSpy_APH]

3 hours ago, Shortknocker said:

Been playing the Z Star diamond and while it's a very good ball I feel like it's short for me especially on irons and off tee. I'm a 4 cap with 92 SS. What would be a good ball that could give me the distance I need? I like a ball with good green side spin but not a ton. 

Hopefully in the next 2 weeks we will see the ball test results to give you mamore data than you can handle!

[Fred Mitchell]

27 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Hopefully in the next 2 weeks we will see the ball test results to give you mamore data than you can handle!

I am convinced I real all the words completely off the 2021 test

[Nat]

The diamond is not meant for you at 92 ss. It is Brookes Koepka’s ball. You’d be much better off with the regular Zstar. Nothing better to me 

[kingcscott]

I think between MGS ball test and Ballnamic by PING you have the best information to find a new ball and try a few out. MGS will tell you if they are any good and Ballnamic will give you some data based on your input, and 42 of your hard earned dollars (cost of a box of ball-ish) and PRESTO you have a ball test of your own. 

[Shapotomous]

My ss is a little faster in the high 90's.  I use snell mtbx and am satisfied with the distance as well as the amount of spin around the green and with approach shots.  It feels good to me off the putter as well.

I played pro v's for years before seeing  the mgs ball test results and trying a couple different balls.  I settled on the mtbx since it played the same as the pro v for me and cost less.  

Lots of players here game the maxfli tour.  I have yet to try that one.  

[Mr_BogeyPro]

With a 92 swing speed, the Z Star Diamond is not meant for you. I recently went through a months-long test to find the right ball and landed on the Callaway ERC's. I have a swing speed of 95, and found the softer the ball, the better distance I have gained. 

I would suggest testing to find the right ball for you. I started using the ERC Fade golf ball the last 2 weeks, and it has given me the greenside spin I was looking for. The ERC triple track has a compression of 60. The ERC Fade has a compression of 75. A bit firmer, but still soft, and they have stopped on the greens perfectly.

I would try the Srixon Q Star, Callaway ERCs, Taylormade Tour Response, or any other ball. But I would try a softer ball with a compression under 90.

[JRav57]

Recently started playing TM Tour Response (driver SS 85). Performed very well in all conditions for me.  Liked the feel of a clean strike.

[VictorC]

I’m with Shapotomous. I use the Snell MTB-X. They did well in the last ball test. Since the redesign I am even more impressed with them. I am curious how they will do in the 2023 ball testing.  I think the Pro V1 has a distinct advantage in distance ( at least according to the last test) for high swing speeds but that sadly is no longer in my toolkit.  For the money they perform great and they give a discount of $3 per dozen on orders of 5 boxes. They also have the MTB Prime which is a bit softer and provides more spin. You can buy a MTB Prime test pack that gives you 6 MTB-X & 6 MTB to see which best fits your game.  Good luck finding your next ball. 

[cnosil]

8 hours ago, Shortknocker said:

Been playing the Z Star diamond and while it's a very good ball I feel like it's short for me especially on irons and off tee. I'm a 4 cap with 92 SS. What would be a good ball that could give me the distance I need? I like a ball with good green side spin but not a ton. 

In my opinion it is hard to tell with the limited information you provided.  What is your carry distance for your clubs, where do you strike the ball on the face, what are you launch monitor numbers for things like spin, launch angles, peak height, etc.?   With those numbers, you can start to leverage the MGS ball test data to determine which balls might help you optimize you launch numbers and maximize distance if you really aren’t hitting the ball far enough.  For example, if you spin the ball too much you can find lower spinning balls or vice versa.   

[officedog]

Try the Calloway ERC soft. Great ball for your swing speed and good for your short game too. 

On 6/29/2023 at 6:22 AM, dfayad said:

I would be interested in testing Lamkin grips.  I am 77 and play once or twice per week.  

 

[Shortknocker]

42 minutes ago, cnosil said:

In my opinion it is hard to tell with the limited information you provided.  What is your carry distance for your clubs, where do you strike the ball on the face, what are you launch monitor numbers for things like spin, launch angles, peak height, etc.?   With those numbers, you can start to leverage the MGS ball test data to determine which balls might help you optimize you launch numbers and maximize distance if you really aren’t hitting the ball far enough.  For example, if you spin the ball too much you can find lower spinning balls or vice versa.   

One thing I'm was wondering that seemed off. Was when I played yesterday I had a couple shots that were 123-125 to the center. I hit my PW 120 and I do strike the ball pretty well as I'm a 4cap I know my distances well. But on those shots (hit well) yesterday I came up just in front of the green some 8yds short which put me hitting it around 110 or so, that told me something if off either the ball I'm playing is not right or the gps. Now I've been using a Garmin GPS (which I am coming to hate the thing) and I'm wondering if that thing is becoming inaccurate on distances moreso than the ball I'm using. Now I will say that has nothing to do with the Driver which I think I could gain some yards by a ball change. But I'm just not sure I'm trusting that garmin

Edited August 7, 2023 by Shortknocker

[Snowmonkeys1310]

1 hour ago, kingcscott said:

I think between MGS ball test and Ballnamic by PING you have the best information to find a new ball and try a few out. MGS will tell you if they are any good and Ballnamic will give you some data based on your input, and 42 of your hard earned dollars (cost of a box of ball-ish) and PRESTO you have a ball test of your own. 

The Z-Star Diamond is a spinnier ball for sure. I've given it a try in the past just to see if I could make it work. There's a time and place where I might want a ball with that much spin, but it isn't very often (my SS is higher than yours though so YMMV).

Finding the absolute best ball for you will be super tough, but finding a better ball for you shouldn't be. The ball test results should provide some insight for you. Here are two other things you can do...

• Option 1: I quoted the post recommending PING's Ballnamic tool as I I found it useful. If you take the time to figure out your numbers it can provide great insight and narrow down some options for you.
• Option 2: Go through a Titleist ball fitting (you could pick another brand if you want though)
  • Personally I recommend Titleist because I believe they have the best range of options of any company (AVX, Pro V1, Pro V1X, Left Dash, Tour Speed)
  • You will leave that leave knowing you're in the best option Titleist has for you
  • Then, if you're so inclined, you could then take what they recommend to you and seek out offerings from other companies with similar profiles and see if they can beat Titleist's best option for you

[GregGarner]

7 minutes ago, Shortknocker said:

One thing I'm was wondering that seemed off. Was when I played yesterday I had a couple shots that were 123-125 to the center. I hit my PW 120 and I do strike the ball pretty well as I'm a 4cap I know my distances well. But on those shots (hit well) yesterday I came up just in front of the green some 8yds short. Now I've been using a Garmin GPS (which I am coming to hate the thing) and I'm wondering if that thing is becoming inaccurate on distances moreso than the ball I'm using. Now I will say that has nothing to do with the Driver which I think I could gain some yards by a ball change. But I'm just not sure I'm trusting that garmin

Fitting a golf ball by swing speed is a great way to get the wrong ball. (i.e. the guys saying you don't swing hard enough to play the Diamond would probably disagree with Titleist, who fit more amateurs into the ProV1x than any other ball. But my money is on Titleist knowing how to do a ball fitting...)

Totally possible that your GPS was off by a few yards. (Standing still in the middle of the fairway, have you ever seen the distances change? It's doing its best, but it's not perfect.) The other thing to consider is that the Diamond is a pretty high spin ball. (Excessive spin = distance loss) Brooks wanted a ball that performed like his ProV1x and Srixon gave him basically exactly that. If you were to switch to the XV, you'd get the same feel with a little less spin. You might also take a look at the Maxfli Tour, which would definitely take some spin off and should give you a bump of a couple yards.

[RickyBobby_PR]

3 minutes ago, GregGarner said:

Fitting a golf ball by swing speed is a great way to get the wrong ball. (i.e. the guys saying you don't swing hard enough to play the Diamond would probably disagree with Titleist, who fit more amateurs into the ProV1x than any other ball. But my money is on Titleist knowing how to do a ball fitting...)

Totally possible that your GPS was off by a few yards. (Standing still in the middle of the fairway, have you ever seen the distances change? It's doing its best, but it's not perfect.) The other thing to consider is that the Diamond is a pretty high spin ball. (Excessive spin = distance loss) Brooks wanted a ball that performed like his ProV1x and Srixon gave him basically exactly that. If you were to switch to the XV, you'd get the same feel with a little less spin. You might also take a look at the Maxfli Tour, which would definitely take some spin off and should give you a bump of a couple yards.

Exactly in the bold. The swing speed, can’t compress a ball at certain swing speeds has been debunked for awhile now.

Correct with the spin. Which gets to cnosils post about needing more details to say what’s going on

[Shortknocker]

9 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Exactly in the bold. The swing speed, can’t compress a ball at certain swing speeds has been debunked for awhile now.

Correct with the spin. Which gets to cnosils post about needing more details to say what’s going on

As for driver spin going by a R10 awhile back I do spin my driver around 3100 and that is with my ZX5 mk ii LS driver. My 7i was around 6800 and I carry it on course around 145

[GregGarner]

1 minute ago, Shortknocker said:

As for driver spin going by a R10 awhile back I do spin my driver around 3100 and that is with my ZX5 mk ii LS driver. My 7i was around 6800 and I carry it on course around 145

3100 on driver is A LOT of spin. Assuming your 7i is a reasonably standard loft, 6800 isn't crazy high, but it's definitely plenty of spin. Do you also hit the ball very high? Do you know your peak heights? (If you tell me either of those clubs are flying higher than about 85 feet, you need to switch balls immediately. Maxfli Tour or Tour S. Maybe AVX or Bridgestone Tour BRX.)

[Shortknocker]

18 minutes ago, GregGarner said:

Fitting a golf ball by swing speed is a great way to get the wrong ball. (i.e. the guys saying you don't swing hard enough to play the Diamond would probably disagree with Titleist, who fit more amateurs into the ProV1x than any other ball. But my money is on Titleist knowing how to do a ball fitting...)

Totally possible that your GPS was off by a few yards. (Standing still in the middle of the fairway, have you ever seen the distances change? It's doing its best, but it's not perfect.) The other thing to consider is that the Diamond is a pretty high spin ball. (Excessive spin = distance loss) Brooks wanted a ball that performed like his ProV1x and Srixon gave him basically exactly that. If you were to switch to the XV, you'd get the same feel with a little less spin. You might also take a look at the Maxfli Tour, which would definitely take some spin off and should give you a bump of a couple yards.

I was playing the XV before switching to Diamond. It was a bit longer off Tee where it lacked toe was greenside spin. And the ball just felt hard to me. If I found a ball with the XV same characteristics with a bitore greenside and a bit softer feeling then I may not have to look any further 

[Shortknocker]

6 minutes ago, GregGarner said:

3100 on driver is A LOT of spin. Assuming your 7i is a reasonably standard loft, 6800 isn't crazy high, but it's definitely plenty of spin. Do you also hit the ball very high? Do you know your peak heights? (If you tell me either of those clubs are flying higher than about 85 feet, you need to switch balls immediately. Maxfli Tour or Tour S. Maybe AVX or Bridgestone Tour BRX.)

Pretty sure if memory serves me correctly my 7i was in the 85-90ft range. My irons are ZX5 so they are a bit stronger lofts

Edited August 7, 2023 by Shortknocker

[RickyBobby_PR]

13 minutes ago, Shortknocker said:

As for driver spin going by a R10 awhile back I do spin my driver around 3100 and that is with my ZX5 mk ii LS driver. My 7i was around 6800 and I carry it on course around 145

I’m betting  a few things are happening or a combo of them.

Your contact is low on the face of the driver, possibly even towards the heel with driver. For driver and irons you are probably adding loft at impact.

So that amount of spin and a ball designed to spin more is a bad combo.

A couple things to do. One is switch balls to a lower spinning ball, but before you do that, get some Dr scholls foot spray and spray it on the face of your driver to see where impact is. For every 1/8” up or down spin changes by 240rpm, the higher on the face the lower the spin and lower on the face the higher the spin.

If it’s low or even all over the face then do a diy driver tuneup

https://forums.golfwrx.com/topic/960350-diy-driver-tune-up-diy-fitting/
 

if you don’t want to do all that then a lower spinning ball would be where to go

[GregGarner]

5 minutes ago, Shortknocker said:

Pretty sure if memory serves me correctly my 7i was in the 85-90ft range. My irons are ZX5 so they are a bit stronger lofts

Not crazy strong-lofted, though. 31 degrees. But I definitely suspect some 'scooping' through impact (I have this exact same tendency) which adds dynamic loft. The excess dynamic loft is giving you a high trajectory with high spin. IMO, the new AVX, the TaylorMade Tour Response, and the Maxfli Tour S should all be worth a look. (Titleist has come a LONG way adding greenside spin to the AVX!) If you need something firmer, maybe the Vice Pro or Maxfli Tour. 

[Shortknocker]

5 minutes ago, GregGarner said:

Not crazy strong-lofted, though. 31 degrees. But I definitely suspect some 'scooping' through impact (I have this exact same tendency) which adds dynamic loft. The excess dynamic loft is giving you a high trajectory with high spin. IMO, the new AVX, the TaylorMade Tour Response, and the Maxfli Tour S should all be worth a look. (Titleist has come a LONG way adding greenside spin to the AVX!) If you need something firmer, maybe the Vice Pro or Maxfli Tour. 

I'm not a fan of Firmer feeling even though lots of people will say the firmer balls will go further 

[Markelly82]

I played the srixon diamond too and didn’t like the results.  I have been playing the Titleist prov1 to better keep things consistent.  I have stopped trying to play multiple balls. If I can keep my ball consistent it’s one less thing I have to worry about. 

[cnosil]

16 minutes ago, Shortknocker said:

I'm not a fan of Firmer feeling even though lots of people will say the firmer balls will go further 

Everything is a trade off.  What is firmer; what is the actual ball compression that is considered firmer?    You can dial in firmness a little, but launch characteristics is more what should be considered.   You can see based on the responses that understanding dynamic loft, strike location, spin rate, etc go a long way in determining what ball could work best.   Based on my swing characteristics I need to player higher spinning balls and when I play a lower spinning ball it doesn’t stay in the air on less than perfect strikes so I lose distance.  

[Shortknocker]

Just now, Markelly82 said:

I played the srixon diamond too and didn’t like the results.  I have been playing the Titleist prov1 to better keep things consistent.  I have stopped trying to play multiple balls. If I can keep my ball consistent it’s one less thing I have to worry about. 

I'm the same I've been playing the diamond for awhile now but I'm searching for that one ball. I thought the diamond was it and I do shoot low scores with it, but I'm just not sure it's the right one to get me the optimization I need out of a ball. 

[cnosil]

1 hour ago, Shortknocker said:

One thing I'm was wondering that seemed off. Was when I played yesterday I had a couple shots that were 123-125 to the center. I hit my PW 120 and I do strike the ball pretty well as I'm a 4cap I know my distances well. But on those shots (hit well) yesterday I came up just in front of the green some 8yds short which put me hitting it around 110 or so, that told me something if off either the ball I'm playing is not right or the gps. Now I've been using a Garmin GPS (which I am coming to hate the thing) and I'm wondering if that thing is becoming inaccurate on distances moreso than the ball I'm using. Now I will say that has nothing to do with the Driver which I think I could gain some yards by a ball change. But I'm just not sure I'm trusting that garmin

I’d have to know the strike and probably wind.   GPS could be off, laser would help confirm that fact.   While knowing our average stoke is important and that is the distance we typically play for,  what does your dispersion circle for PW?   Meaning what is the long left and short right distance you typically see?  

[Shortknocker]

2 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Everything is a trade off.  What is firmer; what is the actual ball compression that is considered firmer?    You can dial in firmness a little, but launch characteristics is more what should be considered.   You can see based on the responses that understanding dynamic loft, strike location, spin rate, etc go a long way in determining what ball could work best.   Based on my swing characteristics I need to player higher spinning balls and when I play a lower spinning ball it doesn’t stay in the air on less than perfect strikes so I lose distance.  

I will say this when I was using the R10 and I started using the Pro V1x RCT balls I seen better spin rates. My Driver dropped from 3100 down to 2600. All my numbers started to be more accurate. So could that have told me I need a Pro V1x ? Who knows, if so it's just so hard for me to pay the price Titleist has on their Balls. 

[Shortknocker]

2 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I’d have to know the strike and probably wind.   GPS could be off, laser would help confirm that fact.   While knowing our average stoke is important and that is the distance we typically play for,  what does your dispersion circle for PW?   Meaning what is the long left and short right distance you typically see?  

I can honestly say that long left is around 128, and Short right is around 115. There was no wind on the shots I'm speaking of above. I am a pretty straight and accurate  player with short irons. My low scores come because of 120yds in. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 hours ago, Shortknocker said:

I will say this when I was using the R10 and I started using the Pro V1x RCT balls I seen better spin rates. My Driver dropped from 3100 down to 2600. All my numbers started to be more accurate. So could that have told me I need a Pro V1x ? Who knows, if so it's just so hard for me to pay the price Titleist has on their Balls. 

It’s possible, other values are just as important. Spin is just one aspect to be considered. Launch angle, peak height, land or descent angle are key too.

There is a retired fitter on wrx who is working on a study and the early numbers are indicating that 2100 rpm works for all swing speeds