Choosing the right ball to play?

[Rob Person]

Once I find a ball that I enjoy, I will probably buy a couple dozen. My issue now is that the CS triple track i enjoyed playing, is only a few bucks chesper than the new CT triple track. I've recently hit a Qstar divde, and really liked everything about it. But again,  old stock vs new stock is only minorly different in price.

When I start thinking in terms of costs, after taxes, that's over $4 per ball.  Performance on the course has definitely swayed me into sucking that up,  but my wallet says otherwise...

[RickyBobby_PR]

4 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

How much does price come into play for most of you? Will you stock up on golf balls now during all these sales or?

Has no bearing. I pay for the quality of a product. 

[dalessit]

Why are you playing the ball you are?

 - Maxfli Tour S

What drew you to it in the first place?

Playing ProV1's for a number of years and was going through a swing change and started to spray the ball a bit more so I was looking for a cheaper alternative that felt and played the same.  Went through Bridgestone, Mizuno, and Callaway before settling on the Maxfli.  Used MGS ball numbers to look for what matched my speed/spin wants

What made you change from your previous ball?

 - Price

Do you play a different ball depending on the season or weather conditions?

 - No, should I?

What/Why would make you change again?

 - If I found something less spinny and better for my swing speed.  Never say never to any ball, I'm not brand loyal, it's all about performance and feel.

What ball will you never play, and why?

 - See above, I'd never say no to any ball if it made me better.

[shailey]

Why are you playing the ball you are?  For my game and swing speed, it is the most wind stable while still having great stopping power on the green

What drew you to it in the first place?  I had heard that it was a great wind ball from someone I know and trust.

What made you change from your previous ball?  Hitting them side by side dead into the wind.  I used the same 6 balls (3 of each brand).  Went to #12 tee box and hit them.  Then got in my cart and retrieved them writing down the distance the ball traveled and how far from center they were.  It won hands down.  

Do you play a different ball depending on the season or weather conditions? No.  I don't change.

What/Why would make you change again?  Something that played better than what I currently have and had the same feel.

What ball will you never play, and why?  I won't ever discount any ball.  I would try any brand if I thought it would help.  However, I won't play a distance ball.

Edited March 4 by shailey
Bold letters to differentiate the questions

[ajdegeno]

I am playing titleist AVX.

I hit about 50% of the greens when I play, so I need performance around the greens.  I am still a single digit handicapper and dropped from 8.7 to 6.5 this year. 

So, when I buy a new ball to test.  I buy 3 and take the first to the green and see how they putt.  I do not want a new putter just a new ball so I start there.  I progress to chipping from the fringe to about 20 yards off the green.  Once that is done, I move to 50 to 70 yard shots and make sure the ball still fills good and then move to 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200.  Then I move to the tee and see if they feel good as well as fly the way I want. 

I keep my stats so I know how many greens I hit, how many fairways I hit, where I miss then, sandies (up and down out of traps) and how many putts.  I find out within a couple of rounds if the ball really fits me or not.  It is a fun way to test and a great way to know your game.  You will improve your game doing so because you will know what to work on and it will also help you choose your equipment as well.

I have found in 50+ years of golf that it is not the look of the club or ball but the performance in your hands.  The shaft has made the most difference to me rather than the club head or name on the club.  I currently have more than one brand in the bag and I in the process of changing quite a bit of my equipment.  When I finish, I will update my profile.

[BillL]

Why are you playing the ball you are? 
I tried a bunch of different balls and settled on playing Vice Pro Plus as my go to ball.  I found performance was similar enough to ProV1X's and they cost 1/2 as much.  

What drew you to it in the first place?
A number of the low handicap guys I know were playing Vice and touted how happy they were vs. ProV1's or Callaways.  So I thought - if those work for a 0-3 handicap guy, why not for a 7.5-10 handicap person - and the price buying 5 dozen at a time was a deal 

What made you change from your previous ball?
Recommendations from other golfers and price 

Do you play a different ball depending on the season or weather conditions?
I bought Vice Pro for this winter - cold and wet here in NC at times and ProPlus when it warms up.  I need the improved heigh from the Plus but figured the softer Pro would feel better in winter. 

What/Why would make you change again?
I've tried other balls - Snell for instance - and like them, but they are still more than the Vice and don't see a difference worth the extra $$.  I do still buy ProV's if I'm running low on Vice and need a dozen to get me through a few weeks.  

What ball will you never play, and why?
I would not play a super hard ball - Pinnacle, TopFlight, etc.  I need something that will spin around the greens and doesn't feel like Iike I'm hitting a rock 

Hope this helps 

Bill down in NC 

[taylorjonasher]

8 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

How much does price come into play for most of you? Will you stock up on golf balls now during all these sales or?

I definitely consider price and try to buy them when they are on sale. I'm hoping the Titleist loyalty returns shortly so I can stock up for the season. Last year I think I spent $300 on balls over the course of the season between replenishing stock and trying different models; hoping to keep it under $200 this year!

[aguybadatgolf]

Why are you playing the ball you are?

I have a high swing speed and produce a lot of spin. I play Vice Pro Plus or Srixon Zstar XV. Great quality balls that are low spin designed for high swing speed players. Price was absolutely a factor as I can get these from 32-38 a dozen on Amazon.

What drew you to it in the first place?

MGS ball lab and a bit of experimentation.

What made you change from your previous ball?

I just played whatever I found and was cheap until I leaned on MGS how important the right ball for your swing is.

Do you play a different ball depending on the season or weather conditions?

I just play the neon or bright versions during the fall. The day glow red Vice is really easy to spot in dead grass and bushes lol.

What/Why would make you change again?

If a better option at a similar price point appears. Or if they raise the cost in what I play now.

What ball will you never play, and why?

Nitro. They feel like hitting a rock. Just extremely unpleasant. That or Kirkland because I need help reducing spin. So I spin the Kirkland like crazy and got these really high shots that have a big dispersion.

Edited March 4 by aguybadatgolf

[Ted Tedeschi]

Currently playing Callaway Super Soft.

Why are you playing the ball you are? Fits with my swing speed and skill level.

What drew you to it in the first place? Had tried several different balls & Callaway SS delivered good feel and results.

What made you change from your previous ball? Did not have a previous ball that I used on a regular basis. Prior to last year, only played 2 or 3 times per season. Was not "into it" enough to give it much consideration.

Do you play a different ball depending on the season or weather conditions? No

What/Why would make you change again? Always investigating equipment that might be better than I currently use. Obviously balls are the easiest & cheapest thing to change and can have a significant impact. Purchased a dozen Titleist Trufeel to compare against the Callaway SS.

What ball will you never play, and why? Not saying I would not play any particular ball. With good balls in the $25 - $40 per dozen price range, not sure I would get any benefit from spending extra for the expensive "Pro" balls.

[K91 Golf]

Why are you playing the ball you are?  Perfect combo of performance and price point.

What drew you to it in the first place? I like to try new stuff.

What made you change from your previous ball? LM data and real golf course performance showed discernible difference in performance at my skill level.

Do you play a different ball depending on the season or weather conditions? No.  I play one ball.

What/Why would make you change again?  Better performance/price point comes up, I'm all ears.  not a "brand" guy.

What ball will you never play, and why? Flat Neon Callaway balls!  Performance sucks but mainly it hurts to look at them!

Oh!  Current ball is Maxfli X Tour.

Edited March 4 by K91 Golf

[USMCSnyper]

12 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

How much does price come into play for most of you? Will you stock up on golf balls now during all these sales or?

The Maxfli "deal" is the normal deal, so I'm good lol. 

[HikingMike]

Great topic, good questions

Why are you playing the ball you are?
I hoped to get lower spin off the tee with it, for lower backspin, but also to reduce side bend when my draw gets out of control! I have been fine around the greens. I didn't notice the reduction in backspin preventing me from sticking a green at all. (Titleist AVX)

That said, I will also play a handful of different types of balls among those that I find, both to just save money but also to try other balls sometimes. For some reason, the course I play has a lot of people losing these high-end balls, and I find a good amount. I like the Pro V1 and that's a good go-to for me among my found balls. I have played some Srixon Z-Stars, Callaway Chromesoft, TaylorMade TP5, Bridgestone something. I have also played Kirklands, and once I learned they were very spinny, that's what made me realize lower spin off the tee was a good thing for me, haha. 

I've had a dozen AVX gifted to me the past couple years, my choice. But this year I really wanted to try out Wilson Triads (partly based on MGS data) so now I have a dozen of those to start off with... haven't played a round yet. 

What drew you to it in the first place?
High performance, good ball flight and distance, yet lower spin than a Pro V1. It's fitting that I now know AVX kind of stands for "Alternative to Pro V1 and Pro V1X". Also it feels nice on the putter and with chips, though I know this may not mean much to my play in reality. 

What made you change from your previous ball?
Just thinking about my game more, problems off the tee.

Do you play a different ball depending on the season or weather conditions?
No 

What/Why would make you change again?
Better fit to my game (new data) along with better price. I'm definitely not always gifted golf balls, so I am on the lookout for something that is less than $50-60. Despite playing Titleist, I don't really have much brand loyalty and I like trying different stuff in golf. 

What ball will you never play, and why?
Probably anything is on the table, until I realize it's not for me either from playing or data. If something out there costs more than a Pro V1, then I probably won't play that 

On 3/4/2024 at 2:06 AM, GolfSpy_APH said:

How much does price come into play for most of you? Will you stock up on golf balls now during all these sales or?

I have a fresh dozen ready to go, and a fair amount of good found balls I'll play. So I won't stock up now. But price does really come into play. I don't have unlimited funds for golf, and equipment competes with greens fees (guess which one wins in the end). From what I've read about the Maxflis and some others, I would definitely try them if I thought golf ball purchases were eating into my playing money. Some time down the road, I may be stocking up on those or something else with annual sales now that I know those sales can be significant. I have learned much. 

Edited March 5 by HikingMike
formatting

[SDunne]

Love this topic. I was very similar to the OP on this - I was using either hand me down balls or a random mix of whatever I'd found. I always treated Pro V1s as being not worth me using as I was always going to lose them at some point. 

I was playing with my work at a very good golf course (the Lakes) in Sydney and went to buy a sleeve or two of the same ball to ensure that I was looking more the part on a fancy course. When chatting with the assistant in the shop, he mentioned average players don't really want a Tour ball or similar as it'll turn slices into worse hits due to impacting more spin on the ball. As such I went with his recommendation which was a Noodle ball at the time (which I loved and would often restock on) as was soft, reasonably priced and not as high spinning. Since getting more into golf over the last few years, I researched more on it all and found a lot of articles backing up some of this and as I improved felt I needed to follow some of the advice around buying balls and sticking with them for a while as their slight differences mean differences to your shots - i.e. learn more about how you play by removing a variable. So I stocked up on some of the cheaper "big brand" options and played a lot more with Srixon Soft and Bridgestone (mix of Soft, e6 and e12). 

Similarly to the OP, given I was still wayward at times, I bought coloured balls to help me track them down. During COVID I would often tee off first thing in the morning as well to get out and back before starting work so found orange balls great to spot in the low light of the morn. 

Recently as my handicap comes down I began looking at whether I could play a better ball and have loved the triple tracks for putting. Given an article I read talked about some people are getting fit for balls by working out putting first and then working back to the tee I put a few of these in the bag and have loved them. I like that they're soft, great to line up on the green and go well off the tee for me as well. Is it the last ball I'll ever buy - no. I'll likely review my game as I go and continue to look at my stats and work out what's best but for now I'm a Callaway player and have stocked up on a range of Triple Track and Chrome Soft to cover me for the foreseeable future. The nice outcome is I lose a lot fewer balls so I'm getting more value for money now as well!

[tdc1]

Last week, after being selected to test the Maxfli Tour with Max Align ball I pulled out the sleeves/boxes of new balls in my closet to look for balls for comparison.  In my stash (Wife: You'll never need to buy a golf ball again!), I found:  Balls purchased -- TaylorMade Tour Response (Stripe, Yellow, White), Wilson Triad, Titleist Tour Speed, Callaway Supersoft (Yellow); balls won at events -- Bridgestone e-12 Contact; balls received as gifts -- Titleist Pro V1 (from my dentist including his office logo -- he keeps encouraging me to lose more of them for the advertising).  And, of course, I have several dozen foundlings of various brands and quality which will most likely end up in a garage sale or for practice.

So, @Rob Person, to your questions . . .

Why are you playing the ball you are?  When I retired a few years ago and became able to play more often I started thinking more about my equipment, including the ball.  I had always just played what I found or what was cheapest.  The MGS ball tests (as well as ball write-ups in magazines) got me to consider the ball differently. Currently I'm mostly using Tour Response but the Triad and Tour Speed are also getting used.  (I'm hoping I don't find the Tour Speed to the best choice for me since it has been discontinued.)

What drew you to it in the first place?  Again, MGS Ball Lab and Ball Test have been major influences although the Tour Response Stripe hooked me immediatley.

What made you change from your previous ball?  I never had a single ball or brand that I used so the past 1-2 years have been a new experience as I try to find "my" ball.

Do you play a different ball depending on the season or weather conditions?  I do.  November-December and March-April can be a challenge here so I usually use Callaway Supersoft when temps fall into the 38-50° range.  The sting of a thin shot is a little less jarring with it.

What/Why would make you change again?  Equivalent-but-cheaper.  Each time I get an e-mail from Titleist suggesting I try their online golf ball selector tool it invariably puts me into the Pro V1.  I have played (and enjoyed) both the Pro Vs but I simply cannot justify the price tag (perhaps if I played in competitions I might feel differently).  Price matters in my case.

What ball will you never play, and why?  If I'm having a really, really bad day on the course, I will play almost anything except a refurb.  Other balls that usually got straight into the garage sale bin include Nitro, Chromax, Top Flite XL, brands I've never heard of/can't find reviews of, and refurbished/refinished of any brand.

[Marv Town]

How about Bridgestone, before I made the move to tour balls playing two-piece bars always Bridgestone they were available they were good and you lost a lot and the price was right so I made the jump to tour balls to the  B RX .,B  RXS. I Ask for  PR0-V1 for Christmas love them. Maxfli tours perform great it doesn't have the feel for me. Even the Saxon Z's felt better for me.   I changed because Christmas gifts and I'll stick with the Bridgestone but I'll play the Z's and the pro v1. I will play  Bridgestone two-piece balls. e6 and e12Contact. Early in the year, right now in Michigan when the winds are high, bogey and doubles are rapid, I'll play the Bridgestone two pieces. When the weather improve and consistency comes back, start with a last year's box of Bridgestone RXS . When it gets hot that's when I like to PV1 and the Srixon Z. So like many of us a variety of different balls and my reasons why. 

[Ted Tedeschi]

17 hours ago, USMCSnyper said:

The Maxfli "deal" is the normal deal, so I'm good lol. 

Price is somewhat important. My game is not consistent enough to justify spending additional $20 - $30 per dozen balls. You can play the most fantastic ball in the world, but will it help if you do not hit it well?

[USMCSnyper]

5 minutes ago, Ted Tedeschi said:

Price is somewhat important. My game is not consistent enough to justify spending additional $20 - $30 per dozen balls. You can play the most fantastic ball in the world, but will it help if you do not hit it well?

Hey Ted. Agree completely. Now, if we could get that remote control ball....I might break 80. LOL