Short-listing a non-tour urethane ball

[Rob Person]

The Vice Drive balls are on sale for 14.99 per dozen when you buy 5 dozen. So 60 balls for $75.  Not too bad 

[Wolfstrum]

Like several of you I carry some extra balls I call “donor balls”.  Someone donated them to me and I am fine donating them to the next lost golf ball forager. I use the donor balls to remove the stress on holes that like to eat golf balls. Using the donor ball takes all the stress away and subsequently I hit much better on those holes as well. On my home course I am down to one whole that gets the donor ball played most days. 

[Green4Spinach]

I played my first round with the Srixon Q Star Tour ball yesterday. Overall, I played reasonably well to register 45 on our local 9 hole, nowhere near my best of 42 shot last week. My score, though, was marred by a 9 on the par 4 6th, shaped initially by losing my tee ball in some trees.

My short game felt good with the Q Star Tour. I duffed one chip and came up short with a couple more as the release I am used to with the Vice Drive and Mizuno RB566 balls did not materialise. I cannot wait to make the stopping capabilities of the Srixon a more normal part of my game.

Even though putting is not a strength, I fared better than I normally do. Of course, my short game was in such good shape that I only needed 12 putts across 9 holes. And not a single 3 putt.

I imagine looking at Strokes Gained across a single round is not very sound, in analytical terms. Nevertheless, the numbers are interesting. Although my handicap is 28, I chose to benchmark my Strokes Gained to a 20 index. My Strokes Gained was a whopping 11 for short game, and about 3-4 under in all other metrics. So I clearly played better overall than my usual handicap.

Perhaps the disappointment was with driving. I got used to some stellar (for me!) distances with the Vice Drives, but the damp soil and rainy conditions I played in may have got in the way of the Vice balls as well. I did not exceed 240 yards with any of my drives. However, neither did my son who is usually 20 yards longer than my best drives. So the wind may have been the winner yesterday.

Overall, I am very pleased with the first Non-Tour Urethane test and sense there is more to gain, from this ball and the others on the list.

[Green4Spinach]

I am about to pull the trigger on the Taylormade Tour Response to add to my Shortlist for a Non-Tour Urethane test. I notice it comes in many stripes and shades. Any advice from people who use the Tour Response regarding choosing between the colour options?

[TJ Hall]

23 minutes ago, Green4Spinach said:

I am about to pull the trigger on the Taylormade Tour Response to add to my Shortlist for a Non-Tour Urethane test. I notice it comes in many stripes and shades. Any advice from people who use the Tour Response regarding choosing between the colour options?

I use the all white, no stripe, version…but I’m plain and boring!

[JAYER38]

On 8/27/2024 at 1:28 PM, Green4Spinach said:

I am about to pull the trigger on the Taylormade Tour Response to add to my Shortlist for a Non-Tour Urethane test. I notice it comes in many stripes and shades. Any advice from people who use the Tour Response regarding choosing between the colour options?

I would suggest doing as @TJ Hall did. The stripe version gets marked up rather quickly with wedges from my experience. Its the 1 reason I don't buy this ball.

[JAYER38]

I will add this and hopefully it helps some. I look to stay under $40 yet get good performance. The TruFeel was the biggest surprise out of them all honestly. Great short game spin but low spin off the driver. 100% is my go to ball now just wish it felt a little harder off the putter face

 

[Green4Spinach]

9 hours ago, JAYER38 said:

I will add this and hopefully it helps some. I look to stay under $40 yet get good performance. The TruFeel was the biggest surprise out of them all honestly. Great short game spin but low spin off the driver. 100% is my go to ball now just wish it felt a little harder off the putter face

 

Thanks @JAYER38. I think you are the first to mention Trufeel. I'll add it to my assessment list.

[Green4Spinach]

10 hours ago, JAYER38 said:

I would suggest doing as @TJ Hall did. The stripe version gets marked up rather quickly with wedges from my experience. Its the 1 reason I don't buy this ball.

Anyone else had the experience of the Tour Response stripe ball marking up quickly?

[Rob Person]

6 hours ago, Green4Spinach said:

Anyone else had the experience of the Tour Response stripe ball marking up quickly?

The covers are soft! I got a sleeve from the TM rep at our course.  They played well enough, but after 2 or 3 hard wedge shots from the sand, they were marred.

[RetiredBoomer]

3 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

The covers are soft! I got a sleeve from the TM rep at our course.  They played well enough, but after 2 or 3 hard wedge shots from the sand, they were marred.

In my personal experience, every ball, including a 1977 Top Flite, is marred after two or three hard shots from the sand.

Is that not the case?

[Rob Person]

8 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

In my personal experience, every ball, including a 1977 Top Flite, is marred after two or three hard shots from the sand.

Is that not the case?

I suppose that's true.

I played the Bridgestone balls and the X and RX fared alot better! The XS and RXS were a bit softer, but not as soft as the response. 

[RetiredBoomer]

3 hours ago, Rob Person said:

I suppose that's true.

I played the Bridgestone balls and the X and RX fared alot better! The XS and RXS were a bit softer, but not as soft as the response. 

 

Players who think urethane balls are soft don't remember natural balata over windings. 

If you just smiled at them, they smiled back.

[JAYER38]

3 hours ago, Rob Person said:

I suppose that's true.

I played the Bridgestone balls and the X and RX fared alot better! The XS and RXS were a bit softer, but not as soft as the response. 

I enjoyed the RXS actually. I just cant justify the price for it when other balls cheaper seem to play the same. I did prefer it over the Chrome Soft & Chrome Tour.

Playing on Monday morning and have a friend who swings 97-102 thats going to try the TriFli. He swings faster than me but also very different as he hits down on the ball a good bit so be interesting to see how it works out for him.

[Green4Spinach]

14 hours ago, JAYER38 said:

Playing on Monday morning and have a friend who swings 97-102 thats going to try the TriFli. He swings faster than me but also very different as he hits down on the ball a good bit so be interesting to see how it works out for him.

It's such an interesting thought that different swing patterns need different balls. It makes sense, of course, that a particular swing may benefit from a spinny ball, or a lower flight. I just don't think I have heard ball requirements stated in terms of swing pattern so intentionally before.

[JAYER38]

On 8/31/2024 at 1:56 AM, Green4Spinach said:

It's such an interesting thought that different swing patterns need different balls. It makes sense, of course, that a particular swing may benefit from a spinny ball, or a lower flight. I just don't think I have heard ball requirements stated in terms of swing pattern so intentionally before.

So basically he was way to inconsistent to even tell a difference honestly. Couldn't get a good read on it.

To add to your list I played 1 full round with the Vice Pro Air and it was an awesome ball! Was able to play the round with 2 balls and they provided great green side spin but no crazy spin with driver if the shot is decent. Felt as soft as i would suspect it should with its compression. 

[Hoyoymac]

Playing one ball has been very helpful to me in improving as a golfer.

Practicing and playing with the same ball will make you familiar with how it reacts on different shots and how much it releases or checks up.

On approach shots I really like a ball to hit, one hop and stop.

The X style balls generally fly too high and spin too much for me.  They also are firmer feeling which I do not prefer.

Some golfers need more spin, some need less. 

The equipment you are using can perform very differently from one ball to the next.

Where you play, the weather, course conditions and course layout can also be instrumental in the decision regarding which ball is best.

I live in a coastal area with a lot of water and forced carries.  The turf conditions in the summer are generally soft.  It is often windy here.  We have Bermuda grass.

All of those things factor into which ball I play.

Best wishes to you on your quest to findthe ball that fits you and your style of play the best.

 

 

[Green4Spinach]

On 9/3/2024 at 1:16 AM, Hoyoymac said:

Playing one ball has been very helpful to me in improving as a golfer.

Practicing and playing with the same ball will make you familiar with how it reacts on different shots and how much it releases or checks up.

Best wishes to you on your quest to find the ball that fits you and your style of play the best.

 

 

Hi @Hoyoymac you have summarised my position really well. I am now at the point where I want to understand what I can expect a particular ball to do. Not aht my skills mean that I have repeatable shots - you don't get to have a handicap of 27 if you can churn out repeatable shots at will! But I am simply wanting to reduce the uncertainties of what seems to be a pretty uncertain game. 

[Green4Spinach]

Rejoice with me. On the most important metric of all, I played a perfect game today. I started with two Srixon Q Star Tours in my pockets, and a couple of sleeves of backups. Just in case. And I completed my local 9 holes with the same two balls in my pocket. Balls lost: Zero. 

Of course, there seem to be other metrics in this game. For the record, there was one par, six bogeys and two doubles. 10 over is a pretty cool number for a handicap that has dipped to an all time best of 27. I would like to file a claim in the Department of Mitigating Circumstances: there was sand spread across all the greens for lawn repair. My usually poor putting was diabolical. 

For the first time in my life, Shot Scope recorded my round as having 3 positive metrics in Strokes Gained (I am comparing myself to a 20 handicap golfer, for the sake of aspiration): Tee Shots +4.64 / Approach +1.98 / Short Game +4.08. However, the putting metric was an embarrassing -11.16, giving me an overall Strokes Gained of -0.46. Still something I can be pleased with compared to my regular handicap. 

Really like the Q Star Tour, and am now headed towards the Tour Response, and @JAYER38's recommendation of the Vice Pro Air. 

[chisag]

1 hour ago, Green4Spinach said:

I am now at the point where I want to understand what I can expect a particular ball to do. Not aht my skills mean that I have repeatable shots - you don't get to have a handicap of 27 if you can churn out repeatable shots at will! But I am simply wanting to reduce the uncertainties of what seems to be a pretty uncertain game. 

 

... Excellent post! I know lots think I am so inconsistent my ball doesn't make a difference. It certainly does on your best swings and that is what you are trying to duplicate, even if only a few times a round. Then a few more and that is how you improve, a few shots at a time. 

... I was on the beach many years ago with my ex in Mexico with two other couples and some big fish had forced a massive school of smaller fish onto the beach, literally thousands of them. As the big fish moved away I started picking up handful's of the little fish and tossing them back in the ocean. The two other guys laughed and said "There a million of them so your little handful of 3 or 4 doesn't make any difference". I showed them a handful and replied "It makes a difference to them" as I tossed them back in the ocean. 

... I think golf balls are the same. It may not make a difference for most of your shots as a high index/beginner if you are inconsistent, but it matters on the handful of your best swings. I think finding one ball and sticking with it is always a very good idea. You can change balls down the road as you improve and your game demands a different performance. 

[Michael.Sandoval33]

One for your consideration that I did not see mentioned by the other spies. I still game the Odin X ball myself.

 

[Green4Spinach]

16 hours ago, chisag said:

... Excellent post! I know lots think I am so inconsistent my ball doesn't make a difference. It certainly does on your best swings and that is what you are trying to duplicate, even if only a few times a round. Then a few more and that is how you improve, a few shots at a time. 

... I was on the beach many years ago with my ex in Mexico with two other couples and some big fish had forced a massive school of smaller fish onto the beach, literally thousands of them. As the big fish moved away I started picking up handful's of the little fish and tossing them back in the ocean. The two other guys laughed and said "There a million of them so your little handful of 3 or 4 doesn't make any difference". I showed them a handful and replied "It makes a difference to them" as I tossed them back in the ocean. 

... I think golf balls are the same. It may not make a difference for most of your shots as a high index/beginner if you are inconsistent, but it matters on the handful of your best swings. I think finding one ball and sticking with it is always a very good idea. You can change balls down the road as you improve and your game demands a different performance. 

I do love the story of the fish. So good. Thank you for sharing. I absolutely get the connection to golf balls. 

[NoShortGame]

On 8/21/2024 at 8:13 AM, Shrek74 said:

That depends. At $55/dzn ($4.60/ball without tax/ship), how many do you lose per round/week/month? There are plenty of options that give you 95%+ of what a ProV1 does at a fraction of the price. You just need to be willing to play something other than Titleist. I've played Maxfli Tour for years now, which has proven to be almost exactly equal to a ProV1, but can be gotten for $25 or less a dozen. The MGS ball tests the last 6 years proves it's quality, as does it's Ball Lab scores. So it comes down to what's most important to you and what you're willing to pay for. I don't lose as many balls as I used to, so I could play ProV1. But I won't pay that much extra just to say I play a ProV1. Not worth it for me.

I found a guy on Facebook Marketplace that goes out and gets balls from various courses. I just purchased 100 Pro V1s for $80. Which in my opinion is not bad. The balls look virtually new, and at the price, even if they are slightly used, I'll take them. I've only been playing golf for a few months, and I love more balls that I want to admit. So finding a deal on bulk balls, especially nice ones, is going to be my gig until I have a consistent swing. 

[NoShortGame]

On 8/22/2024 at 6:54 AM, TJ Hall said:

I have a pocket of “good” balls that I start with, if the round goes sideways I will go into my stock of “ok” balls.  Still hate losing any ball, just trying to limit the damage!

I do the same. When I'm going over water, my arch nemesis, I use my cheap-o balls. Then when I think there is a lower chance of losing them, I play my "new" balls.

[Boris119]

I am in a search for a new ball. So far I have tried , Snell Prime 3.0, Maxfli Tour, Maxfli Tour S and Mizuno Tour. So far I am liking the Mizuno Tour the best.