Differences between golf balls??

[Skuller]

There are so many brands of balls out there now. What's the difference? How does the different types of balls help out with the golf game? (e.g. compression, straight distance)

[Pumpkin]

Don't know how many type of balls, but is it the golfer to control the balls straight or curve? does it really help??

[Focker Singh]

There are so many brands of balls out there now. What's the difference? How does the different types of balls help out with the golf game? (e.g. compression, straight distance)

You're right Skuller. There's probably about 3-5 different balls from each different brand out there now. All with different specifications for different needs. Depending on your specific needs, you can choose to have different balls do spin more, spin less, travel longer distances, soft, hard, etc. I've tried a few different balls this season, Maxfli Noodle (long yet soft), Maxfli A3 Red (2 piece, distance), Maxfli M3 Red (3 piece distance), Callaway HX Red (square grooved distance) and Callaway HX Tour (square grooved). To be honest, I don't think I have the game to find the specific differences of each ball and nor did any ball improve or make more shots better. The only thing I noticed is that the Noodle and Callaway HX Reds had a much softer cover which made the balls scuff easily but I noticed more spin when approaching the green. I personally like the Maxfli M3 Reds the best out of all of them because of the durability and feel of the ball. (I once played an entire round with the same ball) I have become Maxfli M3 loyal. haha...I would like to try playing Titleist PV1's next year but they're just way too expensive for me. haha...



Don't know how many type of balls, but is it the golfer to control the balls straight or curve? does it really help??

Yes, it is the golfer who controls the ball flights and trajectories. Pro's and some amateurs know how to shape their ball flights according to the wind, weather, pin location and layout of the hole. "Shape", meaning they will control their shots by fading, drawing, hooking or slicing when the want to. I wish I could do that!! Right now, I can draw with my 8 iron to 52deg, but I can't with any other club.

[Ems]

I remember a friend once told me to buy golf balls for ladies because....

I can't remember the reasoning anymore. Can anyone help me out on this?

[Ego Woods]

Don't know how many type of balls, but is it the golfer to control the balls straight or curve? does it really help??
It does, but also balls chosen by players usually help their shots either thru helping their trajectory (higher or lower), adding more or less roll once the ball lands and creating more or less spin. Yep, there is a ball for almost any preference of a player. A lot of the pros and course designers all firmly believe it is the ball technology which has forced them to make or play longer courses or create more undulating fairways and greens....

[malarky]

I remember a friend once told me to buy golf balls for ladies because....

I can't remember the reasoning anymore. Can anyone help me out on this?
Starting a few years back, Precept Lady balls became popular with the guys when someone noticed an average gain of 10 to 25 yards on drives. In general, your typical male can generate more clubhead speed than the typical female of equal ability. This is all unscientific of course, but the golf ball designers built characteristics into their women's balls which gave them straight distance, soft feel, and less weight than a comparable men's ball. This , especially the weight, translates into longer distances for men that felt soft around the greens.

Precept of course came out with the Laddie since, to remove the stigma associated with playing pink lettered balls for men.

If you want serious distance, sure, buy those coloured lady's balls at Golf Town. I got some for my daughter and I used it one round. Straight and long. Noticed that I got huge gains with my edge - hit PW 150 yards. Too bad it overshot the green by 25 yards.

[malarky]

Oh yeah, forgot ....

As for the variety of ball types out there, herea are my "rules of thumb" ("rule of thumbs"???):

1. If you lose or damage more than a couple of balls a round regardless of handicap, don't buy Pro V1's. Buy the cheapest balls that feel good to you, and provides the perception that you are playing a good ball that won't ruin your game.

2. If you don't lose many balls regardless of handicap or ability, play whatever you want that feels good and give you the most confidence.

[Mok]

Oh yeah, forgot ....

As for the variety of ball types out there, herea are my "rules of thumb" ("rule of thumbs"???):

1. If you lose or damage more than a couple of balls a round regardless of handicap, don't buy Pro V1's. Buy the cheapest balls that feel good to you, and provides the perception that you are playing a good ball that won't ruin your game.

2. If you don't lose many balls regardless of handicap or ability, play whatever you want that feels good and give you the most confidence.
that's a good way to put it...

i guess i'll be sticking to some ram balls for a while!

[malarky]

that's a good way to put it...

i guess i'll be sticking to some ram balls for a while!
of course, if you're made out of money, my rules don't apply to you ;)

[Queen of the Beach]

I've noticed a lot of improvement in distance and straighter shots ever since I switched over to ladies' balls. I have used Wilson, Precept, Top Flite and Pinnacle. Don't like the Wilson DNA balls. They are just a bit lighter than men's balls but don't feel as good when I make contact, possibly because they have a harder core? I prefer the Pinnacle Gold Lady because it is the lightest and has the softest feel. Not sure why but I hit more drives down the fairway with this ball. :rolleyes:

[Mok]

of course, if you're made out of money, my rules don't apply to you ;)
the rules definitely apply to me, i'm not even working and i'm still in school! curse the high tuitions!

[Mule56]

There are so many brands of balls out there now. What's the difference? How does the different types of balls help out with the golf game? (e.g. compression, straight distance)Hey Skuller,
Someone posted this link over on The Golf Channel Discussion Board. It may give you some tips. http://www.golfball.ch/e/fitting/
Mule

[Special_K]

Well the main difference between "ladies" balls and others is the compression of the ball. People with slower swing speeds can compress a low compression ball easier thus resulting in more distance.

The difference between a good multi-piece golf ball and your standard 2-piece Top Flite XL is huge. I guarantee that if I gave you two balls to hit, the first being what I call ROCKS (e.g., low end pinnacles, top flite XL's, Dunlop Steelcore, Titanium Balls, etc.) and the second being a tour calibre ball (e.g., Hogan Apex Tour, Pro V1, Pro V1x, Callaway HX Tour, Nike One, etc.) you would be able to tell the difference immediately. Most players like softer feeling golf balls these days, and the old days of 100 compression (black lettering) golf balls are over.

The soft feel is from a cover made from a special material, and a 2 or even 3 piece core made of different materials to give you the best of spin, accuracy and distance.

For people who are fairly consistent striking the ball, the type of ball makes a huge difference. A well struck Dunlop Steelcore and a well struck Hogan Hawk for example might be a difference of 10-15 yards. Also, a good ball makes a big difference in terms of spin generated on approach shots as well as chipping and putting.

Not too long ago, it was difficult to find the right ball. You could get balata balls which generated high amounts of spin for the tradeoff of distance or you could get distance balls which were hard as rocks and went a long way, but did not spin very much. Nowadays, you get the best of all worlds: Golf balls that generate a high amount of spin, go a mile, and feel awesome coming off the clubface. The golfball technology has come such a long way that they are considering scaling them back a little to stop these pros from annhialating golf courses the way they do now.

A good golf ball goes a long way for a player that can tell the difference. If you're a hacker though, yep, just play whatever because you probably wouldn't be striking it consistently enough to tell a difference. Problem is, good golf balls cost money. Tour calibre balls are approximately 6 bucks a ball. That is just WAY too much to pay for a ball for most people.

Some bang for the buck golf balls that I would recommend in terms of performance, spin, distance and feel: Maxfli Noodle, Dunlop LoCo, Hogan Hawk, Strata Tour Professional (older model golf ball that is still for sale..its relatively cheap now..it's a little shorter on distance but excellent on control, spin and feel), Titlelist NXT Tour, and there are a few more that don't come to mind right now.

[alien270]

that's a good way to put it...

i guess i'll be sticking to some ram balls for a while!i used to use ram balls they were bought on sale at sportchek
i found them to cut easily and felt like rocks..
try some dunlop loco its more durable and can easily be spinned
also some topflite buttery feel is nice.