Hard Balls

[Sakuraba]

I had an interesting conversation with a very good golfer recently, who has been playing top flites for years.
I asked him if he had tried any of the "fancy" soft balls like the pro v and the penta, the srixon and callaway top level balls.
He said he had, and didn't play them for the following reasons:
he would occasionally hit a green (for arguments sake, from the fairway, 100 yards out) and get 10 feet of backspin. on another shot, it would hit, and roll out 10 feet, and on another shot, it would hit and stick right where it landed.
when he uses the top flite, he said it always would hit, and roll out 10 feet.
Also, he mentionned the weren't very durable (he plays 36 a day quite often) and their durability has been one of my pet peeves, and he said they weren't any longer. In fact, they were shorter than his top flite.
Not to mention cheaper.
I'm convinced. I'm not good enough to use these expensive balls, and I am no longer convinced that they are beneficial for amateurs.

[Marcos]

Good point Andy. Thats about what I do with the high end balls. I am not a consistent enough player to spin the ball so its not always an advantage to play soft cover balls.And like your friend,it gets expensive when you play everyday. My best games this year where using Srixon Soft feel and Noodle balls.

[jeffc]

I don't know, I find they are pretty consistent and don't have this issue. I don't spin them back much - usually its a hit and stick kinda shot.

I do like the feel of them with wedges and around the green - I find chipping with hard balls tough, especially if I am short sided or need to stop a ball quickly.

[jvincent]

Nothing wrong with playing a harder ball. As your golfer friend points out, he gets a consistent behaviour from it that allows him to score well.

This is why I generally play one type/model of ball.

This is also why I hate the ProV1. I have too many cases of the ProV1 spinning back too far. I rarely if ever see this with the other high end balls I try like the Z-Star.

[Break68]

This is why I play the Titleist NXT Tour.

[adam]

I've had some good days of short game and ball striking combinations with some cheap(er) soft balls. Nike Mojos and Callaway HX Bites. They feel soft enough around the greens and good on a well struck iron/driver shot.
I have also picked up a few Pentas around the course this year and as great as they feel all over the course I have torn into the skin with a wedge shot here and there which convinces me not to ever buy them.

[jvincent]

Agree on the Penta's. They are the worse ball for durability.

The Z-Star and Wilson FG-Tour are my current premium balls. Great all around performance and pretty durable as well.

[fourlights]

The amount of greenside control afforded by the high end balls is unbelievable. You just cannot hit the same shots with a cheaper, ionomer covered ball. That being said, I have stopped using Pro V1's because they do spin too much off the tee for me. I hit more fairways and greens with a "cheaper" ball and therefore can afford to give up the added greenside spin that I only need a couple of times a game anyways.

[smiths_falls]

Ive bought Penta's and ProV1s...I would have to say that Penta's are Very easy to compress, as they explode off the face of my club. (same with the Prov1s) BUT...my go to, and absolute most consistent shot is a short 10-50 yard pitch shot where i get the ball very high, and land it with little to no release. I practice this shot ALOT and I cant get a penta to fly high, every time i try, i get about half of the verticle trajectory and the ball goes farther every time. Id say they are the worst ball for high pitch shots, flop shots and even chip shots. Top Flites are very good for pitch shots

[fourlights]

Ive bought Penta's and ProV1s...I would have to say that Penta's are Very easy to compress, as they explode off the face of my club. (same with the Prov1s) BUT...my go to, and absolute most consistent shot is a short 10-50 yard pitch shot where i get the ball very high, and land it with little to no release. I practice this shot ALOT and I cant get a penta to fly high, every time i try, i get about half of the verticle trajectory and the ball goes farther every time. Id say they are the worst ball for high pitch shots, flop shots and even chip shots. Top Flites are very good for pitch shots

I believe the Penta's are designed to fly lower with pitch and chip shots, because they are easier to control this way. I've hit a few chips and pitches with them and I found them to be quite good.

[Kiwi]

I play whatever TopFlight balls I can get on sale. Costco 24/$20 or the double-dozen sales at GT. I do find a difference between the XL7000 and the other XL, but generally they perform the same for me (hi-handicapper). I virtually always get hit-and-stick results, on the green and when the fairways are damp, on the drives. I hit a high ball though so that could have something to do with it. I don't have the skills to make any ball hit and stick/spin from in close (<40 yds). I think there is some validity to the ads you now see on the Golf Channel that you should get a ball fit for your game same way you do for clubs. Maybe there is a ball out there for me that will hit and roll but I like the idea of knowing my yardage and having it stick there. The other factor is cost, at $5/ball that just adds $10 to every round for me.

[smiths_falls]

Im still able to pitch and chip with pentas, but im not sure how its easier to control a ball when your trying to hit and stick a ball on a green, specially when you have a tight pin location...But if you have alot of green to work with, and its a windy day, a penta might be a good choice....The problem i have with them is that every other ball ive ever hit a short pitch shot with, might have a different feel, but the trejectory is very similar. So if you practice at the range, dont expect the pentas to have the same flight, distance, feel and trajectory as any range ball, or any ball at all for that matter.

[Sunny D]

Interesting discussion - I always just thought it was me. I played bridgestone E7's or E6 depending on the conditions. They last, they give me great feel around the greens and I am comfortable bombing them off the tee. I have only ever bumped into one other guy hitting Bridgestones as well and that was in the States. I did play the NXT tour ball as well and did like it but still went back to my Bridgestones.