Higgs20: Whereas with 3 or 4 I feel like I am waiting forever for the dang meter to get there!
Being in your same boat back when, I came up with a solid compromise-the cheapest Callaway ball at level 33. The meter is the fastest there is on a decent ball at 2.5 and doesn't take long at all to get used to. You pick up just what you need to be competitive in the Legend tier.
What I liked most about that Callaway is the way it forgives missed hits. Generally, the better the ball, the less forgiving it is. The 33 Callaway lets you play off ding with great results.