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Find A Ball You Can Afford And Never Change It

• MFuston 439 Posts

  Sat, May 26 2018 2:35 PM

  This is a great thread, and there's a whole lot of truth in it.  I have the best clubs this game has to offer (IMHO), and for my game, the most expensive balls simply do not work for the way I play.  There's plenty of spin built into my irons and wedges, so mid-range balls are the answer for me.  Like they said, there's a ball for everyone's game and clubs in here, you just have to find it and stick with it.

• el3n1 4,502 Posts

  Sat, May 26 2018 3:05 PM

  given the depth of experience and familiarity with clubs and balls, it probably wouldn't hurt to share some combinations that are known to work well together for those seeking guidance.  otherwise, they will have to go through the lengthy and somewhat expensive testing period others have gone through.  

  For example maybe a consumer reports style list...

  best budget ball 300 credits or less with XXX irons 

  best value ball 500 credits or less with XXX irons

  then best overall value for XXX irons when competing in hi end credit tournaments.

  It could also be tier based.  Once I got some good clubs as I got promoted, it seemed I could play a lower end ball which saved me credits for future club upgrades, which I would need eventually on the Legend tees.

  This is something I would have really benefitted from reviewing and possibly saved me some time testing balls.

  That said, it may also be important to identify style of play... throwing darts compared to landing below and allowing ball to release to the hole. 

  Fmag's once shared with me when I asked him about the L61 Nike, that some balls are better suited to certain courses.  Granted he also has the experience and familiarity with a wide variety of balls and how they play.  Yet, it suggests to me that if I find one specific ball that plays well in most cases, I may find one particular course I seem to struggle with because the ball I have selected may lack the spin or extra distance needed for elevated greens and tight pins.  

  I am by no means the expert, just throwing this out there to help clarify the help being offered.  

• MFuston 439 Posts

  Sat, May 26 2018 3:23 PM

  ^^Good stuff, good points, and food for thought.  Great post.^^^^

• Nancy1959 7,294 Posts

  Sun, May 27 2018 1:44 AM

  Some good points by all.  I am one of the few decent players that I've seen on WGT that still use the Max pro balls.  I know....they don't have the distance or spin of many other balls available (and they are so ugly, LOL), but they work best for me.

  I know that part of the reason is my age and that I don't have the eye-hand coordination of a lot of others, so I need the slowest meter possible.  Also, I feel like I am too old to learn how to hit most shots all over again, hahaha!  I have learned how to play pretty well with those ugly Max balls and I'm okay with sticking with them.

  ~Nancy

• Chrynch 568 Posts

  Sun, May 27 2018 4:00 AM

  I play in a Skype Country Club which means we are talking on Skype while we all play the same course each night. We have a few members who constantly change balls mainly because they do not want to pay more than $5.00 dollars for a sleeve of balls. We constantly hear from these players "what the hell was that"? after they hit a ball. Because of the variety shots we all hit, (pitch, flop, punch) for different situations, the amount of spin players put on the ball to hit close to a pin changes depending on the ball they are using. Throw in how balls react differently when hitting out of different rough conditions(20-25, 30-40, 50-60 rough), there are too many variables (up hill, down hill shots to the green), to know how a ball is going to react when you change balls all the time. This is my main point with my original post. Unless you have a photographic memory and can remember how they many different balls play out of so many different situations or shots, I say you are better off using the same ball all the time so you know how the ball is going to react with each shot. Changing balls all the time keeps the average player "guessing" or confused on why a ball stops or releases when it hits the green. This is why for a majority of players, finding a ball they like at a cost they can afford or be comfortable with is so important. Changing balls will keep you from becoming the best player you can be. 

• MPhillips2003 41 Posts

  Sun, May 27 2018 4:49 AM

  while this is good advice (and I have played with the same ball for a long time). WGT has some of us all messed up now, so I say play a couple of different brands of balls and make notes of how the work, this way when WGT eliminates the ball you are playing with you do not have to start over from scratch (as I am doing right now).

   

• sodakknight 703 Posts

  Sun, May 27 2018 9:11 AM

  Nancy1959:

  I am one of the few decent players that I've seen on WGT that still use the Max pro balls.  I know....they don't have the distance or spin of many other balls available (and they are so ugly, LOL), but they work best for me.

  I'm a Max Pro player also...over 3 years now!

• Bowl64 3,119 Posts

  Sun, May 27 2018 11:02 AM

  I found the WGT GI3-D balls very useful all the way up to Legend-tier. Still use them, mainly on Pebble Beach & Olympic,  where there aren`t a lot of long holes.

  My "go to ball" at the moment is the Callaway Hex Chrome + L35, good distance and the spinrate suits my game :))

   

  Bjorn

• JimbeauC 5,835 Posts

  Sun, May 27 2018 5:04 PM

  Bowl64:

  "go to ball" at the moment is the Callaway Hex Chrome + L35

  Ditto. Been using it for I don't know how long, probably around the time I discovered free credits. When I get new clubs, I just go map them with the ball, and figure out what amount of spin gives me the approximate distance rating of each club. In the case of a new 3w, I just see my distance with full spin. 

  Driver? Just pound that 4 dots of distance ball down the fairway and take notes. 

• jacktrade51 11,164 Posts

  Sun, May 27 2018 8:38 PM

  Couple of comments (note I use the TM level 81 … formerly Nike level 81):

  1.  I agree with above comment that high end balls are wasted on low end clubs.  If one is starting out in this game, buying a Titleist (former high end Nikes) is silly

  2.  First & foremost remember to check durability.  My club has chart on our website we copied from another WGT member.  But simple rule of thumb.  2.5 durability means 120 shots per ball (putts on green do not count, everything else does).  2.0 means slightly under 100 shots per ball.  Factor that in on some of the expensive Callaways and others because they are more expensive than they seem.  The old Nike's and new TM's are all 2.5.

  3. Get speed one is comfortable with.  But ball and club speed interact.  So a 3.5 speed ball and 4.0 speed club produce same meter speed as other way around.  More than 1 way to get to right speed.  Remember that also when upgrading clubs.

  4.  It took me a long time to figure this one out.  More distance might not be more if spin is higher.  A 5.0/4.0 distance/spin combo is no longer than a 4.5/3.5 combo.  It just stops quicker on green (which is what I personally prefer).  The same 5.0/4.0 combo is shorter than 4.5/2.5.  But distance is not everything.

  Finally, as to another comment above, once you find something you like, stick with it.  Changing balls is a serious business because you have to re-map clubs.

  If one is TP-TM, I would probably recommend the 30's level Callaways, maybe the Volviks.  At Legend, most, but not all, players I know switched up.  

  And if one is gifted enough on timing one can handle 2.5 speed balls, one can save a lot of money.  That list does not include me.

  Utlimately, it is what one is comfortable with.

  Tom.