Review: New (golf) balls, please!
Tour pro Andrew Raitt marks your card on what's best for you
Posted: 20 May 2009
by Andrew Raitt
|
Which ball should we tee up? Tour pro Andrew Raitt has some great advice
|
Which golf ball should we use? Does it matter as long as it's round, has dimples and conforms to The Rules of Golf? Maybe our choice is governed by golf ball snobbery? Golfmagic’s latest addition to its team, European Tour pro Andrew Raitt, was tasked with helping us make the right decisions.
MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN about the importance of being fitted for the clubs we used and I can testify that throughout my career it was only in recent years that its importance came to my attention.
|
Titleist's latest 2009 ProV1x with new alignment marking
|
And while much has already been documented about this relatively new feature introduced to golf little of merit has been identified about the importance of using the right golf ball so we thought I would start my new role with Golfmagic on giving a Tour pro's perspective and helping amateur golfers discover what's best suited for them.
Faced with a selection of options behind every pro shops counter, we all have our favourites. For whatever reason, be it dreams of aspiring to our golfing idols or merely price point, there's a reason that we always reach for a certain brand.
What is it that makes us loyal to a brand of golf ball? My own experiences suggest that, as with golf equipment, amateurs are often too quick to define themselves into a category of golf ball without enough care and attention.
Keeping up to speed with the latest technological advancements is something that few of us have time to do. Yet each brand and each model has its benefits to our games. It was this very issue that led to a conversation on ‘Which ball best suits my game?’ and subsequently I was tasked with divulging an insider’s view as to what works best for you.
What Tour pros use
Tour professionals tend to choose the ball they will use on a number of different criteria to the amateur. As for all golfers, the sound the ball makes when struck by a club is crucial. The crisp, solid sound of a well struck iron shot is something that all players strive for and Tour players know their game is good when this strike is almost guaranteed.
|
TaylorMade TP Red
|
If a ball is too soft or too low in compression the sound is different and a Tour pro will naturally try to hit the ball harder to achieve this sound and feel. But trying to over-hit means a loss of control and can have disastrous results, especially when your livelihood depends on it!
Amateur golfers have one big advantage when choosing their golf ball. - choice. However, all the top pros, indeed almost all the regular Tour golfers are contracted to use a certain ball, at least one from a range from a certain manufacturer.
Sometimes a contract will include everything a player uses - clubs, bag, shoes, balls and headwear. The more equipment a player uses from one manufacturer, the more money he will be paid to endorse and promote that product.
This means that a player contracted to Srixon or TaylorMade, for example, may prefer another type of ball but be obliged to use a ball from that manufacturer. The good news for them is that each of the manufacturers have a range of balls and they are all so good that a player will become accustomed to the way it behaves.
Ten years ago I had a contract when playing the European Tour with a manufacturer that tied me to their ball. That year Titleist brought out the Pro V1 and I was, effectively, giving up 30 yards of the tee. Playing a practice round with Justin Rose and Warren Bennett in Germany in the TPC of Europe, I was consistently behind them off the tee. But after nine holes they both tried the ball I was using and they, too, finished 30 yards short of their other drives.
|
Callaway Tour i ball if you're looking for spin
|
With this in mind, the ball you choose to play your golf can really make a difference to your game!
From my early days in junior golf, then four years playing collegiate golf out of the University of Nevada and the last 15 years as professional, Titleist has been recognised as the No.1 ball in golf.
Apart from short periods when I contractually used another brand, I have always chosen to play a Titleist ball and so do nearly two-thirds of players on all Tours across the world. However, several manufacturers now provide some serious competition as their products have improved immensely.
WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU
I have been asked to compare and contrast the balls of four main manufacturers for your benefit and try to simplify the choice for you.
Titleist, TaylorMade, Srixon and Callaway all have a choice for the better golfers among you and can be put into two brackets - a softer high spin category for those who have less clubhead speed at impact and a lower spin ball for golfers with a faster clubhead speed.
First category
Titleist Pro V1, TaylorMade TP Red, Srixon Z Star and Callaway Tour i.
These balls are all designed to help a player that is looking for spin and control. They are constructed individually and will feel a little different to one another, but all have similar characteristics.
For golfers that generate clubhead speeds of less than 110 mph with their drivers, these are the balls I suggest will give you the best balance between distance and control.
Second category
Titleist Pro V1 X, TaylorMade TP Black, Srixon Z Star X and Callaway Tour iX.
The balls in this category are for the golfer that generates a clubhead speed of over 110 mph. When producing that sort of speed in your swing, the balls in this category will not spin too much.
If a ball creates too much spin it can cause a number of problems - especially for a pro. It can cost distance off the tee, it makes playing in the wind very difficult and can makes getting to certain pin positions more demanding and risky.
|
The emerging Srixon Z-Star favoured by players with lower clubhead speed
|
For example, if a pin position is only five yards from the back of a green and the greens are receptive, to get a ball that generates a lot of spin to finish close to the hole, we may have to risk flying the green to land ball past the pin and allow to suck back when it lands.
Ball manufacturers spend millions of dollars on research and development and they are all very good products. And when we have a choice in life, human nature means that some golfers will prefer one over the other.
Select on swing speed
However, I would suggest that if you know your swing speed, you choose a ball from the categories I've suggested that suit your game.
And if you play each weekend, I'd suggested buying a sleeve of each and over a period of a month, try each of them for at least 18 holes, makes compare and make your comparisons.
At the end of the month you will have a much better picture in your own mind of which one you like most and more important - why it suits you.
Good luck and play well!
FOOTNOTE: There are many more golf balls on the market including Nike and Bridgestone but initially we've just identified these four leading brands. Hopefully, will get round to an analysis of the rest in future articles.
|
Discuss this story
Tell us what ball you're currently using and why. If you have any question for Andrew about golf balls we'll make sure he gets them and we'll try to answer as many as possible.
Posted: 20/05/2009 10:21
Titleiest NXT Tours - They do a bit of everything and do it well IMO . However i must admit im giving - Sirxon soft feel a run out on the next round. just for a looksey
Posted: 20/05/2009 11:09
Does changeing your ball really make a huge difference for the higher handicapers (me -19) ? I use srixon ad333 normally but on a practice round ill use whatevers in the bag
Posted: 20/05/2009 11:14
Very pleased with Srixon Trispeed. Wears well, enough feel for me and sub £20 a box. Like Nike Platinum Ones when I can get them for less than £20 a dozen. American Golf had a sale of 'premium' balls not so long ago and I bought some Platinums and Srixon Z-URS for £19.99 a dozen.
Posted: 20/05/2009 11:16
This is a whole new area to explore for me, up until recent times the cost of losing balls was the only real factor and although I could feel the difference in softness between balls, my inconsistent swing rendered any difference meaningless. Now I have started drawing the ball consistently and not losing too many in the cabbage I need to start thinking about spin off the driver. Currently using Titleiest NXT which seams ok for me, played a pick up proV1 in the wind and rain the other day and found it span off the driver quite a lot getting me in trouble on the left a few times, which while a refreshing change from visiting the right of the course is not something I want to persist with.
Posted: 20/05/2009 11:18
Was using the Nike One Platinum (was getting them for £14 per dozen, so a bit of a bargain) but they have now been discontinued and replaced with the Nike One Tour. The NOP was a low spin ball, so went well off the face of the driver and i also liked the sound of it off the putter, the newer version has an even softer outer cover and i went through 3 balls in one round due to the amount of scuffing that wedge shots put on them. Currently stuck at present as to where to go next. I've got a box of the new Pro V1's which go well, though the best i can get them for new is £26 which is a bit steep. Tried the Pro V1x, it went well off the driver but i didn't get on with it very well on/around the greens (sounded very clicky off the face of the putter). May give the Callaway i range or the Srixon Z range a try later in the year, though the local range doesn't stock Srixon, so no mates rates! Boo! I also think i'll try some of the mid-range balls out, i use the 'premium' balls at the moment as i found one i liked (NOP) so am sticking there and i'm also quite lucky as money to be truthful isn't too much of a problem to me, but 23rd has been bashing on about the powersofts long enough that i might try them and i also quite fancy the NXT Tours. With regards the article, I can see how the talk of flying the ball over the pin and spinning it back can be relevant for the author, but for the club golfer that is seldom going to come into the equation, at best i would think that a ball that would land on the green and stop as soon as possible would be a better prospect. Yes, we all like to think we are Tiger and can fire a wedge 100yds into the green 15ft past the flag, one little hop and then screw it back to the flag like a snooker player potting a red and then moving the white ball around the table, but it just aint going to happen regular enough to make that much of a difference.
Posted: 20/05/2009 11:39
It's good to see this article as it's an interesting area which always causes discussion on the Forums.
My game has progressed considerably over the last couple of years, and so has my "ball awareness". First of all, after years of hitting cheapo rocks, I discovered soft 2-piece balls such as the AD333, Srixon Soft Feel and Pinnacle Exception. They're great, but I found myself wanting more spin around the greens.
Then I stepped up to the 3-piece Srixon Trispeed. I'm fascinated to see the USGA classify this as a "low spin" ball because for me it definitely holds the green better than any 2-piece. This ball is great for my slow swing, and great value.
However, like all golfers I always want "better", so this season I've been experimenting with a couple of spinnier balls. I've played the Bridgestone B-330s for my last couple of rounds, but I'm not finding I get any more "stop" than with my Trispeeds, and I don't think I'll stick to them. I also have a dozen Srixon Z-URS which I'm saving for our annual golf tour. Having played a couple of pickups of these, they seem like a superb combination of distance and control - it's just a shame they don't make them any more!
Still, unless I see my scoring really change, I think I'll be back to the Trispeeds as my long-term gamer.
Posted: 20/05/2009 11:39
usually prefer pro v1's. have been trying the srixon soft feel and like them. problem is i don't feel i have the same control around the greens, especially the shortish chips and flop shots etc. still i will persevere as pro v's are ridiculous in price.
Posted: 20/05/2009 13:36
I have stred using the new Srixon soft feel, they seem to go futher and straighter, about one club difference to the calloway HX bite I had been using. I paid £33 for 3 dozen so at £1 a ball excellant val;ue
Posted: 21/05/2009 10:08
3 piece I use Titleist NXT Tour because it's a good price/performance balance for someone who loses as many balls as I do.
Also it's a ball I feel I can take with me from my present handicap to whatever handicap I end up with in years to come - don't want to change the ball mid-way through and have to 're-learn' the feel.
For cheaper 2 piece balls I buy Titelist HVC SF (High Velocity Core, Soft Feel IIRC) which are about half the price of the NXT Tour. I use these when I'm having a bad day, or the rough is so thick I would lose it if it went in. Losing an NXT Tour to this is just too expensive  .
I guess it's NXT Tour in the cooler months, and HVC SF's when the foliage is growing faster than the greenkeepers can keep up with.
Finally, I keep a couple of warbirds in the bag for 'longest drive' compos with my tour buddies 
Posted: 21/05/2009 10:45
I normally use Titleist NXT Tour or sometimes Srixon AD333. I'm a high handicap senior.
Posted: 21/05/2009 10:50
At 16 h'cap I believe (and have been told before, rightly or wrongly) I shouldn't be noticing too much difference between one set of balls to another. With this in mind I don't know if its my imagination but both distance and control definitely seem to improve when I use the Titleist Pro V1. I also find myself having slightly better rounds when using Srixon balls. As I'm thankfully at a stage where losing balls is an exception rather than the rule I'll always plump for the Pro V1 when available.
Posted: 21/05/2009 10:50
I play off 13 and the srixon soft feel seems as good as any of the more expensive balls to me. (Why ar the more expensive balls, so expensive. Does anybody know)? If it's because "word of mouth" as made them more sought after and therefore the price as just shoy up because of that, then keep the srixon soft feel quiet. Don't be put of by the name soft feel either, these go as far as anything I've used before, (apart from a Donnay perhaps).
Posted: 21/05/2009 11:22
I use Pro V 1's cos I am flash. They seem to go further for me and also they are durable. However, I also keep an assortment of back up Srixons/Nikes/Cheaper Titleists/Top Shites/Maxflis/Donnays to bring out if I am having a bad day.
Posted: 21/05/2009 11:32
Still using ProV1s. I got my last lot for £20 a dozen so the cost didn't hit me so hard. In the winter, I will use any old ball as long as it flies straight. No point in scuffing up good balls when there is very little at stake, and I only really play through the winter to keep my swing going. By the way - I am "THE" Shanker. Who are you "shanker" and couldn't you think up an original name?
Posted: 21/05/2009 12:55
By the way - I am "THE" Shanker. Who are you "shanker" and couldn't you think up an original name?
anyone playing off 4 cant be that much of a Shanker, might be time to hand the name down
Posted: 21/05/2009 14:19
I am using VISION GOLF BALLS - and so are the two guys I was at the range with last night! k
Posted: 21/05/2009 15:18
I am using VISION GOLF BALLS - and so are the two guys I was at the range with last night! k
does anyone in the Uk stock these, I assume if you and your range buddys use them, they must go some, or are they some sort of 120 compression ball bearing soley for LDers
Posted: 21/05/2009 15:46
Greenfly, Only available to special people at the moment! Are you special?
Posted: 21/05/2009 17:38
Greenfly, Only available to special people at the moment! Are you special?
like Terry Hall  , so whats the balls USP ?
Posted: 21/05/2009 18:26
Greenfly, Are you special?
like Terry Hall , so whats the balls USP ?
Special Needs More like! 
I am currently trying to decide which ball I am going to stick with, Im using either a Srixon AD333's, Wilson Staff DX2's, Titleist PTS Carry and Bridgestone e6+. Im having great difficulty choosing between these lot, As they are all pretty good! I have a sleeve of each and am trying them out on a game by game Basis, At the moment the scales are tipping in Favour of the DX2's! (My original best choice).
Posted: 21/05/2009 18:36
See more comments...
|
|
