Golf Help: Choosing a Golf Ball

[silverbear]

I guess that's assuming they don't Tin Cup it on the 18th??? :

LOL... I hate when that happens...

One of these days, I have got to get the old guitar out, see if I can figure out the "Double Bogey Blues"... I just love that song... actually, that movie had a really good soundtrack all the way through, from "A Little Bit Is Better Than Nada" to "This Could Take All Night"...

 

[Vintage]

In my opinion, the type of ball you play really doesn't matter if you are not SERIOUS about the game. If you are just a once every 2 weeks golfer or something you might as well save your money and buy some $20-25/per dozen golf balls.

Just as long as you stay with one brand of ball because each ball has its own characteristics and they WILL perform differently.

Last summer, I took private lessons for the first time. Went under some heavy grip changes (felt completely awkward when I swung correctly).

I basically quit playing golf and spent most of my summer at the driving range, working on my irons as my swing got re-tooled.

My dad bought me a golf membership, so playing often isn't a problem. I'm going to try and get out a minimum of 3 times a week. The goal is 5, however.

 

[Vintage]

Again, though, let me know what kind of game you're working with these days, and I might be able to offer you a better take... what's your average distance off the tee, what kind of handicap are you playing to, what club would you use on a calm day from 150 yards out?? Do you have a problem with cutting the cover of your ball?? Do you rely heavily on your short game to keep your score down, or are you like me, not particularly good in close??

Lots of questions.... and answers I do not have. The outdoor golf range is supposed to be open; I'll have to get over there and test some of this stuff out. I know I talked to you last summer about golf when I was undergoing some swing/grip changes.... its gotten to the point where now it feels natural (as opposed to last summer, where it felt "weird" and about as unnatural as could be). So I'm curious to see if the distance improved. I know I told you my distance went downward initially with the changes. I'm curious to see if it recovered. But I'm more interested to see if I have a more consistent ball flight (rather than drawing/fading it randomly).

Every once in awhile I'll cut a cover of a ball, but its pretty rare. I'm more likely to damage a ball from overswinging a driver and it hitting a tree than actually cutting the ball from an iron shot. Not that the latter doesn't happen from time to time... but its nothing too common. I lose more golf balls than cut them, lol. I'm usually good for a lost ball every 18. Sometimes 2.

As for my scoring... I'm comfortable on the putting green. Concentration seems to be a problem. I tend to do better when faced with long, challenging putts than anything in the 10' range. Seriously, anything in the 8-12' range is a guaranteed 2 putt. Anything in the 25'+ range... I feel stupidly confident and have made my share/many near misses.

I have NO confidence in the 10' range of putting. And it shows.

I suck when it comes to pitching, and am ok at chipping.

As for trying to keep my scores low.... I just try and get on the green as soon as possible, lol. That's my strategy. Get on the green, let the putter go to work.

 

[ajk23az]

Actually, I almost never cut a ball...

For the average golfers out there, I can let you in on an interesting little tidbit regarding golf balls-- tour pros only play a ball for 3 holes, then they retire it to the practice bag... the reason?? Golf balls get minutely out of round each and every time you strike them with a full swing... I repeat, minutely...

I could never afford to do that, but I did replace one every six holes in tournament play...

Then it has got to be the balls (Callaway touri & hx tour 56) and wedges I play. I have played the Taylormade Y Cutter and Z Cutter wedges for over 2.5 years now.

Just because you cut a golf ball doesn't mean your an average player.

Last summer, I took private lessons for the first time. Went under some heavy grip changes (felt completely awkward when I swung correctly).

I basically quit playing golf and spent most of my summer at the driving range, working on my irons as my swing got re-tooled.

My dad bought me a golf membership, so playing often isn't a problem. I'm going to try and get out a minimum of 3 times a week. The goal is 5, however.

Yeah, that is plenty of golf to be serious about it. I suggest going with the best ball you can afford.

Getting better at golf takes so much time and practice it is ridiculous. A lot of people have the physical makeup to shoot great but it is that mental hill that prevents people from doing it.

When I started to practice A LOT, and I mean a lot in high school (during the summer I'd play 6-8 hours a day) I shot about 1-3 over all the time and could never get under par. Then, the one time that I did shoot under par, every part of my golf game came to me at once. I started shooting 2-3 under par. It was all about reaching my goal. (I played on a 9 hole course in North Dakota so it was a little easier playing the same 9 twice)

I fell in love with golf so much that I went to a 2 year golf school in Arizona from 06'-08'.

Good luck at your golf game!

 

[silverbear]

Lots of questions.... and answers I do not have. The outdoor golf range is supposed to be open; I'll have to get over there and test some of this stuff out. I know I talked to you last summer about golf when I was undergoing some swing/grip changes.... its gotten to the point where now it feels natural (as opposed to last summer, where it felt "weird" and about as unnatural as could be).

Yeah, nothing feels weirder than changing your grip when you've been using the same one for a long time... it's a tough, tough change to make, but it's good that you bit the bullet and made the change...

I'm more likely to damage a ball from overswinging a driver and it hitting a tree than actually cutting the ball from an iron shot.

Chuckle... yeah, I've "barked" a few golf balls in my day, too...

As for my scoring... I'm comfortable on the putting green. Concentration seems to be a problem. I tend to do better when faced with long, challenging putts than anything in the 10' range. Seriously, anything in the 8-12' range is a guaranteed 2 putt. Anything in the 25'+ range... I feel stupidly confident and have made my share/many near misses.

I have NO confidence in the 10' range of putting. And it shows.

Then we may be twin sons of different mothers... you should hear me cuss my TV when tour pros are rolling in ten footers like they're easy...

The good news is, I don't 3 putt much... and I'm pretty effective from about six feet in, perhaps because I'm not afraid to run the ball three feet past the cup... IOW, I'm pretty aggressive on the short putts...

 

[silverbear]

Then it has got to be the balls (Callaway touri & hx tour 56) and wedges I play. I have played the Taylormade Y Cutter and Z Cutter wedges for over 2.5 years now.

Just because you cut a golf ball doesn't mean your an average player.

This is true, good players who really strike a descending blow, the ones who put a lot of backspin on their shots, are always at risk of cutting a ball... they just don't do it nearly as often as the hackers do...

I guess the reason I don't is because I don't spin the ball a lot, I prefer to hit the ball high and drop it soft... which sucks on windy days, but I grew up in west Texas, and with a bucket of balls on the practice range I can get the knockdown game going fairly effectively... problem is, if I do that too long, I start hooking the ball pretty badly...

I fell in love with golf so much that I went to a 2 year golf school in Arizona from 06'-08'.

Golf is the most miserable, frustrating, humiliating SOB of a game around...

It's also the most fun I've ever had-- with my pants on...

 

[Vintage]

Yeah, nothing feels weirder than changing your grip when you've been using the same one for a long time... it's a tough, tough change to make, but it's good that you bit the bullet and made the change...

Last year was a regression. I knew it was likely to happen. I expected it. And it happened. I'm hoping this year, the scores will start dropping. But for now, I'm keeping my goals simple. I want more consistent shot making. Not the guessing if my ball will start out left to right, or right to left... wondering if my shot will fade, draw, or go smack down the middle. I'm hoping for straight shots.

Chuckle... yeah, I've "barked" a few golf balls in my day, too...

There are days no matter how fast I swing, the ball always ends up in the fairways... then there are days... no matter how much I slow it down, its slicing/hooking.

Then we may be twin sons of different mothers... you should hear me cuss my TV when tour pros are rolling in ten footers like they're easy...

The good news is, I don't 3 putt much... and I'm pretty effective from about six feet in, perhaps because I'm not afraid to run the ball three feet past the cup... IOW, I'm pretty aggressive on the short putts...

Yeah... get me in the 6' and under range, and all of my confidence comes back. And I'm not afraid to miss. My whole mindset is to always give it a chance and NEVER leave it short. I'm ok with coming back at it, if I have to.

But at the 10' range... I get scared. I'm afraid to run it past the hole too much and as a result, leave a lot of putts short.

The sad part is... I do read the greens pretty well. I attribute it to always being good in math, understanding angles (geometry)... (it certainly isn't because of any golf background). But I almost always leave a 10' putt short.

I three putt on occasion. Probably once every 9 holes (and its always when I get "too comfortable" and lose focus.... ) I'm not a great putter; but I get off in the green in 2 putts or less most of the time. And I one putt more than I 3 putt, so I'm happy with that. But I can always count on a mental lapse on the putting green every 9 holes. I get lazy. And it always, always, always comes back to bite me.

I've been watching the Hank Haney experiment on the Golf Channel... and I could use someone like that barking at me at times, especially when I lose focus.

The one time I did golf with my instructor, I lost to him by a stroke. Granted, it was on a par 3 course... which does benefit me (keeps the longer irons/driver out of play)... but I can play at a decent level when I'm totally focused like I was on that day.

I just cannot carry it out with any consistency. I did in H.S. when I was on the golf team (and I was a better golfer then.... though, with all that I was doing wrong, I have no idea how I was better. I guess I just practiced my bad habits to the point where I became ok).

 

[ologan]

Good source for inexpensive,and relatively inexpensive golf balls. Every so often,they run specials for free shipping on orders over $25.

www.lostgolfballs.com

 

[trickblue]

Lots of questions.... and answers I do not have. The outdoor golf range is supposed to be open; I'll have to get over there and test some of this stuff out. I know I talked to you last summer about golf when I was undergoing some swing/grip changes.... its gotten to the point where now it feels natural (as opposed to last summer, where it felt "weird" and about as unnatural as could be). So I'm curious to see if the distance improved. I know I told you my distance went downward initially with the changes. I'm curious to see if it recovered. But I'm more interested to see if I have a more consistent ball flight (rather than drawing/fading it randomly).

Every once in awhile I'll cut a cover of a ball, but its pretty rare. I'm more likely to damage a ball from overswinging a driver and it hitting a tree than actually cutting the ball from an iron shot. Not that the latter doesn't happen from time to time... but its nothing too common. I lose more golf balls than cut them, lol. I'm usually good for a lost ball every 18. Sometimes 2.

As for my scoring... I'm comfortable on the putting green. Concentration seems to be a problem. I tend to do better when faced with long, challenging putts than anything in the 10' range. Seriously, anything in the 8-12' range is a guaranteed 2 putt. Anything in the 25'+ range... I feel stupidly confident and have made my share/many near misses.

I have NO confidence in the 10' range of putting. And it shows.

I suck when it comes to pitching, and am ok at chipping.

As for trying to keep my scores low.... I just try and get on the green as soon as possible, lol. That's my strategy. Get on the green, let the putter go to work.

A good technique for a short pitch is to use your 7 or 8 iron and putt the ball with a little more "oomph". I know it sounds backwards but use your seven iron on shorter pitches and your 8 on longer ones. Just putt with the iron firmly and you will be surprised how effective the shot is. I regularly use that shot when I'm within 15 yards of the green. Try it out... you'll thank me later...

 

[ajk23az]

Good source for inexpensive,and relatively inexpensive golf balls. Every so often,they run specials for free shipping on orders over $25.

www.lostgolfballs.com

I use to buy golf balls from there but realized they were shortening my drives by over 10 yards. Cheap yes, good, no.

I still have like 3 boxes of Callaways and Pro Vs from there if anyone wants those :

 

[ologan]

I use to buy golf balls from there but realized they were shortening my drives by over 10 yards. Cheap yes, good, no.

I still have like 3 boxes of Callaways and Pro Vs from there if anyone wants those :

I'm a high handicap golfer,so I haven't noticed any difference. Probably not the way to go for you low handicappers.

 

[Doomsday101]

A good technique for a short pitch is to use your 7 or 8 iron and putt the ball with a little more "oomph". I know it sounds backwards but use your seven iron on shorter pitches and your 8 on longer ones. Just putt with the iron firmly and you will be surprised how effective the shot is. I regularly use that shot when I'm within 15 yards of the green. Try it out... you'll thank me later...

I have been doing that the last 2 years with very good success. For shots over obstacles such as traps or elevated greens I have gotten very good with hitting the 60 degree wedge in pulling off the flop shot