Re: Is there a real difference between golf balls?
 

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You have to use not only the same type of ball, but the exact same ball for the duration of a hole. After the hole, you can switch to a new ball, but I don't know whether it has to be the same type or not.

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Whats the penalty for switching balls? Is it a storke or is the round forfeited? I know there would be no reson, just curious.

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i have to look it up, but I believe in match, loss of hole, in stroke, 2 shots.

Re: Is there a real difference between golf balls?
 

only 1 ball rule(PGA tour and some other high ranking amateur events, even PGA section events rarely use 1 ball rule, where you have to use same type , compression(old), etc), you can switch balls between holes with no penalty, you just cant do it during the play of ahole.

Re: Is there a real difference between golf balls?
 

Pro V1x all the way.

But I'm also scratch. But yes, it does make a difference even for not-so-great players.

Re: Is there a real difference between golf balls?
 

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the rules regarding clubs are just as strict imo, but obviously it's comparing apples to oranges.



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Sicne the ball of 1970 goes the same distance under test conditions as the ball of today, it's obvious all the added distance of today's players is a combination of better clubs and better training. I'd imagine it breaks out 85/15. The USGA has failed in the the club design arms race.

Most of it is from metal 'woods'. It was obvious to me the first round I played them in 1985.

Re: Is there a real difference between golf balls?
 

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the rules regarding clubs are just as strict imo, but obviously it's comparing apples to oranges.



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Sicne the ball of 1970 goes the same distance under test conditions as the ball of today, it's obvious all the added distance of today's players is a combination of better clubs and better training. I'd imagine it breaks out 85/15. The USGA has failed in the the club design arms race.

Most of it is from metal 'woods'. It was obvious to me the first round I played them in 1985.

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Um, no. The ball of today is designed well enough to get around the test conditions the USGA had for many years. The modern ball launched at high swing speed goes much longer than the old ones. Much longer. Clubs have a role too, and the club and ball together make a big difference. But the new balls with the right launch conditions swung at speeds higher than the USGA tested are very long. Fitness makes some difference. The manufacturers were way ahead of the USGA based on what I read, not counting the stuff the USGA claims. I would guess the culprits at Ball 70%, club and ball "harmony" 90%, fitness 10%.

The distance explosion really happened long after metal woods came on the market. Granted not the 460CC ones. Strangely a big spike in distance on tour correlated with the new multi layer balls. Check some of the stats out, like # of guys averaging over 300 etc...

Re: Is there a real difference between golf balls?
 

i dont think anyone's mentioned this yet but if you play muni courses with soft slow fairways and greens, it really doesnt matter at all. some ppl like how pricier balls "feel" around and on the green but it definitely doesnt make you a better golfer. if you're playing a course with greens that stimp at ~7.5 and higher you will definitely benefit from a ball that spins more unless you cant break 90. if u cant break 90 golf balls really dont matter.

Re: Is there a real difference between golf balls?
 

if you are gambling you will tend to get more strokes with the pink balls.
otherwise use what gives you the best feel off your putter on the putting green. thats where the ball will save you the most strokes.
change to a ball that has less spin on long straight fairways and get on that will hold greens that are fast and for narrow fairways.
in the wind go for a low trajectory ball against it and a high one with it on a long hole. etc. etc

Re: Is there a real difference between golf balls?
 

I worked in the sporting goods department at K-Mart 10 years ago when they changed the Maxfli balls to the titanium or tugstun cores. I had really liked the old balls and was shooting low 80s with them. So when I was suposed to get rid of the 20 boxes that were left, they missed the dumpster and ended up in my trunk.

Now I gamble more than play on the golf course. I have one guy I play with who hits the ball as far as me. We often bet on who will hit the longest drive. I had won a box of ProV's at a tournament a week before, I hit it about 10-15 yards farther (from 250 to about 265). Needless to say I won all of the long drive props that day.

Re: Is there a real difference between golf balls?
 

For a weekend player any ball will do and you'd probably want a cheap and hard ball that will go further when you connect and won't spin a lot.

For a average player a good 2-piece mid-priced ball is good because the cover is somewhat soft, which allows you to work the ball a bit both from the fairway and near the greens.

For the good player a 3-piece ball is the best, but expensive at about $5 a ball. The 3 pieces of the ball react differently depending on the speed of the club. So the hard core allows the ball to go further off the tee for instance, while the softer layers allow you to work the ball on approach shots and around the green. In particular, the soft cover allows you to really work the ball around the green, which is important for good players. If you feel an expensive ball you'll notice the difference on the cover, especially if it's new. You can literally sink your nail into the cover. Of course, that makes the ball easy to scratch.

Re: Is there a real difference between golf balls?
 

What's the problem with the pink balls?

Some were just the same as the white balls, only coloured pink, while others were pale pink and seemed to be manufactured different (they seemed to have a plastic/softer layer over the surface).

I assume the latter are the pink ones that are dodgy. But why?