It seems like there are more and more golf balls and variations of golf balls being made today then there were years ago. Is this more of a marketing ploy or is there really a difference between balls - even among those typical two-piece balls? For example Titliest makes a ton of them. Whats the difference between DT SolLo vs. NXT? Or NXT tour vs. NXT? I cant keep them straight and they change every year or so.

Ideally, I'm looking for a ball that is durable, has low spin on the driver/long shots, moderate to high spin on short shots and has a soft feel around the green. I think the NXT tour would be in this catagory but I'm not sure. I also like the Bridgestone B330.

A little help clarification would be helpful.

pro v1x is the obvious choice

Bridgestone b330 is a decent choice, but for Low spin on Drives and longer iron shots, and soft feel around the greens, Pro v1 x hands down is what our looking for.

The pro V1x is designed for tour swing speeds which 90% of us do not have. Pro V1 regular is just fine for the majority of golfers. If you have a swing speed greater than 100 mph go for it.

So 90% of golfers can't/don't swing 100mph? Ouch.

Well the Pro V 1x is designed for lower ball flight and less spin off the tee. He specificly said he needed less spin and soft feel. ProV1x is the ball for him. Now just because they are professional golfers doesn't mean there inhuman and have faster swing speeds then average joes. That is false, yes tiger woods, and camilo villegas absolutly rip the ball with insane club head speed doesnt mean the rest of pro's hit it like that too. To perform the best you need to use the best. a lot of people say, " why are you using a pro v 1, you can't spin the ball". Its not all about sucking the ball back from 100 yards in, its about the feel and trajectory that makes all the difference.

number might be a little lower than that but yeah 100 mph is pretty fast

The issue is getting enough club speed to compact the ball witch will get the max distance on ur drives. if u dont swing fast enough to do this the course will play a little longer. Most people will give this up for the gain they get in the feel with the irons and chips close to the green. i like the NXT because its a little harder and u dont have to swing as hard to the the compact on the ball, and at the same time you can stop the ball on the green. I have recently changed to a Bridgestone E6 witch is my favorite not to hard not to soft and good feel. Everyone has their favorite but IMO the are a few at the top that will get the job done. Gl

[x] Thread title delivers

Here is a link to some radar stats that were taken at last years BHCC. There are some really interesting catagories and as you can see the minimum swing speed was just over 100mph.

http://www.pgatour.com/2008/tourname...ats/index.html

He also specifically said 'durable' which the Pro V1 is not.
The advice from Durka here http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/93...pro-v1-518400/ is spot on, and I have changed to TM Red and won't be going back to Pro Vs.

this is pretty interesting. i was just measured last week on a vector, and my clubhead speed was just over 100. 101-102 on good ones. it's encouraging that it's good enough to play in the bob hope.

Aren't pro v1/v1x's rated one of the (of not thee) most durable balls made?

I have no idea about the 2009 version, but I always found the prior version to be plenty durable. Then again, I don't have any clubs with sharp grooves and my swingspeed is measured in geological time, so the only real issue is how many trees and cart paths I hit...

Like sherrifolds, I also like the Bridgestone E6+ as a mid-priced ball with good performance.

They are of course much more durable than balatas of old, which is where their 'durable' claim comes from, but no way do they compare to distance balls, or next down the line in quality types like NXTs for durability.

Soft balls are never going to be durable, you will just get more durable makes than other similar standard balls, and from what I've seen, TM Red is miles ahead of ProVs for that characteristic.

Plus one.

Would the balls you guys are mentioning still be the best for a total noob? I just picked up golf this summer and am still extremely weak in pretty much all areas of the game, so is there like a ball for baddies? Or are these the best for pretty much anyone?

if you're bad like me, just buy what is cheap until you get better (is what i've always thought... but maybe that's why i'm bad)

Balls have different characteristics to suit different levels of player.
Id recommend you look at distance balls, two piece balls designed to go as straight and far as possible.
Of the balls in this category I have tried I liked the Maxfli noodle the best. It’s better round the greens then a topflight goes a good distance and is available at a decent price.
Statistically speaking you’re going to loose three balls a round with Pro V1 that’s another £12 a round.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. You can get good performance out of any number of low priced balls - Noodle, Srixon AD333, Top Flite D2 Feel or Straight, plenty of others. The benefits of a premium ball are real but marginal - you won't really notice or get them unless you're hitting the ball solid, getting spin on your wedges and short irons, etc.

Probably the thing you'll notice first is different feel on the green - EVERY ball feels different. So find something that feels good to you and go with that.

After having played with balls I've either won or been given for quite a while (the latest is Nike Ignite), I am about to start playing with Titleist PTS Carry, bought myself 3 dozen. With my low clubhead speed it 'should' be a good ball for me (21 hcp).

I will try to remember to post an evaluation on that ball.

You should also try the Titleist DT Carry -- my favorite cheap ball ($20/dozen).

This is actually fitting for the title of this thread:

http://www.titleist.co.uk/golfballs/ptscarry.asp

http://www.titleist.com/golfballs/dtcarry.asp

The cover is called surlyn in the europe version and ionomer in the US version, but I'll be darned if it is not exactly the same ball, just marketed as DT in US and PTS in europe. Except for the name of the cover material, I can't find any difference.

It might be due to patents or name rights, that Titleist are not allowed to call the cover surlyn in the US, and therefore chooses two different names.

Weird

I was told by the local rep that this ball is slightly lighter in weight that other balls, which, along with the dimple pattern, helps get this ball in the air.

I would think this is a good ball for slower swing speeds.
I wouldn't think it would be a great ball in the wind, or with someone with high swingspeed.

srixon z star x

this may have already been mentioned i didnt read everyones post