I know from the advertising and from some on this board, that Titleist is the the #1 ball in golf. And it seems that everyone is always talking about the ProV1's. But what about the NXT's or some of the less expensive Titleist balls? How do they compare to the ProV1's and to the other manufacturer's balls? I cannot bring myself to spend $50 to $60 on a dozen of golf balls when there are others in the $20 range, especially when I will consider a good day on the course finding more balls than I lost.

Also what is the difference and significance in covers and construction, dimple design, # of dimples, etc?

Klun,
The main thing is to find a ball you like, at the price you like, and play with the same ball most all the time. This way you will always get the same spin, shot dispersion, flight and distance, which allows you to know what your ball will do each time. This is a major contributer to consistancy. A player who plays with different brands and different variations of brands, gets different shots each time they play. The weird thing is, they think it's their swing that hit one 7 iron shot 150 yds. and another 140 yds.
When you listen to, and read about, all the people trying out this ball, and that ball, and this one is great, and this one not as good..............What are they thinking?
Only try out different balls until you find the one you like and want to play with.
The reason I play Pro V1x's is not because they hit the ball farther, or straighter. There are balls out there that do these things better than a Pro V. I use them because each ball acts the same, feels the same and gets the same distance, day in and day out.
Are there other, less expensive balls that will do the same. Of Course.

Klun, yes I think it's the #1 ball but that's considering everything I like to do with the ball. That being said, depending on your game, you may not want all those same features or care about them as much as others. To me, if you're going to pay $40+ for a dozen, buy ProVs instead of the others but that's just me.


If you hook or slice the ball, you may want a low spin distance ball. The new balls now are being made to spin more with irons and wedges than with drivers which is good because it can keep your driver straighter but still get some bite on the greens.

Honestly, if you loose a ball (or damage it) a round or more on average, I wouldn't invest in upper end line of anyone's golf ball. I'd go with something much cheaper. Bridgestone e-series is really good and in the $20's. I never liked the NXTs just because they felt and sounded hard to me, but many people like them. Precept Laddie is a good middle of the road ball and it's <$10 a dozen.


here's GolfDigest's Hotlist article for balls and they rate them in the $$ categories. So take a look there too.

http://www.golfdigest.com/equipment/ratings/balls/2009/05/hotlist_findingtherightball

What about the construction of the ball, 2 piece to 3 piece? Different cover materials surlyn to whatever else?

All i know is that I what my ball to go straight. But I guess I want it all as I want the straightness and the feel (even though I don't know what 'feel' is around the green - hahaha)

I bought a dozen of the Noodle Long & Soft on the suggestion of the lady at Dick's who helped me pick out my Sand Wedge. And so far I like them.

I guess the big thing is to figure out what 'type' of action I'm looking for and then use that 'type' to figure out the brand.

I like the way the Noodle plays Kev. But I've also turned in some of my best scores with a Top Flite XL3000 Super Straight. I really like the advice of "pick a ball and stick with it." I think I'd be looking for reduced spin with drivers and more spin with irons in hopes that I will develop that. Be curious to see what you come up with.

And thanks Scott for the Golf Digest link..

Anyone ever try the Callaway Diablo's? Quoting $24/doz with high trajectory and low spin, sounds like it might be a ball that aligns well to my game right now...

Chris,

That's what I'm looking at right now. I do like the Noodle Long & Soft's and the XL3000's.

The biggest reason why I am asking as I went through my bag 2 nights ago and cleaned out about 5lbs of balls (put them in a new ball only bag that I can use for practice, they were all the scuffed and dirty balls and Slazengers) and with most people talking about ProV1's I was just curious as to how the less expensive Titleist's were. And to note the difference in 2 piece vs 3 piece construction and the material used for the covers.

Klun; Just going by what you have posted about your game, I'd have to say the ProV1 would be a waste of money for you. I'd recommend you try the TopFlite Gamer ball. I've used it a few times, and it's a very good ball. And for the price, it's a GREAT ball.
As for 2 or 3 piece balls, Most low price balls are 2 piece, due to they cost less to make. All the TOUR quality balls are either 3 or 4 piece balls. They cost more to make, but the work better for the better golfer. Balls I"ve used and liked in the low to mid price range are as follows;
Maxfli Noodle,
Pinnacilte Exception
TopFlite GAmer.
MaxFli Fire
MaFli Revolution EXT
Precept Laddie.

Didn't care much for the new NXT Extreme or NXT Tour.

To be honest, I'd say any of the balls listed above might be perfect for you, just hard to tell which one you might like the best. I'd buy the Gamer if I was buying balls, but that's me. You might want to take this list to a store, and see if any one of them just happens to be on sale. Any of the balls I"ve listed will hold up for 18 holes or more if you don't lose it. Can't say that for some other balls I've tried.

As for covers, Urethane covers provide the most spin, so only buy Urethane cover balls if you want high spin on your irons. Expect to pay a higher price for the higher spin balls. Surlyn is what most of the low to mid price balls use for a cover. They don't spin as much, but they do tend to hold up well in most cases.

Thanks everyone. But keep the golf ball talk up.

Oh, good grief. Not only do I have to figure out which club to use, where and how, I also have to learn the differences between golf balls? I am such a newbie to the game - I never knew the ball really mattered. Dad's never mentioned it but then again, I'm pretty sure he always uses the same brand.

Ballchaser, since you'rr just starting out do not worry about what ball you use. Until you've played for a while you won't be able to really tell the differences anyway. At the true beginner stage there is no real point in spending extra money on a ball when for quite some time it really won't matter what you are using.

As long as it's round, preferably white, and doesn't have any major dings or gashes in the cover then tee it up and hit it!

Once you've played for a while and can start "noticing" the differences then you don't need to worry about what kind of ball your playing.

DITTO

And, if you're interested, you can also buy good/great quality used golf balls off eBay or lostgolfballs.com in quantity for less.

In the outing I was in this past weekend, we were given a sleeve of the NXT Extreme's. I actually liked this ball a lot. Although, I did use some DT Carry's that I had when I was in the more wooded or areas around water.(just didn't want to lose the new ones.) I like those as well. I may become a Titleist man because of this. Although, with my game, I'd still rather use the balls with less spin at least until I play enough to actually know how to work a ball or use spin to stop a ball on the green.

Scott,
Ditto on lostgolfballs.com. I've used that site a couple of times and been rather impressed with the quality and the speed of my order.

Definately a site I would suggest to others here if anyone hasn't already heard of it.

I bought 2 dozen assorted Srixon and Nike on Ebay for around $20 - couple of the Srixon balls that I wanted to try (Soft Feel, TriSpeed, AD333) since I have liked the AD333 and included Nike PD Soft, which I like...so it was a perfect mix. 20 golf balls can last me a looong time so I'm probably all set for the summer. I would like to get my hands on some Bridgestone E5+ since that's supposed to be another one good for my game.

Played a round with the Bridgestone e6. Boy did I like that ball. This could be my new ball. And for me, it lasted a long time. hahaha

Thats the ball I play the e6+. Great ball. The e5+ are also nice a bit softer but can have more sidespin off the driver.

Check out your local Dick's sporting goods store. Some of the stores have some MacFli C3 balls on sale for $14.97 a dozen. These are last years balls in the dark RED box, not the new box which is yellow and black. The C3 is a 3 piece urethane cover ball, and is said to be the 2007 model of the TM TP Red, which is a great tour ball if you haven't tried it. I picked up 3 dozen and played the ball last Friday. Played 14 holes with one ball and it looked like brand new at the end. Great distance and very good spin around the greens. Just about exactly what I get from the TP Reds and TP Blacks I've used. NOt all Dick's have them in stock, but if you can find them they might just become your new favorite golf ball, especially for $15 a dozen.

Just wanted to follow up on the C3 balls. I played another 9 holes with the same ball I used for 14 holes, and it still look good and will be with me for my next round. Excellent distance and spin into the greens. For only $14.97 a dozen, I don't see how any good player could go wrong buying this ball.

Well I just got 2 dozen Bridgestone B330S balls, the 2009 version, so I'm going to try those out. But I may pickup a dozen C3 and give them a try. Thanks Don.

ya ofcourse i go for this one