Are expensive balls better?

Some thoughts/questions triggered from a similar recent "balls" thread but a slightly different tack on this one... probably discussed before but here goes...

Are expensive balls (e.g. ProV's, Z star as discussed in other thread) better than cheap ones?

What about mid-range balls (Srixon AD-333 / Soft Feel or Wilson DX2)?

I'm improving; got my hcp down from around 20 this season to consistently playing around 16/17 mark. Wondering if changing from Sports Direct Dunlops to a mid-range / premium ball is going to make much difference to my game at my level. In particular looking for more control around the green.

Any thoughts / experience welcome...

Paul, I think the ball can make a difference but a move to a premium ball may not be the right thing for you. Lots of people assume that playing like a Pro V1 is always going to be the best bet and, don't get me wrong, they are an excellent ball provided you have the swing speed to match.

As I'm getting older and slower I have moved from a Pro V1 to the Bridegstone B330-RXS which is better suited to my swing speed and I'm very happy with the performance of the ball.

I see lots of people at my club playing Pro V1's when they simply don't strike the ball well enough to benefit from the extra spin that it, or a similar ball, can generate with approach shots.

I am, however, pretty sure that you would find a mid range ball an improvement over what you play with at present. Over the winter months, I often use either a Srixon Soft Feel or a Wilson DX3 (which replaced the DX2 last year). Both are very good balls.

Richard

Thanks Richard. I completely agree that at my level and swing speed I do not need the premium range. I know my own limitations - both abiltity and budget!!

I just bought a box of titelist nxt balls with the winning from a comp. but before I opened the new box I thought I'd try one that I found. On the 6th hole at Oulton I got a hole in one 180 yards. I then played a competition at Bingley st Ives in the afternoon and hit almost every shot straight and never lost a ball . Maybe it's my swing but I'm gonna stick with these balls for a while.

AD333s are cracking balls. Mentioned on a previous thread that I'm enjoying playing the Z Stars, but I've been quite lucky in picking them up for �20 a dozen on ebay a few times. Forced to pay full whack, I honestly can warrant paying twice as much as the �15 for the AD333s.

Adrian - I always played NXTs up to the start of last year, but the price has crept up. Could buy them for �18 2 years, but now over the �25 mark...

I think it's important to find the right ball for you and stick with it. It may not be the most expensive ball out there and you may find you can save a lot of money by just a little compromise. For example, Srixon Z-Star X are a great ball for my game, but the Wilson Dx2 are a very close second so I use those in practice rounds or when I am working on something from a lesson and Z Star's for a match or the round just before

I winter I use Titleist NXTs as I get a little more distance which makes up for the decreased run on softer fairways and the softer greens means the lower spin doesn't hurt too much

Chris, do you mean to say that my Dunlop �4.99 a dozen might be slowing/hindering my game compared to a �35.00 Nike or Callaway all singing all dancing ball ?? could it really make that much of a difference ?? i have tried Callaway CXR's, Nike NDX's, Srixon AD333, Nike PD long's & Nike 20XI, and can honestly say i havent seen the blindest bit of difference in any of them, the only thing i will say is i lost more of the �40 Nike 20XI than i did of any other ball ! (that was the fathers day pressie lost in under 3 rounds), maybe now my short game improving i might notice the difference but i would have to say that in the last 5 rounds there doesnt seem to be any difference whatsoever.

Actually Tim I would say the opposite. The Dunlop �4.99 a dozen are the best for your game at the moment. When I first started the pro teaching me recommended the Dunlop LoCo (the predecessor to the ball I think you are using now). I expect when you lost the Nikes you found you were slicing them a lot. This is because they spin more that the Dunlops so they slice more and further.

At you stage in your golfing career (I know you are a relative beginner so I'm not just looking at your handicap) a low spinning distance ball such as the Dunlop is better for you. As you play more you will get more consistent and your handicap will come down. That's when you will start to want something different from a ball, such as higher spin for more control. This higher spin will hurt you at the moment because it will magnify any slice or hook you may have

The key advice I will give you is always play the same type of ball if you can. You get used to the feel of how hard you need to hit it when chipping and putting and it will help you to reduce your handicap

Thanks Chris, your correct on the Nikes never knew you could slice a ball that far round !! I'll Stick with the Dunlops for the time being, thanks for the advice

Well I popped into Sports Direct yesterday lunchtime before my evening round and stood there for 5 minutes whilst deciding whether to go for the Srixon Soft Feel or AD333. Went for the AD333's.

Didn't notice much difference on tee shots, which is fine - all fairly solid apart from 2 shots that resulted in lost balls but one was a out-and-out pull and the other hit fat over the back of a par 3.

Big difference on the feel putting though - sooooo much softer than the concrete balls I have been playing with. Took me a good few holes to get used to it but overall fairly pleased. Will stick with them for a while and see.

Am tempted by the DX2/DX3 though as played with these a couple of years ago, liked them, but got too tight to keep buying them.