Hard & Soft Golf Balls

Guys,

May seem a dumb question, but could someone explain the difference between hard & soft balls. Having lost the last of the Wilson Ultras I was using (because they were cheap) I ask the guy in the pro shop if he could recommend a ball for a very high handicapper.

He replied that as it was coming up to winter I would be best off with a hard ball. My reply was, "I will have lost all of those 15 by the end of the next week, so don't worry about the winter". In reality I didn't have a clue why I would need a hard ball for the winter, and what the difference is between the 2.

At the moment I'm not worried about distance, I'm more worried about keeping on the fairway in front of me and not the other one to the left or right of the one I am on.

 James

In the winter, James, most courses become pretty soft and a hard ball will stop on the greens almost as well as a soft ball, but with the added advantage of being able to hit it longer, which is vital under the soft conditions in the winter.

I only ever use one ball and that is the Top flite Z balata which is a soft ball. It is cheap and cheerful and because I play only with this make I have learned how it behaves under all conditions.

When I lived in Spain the Pro I played with a lot used the hard Pinnacle ball, when I asked him why, he said that everything stops in Spain so why not have the benefit of the length. I might add that the Pro at one of my old clubs, Frinton in Essex also used a hard Top Flite XL and his reasons were that at his age he needed every yard he could get and by playing with the same ball consistently he altered his approach to the short game to cater for this.

Don't know if this will be any help, it may just persuade you to steer clear of me! 

http://www.golfshake.com/forums/view/480/Measuring_golf_ball_hardness_nerd_alert.html

The greens in Spain must be like the greens in France John. They were really soft at the course we played. I was using Srixon ad333 and twice the ball hit the middle and spun off the green.

I can believe it, Danny, with your striking.