Thinking about switching balls

I've typically played the harder versions of tour balls for several years. The Bridgestone B330 being my ball of choice for a while, but I'd always play the Prov1x vs. the regular Prov1 so you know what I'm talking about. I have a relatively high swing speed and haven't been lacking for spin with full shots. However, a friend of mine gave me a box Prov1's from 2012 recently (he has a corporate marketing budget and gets dozens of boxes annually) and I decided to try them out for a couple rounds.
I played his club on Thursday and really noticed full shots spinning on the greens, and half wedges zipping to a stop pretty easily. His course was a bit soft but not soggy. Took some adjusting but it was a pretty fun way to play (score sucked though). I'm not as familiar with his course so I couldn't really measure how tee shot distance compared, maybe a bit shorter comparing where his shots landed and mine.
Then I played with them yesterday at the SPCC. I would say I saw no difference at all in distance with irons and possibly as much as 15 yards shorter off the tee with driver (maybe less). I didn't experience any ballooning or high spin consequences. The SPCC's greens were very firm. I held a 4 iron into a green downwind, with the ball only moving about 5 feet forward. I don't think that would have happened with the B330. I also had a 75 yard wedge spin back about 20 feet (ended up needing the spin), where I would typically expect maybe only a couple feet of back up. A couple of pitches had some grab as well.
Bottom line, I was pretty pleased with the ball and could see the benefits to the short game, with minimal detriment to the long game.

Assuming everything constant, outside skin controls the spin (CoF), most if not all - especially for high end balls - are made of Polyurethanes for wear and cut resistance... and all Urethane are not equal (polymer backbone, Isocyanate types, ratio of Iso to Polyol)... don't get me into this, I would give you a headache   .

The design of dimples will affect the eddy current behind the ball (pushing it forward and lifting in) , Again, CFD computer simulation can be used to predict this... However I am not sure if ball manufacturing companies spend the money here for ball designs.

I don't have a fast SS for spin so as long as any ball is quite new then I am OK, not too picky

I would be willing to bet that the golf ball makers employ all the computer tricks they can obtain and wish they had all that exist including ultra classified NASA and DARPA stuff. I have to also assume that the USGA endeavors to do same to maintain "The Integrity of the Game". As for myself, with my inconsistent and slow swings, I want a ball that will go max distance off driver and the irons when I want it and will spin like a freaking top on chips, pitches and full iron shots when I want it. The past two rounds I've played with a number of different balls in my bag which is legal according to our club rules so long as the same type ball is used for the entire hole. From Pro V's to Pro V x's to NXT Tours to Taylormade Burners to Callaway something or other to Titleist Solo to Wilson Duo to Srixon TriSpeed Tours. The latter have proven time and again to be the best combo of distance, feel, spin and putting mojo for me. But then I'm always looking for more Mojo. Speaking of which, played with a 72 year old club member two weeks ago who can afford to play anything he wants but plays Nike Mojo's and pounds the snot out of them and made every putt inside of 12 feet. Golf Galaxy doesn;t carry them so I might have to trek over to Dick's or the Golfsmith.

Went from Srixons to Bridgestone B330RX. My swing speed is under 105 and these work for me. Never have been a big ProV fan. Just figured that I couldn't compress them enough. Plus, being a rebel, didn't want to play what every body else plays. Only guy in the club with Srixon and Bridgestone clubs. Everybody else drinks the Taylormade and Callaway koolaid. Like to think that I march to a different drummer.

Same reason the next bike I get is NOT going to be a Harley. Did that in the 70's when not that many people rode them. Now every swinging dick has one.

Have never owned a taylormade club and never will.

Might take the Hogan Apex Plus's out next week just for shits and grins.

I used to hit ProV1X's. $4 a ball. I bought into the hype of low spin off the driver, high spin on the green.

Well, I can still slice it with the best and I don't think I've ever spun the ball or had it come to an abrupt stop on the green.

Lately I've been hitting soft balls, DT Solo's and Pinnacle Golds are working for me. I get better distance and control with them than the higher priced spreads.

I played the previous generation of DT Solo's last season and liked them a lot. They have 392 dimples just like the original Pro V 1's. Now for 2014, Titleist changes the cover design to around 370 dimples so I bought a dozen and found that they suck big time. Less distance, less feel, less of everything except for my scores.

jt1135 wrote:Went from Srixons to Bridgestone B330RX.  My swing speed is under 105 and these work for me.  Never have been a big ProV fan.  Just figured that I couldn't compress them enough.  Plus, being a rebel, didn't want to play what every body else plays.  Only guy in the club with Srixon and Bridgestone clubs.  Everybody else drinks the Taylormade and Callaway koolaid.  Like to think that I march to a different drummer.  

Same reason the next bike I get is NOT going to be a Harley.  Did that in the 70's when not that many people rode them.  Now every swinging dick has one.  

Have never owned a taylormade club and never will.

Might take the Hogan Apex Plus's out next week just for shits and grins.

I have also shied away from the Prov line because everyone plays them. They are a bit hard to avoid because they are often default tee gifts at tourneys and events.

I have enjoyed some TM woods in years past but nothing they have put out in the past 5 or so years has any appeal. I've never even considered TM or Cally for irons or wedges. I don't switch irons often enough to play around and I am very used to the shape and feel of Mizuno. I actually went into an iron fitting 3 years ago with the thought of getting Cally something or other. My MP32's were a bit worse for wear and I was looking for less of a player iron the longer clubs. After trying out several brands and models, I walked out with Mizunos.

Maybe I'll try out the B330S, or whatever the hell Callaway has come out with as their softer tour ball.

I read that someone has bought the Hogan brand and is going to re-introduce some new clubs. I always liked the look of Hogan irons at the store, but they didn't seem to age very well.

Callaway has a new "Apex" forged iron that looks very nice indeed. Pricey, though.

Got me a box of new balls yesterday. Thought I'd never buy anything but Srixon or Titleist but got the Callaway Hex Chromes in white on sale at the Galaxy. Going to challenge the nasty Pilgrim's Oak in Amish country. Never broke 90 on that goat track but will be trying my damnedest tomorrow. If I do, I've found my new ball.

Mongrel wrote:Got me a box of new balls yesterday. Thought I'd never buy anything but Srixon or Titleist but got the Callaway Hex Chromes in white on sale at the Galaxy. Going to challenge the nasty Pilgrim's Oak in Amish country. Never broke 90 on that goat track but will be trying my damnedest tomorrow. If I do, I've found my new ball.

Good luck Mongrel... The 1st hole should be no worse than a bogey, that damn par-3 # 12 hole should be an easy par hole    Bring home an at least an 87 on your score card. I will play it end of June

Windy. Ridiculous pin positions and greens slick as snot. Must have been dumping fertilizer and water on all the rough. Of the 24 players in our group, 13 did not break 100 including half with lower indexes than mine. Pitching and chipping pretty much sucked. Putting was OK. The Callaway Hex Chrome balls are really long motherf*ckers off driver. I was about 20 yards longer at least on more than half my drives. In fact, I only got out-driven on the 18th hole by the other three guys in my foursome and that's because I caught a tree limb full of leaves on the left. Otherwise, I would have been 10 yards past the longest of them. So at least the driver is dialed in.

Mongrel wrote:Windy. Ridiculous pin positions and greens slick as snot. Must have been dumping fertilizer and water on all the rough. Of the 24 players in our group, 13 did not break 100 including half with lower indexes than mine. Pitching and chipping pretty much sucked. Putting was OK. The Callaway Hex Chrome balls are really long motherf*ckers off driver. I was about 20 yards longer at least on more than half my drives. In fact, I only got out-driven on the 18th hole by the other three guys in my foursome and that's because I caught a tree limb full of leaves on the left. Otherwise, I would have been 10 yards past the longest of them. So at least the driver is dialed in.

Glad to hear U had fun... It's a great course for the money, not convenience to get to, but great course. Yep!!! when the wind picks up it's a bear to play it. That 18 hole is risk/reward kind of hole with water on the first shot (not an issue for me because I don't have the distance to get there) and water on the right on the next connection shot (yes, I could get in that pond easily   . Somehow I don't have much trouble with the par-3 signature hole. I hate that stupid short par-3 hole 4. Hole 17 par-3 is all carry and fun to play (my friend told me to play it long because the slope would bring a ball back to the pin, which is true). I ALWAYS enjoy playing that course

I had the honors on 17 yesterday afternoon. The guys' gps and laser gadgets had the center of the green about 148 and the back pin at 160 or so. The other three had hybrids and fairway woods in their hands. I took my 3 iron Titleist since I was not carrying any hybrids or fairway woods and hit a decent shot aimed at the center of the green which the wind carried about 15 feet right of the green just short of hole high. The second to hit dumped his hybrid in favor of his 5 wood and came up about 20 feet short of the center of the green. The third player hit a hybrid in the bunker left of the green and he was toast. The fourth guy who was ragging on me not carrying any hybrids shanked two of his into the grunch about 80 yards dead right.

18 was cart path only yesterday. Of course the cart path is left all the way (where most of the water is) and of course I hit my drive in the left rough after clipping a tree on the left. I gambled trying to punch a 6 out of the rough to the right of where I thought the pond should be but of course rolled into it by about a yard. Yada yada yade f*cking 10 on that hole. I wasn't alone with that score on that hole, though.