My Ball Testing Results so far

[Rockford35]

Just out of curiosity ... has anyone tried a Slazinger??

Someone here was playing Slaz's exclusively for a while. Sling maybe?

My grandfather (who hits the ball a mile for 68), uses Slazengers.

R35

 

[sssmokin]

As long as they make 'em, I'll keep buyin 'em

Wilson Ultras as long as they keep making them

 

[Canadriver]

Someone here was playing Slaz's exclusively for a while. Sling maybe?

My grandfather (who hits the ball a mile for 68), uses Slazengers.

R35

The reason I asked is that I picked up a couple dozen at the local Sportchek and only used them once so far [the heat and a two-week back problem has kept me off the courses].

They were a fascinating change of pace for me because I've been used to the soft "feel" of the Pinnacle Exceptions and the Dunlop Revelations.
Compared to them the Slazengers were like hitting little bricks ... but they sure fly beautifully and their distance is [although not quite what the other two are] quite sufficient.

So I just wanted to see whether others had similar experiences.

 

[warbirdlover]

The course was backed up a few weeks ago and no one was behind me so I hit an Exception very nicely down the right side of the fairway. I grabbed a Slazenger money and hit it two inches from the Exception. I'd say they were the same as far as distance. The Slazenger felt better though.

I've got a new FAVORITE ball. It's the Callaway HX Tour. I don't care what it costs me. I'm going to play that ball from now on. (See my post in "shottalk" forum).

 

[Eracer]

My ball test results - so far

Titleist DT SoLo - not much distance and a nasty tendency to fly off line
Titleist NXT ditto
Titleist NXT Tour ditto
Titleist DT Wound 90 ditto
Nike One ditto
Maxfli ditto
Titleist Pro V1 ditto
Titleist Pro V1x ditto

The search continues ....

Might I suggest that your search include a search for a qualified teaching professional?

Just a thought...

 

[sidvicious]

i've been doing some informal but serious ball testing myself. and for my personal preferences, you'll find some noted inconsistancies. first, this is my second year to play.

i was bound and determined NOT to like expensive balls. indeed, i had some nike pdf balls custom marked with my firm logo for $15. these were the green pack "soft" balls. i played them a lot and learned to hit them well for my skill level.

like a growing child i tried all sorts of others, including the high priced stuff. i have more money than skill, but i also know my sports. i'm learning to do golf as well as i know golf. here's my comments.

CAVEAT: ball testing is highly subjective, and influenced by goddamned everything, the most obvious being when the tester is "on" as opposed to "off". that said, back to what i saw in my observations.

nike pdf soft [and perhaps other soft balls]. good ball and value. feels a bit dull at first on bladed irons, [wedges for many of us]. but overall a good ball. soft balls can add to spin problems if your hit badly left or right. however, these are good training balls in that they enhance bad hitting techniques. in other words, a slice is a real bitch. these balls force you to make a good swing, much like bladed irons. they work well around the green. also worth mentioning is something on distance with softies. these balls are every bit as long, even longer, than other balls. however, their tendency to spin out detracts from thier fairway distance. this should be taken in to account for a guy that can nail the fairways consistantly. in the future many more players will choose low compression balls.

T Pro V1. i tried not to like these balls. i first played them in a 4 ball and didn't like them at first. but, after a bit of hitting i really began to see what the rage was about. these are great balls with a smart brain. they work when the player wants to work, but don't overdo it like the softballs. distance is plenty. feel is plenty. they feel great off every club. nuff said.

Nike one black. same thing as a pro v. very nice ball in all respects; see above. may not be quite as long off the tee, but only by a bit. still a great ball. any bag or cart would be served well by having a few.

calloway hx tour. again, similar to pro v1 with no material differences. callaways have a unique sound, more crisp than others including the pro v1. but basically, like the one black, its a pro v1 in a different package.

T pro v1X. i'm no big fan. the feel isn't there in my opinion, and i'm not sure there is any distance advantage and less spin than with the pro v, as the 1x is advertised. i know a few guys that use it, but i can't see why, other than the package promise.

Noodle. noodle has several models and each is a good value ball for its respective construction. noodle soft's are good, as are the distance balls. a good value and easy to find ball. i don't equate the noodle with pro v or the other top models, but if you can't find a top model and have to play golf, the noodle won't hurt you much. a good ball in my opinion.

T dt solo. nicely priced, but other than that i don't see anything special here above what noodle or other mid priced balls offer.

T nxt tour. like the solo i think these balls are a marketing success. nothing exceptional that other mid priced balls don't also deliver. remember, this is a comparason; a contest of sorts; a critique. most of the guys i've heard rave these balls are not that well informed. not a slam, but a true observation. noodle or cheaper nike's would do just as good.

bridgestone 330. good balls, similar if not identical to pro v's in my opinion. have a friend that swears by them. i blind tested him on pro v's and he couldn't tell the difference.

calloway warbird [and "hard" balls in general].
i generally prefer a ball with more touch, but i must admit that i like these balls. for whatever reason they seem fairly responsive to the club to me. and, you can spin the out on mishits too. this is a good ball and not so callous as many of the hard variety. noodle has some good hard balls, as does nike and other brands. but this ball stands above many of its contemporaries. it will check on the green fairly nicely. too, it can work left and right when commanded.

CONCLUSION.

the comments herein are not just my own, but essentially a composite among various of my regulars at my club. this includes scratch golfers as well as newcomers, aged and young.

marketing has a great deal with ball choice, as does legend. pro v is a marketed ball that has a corresponding legend. i lay this out to emphasize that i too may be under the spell. that said, however, i think it is my favorite ball. even so, the nike black and calloway hx tour are probably just as good. one of my pals is a cat that likes his scotch at night while having credit card in hand. he gets juiced and orders golf balls. he loves giving me calloway hx's and i love him for it. but its a good ball despite the nice price [free].

as mentioned at the start, evaluating golf balls is a bit like evaluating underwear. the way a player is playing on a trip with a particular ball is probably more influential than anything. indeed, it is a chicken/egg delima. who's to say that the reason a player played good with a particular was or wasn't due to the ball itself.

this i think reinforces a predominant character in golf --- feel. golf is truly one of those games that, if it feels good, it was good. if a well struck ball doesn't fly correctly its because of improper line up, not the ball. and it feels so damned good even if it did go in the woods............

oh, and i must include a prediction. soft balls are like secret deoderant, sortof. they're not just for women. these balls are here to stay.

cheers,

sv-