Here are some selected stats from a few recent 9 hole rounds at the same course over the past 5 weeks. Weather and course conditions were the same; no rain and no significant wind. (Stats collected via Shot Scope.)

TEE SHOTS (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
Left Rough 0% vs 19%
Fairway 71% vs 29%
Right Rough 29% vs 52%
Score to Par 1.1 vs 1.3
P Avg Yards 198 vs 193

APPROACH SHOTS (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
On green 13% vs 12%
Avg Proximity 66ft vs 65ft

SHORT GAME (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
Avg Proximity 21ft vs 11ft
Up and Down 29% vs 32%
1 Putt 33% vs 41%

Which ball would you pick to play, and why?

I play the golf ball I pick up during my weekly runs. I live near Oak Hollow Golf Course in Mckinney and the road runs parallel to Hole #7. Usually pick up 5-10 golf balls on the other side of the street every week. Have only bought my own balls once or twice lol.

whisperingbill said:

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Hitting only 2.3 greens a (18) hole round has little to nothing to do with which golf ball you're playing. Play the cheapest ball.

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This. If you think your stats from 9 holes is enough to separate the balls, you have a lot to learn. If people were that consistent, the F golf thread wouldn't have the same posters as the love golf thread.

Only real way to get fitted for a ball is with a lunch monitor.

How many shots is this?

Left rough vs right rough has nothing to do with the ball

What is P Avg?

You are way overthinking it on a small sample size but I'd go with ball 2. Maybe that one is considerably softer or firmer feel and it's working better in your short game. The shots from 100 out and further are going to be way more dependent on your swing than the type of ball. Assuming this isn't like Top Flite vs Pro V1

G Martin 87 said:

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Here are some selected stats from a few recent 9 hole rounds at the same course over the past 5 weeks. Weather and course conditions were the same; no rain and no significant wind. (Stats collected via Shot Scope.)




TEE SHOTS (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
Left Rough 0% vs 19%
Fairway 71% vs 29%
Right Rough 29% vs 52%
Score to Par 1.1 vs 1.3
P Avg Yards 198 vs 193

APPROACH SHOTS (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
On green 13% vs 12%
Avg Proximity 66ft vs 65ft

SHORT GAME (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
Avg Proximity 21ft vs 11ft
Up and Down 29% vs 32%
1 Putt 33% vs 41%

Which ball would you pick to play, and why?

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Ball 1. If your shot shape is consistent enough to where you can confidently stay away from the left rough and hit fairway that accurately youre golden. You would then just need to aim at left fairway assuming you play a fade. Everything else is negligble and likely to change over time.

I once hit a ball from the tee to the road and into the grass across the street on that hole. I then stuck it to 6 feet from the pin.

Don't ask me how many putts it took me to finish the hole, though.

G Martin 87 said:

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Here are some selected stats from a few recent 9 hole rounds at the same course over the past 5 weeks. Weather and course conditions were the same; no rain and no significant wind. (Stats collected via Shot Scope.)

TEE SHOTS (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
Left Rough 0% vs 19%
Fairway 71% vs 29%
Right Rough 29% vs 52%
Score to Par 1.1 vs 1.3
P Avg Yards 198 vs 193

APPROACH SHOTS (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
On green 13% vs 12%
Avg Proximity 66ft vs 65ft

SHORT GAME (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
Avg Proximity 21ft vs 11ft
Up and Down 29% vs 32%
1 Putt 33% vs 41%

Which ball would you pick to play, and why?

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What is your clubhead speed?

85-90 Driver

Were you playing both balls in the same round? Or one ball one day, ball two a different day? I also don't think your sample size is big enough. But if it was, I would go with whatever pairs with green side short game best if both are premium balls. You could also potentially look at spin rates on trackman to see if there is a big difference there.

https://hittingthegolfball.com/golf-ball-compression-chart/

This article outlines what compression does and doesn't do for you. Based on your data, I'd guess B is something like a V1x or ChromeSoft X and A is a ball that is lower compression than B.

Lower compression balls will fly a bit further and spin less, thus fly a bit straighter at the expense of stopping power on approach shots.

Higher compression balls penalize any misalignment of your swing because they spin more than the lower compression balls and move left and right more when mis-hit. But, will stop and back up better on the green because of the spin. You also have to impart more energy to the ball via higher club head speed relative to a lower compression ball to get the same distance increasing the chance for a lower quality strike that flies offline.

I did a lot of trial and error with my found ball collection. If you have a good collection, play a dozen of what you have that matches well from the chart and see how you think they "feel" to you. An example is a Calloway Warbird vs SuperFast. I hate how a Warbird feels when I strike it, feels like I'm hitting a rock, but the SuperFast feels much better even though they have similar compressions.

My best round is with a V1x, I have a similar swing speed to you, and some of my worst rounds are with the V1x as well. When I'm on, the drives are in play and I can take advantage of the stopping power vs the Taylor Distance+ that is my daily ball. On the bad days, I'm slicing the V1x's into oblivion because of the increased ability to spin them working against me. I'm more consistent with the 70-80 compression balls from any of the manufacturers. My main focus in your data would be fairway accuracy, at least until chipping is the limiting factor in your game.

I don't think it's in that article, but I've read that your ball compression should not exceed your swing speed, and since I've bothered to pay attention, I'd agree with that analysis. Higher compression = higher risk for higher reward based on the quality of your swing vs just the speed. The lower compression balls will absorb the abuses of your swing "better" at the expense of pinpoint accuracy around the green. The effect on putting will be from the ball coming off the putter slightly different because of compression and would just take some getting used to either way.

HTH

That's really good…

bowhuntr said:

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Were you playing both balls in the same round? Or one ball one day, ball two a different day? I also don't think your sample size is big enough. But if it was, I would go with whatever pairs with green side short game best if both are premium balls. You could also potentially look at spin rates on trackman to see if there is a big difference there.

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Lots of good questions about methodology.

1. Rounds with Ball 1 ONLY used Ball 1. Rounds with Ball 2 ONLY used Ball 2. Ball 2 is my current gamer, and I've used it exclusively for most of my rounds in 2024.
2. Rounds were all played sequentially during the past five week period. All Ball 2 rounds first, then Ball 1 rounds. This was done to mitigate swing variation to a somewhat reasonable extent.
3. All rounds were played on the same course and the same holes to mitigate course layout as a contributing factor.
4. All rounds had similar weather to mitigate weather effects. It's normally hot and dry in NW Louisiana in September-October.
5. I upgraded my hybrid, irons, and wedges about 2 months ago. Driver, woods, and putter have not changed. All rounds were played with the same WITB combination.
6. As a result, sample size is admittedly small for Ball 1. Even so, the tee shot dispersion difference for Ball 1 was immediately noticeable during play before I even looked at the stats. (Using all Ball 2 data across all rounds in 2024, my fairway percentage is about 56%.)

So yes, I have a lot more historical data to draw from. But to the extent it was possible to do so, I limited the sample data to focus on differences between these two balls.

My own experience agrees with that article completely. Playing a higher compression, higher spin ball is a risk-reward Faustian bargain for slower speed higher handicap players. Differences in compression and composition are definitely noticeable even for this kind of player. I also hate Warbirds, but like Superfast. I hate Softfeels and Supersofts, but I love Trufeels. I don't like Velocity much, and prefer AVX. Love Snell MTB, don't like ProV1x. Don't get me started on TP5s, LOL.

(Ball 1 and 2 are NOT listed above, BTW.)

ETA: With respect to ball "forgiveness", I picked Ball 2 as my gamer because I found its combination of forgiving, distance, and spin characteristics to be a great fit for my game. An online Ballnamic ball fitting confirmed my choice later. Ball 1 obviously spins less than Ball 2 and is even more forgiving.

One other point. While I agree launch monitor data would be interesting, I put much more stock in observing how the balls actually play and feel on course. You don't need to know the precise spin or launch angle number differences to decide between two balls. (Unless you're trying to pick through the alphabet soup of Bridgestone offerings, of course.) For me, throwing launch monitor data into the decision matrix would just be noise that makes analysis paralysis more likely.

Ah so you play Srixion's then.

Yes, Ball 2 is a Srixon. Ah, but which one? Not a Softfeel, obviously. Hate those things.

QStarTour. BiColor?

Ball 2 has been unmasked. Love the Q Star Tour Divide. I wish there was a non-matte version, but that's a minor quibble.

Any guesses on Ball 1?

I'm torn between a Bridgestone Tour B RX and the Kirkland Performance+

AgfromHOU said:

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I once hit a ball from the tee to the road and into the grass across the street on that hole. I then stuck it to 6 feet from the pin.

Don't ask me how many putts it took me to finish the hole, though.

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Oh i've definitely hooked one over the road. My overall record is 17 balls in one run. Had my running shorts and pockets full and looked like an idiot running down the street

I think Ball 1 + short game work is your answer.

Avg Proximity 21ft vs 11ft

Even 11 feet is less than ideal

bowhuntr said:

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I think Ball 1 + short game work is your answer.

Avg Proximity 21ft vs 11ft

Even 11 feet is less than ideal

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21 ft is terrible, for sure. 11 ft is 3 ft under the avg proximity of a 5 handicap. Seems pretty good to me.



That's the trade off. Better accuracy and forgiveness for Ball 1, but it stops like a mile long freight train on the green. Short game practice and familiarity with Ball 1 should shorten that proximity up a lot. Will definitely have to be more careful to avoid getting short sided.

Guess it depends on the definition of short game. I'm thinking right off the green, chipping or maybe pitching. Yes, 11 feet is not bad…but with practice and an understanding of how to hit a variety of chips, a chip 11 feet from the cup is not something I'm real happy about. That's a tough up and down.

One option would be to use a higher lofted club with ball one around the green if it is rolling out more.

bowhuntr said:

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Guess it depends on the definition of short game. I'm thinking right off the green, chipping or maybe pitching. Yes, 11 feet is not bad…but with practice and an understanding of how to hit a variety of chips, a chip 11 feet from the cup is not something I'm real happy about. That's a tough up and down.

One option would be to use a higher lofted club with ball one around the green if it is rolling out more.

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I've considered putting a 64 back in my bag. My highest lofted wedge right now is a 58/12, which should be perfectly fine. I know the conventional wisdom is that high handicappers should absolutely avoid high lofted lob wedges at all costs. I was very comfortable with a 64 a few years ago, though. And I have an extra slot in the bag, so I wouldn't have to take anything out. Worth thinking about, maybe.

G Martin 87 said:

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Here are some selected stats from a few recent 9 hole rounds at the same course over the past 5 weeks. Weather and course conditions were the same; no rain and no significant wind. (Stats collected via Shot Scope.)

TEE SHOTS (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
Left Rough 0% vs 19%
Fairway 71% vs 29%
Right Rough 29% vs 52%
Score to Par 1.1 vs 1.3
P Avg Yards 198 vs 193

APPROACH SHOTS (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
On green 13% vs 12%
Avg Proximity 66ft vs 65ft

SHORT GAME (Ball 1 vs Ball 2)
Avg Proximity 21ft vs 11ft
Up and Down 29% vs 32%
1 Putt 33% vs 41%

Which ball would you pick to play, and why?

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Given those stats, the bigger question than ball selection is tee selection.

What tee box are you playing?

12-13% greens in regulation, and your driver distance, implies you are either a really bad iron player or you need to move up a tee box.

Particularly If you are trying to hit a 5i or a hybrid 150+ into Par 4 and Par 5 greens.

I wouldn't read anything significant into my GIR % from these rounds. These rounds are all from Spark league play. All men under 60 have to play from the back tees. There are two par 4s and a par 5 that I cannot reach in regulation. One of the par 3 holes is nearly 200 from the back, so that one is tough as well. I play one up from the forward tees when I have a choice.

ETA: The "on green" stat for Approach shots is *not* GIR. It's the "on green" success rate with approach shots into the green from more than 50 yards out. "Positional" shots (i.e. any intentional shot to get into position, such as chipping out of a bad lie or laying up) are not counted. Everything under 50 yards out into the green is counted as a Short Game shot. Doesn't make my "on green" rate look any better, but hopefully the explanation clears up confusion about what it actually measures.

Not a great golfer (mid to high 80s) so take this with a grain of salt. I love the Vice Pro. It's longer off the tee than all of the other balls I've used and it's really good around the greens. To me it's very comparable to Pro V-1s with a better price.

You just never know until you, yourself, try a different ball and test it. I usually play a Titleist ProV1left dash, but this past weekend playing with a friend. I hit a drive on hole #6 a little too far left and told my friend to throw me another ball. He threw me one of his cheap long distance golf balls. The next thing I knew it was flying long and straight! I was 7 over par after that sixth hole. Went 1 under par the next three holes to shoot a front nine of 42. Birdied #10, par on 11&12 with short birdie putts missed, drove the green on #13 and made eagle, birdie on #14, par 15, eagle on 16, birdie on 17, and decided to go for it on 18 and try to drive the green over water and came up a yard short and ended up with a bogey on 18. But this was a ball that I would have never used in the past. Plus, they are half the price of the ProV1left dash. So I would encourage you to try different balls that may seem a bad match for you, but you never know until you try. Ended up 42-30 for an even par 72, definitely a fun round! Landing in the fairway and not hitting out of the rough or trees makes a huge difference. Go with the straighter ball off the tee instead of feel around the greens. Might just turn around a miserable start to pleasant surprise.

That's kind of where I'm at. I really enjoy the short game capabilities and alignment feature of the Q Star Tour Divide (Ball 2), but it's hard to ignore a ball that is nearly 3 times cheaper, goes the same distance, and improves my fairway percentage. The lack of the divide alignment feature on Ball 1 is a downgrade, but it feels better off the putter and wedges to me.

Nobody has guessed Ball 1 yet. It's the Wilson Staff Zip. Currently available on Amazon in 24 ball packs for $27.27. Unfortunately, Wilson has decided to drop the Zip from their lineup. (I stocked up.)

Can't you just draw the alignment line around the ball with a marker?