I've found myself in a weird situation. I normally hit softer balls like the Maxfli Revolution EXT, Noodle Soft & Long, or Precept Laddie X. These are all basically mid-range priced, I suppose

Recently I had my 40th birthday, and for a gift a friend gave me a bucket of 40 balls. She couldn't remember what kind they are (insert rolled eyes here) other than the obvious fact that they're Dunlops. After some research, I figured out they are Dunlop Deep Distance balls, found at Target for $7.99 a dozen. I figured playing with them would be like hitting rocks. Still .. it's the thought that counts, right?

So, I decided what I'd do is keep a Dunlop in my pocket while playing with one of my usual balls. If I lost a ball and needed a spare, I'd reach for the Dunlop.

I did this while playing my last three rounds, and for whatever reason I've found that I'm playing the Dunlops MUCH better than anything else I've used! In fact, I was having a horrible front nine today, and decided to switch exclusively to the Dunlops for the back nine. My back nine score was 10 strokes lower than my front nine! I'm sure this is partially a coincidence. However, it's hard to ignore that over three rounds I've just played the Dunlop better than my Maxflis or a box of Nike Power Distance Soft balls that were given to me.

I'm still rather new at golf (been playing about a year), so I don't know -- is it possible that I could play better with a cheap ball like the Dunlop, or am I just imagining things? Maybe as my golf game is evolving, it's working out that I play better with a harder ball?

What part of the game did you see improving with the Dunlops? Spinrates probably differ a lot for example which could result in less slice and thus straighter hitting (one of the main problems for most high handidcappers).

From the last round you logged in oob, I take it that you are an all-or-nothing type player? "Grip it and rip it"? That could agree with the above, lots of slices and sometimes you can pull it off. Than again, these are just my guesses and I may be way off .

I don't think I'd characterize my play as "all or nothing," although from my last round I could see how you could come to that conclusion. I was having some issues on the front nine in that round, but every hole was a different screw-up. As soon as I'd work out the issue on one hole, I'd find some other problem. I also managed to hit an insane number of bunkers in the front nine, which raised my score a good bit. On the back nine, the minute I hit the first of my two consecutive birdies (I've only had two birdies in my "career" .. both in this round), my game took off and I started playing MUCH better. My assumption is that it's part confidence, part the Dunlops, and part coincidence.

The improvement I've seen from the Dunlop ball IS a straighter drive. You guessed that one. I recently picked up a used Nike Sumo2 5900 driver, which has helped reduce my slice, but I've found that with the Dunlop the slice is even less evident ... to the point where it almost doesn't exist. I can also hit the ball farther with the Dunlops, which likely is enhanced by the fact that I'm hitting a straighter ball. I've noticed a similar difference with my three wood. I didn't have a big slice problem with that club, but I see more distance with the Dunlop balls. I'm currently having issues with my hybrids, so I can't say one way or another with them.

One thing I've noticed, and it makes sense, is that putting is tougher with the Dunlop balls. The best part of my game is on the greens, and I do have to strike the Dunlops a little harder to get them moving. They definitely don't bounce off of the putter like the Maxflis I'm used to playing. It took me a few extra strokes on the greens to figure it out, but now that I know it, I can adjust.

I wonder if I'd see even more success if I moved to a better "hard" ball?

SteveMM wrote:

I wonder if I'd see even more success if I moved to a better "hard" ball?

Well, it doesn't hurt to try, right? Finding a ball that best matches your game maybe is just as important as clubfitting.

However, don't let a ball that "fixes" your swing-errors stop you from fixing the swing itself. A slice is curable, just talk to your teaching pro and spend a couple of lessons on the problem. A slice is enlarged if you are playing against the wind for example, a little slice in such a case can still be deadly.

Most mid handicappers loose (a lot of) points in the short game, in the long run you won't be doing yourself a favour if you use a ball that somewhat fixes your long game in trade of your short game.

Last edited by jev on Tue Sep 07, 2010 3:19 pm; edited 1 time in total

jev wrote:

SteveMM wrote: I wonder if I'd see even more success if I moved to a better "hard" ball? Well, it doesn't hurt to try, right? Finding a ball that best matches your game maybe is just as important as clubfitting. However, don't let a ball that "fixes" your swing-errors stop you from fixing the swing itself. A slice is curable, just talk to your teaching pro and spend a couple of lessons on the problem.

For me, it seems to be a little of each that's helped straighten me out ... the ball and the swing.

First, I got a new Nike Sumo2 5900 (used, but in pristine condition) driver a few weeks back that really helped a lot. The square head makes it easier to get the club head square to the ball. Not getting it square was what was causing my slice (which really was more of a "cast" than a slice). I haven't tried it, but I suspect after three rounds with the square headed Sumo2, I could now recreate that swing and hit a straighter ball with my old driver .. which really was a cheap piece of ****.

Second, these Dunlops seem to fly a bit straighter, which helps on those swings where I don't quite get everything square.

I still do slice at times, and have actually started to hook occasionally (which never used to happen) but I know what's causing it now and can adjust. A month or so ago I couldn't figure out for the life of me how to fix it.

I also have seen a differnence with balls on my driving because that is where the swing flaws are most evident. The harder balls that are made for distance fly straighter than the softer spin balls because of spin. I wouldn't even credit the ball for improving my game that way. I found a ball I was comfortable playing all around. I still slice the crap out of it but it isn't that bad if I remember my setup to compensate for it.