I've been playing with Maxfli Revolution EXT Softs, and while I like the way they feel off the driver and the putter, they do NOT stick on the greens. There's no "bite". What less expensive balls have you played with that have a good "bite" on the greens? I've played with Titleist XV1s before, and they're simply awesome balls all around (including excellent "bite" on the greens) but I can't afford to buy them.

The best low price ball that I've played are the Top Flite Gamers. They are one of the few 3 piece balls you can get under $20. They check up nicely with wedges as well as iron shots.

My 2 lowest scores I've ever had have been with them, and after trying a box of Srixon Z-Stars, I'm thinking of switching back.

If you keep your eyes open for sales, I've found them at Target for as low as $13 a dozen!

dc8ce wrote:

The best low price ball that I've played are the Top Flite Gamers. They are one of the few 3 piece balls you can get under $20. They check up nicely with wedges as well as iron shots. My 2 lowest scores I've ever had have been with them, and after trying a box of Srixon Z-Stars, I'm thinking of switching back. If you keep your eyes open for sales, I've found them at Target for as low as $13 a dozen!

Cool ... thanks. I'm tired of pitching the ball onto the green, having it hit 10-15 feet on my side of the pin, and then having it roll past the pin and stop 20 feet on the other side.

I actually paid $20 for two boxes of 15 of the Maxfli balls. I'll be using them for a while, as I still have 33 of the things on my golf shelf in the garage. I'll try the Gamers when the Maxflis are gone. I've seen them at Target too.

I currently play the Bridgestone B330-RXS. I can get them for £2 per ball over here, don't know how much they'd be in the states.

Anyway, they stop on a dime!!! My course's greens play 10+ on the stimpometer so I had to get a soft ball in order to be able to land it on the green on a couple of 180+ yard Par 3's. I love the feel and spin on this ball!

RE. cheaper balls, I've heard good things about the Bridgestone e7. Personally I've only hit it a few times and it wasn't as good as the 330-RXS, but I'd need to try it more before writing it off completly.

I'll be completely frank and say that if you want a ball that's going to check better on the greens, you're probably also going to see a more exaggerated slice and less distance on your tee shots.

I'm at a point in my game where I actually prefer balls with less spin. Plus, my swing speed isn't fast enough to properly utilize the three-piece balls. I've learned to try to run my approach shots up to the pin instead of trying to hit the pin with them. I've also been learning how to make better contact by hitting down more on my iron shots to get the ball to check up more. I usually get anywhere from 15' to 30' of roll after landing my iron shots, depending on the course conditions and the club. That's plenty short to keep most of my shots on the green.

I use Callaway Warbird and Callaway Warbird Plus balls. They are usually really cheap. They aren't made to check up on the green, but where my game is right now, I honestly don't get that much better results out of a ProV1...except the ProV1 slices more.

here's a Golf Diget article comparing wedge spin:
http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/hot-list/2010-06/hotlist2010_golfballs_spinchart

SingleDigits wrote:

here's a Golf Diget article comparing wedge spin: http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/hot-list/2010-06/hotlist2010_golfballs_spinchart

That's great stuff. Thanks! Sounds like the best combo of price and spin is the Gamer V2. It also appears the love for the Pro V1 is not misplaced!

Note there are a lot of balls that they didn't review, so it's not comprehensive.

For example, they reviewed the Taylormade Burner but not the Burner LDP, which spins just as much as the Taylormade Black TP (per their article last year). I've gotten the Burner LDP on sale at Walmart for $19.

Here's another thing to consider, it might be how you're hitting the ball. I play with a higher spin ball, but it will stop or release differently depending how I hit it. It also depends on your lie and the conditions of the green.

Try a couple varieties of what you like - a sleeve at a time and - and practice at your local putting/chipping area or par 3. Try different shot types and see what the results are.

I've gotten to the point where if the greens give a little bit (not too soft, not too hard) I can spin a ball back with a 7i-wedge on a full shot and hit a variety of shots from inside 30 yards (check, roll, flop, etc).

Good luck!

the best cheap balls in my opinion are the premium balls bought off ebay slightly used. you can get them for about a buck each if you are not that picky. Titleist prov1's are still the most expensive but IMO most of these 3 or 4 piece tour balls, whether they are nike bridgestone TM callaway etc all perform at about the same level. if you are into mid kind of balls like nxt's or noodles or whatever they have those as well, they're even cheaper. plus it is a form of recycling and you can feel good about it.

Try a sleeve of the Callaway HX Bite, the 2010 version.

I have Bridgestone e5s, which are also a good deal for extra spin, one of the cheapest balls with a urethane cover.

I've been hearing good things about the Nike One Tour. The are identical in performance to Titleist ProV1/ProV1x on the spin test posted above, and the price has been reduced. They are $29.99 on golfsmith right now. That seems like a good deal.

I have always been a big fan of CAllaway HX Hot Bites. Just bought a bucket of them at lostgolfballs.com. Go to that site and you can get the premium balls for a great price. They are also in great shape.