something that has reoccurred numerous times over the years that I've been playing and practicing golf is that I've noticed an inordinate number of my 'best' shots occurring with Titleist balls, both full shots and short chips.

to be clear, I've never purchased Titleist balls. ever. nor have I ever really looked towards Titleist as a preferred OEM, balls or otherwise. if anything, I've wanted to try other stuff since Titleist seems to stand as a de facto benchmark, particularly with balls, and I have a tiny, but distinct aversion to assimilation in me somewhere beneath the otherwise cookie cutter, anglo, middle-class picket fence exterior. nothing serial-killer extreme, mind you, but it's there, quietly smoldering.

anyhoo, the few Titleist balls, regardless of model, that have meandered their way into the ball pocket of my golf bag by the usual means continue to vie for my attention whenever they are plucked out, either holing themselves out on practice chips or rolling deep into the center of the fairway off the tee, as if they can't stand another day of rubbing dimples with the lowly 99%er Top-Flites that are crowding up against them.

seems like nearly every time I walk up to retrieve the balls closest to the pin on chipping green or address a short approach shot after a particularly good drive, its the cursive "T" staring back up at me rather than the printed one.

okay Titleist, you've made your point.

I started playing Titleist balls when I discovered you can get X-outs at Walmart for $10/dozen. Usually 9 "DT"s and 1 sleeve on NXTs

Nice post, DoH! Hope it works out well for you.

I've tried the NXT Tour and Tour S, Velocity, SoLo etc and those are fine but not overly impressive to me, but the ProV's are fantastic.

I used to never play the ProV's, felt I wasn't good enough to spend that money, that they were for experts, etc. I once had a sleeve of ProV1's I won in a raffle and couldn't bring myself to use them for almost a year. However, I broke down this year and purchased and played a few dozen. I buy them at Dick's Sporting Goods where you can get the previous year model at discount. I've horded up a few dozen and saving for better courses and weather.

But on a course with the winter leaves and stuff, I'm playing cheap balls most of the time to try and save cost (loss). For that the Top Flight D2+ Feel is good and if they get lost so what. Plus, to be honest, I kind of like telling my partners I'm playing one just to get a reaction out of some of the those guys who are snobby about "Rock Flights".

My old favorite all-around ball was the Callaway Chrome, a fine ball but almost as expensive as Titleist so I may switch to the ProV1x. You hear that you should stick to one ball type to take that variable out of the equation, but I haven't committed to that yet.

Also, a story from a recent round:

Was playing in a 4 man captains choice with my boss and two of his friends. I think I was the D player, the other guys were I suspect all single digit players probably 2 up to 9 hcp. I was having a good day though and striking the ball well, keeping up with those guys for the most part. One thing I noticed, and a lot of it is technique, but their shots were all checking on the greens much better. A couple times I hit a nicely struck full wedge or short iron and mine released a lot when the others checked up. They would say something like "There, again - why didn't that check? You pinched it well, that's weird...". Well one difference was it was my swing and might not have the same technique, but the other difference was they all were playing a ProV1 and I was playing the Velocity cheaper Titleist distance ball.

One thing i've noticed about titleist balls --- and i've sworn off Titleist for a while but always keep coming back --- Is that they're remarkably consistent. not just in ball flight and playability, but in the way they're made. I've tried callaway, srixon, nike, taylormade, and bridgestone balls. All of them, the top of the line $45 per dozen PRO ball. What i noticed is that only one - titleist - puts their markings in the same position in relation to the dimple pattern every single time. No lie. Either i'm extremely lucky and it's an odd coincidence but when i mark my ball, i always use the same dimples, in the same exact spot. It's uncanny. With the other balls, they're marked wherever.

Just an observation.

ProV and ProV1 are great balls but I do not like throwing a 5 dollar bill in every pond I pass.

to be fair, it may simply be that the majority of the strays I pick up, usually out of the range basket, are Titleists cause that's what people play, meaning that I don't have a lot of Bridgestone/Taylormade/Callaways, etc but my experience is in fact a bit of a blind test- when I practice short game, I usually grab a handful of balls out and don't realize that the ball that performed the best was a Titleist until I go to retrieve them.

additionally, when I play a round, I usually pull 3 balls out of the bag and put them in my pocket.

oftentimes I don't check to make sure that they're all D2+'s and so invariably a Titleist will sneak in there and get teed up occasionally. this last round, my best drive of the day and f/u shot which resulted in my first ever legit GIR -1, was a Titleist. a distance one, I think ('Extreme' was printed on it), but a Titleist nonetheless. however, I've had experience with a couple of Pro V's in the past finding the fairway deep as well. this was never the case with the only other Premium ball that I tried briefly - 2 sleeves of Nike One Platinums that I got as a gift for subscribing to Golf Magazine.

in any event, the Titleist ones have popped up frequently enough on good shots where I think I might gain at least the benefit of a mental placebo knowing that the ball I'm hitting is 'lucky/magic' or whatever by stocking solely Titleists. we'll see... I'm thinking about picking up some recycled NXT's on ebay for cheap.

Duke, I fell in with the Titleist balls years ago, just something about the way they felt when struck, especially putting. Then I went to Bridgestone, excellent ball. But as I started seeing more and more about ball testing, I decided to do some testing myself. It didn't take long to come back to Titleist, as they were giving me consistently better scores. I figure better scores and a lower handicap are worth the few dollars more. I use the Prov1x, but the NXT Tour and Tour S are great balls. Good Luck.

Like the OP, I resisted Titleist Pro V1/V1x for years. Could not believe any ball could be that much better, nor did I want to be like everyone else. I played top of the line Callaway Tour is/iz and then later, Bridgestone B330RXS balls. Both were excellent. Good distance, very nice around the greens. During the couple few years I played these balls I got much better.

Finally, one day I found a virtually new Titleist Pro V1x and stuck it in my pocket. Later in the round I hit my regular ball out of play or something and reached in and pulled out the Titleist rather than go back to the cart to get another of my regulars. I hit a great shot into the green, similar to many others I have hit, but this one actually stopped dead after one bounce. I said, "hmmm, that's interesting." So I continued to use the ball and played the rest of the round loving the way the Pro V1x performed. I have not looked back since.

I don't care that everyone else plays this ball. It really is an exceptional ball particularly around the greens. And the "one hop and stop" technology is not hype. If you know how to hit down on the ball and strike it properly with your short irons and wedges, this ball does what it says. I have backed this ball up from 140 yards out. I rarely backed up a ball before playing a Pro V1x. Granted, I'm a better player than I used to be, but the backing up of balls did not become a regular thing until I started playing Titleist Pro Vs.

It has been my experience that Pro v balls require a lot more swing speed than I can generate. They feel like rocks to me. With that in mind I have been leaning toward softer balls. If you can believe the industry hype that is the suggested type for my age bracket (old). I have been trading Pro v,s for Noodles and such for a few years. If I,m wrong please offer your opinions so I can adjust my thinking. I find all brands on the course and have a large collection to choose from.

joe jones wrote:

It has been my experience that Pro v balls require a lot more swing speed than I can generate. They feel like rocks to me. With that in mind I have been leaning toward softer balls. If you can believe the industry hype that is the suggested type for my age bracket (old). I have been trading Pro v,s for Noodles and such for a few years. If I,m wrong please offer your opinions so I can adjust my thinking. I find all brands on the course and have a large collection to choose from.

I played a round recently with a golfer who said that same exact thing. And during that round I traded him some found Noodles for found ProV1's. Maybe look into Wilson Staff 50/50, Duo, and FG Tour. Those are about the softest feeling i have tried.

joe jones wrote:

It has been my experience that Pro v balls require a lot more swing speed than I can generate. They feel like rocks to me. With that in mind I have been leaning toward softer balls. If you can believe the industry hype that is the suggested type for my age bracket (old). I have been trading Pro v,s for Noodles and such for a few years. If I,m wrong please offer your opinions so I can adjust my thinking. I find all brands on the course and have a large collection to choose from.

Joe, I think you are doing yourself a disservice. Titleist PRO V balls are not about swing speed. The different qualities built into all Titleist balls are for performance purposes, not necessarily distance related. The Pro V is a 4 part ball. Maybe that's why it feels like a rock to you (though that should make it NOT feel like a rock), I can't say for sure. But what little I know about your game tells me that you have been at it for a long time. My assumption is that, by now, your short game is pretty good. Better than most. And THAT is where a PRO V really shows its merit. Low scores are not about an extra 5 or 10 yards off the driver. Low scores happen when you have excellent control from 125 yds and in.

Yes, swing speed does make a big difference in how far you hit the ball, but you are never going to hit the ball 300 yards with a slower swing speed, no matter what ball you play. My guess is that if you hit your noodle on the screws and a Titleist Pro V side by side exactly the same, with the same swing speed, yes, you might see a few yards difference. 5, max 10 yds. And though 10 might seem like a lot, it is not nearly as game changing as having a ball that does what you tell it to do once you are closer to the green. THAT, in my opinion, is so much more important.

I see so many older folks who have been playing this game for years and have the most repeatable swings---putts, chips, pitches and full swings---yet, play any type ball they find. It makes no sense to me. If you are that consistent with your swing from playing for so many years, why would you then add a variable to the equation by playing all different reacting types of balls? Pick one and stick to it and take that concern out of the equation. That is why I picked Pro V1x. If I contact it properly, I know what to expect after lots of practice and experience with the ball. Even if people choose not to play a Pro V, once your game becomes pretty consistent, particularly your short game, playing one ball all the time is a no brainer.

If you called Titleist and asked for a recommendation of the best ball in their line for a serious golfer, they would not ask you what your swing speed is. According to them, ALL their balls from bottom of the market to the Pro V, are withing a few yards of each other, no matter what the swing speed might be.

Thank you for the response. This was exactly the kind of information I was looking for. You surely have heard the expression" You can't appreciate the problems I have until you have walked in my shoes". I have written often about our continuing search for the Magic Wand even when we know it probably doesn't exist.
I find myself unable to reach some of the longer par fours and par fives because I lack that extra 10 to 15 yards from the tee and fairways. My short game is good but it would be nice to putt for birdies once in a while. I now have a driver that gives me extra distance and I am switching to a Adams five wood with a 44" shaft for an additional 10 yards. I will try your ideas to see if it helps. This whole dumb game is based upon confidence so every little bit helps.

Most of the major ball manufacturers advertise their ball as being longer than competitors. Titleist has made a lot of money using that type of advertising. I have an innate distrust of all claims. Many years ago I did maintenance work at the Acushnet ball manufacturing plant in Illinois and found that the 80-90-& 100 compression balls all came off the same assembly line. They were qualified for distance by a Durometer hardness testing station and automatically sorted through 3 individual finishing lines for stamping. 80s to the left (red-red) 90s to the center (black -red) and 100s to the right (black-black). These were then packaged and sold at 3 different price structures. Cheap-moderate and expensive.The fact that no effort to check for roundness also bothered me. Most of the better players in those days carried a ball ring to check all balls to see if they were playable. There is a whole bunch of hypocrisy in ball manufacturing. It,s a very competitive business.

joe jones wrote:

Most of the major ball manufacturers advertise their ball as being longer than competitors. Titleist has made a lot of money using that type of advertising. I have an innate distrust of all claims. Many years ago I did maintenance work at the Acushnet ball manufacturing plant in Illinois and found that the 80-90-& 100 compression balls all came off the same assembly line. They were qualified for distance by a Durometer hardness testing station and automatically sorted through 3 individual finishing lines for stamping. 80s to the left (red-red) 90s to the center (black -red) and 100s to the right (black-black). These were then packaged and sold at 3 different price structures. Cheap-moderate and expensive.The fact that no effort to check for roundness also bothered me. Most of the better players in those days carried a ball ring to check all balls to see if they were playable. There is a whole bunch of hypocrisy in ball manufacturing. It,s a very competitive business.

Joe:
Things are not like that in modern times. Technology is pretty damn advanced these days. Ball manufacturers don't pay PGA Tour players to play their ball, with the exception of a few big names, yet 80% of Tour players play Titleist. There is a reason for that. Hype is one thing, but actual results are another and that is why so many choose the PRO V models.

However, my point here is really not about selling you on Titleist. Play what works best for YOUR game, but PLAY THE SAME BALL! After my last post to you, I happen to come upon this info from Titleist regarding ball selection and thought you might find it enlightening.

http://www.titleist.com/golf-ball-fitting/

Joe, I just feel that someone like you, who has developed a consistent game over the years (and like most mid to lower handicappers) should not be adding any more variables than necessary by playing whatever they happen to find in the woods. All ball brands and models react slightly (to greatly) different when struck with the same swing. Other than a super low score, isn't consistency what we all strive to achieve in this game? Isn't that partly what leads to confidence on the golf course?

Thanks Doug. Another great post. You have provided me with all the information my brain can comprehend. If you go back to my Golfer of the week article they asked what I hoped to achieve. Two answers. Shooting my age again and getting back some of the distance I have lost. They go hand in hand. We all search for the holy grail and will try anything to find it. I have been playing Noodle for about a year. It appears that a NXT ball might be my nest choice. If you look at my scores I am so consistent it's boring. The numbers don't tell the whole story however.When my short game is on I score well. Eliminating big numbers is fine and keeps me in the game. I just am hoping to take some of the strain off the short game. Being a bit longer(not a whole lot) would help push back the sands of time. Thanks again.