Ball Testing

[Stuart]

Over the past month I have been testing a series of balls to see if there really is any difference for my game. No idea if anyone else is really interested in the results, but I'll include them below anyway.

Balls Tested

• Callaway ChromeSoft
• Callaway ChromeSoft X
• Srixon Z-Star
• Srixon Z-Star XV
• Taylor Made TP5
• Taylor Made TP5x
• Titleist ProV1
• Titleist ProV1x
• Titleist AVX
• Vision Red
• Vision Blue

[3Puttpete]

What does the test involve?

[Stuart]

I started with putting. Generally, I don't really think you should ever pick a ball based on putting alone, but I had to start somewhere. I did 'dark' testing, whereby I tried putting the balls at night with the main lights off. This means that I couldn't actually identify the ball, but I could see it well enough to hit accurately. The only real basis for this test was 'feel', and whether I liked it or not.

After I hit each ball, I ranked it as either good, neutral or bad. After four rounds, I found that I was quite consistent in my 'likes' and 'dislikes' in terms of feel. The rankings on putting finished as:

Worst:

• Vision Blue
• Srixon Z-star XV

Middle:

• Taylor Made TP5 and TP5X
• Vision Red
• Callaway ChromeSoft X

Best

• Srixon Z-Star
• Callaway ChromeSoft
• Titleist ProV1, ProV1x and AVX

[Stuart]

What does the test involve?

Its coming ...

[Stuart]

Things started to become a bit more technical after the putting round. Over a period of a month I spent a couple of sessions each week around the practice green hitting a variety of chips, flop shots, short pitches, bunker shots etc. I identified 10 consistent spots, and then hit shots from that spot with each of the balls repeatedly.

I then measured the roll-out from point of hitting the green (as best I could estimate it) to final finishing spot. The biggest factor, to be honest, was the quality of my ball-strike, so I excluded any significant mishits. The actual numbers are irrelevant, as it obviously depended upon what type of shot it was, but the idea was to identify not just which balls spun the most, but which ones spun the most consistently (for me).

The balls which spun the most were the Titleist ProV1, ProV1x and Srixon Z-Star, while the ball that spun the least was the Vision Blue.

However, my most consistent performances, in terms of spinning consistently, were the Callaway ChromeSoft and the Titleist AVX. For whatever reason, they were very consistent in how far they ran after hitting the green from all lies. The balls that spun more would occasionally 'grab' and stop faster than I though, which I know is a sign that I probably just hit them a bit better, but it lead to greater dispersion. Conversely, I couldn't get enough spin on the Vision Blue for some of the shorter shots. Therefore, the rankings on short game were:

Worst

• Vision Blue

Middle

• Taylor Made TP5 and TP5X
• Srixon Z-Star and Z-star XV
• Callaway ChromeSoft X
• Titleist ProV1 and ProV1x
• Vision Red (did surprisingly well)

Best

• Callaway ChromeSoft
• Titleist AVX

[Stuart]

The final stage was on-course. I have found that Friday afternoon at 2.00pm is the perfect time for single golf. There is a women's comp in the morning, and then social players come out at about 4.00pm, but the course is almost entirely empty for about 2 hours. So I have been hitting 4-5 balls off every tee and then specifically testing 7 iron and wedge distances into greens.

I used my Garmin X40 to measure the total driving distance. My first finding was that pretty much every ball goes about the same distance off the tee. Hit them well enough, and there was really not much difference in total distance. As it worked out (after excluding mishits), the Vision Red was about 10 metres shorter on average than the others. All the rest were about the same (within a few metres), with the Titleist AVX nominally the longest on average. Funnily enough though, the longest drive I measured was by the Titleist ProV1x, even though it was actually towards the bottom in terms of averages. The final results (just in terms of distance) was:

• Vision Red
• Callaway ChromeSoft X
• TaylorMade TP5X
• Titleist ProV1X
• TaylorMade TP5
• Srixon Z Star
• Srixon Z Star XV
• Vision Blue
• Titleist ProV1
• Callaway ChromeSoft
• Titleist AVX

The one other observation I would make is that the Titleist AVX and Vision Blue were the two 'straightest' in terms of fairways hit. The Vision Red sadly didn't do well in terms of accuracy either, but, again, the rest of the field was fairly much clumped together. The Vision Blue did well in terms of overall accuracy and distance, but if I had to pick a ball just for driving, the Titleist AVX would just win from the ChromeSoft.

[Ferrins]

I'm a fan of night putting in the dark although it can lead to possible eye injuries.

[Daves]

I am a fan of the Chromesoft for pretty the same reasons that you like it. I use the Truvis version as I find the markings help me 1) focus on the ball and 2) the roll pattern is helpful with fine tuning the Putting Stroke and 3) it is usually easier to find most of the time. Must try an AVX to compare.

[Stuart]

In terms of 7-iron testing, we have a few par 3s that are around 150 metres, and I also got into the habit of just dropping some balls at the 150 metre marker on the other holes. First test was pure distance in the air (which I tried to measure by using the pitch mark). What was interesting here was the Titleist AVX - it was around 5 metres longer on average than any other ball. The Vision Blue was second, just, and then the rest bunched up, before the Vision Red again at the back by about 3 metres. The ProV1 and ChromeSoft were probably the most consistent in terms of hitting the 'same' distance each time, but again, my lack of ability was by far the bigger factor.

However, I had a two balls that were quite inconsistent in terms of how much they ran out after pitching. These were the Vision Blue and TaylorMade TP5X. I hit the ball (too) high, so mostly all of the balls hit and stop. But both of those balls would seem to randomly run out about 5 metres sometimes. I assume that it was something to do with my strike, but it only really seemed to affect those two. Having said that, give me a longer period and more data points, and this would probably disappear.

In terms of accuracy, I really can't separate them. That was totally down to my strike and nothing to do with the ball.

[Stuart]

Final test was wedge shots. This is a bit of an Achilles heel for me - I spin the ball way too much. I hit a series of 100 to 120 metre wedge shots, and I found that the balls I have tended to use in the past (ProV1 and Z-Star) are reasonable but not optimal for me. On a few greens that slope from back to front, I would regularly spin the ball back off the front. The worst offender here was the ProV1x. I simply could not control the spin. I fully accept that is my swing faults, but it just didn't work for me. On one flat green, the ProV1x was nearly 10 metres (14 paces) behind the pitch mark, and consistently the ball was at least 10-15 feet from where it pitched.

The best ball was the AVX, with the Vision Blue just behind. Both of these balls hit the green and pretty much stopped dead (i.e. ball was within a few feet of the pitch mark). The ChromeSoft did fairly well, but wasn't as good as the front two. The ProV1 and Z-Star were both mid-field, but their best aspect was their consistency. Funnily enough, I didn't like the ChromeSoft X at all. Some would spin excessively, and then others wouldn't. The Vision Red was good in this test, and while shorter than the Blue, was almost as consistent. It certainly spun more, but not enough to be problematic.

My overall rankings for the wedge shots is difficult. I would probably just say that the ProV1x was the worst performer for me, while the AVX and Vision Blue were the best. The rest were all in varying degrees of acceptable, but none really stood out.

[Stuart]

A few important points:

• As background, I currently play off 10, but played off low-mid single figures before life got in the road. I now mostly just play social golf due to time constraints with work and kids etc. I think I have played around 4 comp games in the past two years, but get out for nine holes most weeks.
• To give some context to swing speed, I was fitted for a new driver last year and my driver speed was between 110-115 mph (average 114, with one topping out at 117). I was trying to swing normally for the fitting, so it is probably fairly close to the mark.
• I have significant swing flaws that mean these results may be completely irrelevant for you. I have a combination of excessive spin and high launch, which makes my local pro turn to the drink. Therefore, a ball that works for me tends to be one that has lower spin characteristics.

[Stuart]

Summary - I am going to start using the AVX for a month and see how it goes. I wasn't expecting that result, as I have been using Callaway ChromeSofts for a while, and really liked them. However, I would say that the AVX outperforms it in most categories (albeit by fairly small margins at times). I have since done some reading, and people have spoken about the AVX lacking spin around the green. I didn't see this - it didn't perhaps spin as much as the ProV1x, but it spun more than enough and was actually more consistent for me.

If you struggle with excess spin, or hit the ball too high, the AVX would be worth trying. The ChromeSoft is also an excellent ball, and I didn't see any of the reported distance loss than Mygolfspy commented on (in fact, it was one of the longest balls).

Conversely, if you need more spin, the Z-star or ProV1x would be worth looking at. The TaylorMade TP5 / TP5X and the Titleist ProV1 were all solid balls, without wowing me in any way. I could easily play them though and I doubt my score would change at all. The other ball that is worth considering is the Vision Blue - if you want a reasonably priced ball that goes both fairly long and fairly straight, it fits the bill. For me, it doesn't spin enough around the green, and I didn't like the way it felt off the putter, but other than that, it was generally a good performer.

[Stuart]

I am a fan of the Chromesoft for pretty the same reasons that you like it. I use the Truvis version as I find the markings help me 1) focus on the ball and 2) the roll pattern is helpful with fine tuning the Putting Stroke and 3) it is usually easier to find most of the time. Must try an AVX to compare.

Definitely worth a try - they are also available in yellow (although I didn't test that colour). Of course, what works for me may not work for you, but I am glad I tried them out.

[Stuart]

As an example of wedge spin, below is a video of a ChromeSoft spinning back on our fifth hole last year. The video angle is not great, but that ball is spinning back about 5-10 foot from the pitch mark. The ProV1x spins much more than this.

[markTHEblake]

i have tried testing golf balls often but I could never hit two shots the same to compare properly. So I just try a ball, and I either like it or I dont

[Bigbad]

If you struggle with excess spin, or hit the ball too high, the AVX would be worth trying. The ChromeSoft is also an excellent ball, and I didn't see any of the reported distance loss than Mygolfspy commented on (in fact, it was one of the longest balls).

Wouldn't the better thing to do be to go see someone? Without sounding like a jerk I don't think a change in ball would do that much for you. If you're a high spin player, it probably means you've got a steep AoA at impact. I went to see someone just last year about getting my ball flight down as well as my spin rate, and the pro said to move the ball position slightly more forward in my stance, then gave me a drill on flattening out my attack angle. Learning to play shots that knock spin off is also valuable, like taking a slightly longer club and hitting it at 3/4 rather than a full wedge.

[Jazz18]

Summary - I am going to start using the AVX for a month and see how it goes. I wasn't expecting that result, as I have been using Callaway ChromeSofts for a while, and really liked them. However, I would say that the AVX outperforms it in most categories (albeit by fairly small margins at times). I have since done some reading, and people have spoken about the AVX lacking spin around the green. I didn't see this - it didn't perhaps spin as much as the ProV1x, but it spun more than enough and was actually more consistent for me.

If you struggle with excess spin, or hit the ball too high, the AVX would be worth trying. The ChromeSoft is also an excellent ball, and I didn't see any of the reported distance loss than Mygolfspy commented on (in fact, it was one of the longest balls).

Conversely, if you need more spin, the Z-star or ProV1x would be worth looking at. The TaylorMade TP5 / TP5X and the Titleist ProV1 were all solid balls, without wowing me in any way. I could easily play them though and I doubt my score would change at all. The other ball that is worth considering is the Vision Blue - if you want a reasonably priced ball that goes both fairly long and fairly straight, it fits the bill. For me, it doesn't spin enough around the green, and I didn't like the way it felt off the putter, but other than that, it was generally a good performer.

Given what you said about your flight, I'm not surprised at all that the AVX works for you. It definitely goes further with irons due to it's flatter flight for me too. I liked it a lot when I tried it but it just wasn't consistent enough for me with driver. The distance dispersion with driver was much higher than with other balls because it would just fall out of the sky when I caught it high on the face. I'd get the old knuckler that doesn't go anywhere.