That's a good question. Every ball is different and reacts different when it's hit & when it lands. I have tried Pro V1's and I didn't care for them much. The e6+ was excellent and I'll take it over a Pro V1 any day. High dollar balls like Pro V1's, Nike One, etc. aren't for everyone so, if you try them and they don't work for you why spend the extra money?

Marty, the Titlest ProV and the Nike Platinum and the Callaway HX Tour I as well as most "pricey, Tour Balls are 4 Four piece balls they are designed for low driver spin...distance and lost of Backspin or feel around the green with wedges. Thats what I understand anyway. I know Ro0okie will be able to give you more info as well as links to sites. It takes hi9m some time as he has a crazy work schedule. I would suggest you get ahold of Golf Magazines webb site They did a test on the different types of balls.

I hope this helps..as for guys looking and not posting that has been going on for a long time!

Great post Rookie, But you ended with the very thing I said..It is a preference and that's what you get when you ask a store worker. Even a ball fitting which can tell you good info, still comes down to someone's opinion. Like you said it depends on how much you are willing to spend. A good middle ball will work for most players yet they are talked in to a high dollar ball. Surely a weekend warrior doesn't work the ball enough to matter. Just trying to save guys money.

Even the best equipment cant fix a bad swing. I don't put a lot of money in golf balls and usually look for clearence or sell items. My game is taking shape and once I get my swing under control and my handicap down I'll look at better equipment. Right now I just focus on my game and I have made some progress.

Kevin, it's funny you mention that. When I slice a ball in the deep stuff or in the woods I find all the lost balls EXCEPT for mine ? I just know when I walk away the guy behind me will slice one too and find mine ... LOL . I don't spend $$$ on the good balls but If I find them I have no problem playin them  :-)

You know I actually did my experimenting with golf balls. I wanted to know which ball would work out better for me. I love Nike products and have since I was a kid but I really wanted to know if they make the best golf balls for me. I used to play with whatever I could get cheap. As I got better I bought better. Several months ago I started to experiment. I wanted to know which ball would be as long as I would like off the tee and roll somewhat after that, and at the same time do exactly what I wanted to do short game wise.  I started with the Wilson Staff Fifty-Fifty. I actually liked this ball. It was soft off the tee, rolls well on the green but I had a hard time controlling it on chip shots and shots that I needed to hit high and stop. Next up were the Precept U-Tri Extra Distance. I actually hated this ball the most for some reason. Didn't do anything for me. Then I tried the Top Flite Freak. Very long ball off the tee, but for short game it didn't appeal to me. It would drop and roll too far. Then I went to the Nike Ignite. This was at that point the longest ball I had hit. Tremendous roll on the fairway and  not too shabby in the short game either. The Callway HX Hot Bite was next, long ball off the tee. Great control on the green. Leaves one gigantic divot. I was surprised this ball spun out of the divot actually. Putts great as well. Last but not least was the Nike One Black. I hit my longest drive ever with this ball (335 yards). Off the fairway I was able to do exactly what I wanted to do with this ball. It gets high when I need it to and comes down nice and soft. Needed spin....got spin. This is my ball. I was told on Monday that the Nike One Platinum or the Callway Tour I are the best golf balls for me by my instructor.

My two cents.......play the ball that plays WITH you and not against you.

I haven't tried the Gamer yet but, I do have a 2-ball sleve I want to try as soon as I can get to the course & I'll let you know what I think of them

I feel the right ball will help your game. as to lower scores thats up to the individual. It seems much has been made of the ball characteristics of late. If you are a hacker 30 like me you need a ball the will go far, and may be even stay in the fairway. Why because we need a ball that the cover is tougher so as not to develop spin and allow the ball go far!! Kinda like someone wrote "Hulk smash ball!!!" The better player those with lower handicaps and THE ABILITY TO WORK THE BALL!!! such as draw or fade on demand and not luck!! spin around the green and with high lofted clubs. I have read about Bridgestone doing ball fittings, I don't know much about it because we don't get a lot of stuff like that in Hawaii as we have no large golf retailers. It seems they see how you swing and hit then match you with a ball with the right characteristics for you.

I guess its like getting fitted for the right clubs, its more than length, The pro at the local Muni is a certified Fitter for Taylor Made and he has fitted a couple of people I play with one woman went from a 34 to a 23 in six months so the confidence factor comes in to play. If you are confident with your equipment I feel you play better goes for the right ball.

As has been said many times in many ways you gotta be comfortable with you stuff.

KevinB & Marty, THANKS!! I'm going to try a new ball. The E6+ is first on my agenda. Been using the Titelist XT's and the Callaway Bertha's. My course doesn't sell Bidgestone, but I know a store that does. How about Srixon balls??

bogeyochs

I'm almost a single digit handicaper and I'll be honest.

To me playing the prov1's vs the gamer and the e6, I find no difference.

All these years and I finally realized that unless your Tiger Woods the only difference in balls are the three I just mentioned check up more then the Callaway Xhot, have not tried the xhot bite yet.

I'm currently using the e6 and can hit it 300 yds or more and it checks up nice, no reason to spend $50 bucks. Just my opinion.

Alan that HX Hot Bite checks up pretty nicely. I play this ball a lot more lately. The only thing I don't like is that it leaves a monster size divot in the green! I keep forgetting to take my camera phone so people can see what I mean by that. Chip shots with the right touch hit the green and seemingly stick to the green. Wonderful ball for sticking shots close to the pin.

MegaDad

Yep, work sux.., next weekend I will try the HX Bite. I'll let you know. I do like Callaway's, it's just the E6+ is $23.99, priced a little better. Demo time....

You're welcome, bogey! I'd definitely recommend the e6+ for high-, or even mid-handicappers, who want some extra distance off the tee. I also forgot to mention that I drove the Bridgestone  slightly straighter than my Pinnacle FX Soft.

Of course, I'm envious about your ability to hole out with your intermediate irons! LOL Do you give lessons?

Yep, I agree with you Gary. I lack the confidence to play with high dollar balls, even when I find them, and I get upset when I lose them , even if I found them..That is why I recommend the 'Gamer' or Bridgestone E6+...

The more the ball spins after contact the more things can go wrong.

Gary, I have always felt that by using a old or cheaper ball I am being somewhat of a defeatist and giving up. By using a good ball I have confidence in I gain confidence in my ability. Or I just say water, what water?

The best ball I have played so far has been the e6+. I have tried ProV1's and they just didn't work for me, why I'm not sure ? The e6+ had very little side spin and I was able to keep it in the fairway. I only had a sample 2 ball sleve and I haven't purchased any e6+ although I really should.

This has been an interesting read, as someone said early in the discussion.  I've hit a lot of different three piece balls.  The most inexpensive was the Tour JD (for John Daly) that was made by Dunlop.  I'm not sure if they make that anymore.  It was a decent ball, lasted a long time.  There is the HX Hot, as everyone has said, which has been my ball of choice recently, and I like it much better than the Bertha.  I was able to buy a dozen Tour 56, and played that when I played this year, loved the ball.  I've also played the Tour Deep by Ben Hogan, which is a good ball but it bruises easily and has a very soft cover, or just thin one.

I haven't hit Bridgestone, Srixon, or Nike, but the Nike performance series plays like some of the three piece balls of other manufacturers, so I'm sure I would like the Nike balls.  I've liked three piece balls for a long time, just because I seemed to get better results with them than I did with two-piece balls.

I agree with everyone that has opined that you should play the ball that is best for your game.  I'm one of those that does not try to spin the ball on the green, but I am one of those that knows how to hit quite a number of shots and I can usually hit soft shots, cuts, fades, and draws when I want to.  I've been known to hit a high spin shot every now and then, as well as the explosion shot.  And I have been practicing hitting the ball different heights.  If only I could put everything together now.  I do have a spin shot that I have practiced, but I have never known when to incorporate it during a round.  I think it has helped playing with the three piece balls.

But I may be asking for too much right now, I fractured a bone in my right foot recently, June 3rd, and just recently had the cast I was sporting removed (I was practicing my golf swing, made a lateral movement, and the foot stopped rolling over, and popped - boy did that hurt!). There is still a little pain when I tap my foot to a beat, and when I take normal strides, but it is better than it was last month.  At least I can stand on the whole foot now.

tacjet, weclome to the posts !

tacjet, I too played the pro v1 and nike one black and switched to the callaway hx tour just for that reason.  Durability!  (and a bit more distance I might add).  They were a tad hard I admit and now I love playing callaway's ix which replaced the hx tour.  They have the right amount of softness, are still durable and provide the right amount of spin, distance and feel for my walkabouts.  You might give them a try. 

Cheers from the Pacific NW!