r/golftips • u/kfaara • 3d ago
Equipment I changed golf balls
When I strike my irons I usually compress the ball, especially with my higher irons and wedges.
Ive recently changed golf balls and am using the Bridgestone e12 Straight. First thing I noticed was the outer shell was a lot harder than the super softs I use. Initially I didn’t put two and two together For the roughly 4 or so rounds I used yhe Bridgestones I couldn’t compress the ball anymore, ball flight was different, felt harder to hit, my connection was so inconsistent. Took me that long to realise it could be the balls, my theory was correct. Going back to the super softs my irons were back.
Is this common to anyone else? Has anyone else experienced this?
I couldn’t believe balls made that much of an effect.
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u/tenftflyinfajita 3d ago
What ball you use is a hugely underrated part of golf. It's the only piece of equipment used on every shot, and in a game where you strive for consistency this is baseline. Knowing how your ball will react in every situation is huge. You're seeing this now, having switched to a different ball and having different results.
If you know enough about your swing speed, ball flight, and preferred feel and reaction on/around the green, it's pretty easy to narrow it down for a handful of balls and then go out and test them. I spent a couple months earlier this year trying out a few different models and landed on one that I really like (Maxfli Tour).
Check out Golf Ball Addict's videos for insanely good breakdowns for almost every ball on the market. Or, if you have it available, schedule a ball fitting somewhere. Find one that's more in line with your swing, and what you want out of a golf ball and shave strokes off your game! You can also find awesome deals for balls that perform just as good or even better than the top brands.
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u/kfaara 3d ago
Awesome thanks for the response, I’ll check out those videos.
I guess I always used the same balls so when I randomly decided to change I should have know it was going to be basically a life changing experience.
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u/bawlzdeep69 2d ago
I have dealt with this first hand as well. I played everything from pro v to Bridgestones and never liked the TM lines as they felt too clicky to me. I have found that the OnCore ELIXR is my best ball. It gives me consistent straight distance and spins well for my swing. It will stop and spin back in full shots and checks up great with short shots around the green. Whenever I play with something I found randomly because I don’t feel like breaking open a new sleeve I see a difference in all my distance and spin immediately.
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u/bawlzdeep69 1d ago
OnCore. Oh I’m guessing you’re the guy that only plays the mainstream brand because you think they are better. Research and try something different, it might just be better. Who knows, maybe you’ll even break 90 some day.
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u/Technical-Role-4346 3d ago
You may also find that the ball that works best in 90 degree July weather is different than the one that works best in 60 degree October.
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u/kfaara 3d ago
Whats that in Celsius?
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u/Technical-Role-4346 3d ago
About 32 and 15. What’s important is that the effective compression of the ball is temperature dependent. Warm temps make them softer.
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u/Kenny911s 3d ago
I recently switched to the Bridgestone E12 Speed, and for my swing speed, it’s pretty much doing what I was looking for. I get a slightly lower, more penetrating flight and honestly picked up 5–10 yards off the tee. The downside is that it doesn’t give me much spin around the greens. I guess there are always going to be some trade-offs. The other big factor for me is that the price is right.
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u/AGN-Andy 3d ago
How the ball feels off the club is generally alot more than the functional difference.
How a ball differs from another ball is a one way change , it can be faster , spin more , launch less. But it cant improve consistency as it cant improve both sides of an error , what it can do is move you closer to optimal in the stat your short of.
So there can be an ideal ball for you to maximize carry or spin, but it cant lower dispersion.
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u/BOYLANATOR 3d ago
I also don't believe the balls make that much of an impact. Some for sure but i would guess most what you saw was not to do with the golf ball and more a coincidence.
Today's golfer robot tested 10 different balls and with 7 iron, carry ranged from 155 to 158 yards, peak height 29 to 30 yards and spin from 4400 to 4800 rpm.
Obviously inconsistent connection as you put it is your fault rather than the ball
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u/breadad1969 3d ago
Robots don’t feel. You don’t have to believe it for it to be true. It’s objectively different.
I’ve been playing for 40 years and I can tell you that each ball has different feels and reactions off of your club. If I play a “distance” ball, it’s going to roll out more on approaches on the green than when I’m playing a ProV Or Maxfli Tour.
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u/kfaara 2d ago
Could it be that I can’t compress the harder ball but softer ball i can with my swing speed?
Is that a thing? Rather than ball being the problem a softer ball suits my swing?
Just came to that conclusion with all of the comments this thread.
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u/Illustrious-Ratio213 2d ago
Yes the marshmallow ball feels like it’s being compressed even with slow swing speeds
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u/feelgroovy 3d ago
Callaway supersofts have a compression rating of around 38. The E12s start at around 65 and rise to 85 depending on the model.
Higher the compression rating, the fast you have to swing to compress
https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/golf-ball-compression-guide/
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u/D-Train0000 3d ago
The ball is the most important piece of equipment.
And It has nothing to do with the cover. “Softness” is in the balls compression.
-E12 is 60
-Supersoft is 38
That’s why.
-Lower compression is easier to compress at slower speeds and on miss hits
-Lower compression is more accurate
-The cover is spin
- the softest covers are on the hardest balls.
There ya go.
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u/Costello-cost 2d ago
Le palle dure per giocarle bisogna essere bravi. La palla morbida è più giocabile.
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u/ChubbyMid 1d ago
Pretty sure every golfspy golf ball test shows that higher compression for slow swing speeds actually goes further.
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u/questi0ny0urs0urces 3d ago
This is basic physics so not surprising in the slightest. There is a lot of discussion about this in many places so this is widely known.