Finding the Right Golf Ball for You
Have you found your golf ball?
This is not a write up to declare which ball is better than the next. That clearly does not exist. Every company has a ball that performs at the tour level, and to each his own. This is to explain the fact that by trial and error, and process of elimination, I’ve finally found the golf ball I plan to stand behind for an extended period of time, and why I plan to do so.
You should do the same.
My Process Then and Now
As a former teaching professional and fake golf enthusiast, I was in touch for a while with how every ball (the Pro V) performed. Then, I got out of the golf business, started playing/enjoying the game again, and decided to branch out and see how other golf balls stacked up. Once again, this is not a knock against any tour ball; it is a push for any of you to find the ball that fits your game the best.
For a long while, I played the Pro V1x. Let’s face it, for about 3-4 years, the only golf ball that seemed to matter or sell to any player under a 20 handicap was the Pro V. The facts were well known:
the Pro V1 spins
the Pro V1x did not
both have a soft feel around the greens and off the clubface.
That being said, the X still had a little too much spin for my liking. As someone who is slightly steep at impact with a relatively low ball flight, and plays a cut…spin comes naturally.
So, for the past couple years, I’ve been tinkering with different sleeves each round, settled on a ball for an extended amount of time here and there, but never stopped looking. My adventures included the Pro V 1 and Pro V 1x, the Taylormade TP5 and TP5X, and finally the Bridgestone Tour BXS and Tour BX.
A Moment of Clarity
EVERY BALL IS A GOOD BALL.
That being said, not every ball is for me. Obviously with the amount of spin I put on a golf ball, I lean towards the “X” category. I still like a ball with the control around the greens and being able to get short wedges to check, stop, or back up, but I have been searching for the ball that wouldn’t rip back 20 feet when I went after an 8 iron from 170.
Found it.
The Tour BX fits my game exactly how I want it to. Touch, feel, distance…check those boxes. Smooth off the clubface…check mark. Workability…yup. “Hit and stop” rather than “rip or jump forward”…yessir. The control I feel I have with this golf ball is EXACTLY what I have been looking for in a ball. I’ve been searching for what fits me, and I’ve finally found it. Well done Bridgestone. And despite what Hackett or Adam Fonseca will tell you, I still have my moments and hit shitty shots…they’re just grasping for more strokes.
(Editor’s note: Tatro is correct and also a potential sandbagger. Lawsuits are pending.)
Now, as I mentioned before, I’m not just trying to pump Bridgestone’s tires (see what I did there), and tell everyone they have to go out and play Bridgestone golf balls, but some of you should. What I’m trying to say is play a number of different balls, from all different companies, and figure out which ball fits YOUR game.
Not anyone else’s game, YOURS.
Some players need more spin into greens, some need less off the tee. What matters to you, doesn’t matter to anyone else. Find a feel or a sound off the clubface, and find a performance to match what you are trying to do with a ball, and play it.
(Adam Tatro is a former PGA teaching professional and collegiate golfer.)
