WRX Forum Buzzz
Forum Thread of the Day: “What would happen if PGA Tour players played with a $1 ball?”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from BB28403 who created an interesting hypothetical scenario for our members to discuss. BB28403 asks what GolfWRX members feel would happen if half of the PGA Tour field in an event played a $1 ball, and the rest their usual premium golf balls.
Here’s a look at some of the posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- MattyO1984: “Depends on the course. If they were playing on a links course, I think they could make it work. There aren’t many forced carries, and you can run the ball into the greens. I seem to remember back in the 70’s and 80’s talk of players changing when they came over for The Open for that reason. The harder ball back then would defnitely go further than the old balata’s, and they didn’t need the spin to attack the pins.”
- TheLarch: “There would be zero lost balls. I can lose a new PV1x in the first three holes. A Pinnacle or Top Flite, like Geraldo Rivera, refuses to ever go away.”
- farmer: “Given time to adapt to a Duo or Pinnacle, they would figure out a way to play. Distance not being an issue, maybe irons with weaker lofts to come in softer, run the ball up? Scores would probably go up, but the skill level might overcome the ball limitations.
- GMR: “There would be a lot of shots lost around the greens. When chipping from above the hole, there would be virtually no way to stop the ball on the firm/fast greens they play without some degree of greenside spin. Longer hitters would be disproportionately advantaged by having shorter approaches with some prayer of actually stopping the balls on the greens by hitting high spinny (relatively) wedges into the greens. As mentioned previously it would, of course, depend on the course setup though, as on links courses it would make very little difference given they allow you to run the ball and are generally set up with significantly slower (but still rock hard) greens. On a typical PGA Tour setup though…forget it.”
Entire Thread: “What would happen if PGA Tour players played with a $1 ball?”
In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:
“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly.
My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
- MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
- dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”
Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
In our forums, our members have been reacting to a fitting session involving Mizuno’s Pro M13 and Callaway’s X Forged irons. WRXer ‘careergolfer’ recently went through a full fitting session and shared his numbers and commentary, saying:
“After playing Callaway Apex Pros for the pats 5 years, just went through a full iron fitting and thought the data was interesting enough to share. I’ve seen a lot of posts talking about fittings but not many with actual numbers, so here’s mine.
All 7-iron, same ball, same session. Final two were the ones I was choosing between:
| Club | Ball Speed | Launch | Spin | Side Angle | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current irons | 121.1 mph | 18.3° | 6,691 rpm | 0.7L | 170 | 178 |
| Callaway X Forged | 125.8 mph | 15.9° | 6,144 rpm | 2.2L | 180 | 185 |
| Mizuno M-13 | 125.8 mph | 17.9° | 6,638 rpm | 2.2L | 177 | 182 |
The consistency numbers are what actually made the decision:
| Club | Ball Speed SD | Spin SD | Total Yards SD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current irons | 3.3 | 294 | 5 |
| Callaway X Forged | 2.0 | 211 | 3 |
| Mizuno M-13 | 1.1 | 150 | 2 |
Callaway won on distance by 3 yards but got there with a much lower ball flight (15.9° launch, 6,144 spin). The Mizuno matched my existing flight profile with nearly 3x tighter ball speed consistency.
Fitter also noted I’ve been setting up with a closed face at address to compensate for a heel-heavy dynamic lie. Ordered the M-13s 1° flat to bring impact back to neutral: the theory being if I can set up square, I can actually commit to the release. I’m not sure if this was the right call TBH but took the fitter’s guidance. I’ll see what happens.
Went with the Mizuno. Clubs aren’t in hand yet. Happy to share follow-up data once I’ve played them!”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts in response.
Here are a couple of posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- PowerCobra98: “M13 certainly performed well. Enjoy the new irons once you get them!”
- dmeeksDC: “Two completely different irons. The X Forged is a tour-type iron and would match up with the S3 in the Mizuno lineup. Not going to see a lot of M-13 on pro tours. It’s a crossover iron, three different types of construction in the same set. The M-13 would be more like the AI 150 as the M-13 7 iron is a half-hollow club versus X Forged, which is a straight up forged iron. M-13 middle irons have very thin faces, not holding up well for some buyers if you read through the M-13 thread. Hopefully Mizuno has corrected it. Given the differences in construction, that is surprising ball speed with the X Forged. To me the numbers are quite an endorsement of the X Forged considering it has no ‘tech.'”
Entire Thread: “Mizuno Pro M13 vs Callaway X Forged: My actual fitting numbers – GolfWRXers discuss”
In our forums, our members have been discussing drivers. WRXer ‘Ty-Webb’ is still playing Ping’s G400 LS driver and reaches out to fellow members saying:
“Playing the G400 LS still and wondering if newer is any better? For someone who thinks golf equipment is 90% marketing, change my mind.”
And our members have been weighing in with their top picks in response.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- meliaant: “As someone who graduated from the OG SIM to the Qi10, I can you two things: 1) on-center hits are essentially identical. 2) off-center hits are wildly, absurdly better with newer drivers.”
- Golfingfanatic: “I went from the G400 to the GT2 – probably a wash distance wise from the sweet spot, but much better at handling spin off-center.. would definitely try some new stuff if you can.”
- bluedot: “Given the number of heads and shafts that are available, plus the fact that you’re talking about a 9 yr old club, plus the available fitting technology, the answer is almost certainly yes. Add to that the fact that the Ping LS models are sort of ‘specialized’ drivers, as are the Ping SFT’s; heck, you might need MORE spin! How much better is really the question, and that depends on how well suited the G400 LS is to your swing, and how you will go about finding an alternative.”
Entire Thread: “Has there been a better driver since this Ping release? – GolfWRXers discuss”
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Caroline
Feb 15, 2019 at 7:03 pm
These guys are the best of the best and play at a level beyond any local club champion. You make equipment for the best and you make equipment for the rest that simple. 99.99% of us using this site do not qualify to answer any question concerning how the best players in the world play or what equipment they may or may not use. Play a pro level course set up as pro’s play it, form 7200 plus yards, four days in a row and shoot under 70 all four rounds then start posting about how a pro may or may not play a certain piece of equipment.
bb28403
Feb 15, 2019 at 4:15 pm
Hey thanks for the recognition! Love WRX!!
Rev g
Feb 15, 2019 at 2:04 pm
Definitely would depend on the course conditions. Thick rough and/or firm greens and the pros are definitely going to miss the urethane cover. But a soft course like Pebble and others at AT&T, they would have done better with less spin. The biggest struggle they had last week was too much spin with irons. Courses that are somewhere in between, it probably wouldn’t matter.
Tom
Feb 15, 2019 at 1:24 pm
Tour players do play $1 balls, we pay $4 for the same ball.
Steve2
Feb 15, 2019 at 1:21 pm
There should be a standard ball and standard club just like pro baseball. PGA tour players are rich and can play the best, so they play better than others. This is so wrong as we all should have to play with the same equipment to make it fair. We can’t have players excelling because they are rich enough to afford the best equipment.
Tom
Feb 15, 2019 at 1:16 pm
Gianni is hung like a horse?
Tom
Feb 15, 2019 at 1:13 pm
They already do! Consumers are forced to pay $4 per ball because manufacturers pay players endorsements and advertising. We pick up the tab!
Tom
Feb 15, 2019 at 1:10 pm
Tour players already play with a $1 ball, the rest of us pay $4 per ball because the manufacturers spend so much paying tour player endorsement money and advertising!
Tim
Feb 15, 2019 at 12:41 pm
They would adapt.
Around the green: You would see more bump and run chips with lower lofted clubs. However, short sided flops would be played a touch higher and shorter to allow for roll out. just a touch, it wouldnt be drastic.
Approach shots would be played with a higher trajectory.
Scores would go up a bit, depending on conditions and courses played. Mostly due to the reduced ability to predict roll out on undulating greens on approaches and the increase in the variable that the wind adds when shots are hit higher.
Right now, with urethane balls, they can jam it in below the wind and trust that it will stop where it lands. With Surylyn, they’d have to flight it up a touch more.
I
Feb 15, 2019 at 11:38 am
Hard or Soft $1 ball?
Scott Glynn
Feb 15, 2019 at 11:17 am
I think what would make a more dramatic difference would be playing in less than perfectly manicured conditions, carrying your own bag and having to walk the yardage off from a sketchily measured 150 yd marker
DJ
Feb 15, 2019 at 11:01 am
they’d use the kirkland costco ball and do just fine.
JP
Feb 15, 2019 at 10:19 am
Blowing it out of proportion. I’ve seen guys use range balls on the course and back them up. I’m not saying they’re anywhere near as good, but you can play well with a cheap ball for sure.
~j~
Feb 15, 2019 at 9:31 am
Its not as though a cheap $1 ball has no spin. Certainly enough to hold a green with a mid iron still. And the USGA would be more butthurt than ever watching avg driving distances jump a couple dozen yards thanks to the likes of DJ and company pumping top rock after top rock 400 yds down the middle.