by Mark Weinfeld
Many experts will tell you that the most important piece of equipment that affects your score is ... the golf ball. Yes the ball. I am a bit skeptical about that comment, but it has been written my many contributors to Golf Magazine or Golf Digest over and over again.
Anyway, I do find it very helpful to use the same balls all the time. You do start to get a feel for them and know how to calibrate you swing on approach shots, have a consistent trajectory on your drives and (in my dreams) control the spin on your wedge shots. So it is safe to say that you need to have a good supply of your brand of balls on hand at all times so that you are not paying the $15 per sleeve price at the course when you realize you have run low.
Some people will only play the 4-dollar a piece Titleist Pro V-1 or Pro V-1x. Some other love the Callaway HX Tour or TaylorMade TP Black balls that are equally expensive. I have found that the ball the performs the best for my game is the modest Nike PD Soft. At less than half the price of the Titleist or Callaway, these balls have been given the highest marks from Golf Digest, Golf and even Consumer Reports. I have found them to be easier to control on approach shots and quite consistent on the greens. Nike also makes a PD Long and a PD Straight version, but since control is a much more pressing issue for me than length, I go with the PD Soft. The Long is a firmer ball and the Straight generates less spin.
But bottom line, even at about $18 a dozen it can get expensive. I have found a better solution. At the Long Beach Golf Show, we ran into Scott and Brian from Golf Balls Only and they sell used balls. These are clearly balls that are purchased from golf courses that have been freshly fished out of water hazards and such. But they are newer balls with the current technology. We have been buying from them now for two years and Ben gets three dozen Pro V-1s for the normal dozen price. I get three dozen Nike PD Softs for $20. All you do is call them and they ship them the next day. They even take credit cards. So far, in two years, we have never been disappointed with the quality or condition of the balls.
Give them a call at 909-921-3155 or 909-238-4597. Sorry, they don't have a website just yet.
My son Ben shot a personal best 4-under, 32 at Skylinks on Monday to "medal" in a varsity high school tournament against Lakewood. Los Alamitos won the non-league match and continues to be tied for the lead in the Sunset Leauge with only one loss.
