Choose a Golf Ball and Stick With It
The easiest variable to control
Every serious golfer is chasing the same thing. Repeatability.
And this repeatability we hope, will come from eliminating variables in our golf game.
We work tirelessly to reduce the variability in every facet of our game. Our pre-shot routine. Our takeaway. Our putting stroke. All in hopes of squeezing just a few more good shots out of the round.
And then we reach into our golf bag and grab whatever ball our hand touches first…
You may be one of the few amateur golfers who doesn’t do this. And if that’s the case, I salute you. But far too often I see golfers playing with multiple different golf ball brands throughout the round.
They open with a Pro V1x off the first tee, switch to a Chrome Soft after losing the first one, and then somehow finish the round with a Vice ball? And also who hit this Kirkland?
You need to understand this:
The golf ball is the only piece of equipment in play on every single shot.
It is the one variable you can absolutely control!
Driver through putter. Every surface. Every lie. Every distance. It’s the common denominator of your entire game. It’s the one constant and should receive your most disciplined attention.
A Wise Old Man Once Told Me
Back when I first started playing golf, an older gentleman — mid-seventies maybe — noticed me on the practice green. I was chipping with a completely random assortment of balls. Different brands, different scuff marks, different everything. He approached me and asked why.
I was around 25 at the time, and probably said something to the effect of “Uh I don’t know uh durrr”.
He said “Well when I practice chipping, I use the exact same balls I use to play with in an actual round. I know how these ones roll out and how they behave on the green. I refuse to use anything different.”
You know how some old men are. Particular in a way that borders on OCD. Every piece of equipment has a reason. At 25 I thought it was a little much. But his words really stuck with me. And since, I’ve tried to become OCD about it as well.
That conversation ended my multi-ball practice era on the spot. I switched to Bridgestone, and I haven't chipped or putted with anything else since (for the most part). Sure, there are times where I’m low on balls and want to get a couple practice putts in, so I use something different. But that’s the exception. I’m usually pretty good about keeping my bag stocked with the same ball at all times.
If I’m going to use it when I play, I want to use it when I practice.
Now, I'm not telling you that a mixed bag of scuffed range balls is going to ruin your short game. What I am telling you is that there is no possible scenario in which it helps.
Consistency is king.
Side note: If anyone is curious, these are the Bridgestones I used for a long time. I originally bought them because I thought they were a good price. But I’ve grown to really enjoy them and it’s what I expect to hit and feel every time I play.
They are also still a great price. (Since writing this Amazon may have discontinued them.)
How Different Golf Balls Behave
I’m not really a big golf ball nerd and data guy, as evidenced by me using those Bridgestones, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand how much some balls can vary from others.
You may not even be able to necessarily tell the difference in some ways, but that’s irrelevant. What matters is if there’s any variability at all. Because your goal in golf is to reduce all variability in your game — and the golf ball is the easiest one to fix.
If you want to check out a good thread, check out this question I posted to X. I asked everyone
At what handicap level do you believe golfers start to seriously notice a difference in golf balls?
There were as many different answers as there are golf balls.
We know that different golf ball models are built to behave differently, by design. That means even if your swing is identical, the result will not be. Testing has shown that different ball models can produce 10+ yard differences off the driver and meaningful gaps with irons at identical swing speeds.
