Not to fly in the face of convention, but I realized that I have been spending more money on golf balls over my golf career than needed. I have tried a plethora of different balls and settled on Pro Vs for years. With the rise of prices on Pro Vs ($72 a dozen) I am finding it hard to justify spending that much money when there are other options with more value/performance on the market. So yesterday, I decided to conduct my own golf ball experiment. I am not surprised by results!

To set the stage of my experiment, I played the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort which is a 9 hole, par 37, 6000 yard course that challenges our tee and approach shots. The conditions did not change over the course of the round. It was hot, dry and windless. Other than than the tremendous amount of black flies, the conditions of my experiment remained the constant for the 3.5 hours on the links.

For the first 9 holes I hit a Wilson 50 only because it is the ball I usually play at this time of year. My ball travelled its normal distance of 240 yards off the tee and did not disappoint on approach shots. I did miss most greens in regulation, however I was able to get up and down for a very smooth one over par. I found the performance of this low priced ball acceptable for my game. Hence, I did not feel any derogation the results using a cheaper 50 compression ball in the heat.

During the back nine, I switched to a Pro V1. I was hoping to see an increase in distance off the tee and better action around the green. I hit the ball very well off the tee during both rounds with no discernable difference in distance. On my approach shots, I found the Pro V1 had slightly better feel, but the results were not any different. Around the green, my short game did not result in the ball closer to the pin….however, I was able to feel a bit more ‘touch’ on the ball because it was softer. After all my shots, I scored 3 more strokes worse than the front nine. This was not a result of the ball, but poor strokes.

I have concluded that the performance difference between the two golf balls was not enough to justify the $53 difference in price per dozen. As I move forward in my golfing career, the value/performance ratio will continue to be very important. The journey to find the perfect golf ball for my game will not be easy. However, I will keep my eyes open for golf balls that will provide the value need and want. And of course, I will share what I find.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!