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Of course! Golf balls make a huge difference in terms of feel, spin, and trajectory.

The best way to determine which works best for you is to just go try a bunch on the course. The main areas you need to look at are: 1) Driver distance, 2) amount of spin on wedge/short iron shots, chips and pitches, and 3) feel off the putter.

Basically you want a ball that goes a long way but still has good "chew" on greenside scoring shots. I can't stand playing "distance" balls with no spin because I hit chips and pitches expecting them to check up, and they just roll out 15 feet past the hole.

Only problem is, good balls cost money. Now, most companies DO sell "Practice" versions of their top-line ball; these balls may have minor factory defects that are basically inconsequential to most players. And of course, they're cheaper.

I'll tell you a brand I've been liking though, and that's Bridgestone. I've hit their B-330RX and it's great. I have a good swing, but I don't swing quite as fast as a Tour player, and the RX was designed with that in mind...a little hotter off the face, but it still spins a ton around the greens, so you can really stick it.

Bridgestone's comparable balls to the NXT Tour you play are their e-series balls...the e5, e6, and e7. Each ones varies slightly in their characteristics. And they're about $25/dozen, which is quite good if you ask me.

Hope that helps! Try them and see what you think! Best thing to do would be to buy individual sleeves rather than a whole box.

Thanks for the info. That NXT Tour flies off the driver and it feels great on chips and putts. I will check out those e-series balls to see if I like them as well.

i want to try the new 20X1by Nike.

Definitely. The Nike One Tour changed my life and I can't wait to get back to it. Goynes really summed it up though.

There's a reason so many people play ProV1's. They're plenty long and they spin like crazy. I think most of the OEM's make really good balls now with similar charicteristics, but they cost more because they do more.

Just about any player will improve with a better ball. The people that say it doesn't make a difference are also the ones that can't spin a wedge from 50 yds.

Like golf clubs, anyone who takes their game 1/2 serious enough, should be fitting into a ball as well. Its amazing how much difference it can really make.

My all time favorite was the Hogan Tour Deep but, alas, they are not made anymore. The Callaway Tour i & s incorporate some of the Hogan technology (like the 6 deep dimples) but I don't care for the hex design. They are still good balls though. 5 or so years ago, when I was still younger than 50 and my swing speed was near 110, I was playing the Bridgstone B330-S. Now at 51 and after a 2nd back surgery my swing speed is down to 100 and I started using the B330-RXS but I also like the new yellow Srixon Z-Star which plays well but mostly because I can see the darn thing! I agree with Goynes about the Bridgestone E-5 being a good ball for the price.

To me a lot depends on the course conditions you are regularly playing and the type and size of the greens. I play many times a week on very small, elevated Emerald Bermuda greens that are maybe 1 to 1 1/2 clubs deep so I must have a ball that spins. When I go play on a course with "normal" size or large greens, 2 to 3 clubs deep, I will switch to the B330-RX or the E-5 as there is room on the green for the ball to roll some.

Knowing your swing speed is a must for getting the right ball as most of the big name companies design their different balls based on swing speed (with that being equal to how much the ball is being compressed). If you don't have the speed to compress the ball properly you will never obtain the full potential of the ball. Conversely if the ball you're using is too soft for your swing speed then you are over compressing it, wasting energy, and also not realizing the full potential of the ball.

One way I have found to try many different brands of golf balls at a cheaper price (without stealing them from my friends bag!) is to buy some from a lost balls web site. A couple that I have bought from grade the balls they have found from 1 to 5 stars and I can say in all honesty that the 5 star quality balls I have received looked like they came right out of the box! They tell me that 5 star quality roughly equates to a ball that was teed up and hit once before it was lost. Anyway, depending on the balls you're buying, they are at least $10 cheaper than new (that is for 5 star quality).

I have tried every brand out there and the NXT tour and PENTAs seem to work the best for my swing. I use the NXT Tours when the greens are average or soft because I dont need as much spin and I use the Pentas when I need more spin on the firmer greens.

Bridgestone e6.. end of story..

I did a Titlest ball fitting and found the NXT okay... but for my shot style the PRO V1 was my correct ball. The ball fight trajectory, workability, and control were and all excellent. However, I found the same characteristics including cover materials in the Bridgestone e5… and as I told Titlist in their survey I don’t feel so bad when one of the e5’s ($1.83 per ball) vs. PRO V1 ($3.75 price per ball) hits a cart path or takes a swim in a pond.

I just switched this season, form NXT Tours, to Bridgestone e5.

For me, I find the e5 the perfect balance of distance, spin, feel, and price.

Also, I highly recommend to all to check out the following two online sites:

knetgolf.com

lostballs.com

They offer almost every brand of ball made, but offer them in several different conditions, ranging from new "mint" to range condition. Let me tell you, their near mint balls, play just like brand new, and you can't even see/feel any difference, except in your wallet! (I just grabbed 3 dozen e5, in near mint, for a total of $30!!)

I have experienced a similar situation. I played the DT carry for almost a year and loved the green side control. One day at sports authority I picked up some srixon soft feel balls. The fallowing saturday I played 18 at my favorite golf course and after the third hole I decided I'll never pick up a box of DT carrys again.

The srixons flat out go further for me and dont balloon off the driver. For my swing they are just a better fit.

I since then tried the srixon trispeed tour and bridgestone E6 and also find those balls well suited to my swing.

I think you can definitely feel the difference with certain balls. That said, I really like the NXT Tour. I think it has a lot of qualities for the recreational golfer at the right price point, which is not $30. I think at my level (amount of lost balls) that $15 to $20 per/dozen needs to be my max.

I have been getting the NXT Tours used and in perfect condition at:
www.drmulligans.com

If I had to buy new right now I would probably buy the new DT Solo. It is still a great ball (similar/slightly-less performance than the NXT tour) for $20 new.

Well been at it again as my swing has improved I wanted to see if there was a better ball. So I have been going to the club in the evenings and playing 2 balls as it is usually slow.
So far I have tried the ProV1 and Prov1X against their Bridgestone counterparts, 330/330S And the 330's were a little further driving and just as good on the green So as I know my swing speed averages 105 I compared to the 330RX and what a difference in distance. I found they went 15 - 20 yds further every time. and just as good on the green and short game. Then I compared the RX to Srixon and found almost identical distance as the RX but seems to me the there was a little more spin of the driver which worked great if no or little wind but with wind it needed more adjustment to counter it. On the short game it was just as good maybe slightly better if I was looking to crank the ball back at 80 to 120 yds.

Next will be the tour ix and the new nike to see what they do. But for now I am very happy with the RX's. And really like the 270 to 300 yd drives I am seeing.