New Balls HUGE Difference

[asizzle10]

After 6 months of amazing gains in my garage Skytrak game....Over the last month I noticed my 7 iron has gone from 175 to 160 on the Skytrak. All my clubs have lost a lot of distance. It actually made me quite upset and forced me to change my swing and get all sorts of bad habits over the last 6-8 weeks. Very frustrating. Today after a few 155-160 yd 7 irons...I opened a new box of ProVs and used them on the Skytrak. Instantly 175, 180, 175. I grabbed one of the old ProVs I had been using for the last 6 plus month...160 with same contact/swing.

I feel like such an idiot for not thinking of this earlier and driving myself crazy the last 2 months. My “old balls” don’t look that old/beat up but when I think about it they have at least a thousand plus hits on each of them so of course they lose a bit of juice.

How often does everyone change their balls?

[Morini]

Do you hit into a screen? Pro V1's would absolutely thrash my screen if I waited for 1,000 plus swings. 300 maybe. Or once I feel scuff marks with when I pick it up. What changed in terms of ball data? Ball speed or spin? I'm guessing ball speed. Must be internally cracked.

[Morini]

Every single wedge shot leaves a permanent mark on my sq-raw. It is superficial, and just a very thin layer of cut fibers. Not visible when lights are off and projector is on. I imagine that a few hundred on the exact same spot will eat its way through the screen ... eventually. I also imagine that a scuffed ball will be much more destructive. Drivers on the other hand, only leave a temporary indentation.

[GungHoGolf]

Mirek_62 Which Carl's screen: Standard, Preferred, or Premium?

[Mirek_62]

GungHoGolf : Standard

[asizzle10]

Yes I hit into a screen. I don’t hit wedges so the balls aren’t really scuffed, more just “bare”. My screen definitely is showing some wear but holding up pretty well after 3 years.

[asizzle10]

Ball speed way up, didn’t check spin but will later. I could honestly just feel it. Night and day with a new ball.

[Sixmudd]

After 6 months of amazing gains in my garage Skytrak game....Over the last month I noticed my 7 iron has gone from 175 to 160 on the Skytrak. All my clubs have lost a lot of distance. It actually made me quite upset and forced me to change my swing and get all sorts of bad habits over the last 6-8 weeks. Very frustrating. Today after a few 155-160 yd 7 irons...I opened a new box of ProVs and used them on the Skytrak. Instantly 175, 180, 175. I grabbed one of the old ProVs I had been using for the last 6 plus month...160 with same contact/swing.

I feel like such an idiot for not thinking of this earlier and driving myself crazy the last 2 months. My “old balls” don’t look that old/beat up but when I think about it they have at least a thousand plus hits on each of them so of course they lose a bit of juice.

How often does everyone change their balls?

Thats interesting. Guess I need to go buy new golf balls lol. Are the old balls still usable on the real course, or is it to much distanced loss as well?

[Morini]

I retire mine around 300-400. The cost per shot is still just a penny. And then I take it to the course and use it to hit extra balls when the opportunity arises.

[asizzle10]

I’m not sure. I use new balls pretty much whenever I play on the course. AND I was so upset with my garage numbers that I haven’t played outside more than once in the last couple months. I just never thought to use new balls in my garage. The garage is carpet so the balls are in good shape “visually”. I have about 10 I rotate through. About 5 have broke/split/cracked in the last month. This should have tipped me off to the issue.

[jpotas]

I am surprised that you got that many hits on the ProV's, I usually crack mine much, much sooner than then that. I can tell when they are about to crack because like you, distance goes way down. That is when I start checking them and almost always find small splits in them.

[GungHoGolf]

Balls will drop off the cliff in ball speed when they're about ready to crack, with no visible crack. Eventually they crack, but yes, always use fresh balls with sim, with no scuffing or visible wear to the logos. When logos start rubbing off, I replace the ball.

[Morini]

Kevin Blenkhorn posted this photo of his 4 month old Carl's. Not sure which model. He did not pay attention to condition of balls, and it looks like he paid the price for that. He does have insane club head speed, but this damage was from wedges, not driver.

[GungHoGolf]

Not positive, but that looks like Carl's Standard. Preferred is their most durable screen.

[Dan King]

Do you hit into a screen? Pro V1's would absolutely thrash my screen if I waited for 1,000 plus swings. 300 maybe. Or once I feel scuff marks with when I pick it up. What changed in terms of ball data? Ball speed or spin? I'm guessing ball speed. Must be internally cracked.

Pro V1s must be ruining my screen too (scuffs), I'm on my third screen since May 2019. I assume the higher ball speed clubs like the woods are the culprit.

[Morini]

I guess you can tell by trajectory, but so far all the damage is from wedges.