I recently switched my irons from KZG Forged Blades to the Nike VR Pro Combos.  I also went as far as changing my wedges from the Taylor Made TP Rac's to the Nike VR Pro wedges.
When I picked up my new set of irons, the Nike rep gave me two sleeves of Nike balls to try, the 20XI-X and the 20XI-S.  I experimented with them on and off before going back to my Titleist Pro V1-X.  With the 20XI-X ball supposed to be comparable with the Pro V1-X, I decided to make the switch.  For the last month I've stuck with the Nike ball and then last week a revelation occurred.  While playing with my good friends Jimmy Connors and Gerry Manale at the Prescott Golf Club, for some unforeseen reason I decided to try my Pro V1-X again.
Well it didn't take long before I noticed the major difference.  Having to lay up after hitting my tee shot in the rough, imagine that, I was left with a short pitch shot.  I proceeded to hit the shot like I normally would and to my surprise the ball came up 12 feet short.  I didn't get the expected release I was getting with the Nike ball, instead it came to a dead stop on the second bounce.  It happened a few more times on the front nine before I realized what was going on here.  It wasn't what I was doing, it was the ball.  And all along I was thinking the firm slick greens at the Prescott Golf Club, was causing this uncontrollable roll past the hole time after time.  I thought it was me and that I had better adapt my technique or my scores would continue to soar.
Once I got used to the familiar characteristics of my Pro-V1-X ball, my shots around the greens improved dramatically.
A couple of days later I played the Highland Golf Course with good friends Garry Dunn and Rick Moran.  With their greens being a little slower than what I am used to in Prescott, another adjustment was needed.  This was my second round in a month with my old faithful Pro-V1-X, but on greens with a different speed.  Needless to say I struggled mightily around the greens again.   It appeared to be the golf ball I was using all the while.
Not everybody is going to use the golf balls I do, the moral of this column is the ball you use will drastically affect your game in one area or another,
It seems every average golfer out there strives for only one thing, distance.  Better players look for a ball that helps with control and those Feel type shots around the greens,
At some point I will try the Nike 20XI-S ball, a spin ball, and perhaps this may be the ball that reacts closer to the way my Pro V1 does.
So yes folks, your golf ball can affect your game.  You will have to experiment a little to find the one that best suits your golf game though.  I strongly recommend playing some kind of spin or feel golf ball.  Sure you might lose a few yards off the tee (seven to 10 yards).  You gain a lot more control both on your full shots and short shots around the green.
Remember this, with a softer ball, you can hit the ball straighter with an open clubface, than with a harder distance ball.  Why?  Because the softer spin ball stays on your clubface a split second longer than do harder distance balls.  This gives you that extra split second to square your clubface up resulting in much straighter golf shots.  That's what it's all about now isn't it?
This is one of these topics that one could delve into a little deeper.  I thought my personal experience with golf balls would help the average golfer out there when they are deciding the type of ball they should use.
John Ryan, CGTF Level Three Instructor, teaches exclusively at the Tincap Golf Club.  If you have any comments on this or any other columns or want more info on Lessons please call John at 613-345-1390 or e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .