Foam practice balls- anyone?

[dokex]

Does anyone here have experience using these? I have found that they are horrible in the wind on long shots, and are way too light in weight for chipping and pitching. What are your thoughts?

[bobbyclampett!!]

28 minutes ago, dokex said:

Does anyone here have experience using these? I have found that they are horrible in the wind on long shots, and are way too light in weight for chipping and pitching. What are your thoughts?

I like hitting them off a mat in my backyard in the winter. Fun to have a ball to hit and watch them fly in the winter. Good for working on slow speed swings and 1/2 and 3/4 swing drills and impact position. 

[Shushwap]

I would like to try this in the house.. Are they just foam ? 

I'm sure the wife wouldn't like the living room all beat up lol 

[Roejye]

24 minutes ago, Shushwap said:

I would like to try this in the house.. Are they just foam ? 

I'm sure the wife wouldn't like the living room all beat up lol 

they are foam, they give a much more solid feeling of contact then the plastic practice balls, they would be safe to use inside, I'd be more worried about damaging something with the club. I used them last year in lockdown when I built a hitting net. I didn't feel comfortable using real golf balls. I would use them for more contact/impact/ballstriking work and maybe not pay attention to flight.

[Shushwap]

11 minutes ago, Roejye said:

they are foam, they give a much more solid feeling of contact then the plastic practice balls, they would be safe to use inside, I'd be more worried about damaging something with the club. I used them last year in lockdown when I built a hitting net. I didn't feel comfortable using real golf balls. I would use them for more contact/impact/ballstriking work and maybe not pay attention to flight.

I'm not worried about flight.. I want to work on rotation and keeping things connected in my swing.. Nice and slow..as soon as I get to the range I just can't help myself from swinging at the ball...one drill my coach game me this year was to hit my 7 iron a 100yards at the range with the feeling of staying connected... I was usually ok for a few balls and then I had to start smoking them lol... Picked up the smart ball from tourstriker.. Would love to be able to chip and get the feeling of being connected 

The only place I could swing would be in the living room as we have vaulted ceiling 

[Nickc]

Rubber ones with a foam inside  (Callaway do them or you can get unbranded ones cheaper) can be used indoor and outdoor. My favourite is "almost golf balls" especially  for outdoors but often difficult to get.

[ShortGolfer]

Amazon has Almost golf balls at $40/2 dozen.  They are the only ones my Mevo will track.  I used them with a 7 iron to make 30 yard practice swings in my back yard without breaking anything.  Then with a net.  They show that my miss is a push to the right.  I also bought a bucket of the cheaper Callaway balls for learning to swing my driver into a net.

 

I use real golf balls for chip and pitch shots, as my thick grass seems to interfere with ball contact.

[MtlJeff]

10 hours ago, Shushwap said:

I would like to try this in the house.. Are they just foam ? 

I'm sure the wife wouldn't like the living room all beat up lol 

 

I hit the wiffle balls in my house all throughout covid. Just put up a couch cushion against a wall and a mat on the ground

 

don't have any experience with foam

 

These ones even if you hit them into your wall they won't damage it--though i wouldn't recommend

https://www.amazon.ca/SKLZ-Impact-Heavy-Plastic-Baseballs/dp/B00N0NGUCG

 

[Kmagnuss]

I use the "almost" golf balls as mentioned above.  They're a harder foam than you might expect and I wouldn't be taking full swings with them inside the house.  I love what they do... they go about 1/4 the distance of a normal shot with irons and really cap out at about 60 yards it seems.  They'll give you a good indication if you are hitting a fade/draw.  If you have a decent sized yard they're perfect for that.  If not, most parks are big enough to use them in.  Be careful of trees though... they're so light that they don't come down sometimes.  🙂

 

-Mag

[mcounci2]

Sci-core are pretty good. You need some room to hit them though.

 

I'm also a big fan of birdieballs

[dokex]

7 hours ago, Nickc said:

Rubber ones with a foam inside  (Callaway do them or you can get unbranded ones cheaper) can be used indoor and outdoor. My favourite is "almost golf balls" especially  for outdoors but often difficult to get.

I have the Callaway in hot pink, and I got these from Golfetail:

JEF World of Golf Foam Practice Golf Balls 2 Dozen (24) - GolfEtail.com

[cgasucks]

Foam balls are not meant to be used for serious outside practicing.  I personally use these balls hitting off a mat against a net in my basement.

 

They're not expensive ($10 CDN for 30 on Aliexpress) and they work well for me.  They're the same size as a regular ball but lighter (obviously).  It won't leave a mark or a dent on drywall no matter how hard you hit against it.

 

Edited October 31, 2021 by cgasucks

[JDIL]

A golf sim seller recommended these

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083FJYVDV/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

Said they were the best of all the balls tested even on Radar units indoors. Mevo+, Trackman4, R10. 

Edited October 31, 2021 by JDIL

[ChipNRun]

13 hours ago, Roejye said:

they are foam, they give a much more solid feeling of contact then the plastic practice balls ... ,

... I would use them for more contact/impact/ballstriking work and maybe not pay attention to flight.

 

The key is to use them properly. They don't work very well on windy days.

 

I use them in my yard, usually to hit 6i or 7i on timing and rotation drills. Foam balls help me swing smoothly, because I know it's not a full-weight ball I have to hit. If shot comes off low it's a thin shot, if a pop up it's fat.

 

Also, if a group gets to a golf course and the driving range is closed, a partner and I can stand 60 yards apart and hit 7i shots back and forth to warm up.

[btyh]

I use the Callaway foam for half swings to stay in sink and with chipping. Results show on the course without having much time for practice

[Shushwap]

2 hours ago, cgasucks said:

Foam balls are not meant to be used for serious outside practicing.  I personally use these balls hitting off a mat against a net in my basement.

 

They're not expensive ($10 CDN for 30 on Aliexpress) and they work well for me.  They're the same size as a regular ball but lighter (obviously).  It won't leave a mark or a dent on drywall no matter how hard you hit against it.

 

I may need to get out a can of white paint.. Not sure if I could get past the color lol

I will look into these

Thanx 

[jomatty]

I like them because my dog likes to chase them down and I’m worried a real ball will chip her teeth.  Not sure if it’s very beneficial practice wise but we both enjoy the hitting and fetching…

[cavemeister]

Funny, seriously, I was disappointed how crooked they flew compared to plastic golf whiffle balls...

[Shushwap]

2 hours ago, jomatty said:

I like them because my dog likes to chase them down and I’m worried a real ball will chip her teeth.  Not sure if it’s very beneficial practice wise but we both enjoy the hitting and fetching…

That is genius... I wonder if I could take my kid out there and have her bring them back... She always wanted a dog.. Perhaps I could tell her this is training before we get a dog lol

[Londo]

18 hours ago, btyh said:

I use the Callaway foam for half swings to stay in sink and with chipping. Results show on the course without having much time for practice

I use the same, don't use for full swings or for trackman. The provide good touch shot response on wedges, would likely look elsewhere if you need for trackman or for full shots through the bag.

[btyh]

7 minutes ago, Londo said:

I use the same, don't use for full swings or for trackman. The provide good touch shot response on wedges, would likely look elsewhere if you need for trackman or for full shots through the bag.

Yeah not for trackman but definitely for indoor tinkering 

[Londo]

3 minutes ago, btyh said:

Yeah not for trackman but definitely for indoor tinkering 

Exactly, I use them inside during the winter to keep touch/feel and then in the backyard occasionally. I would be disappointed had I bought them for full iron shots but I love them to keep the rust off wedges and work on finesse!

[jasona93]

Another vote for the Almost Golf Balls. Great for indoor chipping. A little bit of a click to them compared to the Callaway foam balls.

[pappaf2]

I use the sklz balls (rubber/plastic) in my yard. I think they are good. They don’t provide a lot of feel off the club face but they travel the right distance to stay in my yard on full swings and do a decent job of showing the Start direction and curve.

 

but The feel is non existent, I use video to see where I’m hitting them in the face.

 

https://www.amazon.com/SKLZ-Limited-Flight-Practice-Impact-Balls/dp/B015N2NX6W/ref=asc_df_B015N2NX6W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312078745102&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6462197241592451292&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032044&hvtargid=pla-320519197566&psc=1

 

 

Edited December 5, 2021 by pappaf2

[flaghunting1987]

On 10/30/2021 at 5:35 PM, dokex said:

Does anyone here have experience using these? I have found that they are horrible in the wind on long shots, and are way too light in weight for chipping and pitching. What are your thoughts?

Umm... foam balls. They're foam

[dokex]

5 minutes ago, flaghunting1987 said:

Umm... foam balls. They're foam

Very helpful.

[flaghunting1987]

3 hours ago, dokex said:

Very helpful.

I suggest ping pong balls, might work better haha

[Frid_the_kid]

Birdie ball is the only answer here in my opinion!

[m3fuz]

I've been using the GoSports foam balls from Amazon. 

 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q213Y4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Perfect for my little kitchen-to-living room pitching.  They're cheap, and I don't have the ability to make full swings anywhere in the house, so I'm not particularly concerned how realistic the ball flight claims to be.  I'm just taking a few minutes here and there to distract myself while working.  I have 2 large dogs and an infant, so I didn't want to buy anything fancier.  

[2Down]

Not a fan myself but wonder why nerf hasn’t taken over the market.