compression?

what are the negative side effects of not compressing a tour ball? what should be an ideal swing speed for a high compression ball? im around 110 with driver and 86 with a 6 iron,is this enough to properly compress the ball?

im around 110 with driver and 86 with a 6 iron,is this enough to properly compress the ball?

No. You must swing much harder than that to compress the ball.

haha,i only ask because i was recomended b330rx because its easier to compress.i wasnt so sure of the decision as i wanted a higher spinning ball for around the greens

I'd get a sleeve of whatever you're interested in & compare it to the RX.I swing @ 100 w/the driver & love the Wilson FG Tour-good luck with your search.

I think you would be well served not to buy into the "compression" numbers or the whole mental model of the clubhead compressing or not compressing the golf. And certain to disabuse yourself of the notion that some linear relationship between your clubhead speed number and a compression number exists and is predictive of what balls will work or not for you.

Two problems. That "compression" number is a leftover artifact of a particular arbitrary measurement taken on wound golf balls, a technology which is now extinct. Clamping a modern multipiece ball in a compression tester and reading the number gives only an extremely vague and loose sense of the playing characteristics of the ball. Yet I read here all the time comments indicating that golfers try to puzzle out differences of 3 or 4 points on a compression-tester dial and why they can't seem to perceive corresponding differences in performance of the balls.

Second problem is that clubhead speed tells you almost nothing about how you compress the ball. I used to play golf with a 70-year-old man who had been a long-hitting scratch golfer a few decades earlier. Nowadays he has lost clubhead speed and only hits a 7-iron maybe 140 yards at the very most, about the same as myself or maybe a yard or two longer. Yet all you have to do is hear the sound of his club impacting the ball and watch his ballflight to know he is compressing the ball quite adequately. I play with other guys who swing their 7-iron 15mph faster than this guy but with a casting action or a wide-open clubface at impact or hitting every shot way out on the toe of the club. They do not compress the ball nearly as much as the slower clubhead speed sweet swinger.

So focus your considerations on specific attributes of the ball that actually apply to your specific game. Don't make it about matching "Swing Speed" numbers to "Compression" because neither number means anything much about what ball(s) will work for you.

[quote name='tinman' timestamp='1334651459' post='4736388']
I'd get a sleeve of whatever you're interested in & compare it to the RX.I swing @ 100 w/the driver & love the Wilson FG Tour-good luck with your search.
[/quote]


+1 to that, maybe one of the most underrated golf balls on the market right now.

[quote name='Fourmyle of Ceres' timestamp='1334658283' post='4736468']
I think you would be well served not to buy into the "compression" numbers or the whole mental model of the clubhead compressing or not compressing the golf. And certain to disabuse yourself of the notion that some linear relationship between your clubhead speed number and a compression number exists and is predictive of what balls will work or not for you.

Two problems. That "compression" number is a leftover artifact of a particular arbitrary measurement taken on wound golf balls, a technology which is now extinct. Clamping a modern multipiece ball in a compression tester and reading the number gives only an extremely vague and loose sense of the playing characteristics of the ball. Yet I read here all the time comments indicating that golfers try to puzzle out differences of 3 or 4 points on a compression-tester dial and why they can't seem to perceive corresponding differences in performance of the balls.

Second problem is that clubhead speed tells you almost nothing about how you compress the ball. I used to play golf with a 70-year-old man who had been a long-hitting scratch golfer a few decades earlier. Nowadays he has lost clubhead speed and only hits a 7-iron maybe 140 yards at the very most, about the same as myself or maybe a yard or two longer. Yet all you have to do is hear the sound of his club impacting the ball and watch his ballflight to know he is compressing the ball quite adequately. I play with other guys who swing their 7-iron 15mph faster than this guy but with a casting action or a wide-open clubface at impact or hitting every shot way out on the toe of the club. They do not compress the ball nearly as much as the slower clubhead speed sweet swinger.

So focus your considerations on specific attributes of the ball that actually apply to your specific game. Don't make it about matching "Swing Speed" numbers to "Compression" because neither number means anything much about what ball(s) will work for you.
[/quote]

im not smart enough to grasp your first paragraph but got the rest of it.i was hoping this was the case.ive never had a problem with prov1 or prov1x at all.maybe a small loss of distance compared to a distance ball but why wouldnt there be,it is a distance ball.i get good spin on mid to lower irons with the prov1 so i just always wondered about this compression thing.thanks!

[quote name='butters!' timestamp='1334636538' post='4735950']
what are the negative side effects of not compressing a tour ball? what should be an ideal swing speed for a high compression ball? im around 110 with driver and 86 with a 6 iron,is this enough to properly compress the ball?
[/quote]

Redcougar's post is correct, but with that said you are quibbling over about 7 yards; in my book that would rate a BFD. Play the ball you like. Now if you have a hard time controlling the ball, which would mean more side spin then a tour quality ball isn't for you cuz it will just enhance your fade or draw.

still no answer to the negative effects of not compressing the ball.most of the time i dont have a problem with controlling the ball.i do hit the occasional wayward shot but who doesnt.

[quote name='butters!' timestamp='1334730695' post='4743342']
still no answer to the negative effects of not compressing the ball.most of the time i dont have a problem with controlling the ball.i do hit the occasional wayward shot but who doesnt.
[/quote]

I heard that if compression lasts more than four hours you need to go to the emergency room.

[quote name='butters!' timestamp='1334730695' post='4743342']
still no answer to the negative effects of not compressing the ball.most of the time i dont have a problem with controlling the ball.i do hit the occasional wayward shot but who doesnt.
[/quote]
What is usually said (if it actually applies to real life golf I'm not certain of), is that if you are playing a multi layer ball, but not compressing the outer layers enough to activate the inner layers, the ball will think you are hitting a shorter club than you are and will want to spin more. The balls are built that way, spinier layers on the outside for wedges, less spiny layers after that for irons, even less spiny layers after that for long irons and finally a spin reducing layer in the middle for low spin drives.

At least that is the marketing. I'm sure this is also fairly accurate, cause I know that the engineers are good and spend a lot of time and money doing research. Obviously the golf ball (all brands) is evolving to a much better ball now than back in the day, so at least they are doing something right. But me myself, I'm not capable of saying if the ball works like marketing says it does and I'm not 100% convinced that you have to get into the inner layer of a ball for you to play better golf with that ball than a lower compression ball. For instance, someone with a lower swing speed will need a ball that spins more off the driver, to keep the ball in the air. So this might be a good thing that those players do not compress the ball all the way into the low spin core? Just thinking out loud here.

I see a lot of the pro ladies playing the Pro V1 X. I am sure they have done lots of testing before they chose the X model and going by swing speed alone, they shouldn't be playing that ball. So as others have said, it really comes down to which ball you prefer out on the course.

[quote name='butters!' timestamp='1334730695' post='4743342']
still no answer to the negative effects of not compressing the ball.most of the time i dont have a problem with controlling the ball.i do hit the occasional wayward shot but who doesnt.
[/quote]

Not compressing the ball enough generally means a lower energy transfer which depending on your angle of attack can cause lower ball speeds and possibly changes in spin rates. This is really only an issue with really low swing speeds playing high compression balls. The most drastic losses tend to be with the long irons.

Anyways, if you really have a driver swing speed of 110, I would not worry about compression.

thank you! the question is not just for myself,a friend uses prov1 and hits his driver about 180 and only about 15ft high.sees like his swing is faster than how far he hits the ball though.the silly thing is his 7 iron is his 150 club

[quote name='butters!' timestamp='1334767497' post='4745542']
thank you![b] the question is not just for myself,a friend uses prov1 and hits his driver about 180 and only about 15ft high[/b].sees like his swing is faster than how far he hits the ball though.the silly thing is his 7 iron is his 150 club
[/quote]


Regardless of compression or not, this seems like a very poor ball fit for the player based on that result.

He should learn to hit driver properly then or stop using one with a caved in face