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Is a soft ball hurting me off the tee.
Want2GetGood ·


I am currently playing a Wilson staff DX2. Its 29 compression and supposed to be the softest golf ball in the world.
I like it a lot if I'm honest (maybe not so much for putting), but I'm worried that my swing speed of 115-118 with the driver isn't doing me any favors off the tee.
i) Am I over compressing the ball with the driver?
ii) If so, is that causing problems related to dispersion, distance etc.
iii) Would I obtain better results with a different ball off the tee if my objective is to go as straight and long as possible?
iv) if 29 compression is too soft, what is the lowest compression I could still play and not have any adverse effects.
Thanks
I like it a lot if I'm honest (maybe not so much for putting), but I'm worried that my swing speed of 115-118 with the driver isn't doing me any favors off the tee.
i) Am I over compressing the ball with the driver?
ii) If so, is that causing problems related to dispersion, distance etc.
iii) Would I obtain better results with a different ball off the tee if my objective is to go as straight and long as possible?
iv) if 29 compression is too soft, what is the lowest compression I could still play and not have any adverse effects.
Thanks
Posted:
Comments
1793
5
I don't know if this is due to compression, dimple design, other cover/layer features and how things match up with the driver/swing I have. I mean, they are all "good quality" golf balls, so that's not the issue.
Off of the irons I can't say I've seen a noticeable difference in ball flight.
I think there are a lot of threads in the ball section on this, although I don't really know what is fact vs. fiction.
Titleist 915F 16.5* & 21.0*, Diamana S+ Blue 70 S-Flex
PING G25 5-PW (25*-44*), UW (49*), SW (54*), CFS R-Flex
PING Zing 2 L/S (57*)
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5994
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Nobody that I'm aware of plays the absolute lowest compression available on any of the tours.
1897
5
With your swing speed no need to play a low compression ball, you may like the feel, but they certainly compress too much.
You should be able to play anything closer to 75 or higher without having to feel like you’re losing distance off the tee.
Just my experience
Callaway Epic 14*, EvenFlow T1100 White 75 6.5
Titleist U500 2i (17*) & 3i (20*), HZRDUS Smoke Black 90 6.5
Callaway Apex Pro '16 (4-PW), KBS Tour-V 120-X
TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe 54.10 & 60 ATV, KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 120
Taylormade Spider X TP, 35"
42
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Thanks, I will order some Bridgestone BX/S for testing.
1783
5
1. Probably
2. Would be shorter distance
3. Yes
4. It will vary company to company. The issue with a soft golf ball in the core is slow to respond. It is hard to make a soft golf ball that also has a fast core response (softer ball, more compression, longer response time). Best bet would be to get on a launch monitor with some balls you want to use. If your smash factor is around 1.5 they are working as they should. If you don't have that option look for golf balls meant for tour swing speeds. Those will all work.
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24173
5
1) there is really no such thing as 'over compressing' in the context of how hard/soft the ball is.
2) just based on the physics, worst case you might be loosing a small amount of ball speed
3) You never know until you try. The unknown in the equation is that the softness of the ball effects the feel at impact and when it comes to changes in feel anything is possible. Just make sure your testing covers how it effects all aspects of your game. Putting, short game, iron play as well, not just driver. Also, there is a lot more to the ball and it's performance than just the softness or compression. So don't get overly fixated on connecting the results you do get to the compression.
4) see the previous answers.
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2089
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Here's a video discussing it in more detail with the chart from 2017:
For some reason they left out drivers in 2018, perhaps because the 2017 testing showed that it doesn't make any difference what you hit with your driver and woods.
389
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A few other of the softest "better" balls in my experience would be the Vice Pro Soft, TM Project a, and Srixon Q Star Tour, though none are probably the longest at 115 mph.
727
5
Try a Vice Pro Soft or a Vice Pro, I did and was amazed how a ball so soft and economical could perform with my usual $40+/doz big name balls.
Rogue 4 Wood Evenflow 75 Blue
Epic Hybrids 3/4/5
Apex Pro 6-P Recoil 110 F4
MD Slate Forged 52
PM Grind 56/60
Odyssey EXO Stroke Lab 7 Mini
All grips except putter are Iomic Sticky 2.3
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1077
5
3W: Titleist 917F2 w/Fujikura Speeder Pro Tour Spec 84 Stiff
2I: Srixon Z U65 18 Degree w/Miyazaki Kaula 7s
Irons: Mizuno MP-54 3-PW DG S300
Wedge: Vokey TVD 56 K-Grind
Wedge: Vokey SM6 60-12 K-Grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2
42
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Just to prove I am not talking BS, I took up the game in August last year, you can see lately I am dropping. So I'm going to stick with the BS for a while.
the last round I had a meltdown on the 18th, took 9 and in that round I missed 4 1ft putts, my goal was to hit single figures in a year. I feel confident.
Wedges coming next week and just invested in a nice driving iron which I will put into play a bit more. Exciting times. I feel I can get down to about 7 and then I will hit that wall where it will get tough but until then I will enjoy the ride and feeling of progress. Good job really, I have spent a fortune on sim, balls equipment but I am seeing a return and people I am playing against are noticing it too which is good.
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785
5
BUT, let’s assume for a minute that I’m just a jealous jack-**** and of course you can hit 325 yard drives within a year of picking up golf, etc...
I was always under the “illusion “ that for a player with those swing speeds, you could compress a hard ball that would also give you low spin, thus total distance would be better because you have the speed to get a rock in the air and impart little backspin thus allowing it to fly and roll for days (whereas a soft ball will tend to balloon and spin but a low SS player needs that to keep the ball in the air as long as possible to maximize distance)..,
Callaway X2 Hot 3 Deep, 14.5, Aldila Tour Green stiff
Callaway Apex MB UT 2 iron, Project X PXI 6.0
Callaway 2013 X-forged (3-5), Project X PXI 6.0
Callaway Apex MB (6-PW), KBS Tour V stiff
Vokey SM5 54, Callaway Mack Daddy 2 Tour Grind Chrome 58, both with KBS Tour
Bettinardi BB1
42
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Club head speed has little to do with time played. The avg club head driver speed is 95, mine is over 20mph faster than that.
That is just natural ability. If you can swing 115 you can hit 325 under right conditions. its not an average but I can take 275+ off the tee most of the time even with my 1000rpm right spin. most 2nd shots are a chip in. its not rocket science.
785
5
I’ll first apologize for being a jack-****. I wasn’t so much directing my post at you, as just in general some of the claims on here get a little crazy. But I mean I did respond directly to you, so again...apologies.
BUT, clubhead speed and handicap (and typically time played) do correlate quite well with each other. It is of course possible for someone to have a fast clubhead speed very early in their golfing life, but it is by no means typical.
I don’t have the stats in front of me, but I would guess 115 ss w driver would put you in the upper 1-2% of all golfers, and probably the upper .01-.02% of 1st year golfers. And the average golfer is supposed to shoot 100, so roughly speaking a 7 handicap might put you in the upper 10% or so of golfers...maybe upper 5%. And probably upper .1-2% of 1st year golfers. I don’t have the data distribution in front of me, but I do understand statistical distributions quite well, and so I consider the above reasonable guesses. Thus, you are maybe 1 in 10,000 if your numbers are true, which is awesome for you and I’ll admit makes me jealous given I’m not there yet after 20 years and never will reach those speeds, but maybe I can be forgiven for my skepticism based on the data.
Anyway, back to your original question...with a 115 mph ss and 1000 rpm of spin, I doubt a soft ball is hurting your distances much if at all...
Edited to add that I looked it up and my numbers are actually slightly conservative, so you are more like 1 in 100,000 to 1 in a million for male amateur golfers. So again, if your numbers are right, that is amazing but you are truly 1 in a million.
And the research on low compression balls would suggest that there really isn’t that much difference if at all in low vs high compression distances, so swing away at that marshmallow!!! In theory they would compress more therefore “spring “ off the clubface but apparently COR doesn’t change all that much with compression.
Callaway X2 Hot 3 Deep, 14.5, Aldila Tour Green stiff
Callaway Apex MB UT 2 iron, Project X PXI 6.0
Callaway 2013 X-forged (3-5), Project X PXI 6.0
Callaway Apex MB (6-PW), KBS Tour V stiff
Vokey SM5 54, Callaway Mack Daddy 2 Tour Grind Chrome 58, both with KBS Tour
Bettinardi BB1
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42
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I'm a bit beyond that but speed isn't everything. I have that speed, but I have little control over my spin rates which ruin any advantage my speed gives me.
From time to time I hit it sweet and it goes something like this.
But if you look at the shot on the GC2 already there, that is my typical flight and my high backspin and sidespin [r] generally puts me the same distance off the tee as a good player whose swinging it about 105. You should be able to see from my swing its not good but I can hack something together, usually by aiming to the left and relying on brute force to offset high backspin and side spin [R] but its something I would like to solve.
785
5
Like I said above, you are quite literally one in a million.
Good luck in the journey of getting better. I’ve put in 20 hard years to go from a 30+ to an 8 now, and it definitely didn’t happen overnight...happened very gradually. And it also didn’t go down in a straight line...it’s had its peaks and valleys.
If you are already at single digits, then “just ****”...good for you!
Callaway X2 Hot 3 Deep, 14.5, Aldila Tour Green stiff
Callaway Apex MB UT 2 iron, Project X PXI 6.0
Callaway 2013 X-forged (3-5), Project X PXI 6.0
Callaway Apex MB (6-PW), KBS Tour V stiff
Vokey SM5 54, Callaway Mack Daddy 2 Tour Grind Chrome 58, both with KBS Tour
Bettinardi BB1
42
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I'm not at single digits, I'm 13.7 I said I aim to be single within a year. I got about 6 months to drop 4 shots.
Its really just silly stuff which is costing me shots, I.E. today I put it 15 ft from the pin in 2 on a par 5 just off the green, then take 4 to get down.
I just got a 58 wedge so I think that will help a lot when close to the green.
1793
5
Here's a link to an article with clubhead speed and handicap.
http://www.golfwrx.com/531182/how-power-helps-your-golf-game-and-its-not-how-you-think/
Obviously, no stat is perfect and I'm not making any statements about what he can/can't do. But statistically speaking, a 14 hcp swinging at 115 mph is a 6 sigma event. I've never cared to recall the exact percentages beyond a 3 sigma event, but needless to say he is an interesting statistical data point.
I've also played the game for many years, and all of my golf stats (clubhead speed, FIR, GIR, etc) are unfortunately very close to average. I have however, seen a fair number of people pickup the game, and swing quite fast (vs. average) within a year or two. I think if you are athletic/strong and played some type of racket sport (baseball, tennis, etc), it is not difficult for a lot of these people to swing 105-110 normally. I also find this depressing...
Titleist 915F 16.5* & 21.0*, Diamana S+ Blue 70 S-Flex
PING G25 5-PW (25*-44*), UW (49*), SW (54*), CFS R-Flex
PING Zing 2 L/S (57*)
42
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Swing speed does not = automatic distance. That is only true IF<< the other aspects of your swing and delivery are good. That's really hard to do.
The pro at my local shop swings 105-107 and gets 290ish yds on GC2 nearly every time and its in play.
I can swing up to 15 MPH faster than him (mostly because I come over the top) and on average I obtain LOWER distance than him and worse offline?
Why?
I have too much backspin.
I have too much side spin.
I don't hit the ball as consistent on the club face as him.
All of that is due to a bad technique.
Sure, from time to time I nail it sweet and I'm 30 yards ahead and yes then, swing speed can be as simple as MORE DISTANCE, but at the level most of us are playing at, over 18 holes, its worth very little, the only bonus is from time to time you will drive a par 4 in one and people will look at you like you invented fire and you can hit a PW 130-140 so it can make it easier, that is nice I admit, and that is something you will never do without swing speed, but golf is a game of averages.
I got beat by a 65 yr old man on the weekend off 16 because he didn't get 2 NR's due to a bad drive and I did.
I have videos of me doing 2 identical looking drives on GC2, one goes 228, the other goes 308. Same swing speed, but massive different outcomes in distance.
Under optimum player conditions every MPH in ball speed is about 3 extra yards, so if someone is 15 MPH faster than you, then in theory, they could be 3x15=45yds further than you, but there are MUCH MUCH higher gains to be obtained by being efficient. For most players, its even less than 3 yds per MPH.
controlling side spin, backspin and hitting the thing straight like i said above, I had differences of up to 80 yards.
So I was losing the equiv of 26 MPH club head speed due to bad technique.
That means if I was swinging 115 MPH, my inefficiency took me down to the equiv of swinging 89 MPH!
Like I said before, I played vs a 70+ yr old guy 2 weeks ago, I hit the par 4 in one (342 yds with a strong wind behind me), front of the green, 40 yard putt, he's 130 yards behind off the tee in middle of fairway.
I 3 putt, he hits a second shot pin high, 10 yards off green, chip to within 3 foot of the hole and makes a par too.
We left that hole with identical scores, yet 5 minutes earlier walking up the fairway the group was telling me they had never seen anyone do that. I went from hero to zero in 5 minutes
So don't get too bummed out about swing speeds, there are long drive guys who can swing it 150 MPH but how many of them have won a major?
NONE.
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1793
5
No doubt getting the smash factor above 1.45 consistently (I'd say this is a reasonable target for around 10 handicap players. better players are obviously closer to 1.48-1.5) is key for driving it reasonably well (combo of distance for your swing speed and accuracy).
However, you have the advantage that the technique can be improved over time through practice. Even if you tone it down to say 110 mph, if you can hit the center of the club the ball will go pretty far.
In contrast, I think there's only so much clubhead speed someone can add once they've played the game for 5-10 years. Add that you never get younger and its an uphill battle to add significant distance (20+ yards).
I believe this (and the way the game/course setup has evolved over time) is why many instructors just want young kids to hit the **** out of the ball early on. Accuracy / course management is something that can be adjusted over time much easier than the raw speed number.
Titleist 915F 16.5* & 21.0*, Diamana S+ Blue 70 S-Flex
PING G25 5-PW (25*-44*), UW (49*), SW (54*), CFS R-Flex
PING Zing 2 L/S (57*)
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4350
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74
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I disagree. It is all personal preference. My swing speed is slightly above his (Driver = 105+mph) and I have shot some of my better scores using a Callaway Supersoft. Full wedges are about 250-500 rpm less spin with a Supersoft compared to a Chromesoft X for me.
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3310
5
Cobra LTD 14.5 Degree Aldila Rogue 70 3.3 X Stiff
Cobra LTD 17.5 Degree Aldila Rogue 70 3.6 X Stiff
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Cobra Pur 52/58 S200
Odyssey Grim Reaper
Vice Pro+/Snell Mtbx
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686
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Callaway rouge sub zero 15
Adams pro mini 20
Bridgestone tour b x-cb 4-pw
Vokey sm7 50.12, sm7 56.10, sm6 62.08
Maltby ptm-4
2018 Players 5 stand bag
Srixon Z Star xv
525
5
Now off the mid to long irons, you can actually see differences in balls. Some of them spin way less or way more off these clubs. The ball speed is almost always going to be the same, but launch and spin can move the total distance 5-10 yards pretty easy. You'll probably be able to notice this on a course.
Wedge spin is also very dependent on the ball.
So when choosing a ball, take all the ones that do what you want off the wedges. Then take those and pick the one that gives you the best launch characteristics off your mid irons. Then don't really worry about what it does off your driver.
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16
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Feel is "all about personal preference." How a ball reacts to a flushed shot at a certain CHS is not preference. Individual results may certainly vary, and I too have shot great rounds with Top Flites, but high-CHS low-mid-handicap players will benefit from a multi-layer urethane ball.
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525
5
This is true, but not off the driver. A multi-layer urethane ball isn't going to do much for you off the driver compared to your average two piece ball. It's irons and wedges where the multi-layer urethane covered ball makes the difference.
King Cobra F7 10.5* w/ Mitsubishi Tensi CK Blue 60 set at 9.5*
TEE E8 4W, 7W
Mizuno JPX-900 Hot Metal 5-SW w/ Veylix Alpina 873
TEE CB PROs 60*
Scotty Cameron Squareback