range balls, and how much shorter are they to real ones.

[Yoda555]

greetings gents. hope all is well and good. i just wanted to pick your brain, coming from the covid lock-down and having gamed new irons i feel i have lost about 10-12 yards. that be it im hitting range balls. now, how much does a typical range ball, one that is not as crunchy, shiny, poppy and smiley as a new one flys 🙂 

 

cheers thanks for the advice

[jvincent]

No way to know since it depends on how bad the ball is.

[MtlJeff]

There's lots of different range balls as well, not to mention factoring in how bad a shape they are in.

 

Our course uses 2 different kinds of limited flight balls, i would say they go 15-20% less distance than a normal ball. We also use a 3rd range ball that flies about the same as a normal ball, it's kind of like a distance ball (like you'd get in a Maxfli Noodle or something)

 

So it's weird, you get a basket of balls at my club and there's 3 different kinds in there

[third-times-a-charm]

The only balls that are inherently shorter, are the limited flight balls - which are designed to be shorter on purpose.

 

If a range uses regular balls, they will all be plus or minus a few yards like any ball would based on condition and etc.

 

Now if the cover has a severe gash or is split open, thats another story.

 

For instance, a public range near me still uses Nike 'Limited Distance' balls so they stay within the range, but my home club uses CS X tour balls and they are the same as the ones from the store. YMMV

[sheppy335]

I agree with other poster, just dont know. it is all based on how long they sit on range, how much water gets into them and age of the ball. 

 

When at range i look at trajectory and if it starts where i want it to go.

[LeoLeo99]

One range I visit has two types of balls.  Yellow and dark yellow.  The dark yellow ones are really dead.  I pay no attention to distance on the range.  Only concern is quality of strike and whatever swing issue I'm trying to improve.  

[TLUBulldogGolf]

I would agree that it depends, recently I was out testing a FlightScope Mevo and I saw a 15 yard carry difference between a range ball and an Old ProV1x I pulled out of my bag because the numbers didn't seem right. 

[chippa13]

If I ever hit range balls, the only thing I'm looking for is feel of the strike and whether it is heading toward the intended target. And even direction I take with a grain of  salt depending on the look of the ball struck.

[2bGood]

Given there are 50+ common brands of range balls, and some of them are designed for limited flight and then those balls can be in any manor of condition, it is impossible to say.

 

The other interesting factor is limited flight range balls tend to be somewhat accurate the shorter you hit them and have more issues the longer you hit them.

 

If your range has the same type of ball, the best thing you can do is reach into your shag bag and hit a few of your old gamers down range to get some comparisons.

Edited October 21, 2020 by 2bGood

[MelloYello]

Limited flight balls are usually around 8-10% shorter. 

 

FYI, spin rates are usually much higher. For instance, it's not uncommon to see actual driver spin in the 3-4k range. 

[Krt22]

Even non-limited range balls dont go as far, even more so with longer clubs. Ball speed is almost always lower unless you are using practice stamped premium balls. I've done my own testing and saw similar results as this article.

 

https://practical-golf.com/range-golf-ball-versus-premium-ball/

[enfuego]

my range uses 2 piece srixon marathon range balls replaced every 6 months. I've done on course comparisons and on GC Quad with new range balls and they spin more with every club. They lose about 10-15 yards (5%) with Drivers/Woods and about 5-8 yards (5%) with most irons/wedges.

[bcflyguy1]

2 hours ago, LeoLeo99 said:

One range I visit has two types of balls.  Yellow and dark yellow.  The dark yellow ones are really dead.  I pay no attention to distance on the range.  Only concern is quality of strike and whatever swing issue I'm trying to improve.  

This pretty much sums it up.  In addition to total distance issues, range balls tend to shrink up distance gaps between clubs as they tend to spin more than they should on longer clubs and less on shorter ones. Even things like normalization on TrackMan, while better than nothing, can't fully account for these issues. If you really want to know what your launch conditions, distances, and distance gaps are like, you need to take something like Trackman to a spot where you can hit the actual ball you play and get numbers without normalization on.

[dd564]

Not sure if okay to post, but:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1YBoOwCR6I

 

 

[Strömsborg]

Where I practice the range ends at ~250 yards and with the limited flight balls you have to nut it to reach the fence. We have no hard facts but within our gang the consensus is that you lose 10-15% with a driver and 5-10 with a wedge. The balls flies lower and the lower your ball flight the more distance you lose.

It doesn't matter distance wise but the low trajectory can potentially mess with your swing. We always have to remind each other to hit it pure and straight and never mind the flight.

Edited October 21, 2020 by Strömsborg

[ClubBuildRookie]

Does the range you visit have an indoor launch monitor?  If so, pay for time on it and compare your gamer balls to the range balls.  If you truly want to know your club distances, hitting your gamer balls on an indoor launch monitor will prove to be a very worth while expense.  

 

If not, talk to your range manager.  Ask him if you can scarf up or buy a couple balls for comparison when you are able to get onto an indoor simulator.  

 

If you know your local big box store golf associates like I know mine, they would likely let you hit a dozen shots or so on their indoor simulator to compare and get the answer.

[naval2006]

At my course if you get the range balls airborne you know you’re up to something really good LOL

[EMA1]

I begin to notice flight and distance craziness once I reach 160+ yards. Anything below that yardage is somewhat accurate.

[elwhippy]

I went for a TM fitting and their guy added 8% on for the low cost Srixon range balls. He said if you are 100% serious then you should be fitted around your regular ammo as the difference in spin and trajectory is massive. I rarely use our local ranges for that reason.

[OhYeahPlayer]

Was hitting drivers at a PGASS last night. Started with a range ball (was still warming up, to be fair) and was around 145mph. Switched to a Chrome Soft and got up to 149-151ish. Told my fitter about yesterday's TXG video on Chrome Softs and he switched me to a TP5x to validate. Immediately jumped up to 155mph ball speed. 

[scooterhd2]

One range I frequent has a batch of brand new bright yellow Bridgestone practice balls. The other half of the balls are dull, chalky, pale yellow balls that literally have most of the dimples rubbed off them. When you are hitting with alot of loft, there is not a big difference. But with driver, the worn balls knuckle like crazy. Has to be less then 1500 RPM. and you occasionally get some bombs, but more often then not they just turn down and slam into the ground at 175 yards. 

[Justsomeguy]

20 percent.

[dubbelbogey]

I often finish up my driver range session work with a ball or two from my bag of retired game balls. It's a very noticeable difference between how those fly and the range balls, even if the range balls are relatively new. This is on a range that extends out to over 300 yds, so they're not using the super limited distance balls. The "real" balls just fly a good bit farther, no doubt.

 

The few times I've played at a higher end course with high-quality range balls were the exceptions where the balls flew effectively the same as my game balls.

[FakeClubPro]

We have gotten a lot of rain lately and the local has water on about 60% of the range.  The land slopes down to the middle.  So about 110 yards to 170 yards is mostly flooded with maybe half a foot of water.    I am not sure how they are retrieving the balls people hit in the standing water.   The quality of range balls they have is way down since the place got flooded.

 

They are nice people trying to make a go of it,  I have tons of found balls that I do not need so I usually mix in 10 of my found balls each time to make a donation.

 

The poor quality balls seem to go about 10 to 15 yards less off the driver.   I hate hitting crappy balls off the irons.

[FakeClubPro]

16 hours ago, dubbelbogey said:

I often finish up my driver range session work with a ball or two from my bag of retired game balls. It's a very noticeable difference between how those fly and the range balls, even if the range balls are relatively new. This is on a range that extends out to over 300 yds, so they're not using the super limited distance balls. The "real" balls just fly a good bit farther, no doubt.

 

The few times I've played at a higher end course with high-quality range balls were the exceptions where the balls flew effectively the same as my game balls.

I wonder what the pros hit on ranges like Augusta driving range or Winged Foot, etc.

[enfuego]

52 minutes ago, FakeClubPro said:

I wonder what the pros hit on ranges like Augusta driving range or Winged Foot, etc.

At tour events the pros hit the exact model of their ball. The balls are collected and sorted and put back into bags. Usually after a few events or even one the ball companies leave the balls for the course to keep using or give them away

[Roejye]

I think the big issue with range balls is just an overall lack of consistency. Yes you can have some that fly only 10 yards shorter or even as far as a regular ball, but you could very well get one that you absolutely crush and it only flies 80% of what your best drive goes. 

[elwhippy]

Range balls are either rejects or leftovers from unused materials. All about saving waste and nothing about performance.