How good do I need to be for the ball to make a difference in my game?

[rwbloom93]

7 hours ago, jacincm said:

It's about:

 

1) Playing the right golf ball for you. You don't have to be "good" to choose a dedicated ball. Most golfers are more consistent than they think. They just are consistently good or consistently bad. The key is to finding your launch tendencies and selecting around that (high vs low spin with driver, high vs low spin with irons, ball flight, etc)

 

2) Not only playing but practicing with that ball. The biggest thing about choosing the golf ball is understanding and knowing how it's going to react under certain situations

 

 

 

Very good points....On consistency, my "miss" is almost exclusively toe-center.  I have addressed this with the driver by positioning the weights (and lead tape) such that the CG has moved more toward the toe.  Has helped greatly.  With irons, it's toe-center and a little high on the face (after several dozen practice shots the grass and dirt stain on the face are almost exactly the same day after day). Kudos on consistency!

 

Playing and practicing are keys especially if you can get out on the course and practice. Late weekend afternoons on courses that generally get modest traffic are a pure joy.  After I get away from the clubhouse (and notice I have almost the entire front nine to myself) I'll hit 10-20 shots from every spot. I take a variety of Tour and Non-Tour balls and check distances and roll outs (I repair all my divets!), etc...Just have a blast.  ...and...If you are a walker the clubhouse doesn't come looking for you.... only those who paid for a cart, lol. 

 

Great post, Thanks.

[rwbloom93]

1 hour ago, bluedot said:

 

What you are saying doesn't cause "trepidation" at all.  Just disagreement.

 

You have referred repeatedly to "data" that you've accumulated, and I'd love to see how you have gone about that.  If you shoot 79 on Tuesday with a 2 piece ball and 80 on Wednesday with a 3 piece ball, is that data FOR THE BALL you used?  Was the ball the only variable?  If you hit an off-center shot with a ball, ANY ball, can you duplicate that exact same shot with a different ball to get "data"?

 

 

 

 

Driver.

There is an open field over by a regional airport that many golfers use to hit balls.  Most hit shag balls, I hit new balls for evaluation.  From early 2018 until Covid I would test 4-5 nights a week. The uniqueness of the field is that it goes down hill roughly 170 yards then is uphill about 130 yards. The grass was always 2-3 high so every good strike would fly to the upslope bounce and stop. 

 

It was easy to see which balls carried furthest (distance is all I care about on the driver).  Because there are so many variables, I waited about 1 year before making any conclusions (Winter spring summer fall).

 

1. Mid Compression balls consistently carried further (Ionomer 1st then urethane). The 2017 e6 produced the longest drives.

2. Tour balls and low compression balls (Softfli, DuoSoft, Callaway Supersoft) were shorter than mid compression but generally the same as each other.

 

Note: I did not find that Lower compression balls performed better (distance) in the cold (But they felt better in the hands!) 

 

Irons.

I just posted on this so won't repeat but specifically. Hole #4, at a public course I frequent, is a 160 yard flat par 3 with a bunker that runs 1/2 the left side of the green (they generally put the flag behind the bunker).  When I'm a single, and the course is not busy, I will spend 30-40 minutes testing balls for distance (aka can I hit the ball over the bunker and stop it on the green).  After 2 years of trying, I cannot get my 5 iron over the bunker with any Tour ball. I have an 85 mph driver s/s so that is a big carry for my 5 iron. But I can get the lower compression balls to carry. The best is the Wilson Duo Spin (no problem for that ball). Srixon Soft Feel? Yes, but not consistently, TruFeel? yes, sometimes. Bridgestone Extra Soft, yes.  Surprising, the old e6 (which I hit longest off the driver) struggles also.  But most importantly for me, mishits with the lower compression balls also sometimes carry the bunker.  Mishits with Tour balls end up short of the bunker...not even close.  I see the same thing on game day (company golf league)

 

Of course my data isn't real data for anybody but me (but it is infinitely better than robot data), that's why I don't understand why the Tour Ball crowd gets so upset and makes strawman claims about my real reasonings for benching the Tout ball. There isn't anything to disagree about, Tour balls are not a superior product for me so I don't game them. Lower compression balls perform better for me, they are more forgiving. 

 

If Tour balls are superior for you, please use them.  Just consider that published "Available" data probably doesn't apply to you.  Your swing is unique and your clubs (and shafts) are different. If there is anything we can conclude with certainty from the two major robot tests its that when the robots used different clubs significant differences presented themselves. 

 

Regards

 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2021 by rwbloom93

[munichop]

@rwbloom93

i appreciate the lengths you have gone to optimize your game with the wide range of golf balls. I too have uncovered certain attributes of golf balls that have helped my game but only by trying them for myself.  If a player wants to improve he must start paying attention to the details of his game.  Years ago I made my own excel spreadsheet to track certain stats in the hope that it would help my game. Looking back now after 20 plus years of stats I feel that was probably the best thing I ever did to improve because it made me more conscious of what I did well and what I did not do well. 
the stats proved to me that as I lost swing speed the lower compression surlyn balls were better for my game. Plus I like the way they feel when I strike them well.