How can a ball be low spin with driver yet high spin with irons?

[Marengo]

Not too good at physics

Like everyone here, I've been searching for that perfect ball for my game. All of these new balls claim to be low spin off the driver but high spin around the greens or with the irons. How can there be two different spin characteristics for one ball? It seems like if it is a low spin ball off the driver, it should be low spin with everything else as well. Is there something I am missing? Does it have to do with how the ball is being compressed or something? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

[storm319]

When comparing across the entire spectrum, no ball can physically accomplish both. The goal is to find the best compromise (and some balls do it better than others).

[03SVTCobra]

[quote name='storm319' timestamp='1334963940' post='4760306']
When comparing across the entire spectrum, no ball can physically accomplish both. The goal is to find the best compromise (and some balls do it better than others).
[/quote]

Agreed. There is no such thing as an E6 off the driver and a Z-star off the wedge. However there are great compromises between the two out there that make the overall game a more enjoyable experience. The cover has a good bit to do with it, as well as the make up of the ball.

A 2 piece ball with urethane cover will give you low spin off the driver with grip around the green due to the softer urethane cover. Multiple piece balls that compress differently through the bag are also a good choice because they can offer lower spin out of the box and more bite on the green.

[jons1]

different layers of rubber compounds that have different levels of hardness. On higher speed swings, you'll reach deeper layers of the ball, so they make that layer respond more like a hard distance ball. On the outer layers that are softer, they respond to the lower swing speeds, so the ball spins more. That's how they achieve this kind of ball, and this is why ball fitting is so important.

[ed27063]

Each player has a different swing speed for each club in his or her bag.

The short irons (lob wedge, sand wedge, pitching wedge) will have a slower swing speed compare to the driver which should be the fastest swing speed in your bag.

The faster the swing speed the more stored or potential "energy" that club head is carrying as it reaches the ball.

The balls have at least two layers and as many as five layers.

The more the "energy" the club applies to the ball, the more layers are "activated".

The most spin will come from the outer layer, espically if it's constructed out of a "soft" material such as urethane. A soft cover will actually "stick" to the clubface for the thousands of a second of actual contact. A harder ball will tend to "slide" up the clubface and therefore will spin less.

As each layer is activated, spin is "taken away". Most core's are designed to be the "engine" of the ball, capture and "store" most of the energy to fly the longest downrange but also to not spin, as most spin apply to the core with the driver by recreational players will be "side spin". Each manufactures core will have a slightly differenct chemical composition. The chemical composition will determine the core performance characteristics.

The cover actually has two function, to provide spin and potection or "longivity" to the ball. Most two piece balls have a Suryln cover that's .3 inch thick. They need the thicker/harder cover to give it strength and longivity. The mantle on three piece ball is actually quiet hard and provide the longivity function and therefore the cover on three piece ball are quiet thinner, around .03 and softer since it no longer has to do the longivity function, just the spin function. The mantle will also actually "add spin back in" that was taken out by the core.

So finding the right ball is finding the right combination of cover hardness and material, number of layers of mantle and mantle composition, and core compositon.

[golfiest]

Check the srixon web site they have a nice section called the srixon university and it has all the information that can answer your question to great details.

[inmens]

[quote name='golfiest' timestamp='1335147505' post='4771046']
Check the srixon web site they have a nice section called the srixon university and it has all the information that can answer your question to great details.
[/quote]

Great site. Thanks. Lots of info.