Tips About Golf Balls

Tips About Golf Balls

Written by: Bill Herrfeldt

When a golfer decides to buy a new set of clubs, he must make a number of choices. He must also deal with a variety of golf balls that have different characteristics so he can match his style of play with the correct one. There are balls that are made to give the golfer added distance while others will allow him to create more backspin. He must choose a ball that is right for him based on what he considers important.

Surface

All golf balls have dimples and they will affect the length of time a golfer can keep the ball in the air. Some balls give the golfer added distance more than others. So each golf ball manufacturer is trying to design a product that can lay claim to being the longest ball as a major competitive advantage. But that added distance comes with a lessening of accuracy. Proven false is the theory that how dimples are arrayed on a ball will affect the amount of backspin the golfer can impart on the ball.

Outside And In

In the past, the type of golf ball available was limited. There was the wooden ball that soon gave way to the “feathery,” a ball made of feathers encased in leather. In the 19th century, the game was revolutionized by the Gutta Percha ball, whose only drawback was that it tended to explode in flight. Now there are three types of balls. There are those that are made with only two elements, a center and a cover, and are appropriate if a golfer is looking to add distance to his shots. There are balls that have a center core that is wound with something like a tight rubber band, then are covered. Those balls allow the golfer to give it additional backspin and generally lets him feel the shot more. And there are balls that are made in a number of layers that will allow the golfer to hit it a bit farther, and allow him to feel the shot more and increase slightly the spin rate.

Compression

A lot was said in the past about how a ball’s compression affects its distance. It was felt a ball rated 100 compression would travel farther in the air than a ball rated 80 compression. But through sophisticated scientific analysis, that theory was proven false. You can hit the ball just as far regardless of its compression. But compression will affect how the ball feels is it comes off the club head, particularly if you are playing in cooler weather or you have a lower-than-average swing speed.

 

Source:GolfWeek.com

/by

Father’s Day Sale

This Father’s Day, treat dad to the ultimate golf gift!

On SALE now⛳

  • Beer Buddy Pass for $94
  • 1 Round w/ Cart for $41
  • Golf & Lunch for $46
  • 9 & Wine for $15
  • Buy Foursome, Get the 4th Person FREE
  • Buy 1 Range Bucket, Get 1 FREE
SHOP NOW
/by

Don’t fear the downhill, left-to-right putts

Don’t fear the downhill, left-to-right putts

By: Matt Killen

You took care of what you thought was the hard part. You split the fairway with your best drive of the day and managed to hit the green in regulation—with a 4-iron no less! Your reward? Your ball is now above the hole, and there appears to be a pronounced left-to-right break for the ensuing putt. For many golfers, this turns a birdie opportunity into a tap-and-hope scenario. They either get scared and try to cozy the ball to the cup—but wind up short and now face another tricky downhiller—or they put too much pace on it but fail to play enough break. The ball races by the cup on the low side and sets up a likely three-putt.

If this sounds all-too familiar, let’s try something different. First, ask yourself at what speed do you see the ball going in. If you’re seeing it pouring into the back of the cup, you might want to think again—you’re making your target smaller. Test this out: On a practice green, find a downhill, left-to-right lie and practice hitting three putts at three speeds—the first so the ball dies at the cup; the second with enough speed to get it about a foot past the cup if you miss; and the third so it would roll two or three feet past. You’ll start to see how adding more speed to the putt changes the break and makes it much harder to avoid a lip-out, even when you get the read right.

Now comes the part where I give you one thought when you have this putt: maximum break, minimum speed. That’s how to handle these suckers. Oh, and one more thing: Stop paying attention to the cup. Instead, focus on that spot where you think the ball will begin to turn toward the cup—the aim point. It’s always great when one of these sliders drop, but they usually won’t if you peek too soon.

MATT KILLEN is a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher. He works with tour pros Justin Thomas, J.B. Holmes and Jessica Korda.

— with Ron Kaspriske

 

Source: GolfDigest.com

/by