As with most things in the world of golf equipment, there is an abundance of myths surrounding the golf ball. It’s a problem because bad information can cause players to make bad decisions about the golf balls they choose to play.
Today, we’ve put some of those myths to bed.
I need the right golf ball compression for my swing speed
This is probably the most widespread myth in the golf ball world, so it’s starting to feel like the dead horse I can’t stop beating.
I place the blame squarely on Matt Kuchar’s father and Google’s ridiculous algorithms for continually misinforming golfers about this critical part of golf ball assembly.
So let me say it again.
There is no proper golf ball compression for your swing speed. You need a golf ball that will deliver optimal performance for your swing, and while swing speed is part of this discussion, there is much more to it.
The reality is that while many players with slower swing speeds feel they need a softer golf ball (and many others like the feel), a healthy number of them would be better served playing a softer golf ball. stronger and higher.
It’s true that many players with high swing speeds should avoid balls with lower compression, but even then, there are exceptions to the rule.
In general, unless there is a non-negotiable feel (or price) preference, it is rare that I would recommend a golf ball softer than 80 compression, which is on the very low end of what is played on Tour.
Soft balls spin more than hard balls
I’m not positive where this came from, but my best guess is that some golfers believe that as golf balls get softer, it’s easier for the club to catch and create friction and spin.
This is somewhat true, but what is lost in this thinking is that softer covers are found on harder Tour balls.
The roll of the golf ball is a result of differences in stiffness between the layers. More specifically, rotation increases when a soft layer is placed over a hard one, such as when a soft urethane coating is placed over a hard ionomer coat layer.
With soft golf balls, the inner layers must be soft, and so there is usually no hard layer for the cover to stick to and generate spin. This is especially true in 2-piece constructions where a hard ionomer layer covers a soft core material.
In other words, software does not rotate.
The Titleist Pro V1 spins more than the Pro V1x
Share this for players with long memories. For a good part of their existence, For V1 it was Titleist’s highest-spinning flagship golf ball, and so perhaps Titleist is to blame for the confusion.
So what changed?
With the launch of the 2017 golf balls, Titleist flipped the script … well, half of it anyway. Titleist maintained the highest flight of Pro V1xbut pushed the spin rates beyond the Pro V1. Eight years later and there is still some confusion.
Keep in mind that both balls offer low spin from the driver and plenty around the green. With that said, where you should notice the biggest difference is the iron.
The more dimples the better the ball
Thankfully, this doesn’t happen much, but there are some golfers who believe that the more dimples a golf ball has, the better it will perform.
To be sure, dimple patterns are critical to golf ball performance, but there is no magic number. While counting dimples plays a role, there is much more to it. Think dimple size, depth and edge radii all contribute to performance.
Ultimately, what matters is that the aerodynamic package (dimples) works with other aspects of the golf ball’s design to consistently deliver an optimized trajectory to the golfer.
So while most golf ball covers have between three and four hundred dimples, the actual number is nothing to worry about.
I’m not good enough to tell the difference between golf balls
What I always tell golfers is that even if you’re not good enough to see the differences from one shot to another, you can certainly appreciate them.
Whether you notice it or not, a tree falling in the forest still makes a sound. The same is true of golf ball performance and quality differences.
I have tested several thousand golf balls both with golf robots and in the lab and I can assure you that the differences are real and that means if you notice from one shot to the next, they affect your game.
Look, I understand. We are not professionals and therefore it is almost impossible to distinguish the performance and quality implications from one movement to another. Even at the Tour level, pros require a golf ball to fly through certain windows.
They aren’t necessarily smart enough to know when a five yard loss is due to a golf ball. The difference is that while you may not realize that the ball is the reason you hit your driver OB (sometimes it is the ball), the best golfers in the world will.
If you’re just out to hit balls and have a good time, it doesn’t really matter, but if shooting your best score is important to you, then you really need to play a quality golf ball that meets your performance needs.
Are there others?
What other golf myths are you curious about? Tell us.
Post 5 Golf Ball Myths Busted! appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
