During the 2025 Ryder Cup, American captain Keegan Bradley made an interesting observation about how golf ball affects mating strategy for the team event. Golfers know how their ball feels, performs in different conditions, and even what it looks like sitting on a putt.
As Bradley noted to Golf Channel earlier in the week, the ball is a device that a player uses on every single shot. You can’t say that about anything else in the bag.
In True Spec Golfwhen customers walk into our fitting bays, we focus on club heads, shafts and grips. But a truly great fit should also include a conversation about what golf ball characteristics will help maximize a player’s potential. I see examples of this all the time in my role as a Master Fitter.
Most of my iron, hybrid and fairway woods equipment focus around reaching higher peak heights and steeper angles of land. One of the first questions I ask is, “Are you specific about the golf ball you play?”
I’m often surprised how many avid golfers either don’t commit to a particular ball or have never thought about it. And even those who ARE loyal to a ball often made that choice based on driver performance (more on that later).
A good rule of thumb regarding fit is that your tip height should roughly match or slightly exceed the club head speed of a given club. As a fitter, I can adjust the loft, offset, center of gravity, shaft profile and length to help achieve this. But often, we reach a limit with the clubs themselves. This is where the golf ball can make a difference. A ball with a higher launch and higher spin can help a player reach those few feet. On the other hand, a lower-launching, lower-spinning ball can help with flight and downspin for those who need it.
You may ask yourself, “If I switch to a ball with a higher release, am I giving up distance off the tee?”
Here it is assembly process comes full circle. With today’s adjustable driver technology – from movable weights to shaft settings – we can fine-tune your driver setup to match your ball.
If we’ve optimized your irons, hybrids and fairways for proper height and spin, then we can call on your driver to recover any lost distance by adjusting loft, moving weight forward or changing to a lower spin head. The same logic applies in reverse for those looking for more release and spin across the bag.
True Spec Golf Club Mount
With over 70,000 head and shaft combinations, True Spec Golf will custom fit and create an exact set of clubs for you.
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Bradley is absolutely right – the golf ball is the only piece of equipment you use on every shot. Instead of choosing based on driver performance alone, start with how it performs in your approach game and ground shots. Professional fitters like us at True Spec Golf you can always optimize your driver around that choice.
