Opinion & Analysis
Where does the golf ball go from here?
According to an unusual statistic I came across recently there are 2,378 golf balls in the air during any given second around the world. Or to extend that out, it equates to 75 billion seconds of golf ball “airtime” per year. So it’s true golf balls play a significant role to golfers.
Right now there’s a lot of buzz in the ball market with big claims being made from a raft of new entrants. New models claim to be longer off the tee and offer more spin from short range while suppling buttery softness and feel. The industry standard premium ball, Titleist’s Pro V1, has consistently led the way in terms of performance since its launch in 2000. Bridgestone, Callaway, Srixon and TaylorMade are also competing at the top end of the market, which is defined at up to $4 per ball.
But imagine getting all that performance at a fraction of that price? Golfers are starting to sit up and take notice. Should Titleist and the other premium golf ball manufacturers be quaking in their corporate boots? And where does golf ball evolution go from here?
Who Makes the Best Golf Balls?
The ideal ball is one that maximizes distance through low spin with the driver, minimizes the effect of wind, stays straight on off-center hits and spins when it hits the green and offer the right feel.
If you ask Tiger Woods what the best golf balls are, he would say Bridgestone (he’s a brand endorser and uses the company’s B330S). Jordan Speith would say Titleist (he uses a ProV1x) and Phil Mickelson would say Callaway (he uses a Chrome Soft). If you ask a 20-handicap golfer the same question, he or she would probably say any number of brands and balls. And it’s not simply an endorsement issue; it comes down to the requirements of the player. In other words, what ball best suits a golfer’s needs in terms of performance… and of course, what’s the price?
It’s kind of like asking who makes the best beer. It’s a topic that sparks ongoing debate in bars all round the world, because everyone has their own favorite. It’s the same with golf balls. Brand loyalty and marketing play a big part in a golfer’s purchasing decision, and improvements in technology have made “the best ball” hard to define.
One thing is for sure, the market is certainly evolving. With the news that Rory McIlroy has chosen to return to Titleist’s Pro V1x golf ball and Bubba Watson will play Volvik’s S4 in pink, we are seeing success by both new and old brands.
Trending Technologies
There is so much technology behind golf balls these days. Polymers and associated materials are advancing at rapid rates, and computer aided design is enabling a better understanding of aerodynamics and performance. Manufacturing is getting more sophisticated and ball-testing technology can optimize the effects of dimples size and shape, spin, attack angles and aerodynamics.
The theory that every player is different is substantiated by Bridgestone, which has invested heavily in its golf-ball testing research and has more than two million swings in its database.
“Getting fitted for your ball is like getting fitted for your driver,” says Adam Rehberg, Bridgestone’s Head of Golf Ball Fitting. “Swing speed, launch angles and spin rates will point you toward a specific ball to optimize your goals. We are very enthusiastic at Bridgestone, as we don’t just make one ball. We are constantly pushing boundaries, and being part of a conglomerate, Bridgestone Golf balls has access to a ton of R&D from Bridgestone Tires. Polymers being used on tires today will undoubtedly be put into play by Bridgestone Golf.”
One Ball for One Swing?
According to Bridgestone’s swing database research, we are all different and swing a golf club differently.
“We gather real golfer data, not just generated from a robot,” Rehberg says. “We realize that people will not hit the ball perfectly. They will have different swing speeds, attack angles and face angles. Golfers should play a profile of ball that meets their needs that will optimize their performance, be that a slower swing speed or better feel round the green.”
But this tee-to-green strategy is different from Titleist’s recent advertising campaigns that say either its Pro V1 or Pro V1x will be the best-performing Titleist golf ball for golfers whatever their level of play.
Titleist takes a green-to-tee approach in its golf ball development and fitting, which involves an evaluation of all shots on the golf course. The greatest emphasis is placed on shots into and around the green, because “the golf ball that performs best on these shots is your key to lower scores,” the company says.
“Many golfers are led to believe they should be fit for a golf ball based solely on their driver swing speed,” the company says. “This is a flawed approach. The truth is golfers use a wide range of swing speeds to execute the vast array of shots required in every round. The golf ball must perform with every club, at every speed, on every shot.”
So in theory, a 20-handicap golfer can play exactly the same ball as their golfing idol does. But who is right?
New Players in the Market
In recent years, the golf ball industry has become packed with new entrants and existing companies that have created an ever-expanding array of models. New players like Vice, Snell, MG and Kirkland are offering urethane-covered golf balls at significantly lower prices. Test data and on-course feedback from golfers suggest that the technology gap is narrowing and more direct-to-market channels enable these companies to reduce overheads.
Judging by some social media-generated player feedback and by sales of these new entrants, golfers are buying into the price-performance deal. And then you have companies like Volvik with their new S3/S4 balls available now in different colors, not to mention Callaway’s success with its Chrome Soft Truvis golf balls, which have soccer ball-like graphics and sold so well Callaway struggled to meet demand.
New Ways to Buy Balls
Balls are also more likely to be bought online rather than through a pro shop these days.
“Trends are showing that consumers are more comfortable buying stuff on their mobile devices” said Elliot Mellow, Bridgestone’s Head of Golf Ball Fitting. “We have changed our channel model selling more direct online through our own website and partner websites and anticipate that to grow.”
It’s easy to see how technology can push down golf ball prices. There are already scenarios in the future that see a drone delivering a consignment of balls to the first tee before you play, presumably ordered on your smart phone that day.
The Golf Ball of the Future
So how will the golf ball of the future differ? It took 200 years for the featherie to make it to the guttie. How long will we have to wait for the next generation breakthrough?
Talking to Dean Snell is a fascinating insight into ball technology, history and engineering. He worked at Titleist to develop the Pro V1 and then at TaylorMade to design its Penta golf balls. Now he heads up his own golf ball company, Snell Golf, and is adamant that the ball regulations are so tight now that the distance feature has been maxed out.
“The area to focus in on now is from 150 yards and in,” he said. “And essentially that means spin rates.” And he doesn’t just focus on balls for pro golfers. At TaylorMade, he was behind its Noodle, Burner, RocketBallz and Project (a) golf balls, which were designed to perform for average golfers.
Snell says many golfers are being mis-sold on the concept that they need a lower-compression ball for slower swing speeds, believing that it will give them greater distance.
“Based on a 100 mph swing hitting the ball 250 yards, a low-compression ball will only add about one extra yard of distance compared to a higher compression ball,” he says. “But this tiny pick-up in distance is completely offset with lack of feel and ability to spin the ball on or around the green. In order to get enough backspin, you have to have a big enough contact area and you have to have the cover going into the grooves. A very hard ball, even if it had a soft cover, it wouldn’t be interacting with very many grooves, so you do actually need it to deform a certain amount.”
Bridgestone, on the other hand, is adamant it can help golfers hit the ball farther.
“We have invested a lot of R&D research into aerodynamics,” Elliot says. “Our ‘Dual-Dimple Pattern’ will offer less drag and shallow out the landing angle for more roll-out. We will be introducing a new dimple in 2017 that will also add stability and added forgiveness. In addition, we see next generation advances in the ball core. We are moving to a gradational-compression core technology. This will offer one-piece performance, but act like a dual core. We see this offering significant added distance.”
The ball of the future may also be optically different, be it in color or design. Like Volvik and Callaway, Bridgestone representatives see the value of color in certain ball segments, but they say it less than 5 percent of total sales. But they’re working on something novel as well.
“We are always looking at ways to help the golfer and I have a new optics-driven concept ball sitting in my desk right now that we are very excited about,” Elliot says. “It will be very different than anything else on the market. It is still in the R&D stage and will involve a different manufacturing process, but it could be available on the market in 2017.”
Is It All Just a Load of Balls?
Lots of golfers couldn’t care less about what ball they play, especially if they are at the beginner or less-advanced stage. Given that they will be donating a lot of balls per round to the local wildlife, they want something that delivers price performance. After all, they can hit a TaylorMade just as far into the woods as they can hit a Top Flight. But there are differences in performance between brands and models. How much of it is a placebo effect? We all love our golf brands and are passionate about how much superior they are to the competition… but we say the same about our beer, our cars, our phones and everything else.
To succeed in the golf ball business is all about winning user acceptance and distribution. The barriers to entry have diminished a lot over the last 10 years. If Microsoft or Apple decided to muscle in, it would become very interesting indeed.
So you can wrap yourself up in all the ball technology you want. Heck, I’m a lifelong marketing guy; I know how it all works. But the truth is play the ball you’re most comfortable using, one that matches your skill level, personality and pocket.
Bubba summed it up pretty well in his recent signing with Volvik. “As long as the performance differences are not huge, I can have a lot more fun hitting a pink golf ball, so why not?”
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Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.
Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.
But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.
To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.
Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.
If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.
In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.
Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.
While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.
So, what about grooves and face texture?
Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.
Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.
But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?
The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.
So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.
And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.
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Golf's Perfect Imperfections
Golf’s Perfect Imperfections: Amazing Session with Performance Coach Savannah Meyer-Clement
In this week’s episode, we spent some time with performance coach Savannah Meyer-Clement who provides many useful insights that you’ll be able to implement on the golf course.
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 RBC Heritage betting preview: Patrick Cantlay ready to get back inside winner’s circle
Just a two-hour drive from Augusta National, the PGA TOUR heads to Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s paradise and Harbour Town is one of the most beautiful and scenic courses on the PGA TOUR.
Harbour Town Golf Links is a par-71 that measures 7,121 yards and features Bermuda grass greens. A Pete Dye design, the course is heavily tree lined and features small greens and many dog legs, protecting it from “bomb-and-gauge” type golfers.
The field is loaded this week with 69 golfers with no cut. Last year was quite possibly the best field in RBC Heritage history and the event this week is yet another designated event, meaning there is a $20 million prize pool.
Most of the big names on the PGA Tour will be in attendance this week with the exceptions of Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland. Additionally, Webb Simpson, Shane Lowry, Gary Woodland and Kevin Kisner have been granted sponsors exemptions.
Past Winners at Harbour Town
- 2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)
- 2022: Jordan Spieth (-13)
- 2021: Stewart Cink (-19)
- 2020: Webb Simpson (-22)
- 2019: CT Pan (-12)
- 2018: Sotoshi Kodaira (-12)
- 2017: Wesley Bryan (-13)
- 2016: Branden Grace (-9)
- 2015: Jim Furyk (-18)
In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).
Key Stats For Harbour Town
Let’s take a look at key metrics for Harbour Town Golf Links to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their past 24 rounds.
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Approach is exceedingly important this week. The greens at Harbour Town are about half the size of PGA TOUR average and feature the second-smallest greens on the tour. Typical of a Pete Dye design, golfers will pay the price for missed greens.
Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Scottie Scheffler (+1.27)
- Tom Hoge (+1.27)
- Corey Conners (+1.16)
- Austin Eckroat (+0.95)
- Cameron Young (+0.93)
Good Drive %
The fairways at Harbour Town are tree lined and feature many dog legs. Bombers tend to struggle at the course because it forces layups and doesn’t allow long drivers to overpower it. Accuracy is far more important than power.
Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds
- Brice Garnett (88.8%)
- Shane Lowry (+87.2%)
- Akshay Bhatia (+86.0%)
- Si Woo Kim (+85.8%)
- Sepp Straka (+85.1%)
Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs
Pete Dye specialists tend to play very well at Harbour Town. Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson are all Pete Dye specialists who have had great success here. It is likely we see some more specialists near the top of the leaderboard this week.
SG: TOT Pete Dye per round over past 36 rounds:
- Xander Schauffele (+2.27)
- Scottie Scheffler (+2.24)
- Ludvig Aberg (+2.11)
- Brian Harman (+1.89)
- Sungjae Im (+1.58)
4. Strokes Gained: Short Game (Bermuda)
Strokes Gained: Short Game factors in both around the green and putting. With many green-side bunkers and tricky green complexes, both statistics will be important. Past winners — such as Jim Furyk, Wes Bryan and Webb Simpson — highlight how crucial the short game skill set is around Harbour Town.
SG: SG Over Past 24 Rounds
- Jordan Spieth (+1.11)
- Taylor Moore (+1.02)
- Wyndham Clark (+0.98)
- Mackenzie Hughes (+0.86)
- Andrew Putnam (+0.83)
5. Greens in Regulation %
The recipe for success at Harbour Town Golf Links is hitting fairways and greens. Missing either will prove to be consequential — golfers must be in total control of the ball to win.
Greens in Regulation % over past 24 rounds:
- Brice Garnett (+75.0%)
- Scottie Scheffler (+69.9%)
- Corey Conners (+69.0%)
- Shane Lowry (+68.3%)
- Patrick Rodgers (+67.6%)
6. Course History
Harbour Town is a course where players who have strong past results at the course always tend to pop up.
Course History over past 24 rounds:
- Patrick Cantlay (+2.34)
- Cam Davis (+2.05)
- J.T. Poston (+1.69)
- Justin Rose (+1.68)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+1.59)
The RBC Heritage Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (24%), Good Drives (20%), SG: SG (14%), SG: Pete Dye (14%), GIR (14%), and Course History (14%)
- Shane Lowry
- Russell Henley
- Scottie Scheffler
- Xander Schauffele
- Corey Conners
- Wyndham Clark
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Cameron Young
- Ludvig Aberg
2024 RBC Heritage Picks
Patrick Cantlay +2000 (FanDuel)
With the exception of Scottie Scheffler, the PGA Tour has yet to have any of their star players show peak form during the 2024 season. Last week, Patrick Cantlay, who I believe is a top-5 players on the PGA Tour, took one step closer to regaining the form that’s helped him win eight events on Tour since 2017.
Cantlay limped into the Masters in poor form, but figured it out at Augusta National, finishing in a tie for 20th and ranking 17th for the week in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. The former FedEx Cup champion will now head to one of his favorite golf courses in Harbour Town, where he’s had immaculate results over the years. In his six trips to the course, he’s only finished worse than 7th one time. The other finishes include three third places (2017, 2019, 2023) and one runner-up finish (2022). In his past 36 rounds at Harbour Town, Cantlay ranks 1st in Strokes Gained: Total per round at the course by a wide margin (+2.36).
Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship, which is far too long for a player of his caliber. With signs pointing to the 32-year-old returning to form, a “signature event” at Harbour Town is just what he needs to get back on the winning track.
Tommy Fleetwood +3000 (FanDuel)
I truly believe Tommy Fleetwood will figure out a way to win on American soil in 2024. It’s certainly been a bugaboo for him throughout his career, but he is simply too talented to go another season without winning a PGA Tour event.
At last week’s Masters Tournament, Fleetwood made a Sunday charge and ended up finishing T3 in the event, which was his best ever finish at The Masters. For the week, the Englishman ranked 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 10th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Harbour Town is a perfect layout for Fleetwood, and he’s had relative success at this Pete Dye design in the past. In his four trips to the course, he’s finished inside of the top 25 three times, with his best finish, T10, coming in 2022. The course is pretty short and can’t be overpowered, which gives an advantage to more accurate players such as Fleetwood. Tommy ranks 8th in the field in Good Drive % and should be able to plot his way along this golf course.
The win is coming for Tommy lad. I believe there’s a chance this treasure of a golf course may be the perfect one for him to finally break through on Tour.
Cameron Young +3300 (FanDuel)
Cameron Young had a solid Masters Tournament last week, which is exactly what I’m looking for in players who I anticipate playing well this week at the RBC Heritage. He finished in a tie for 9th, but never felt the pressure of contending in the event. For the week, Young ranked 6th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.
Despite being one of the longest players off the tee on the PGA Tour, Young has actually played some really good golf on shorter tracks. He finished T3 at Harbour Town in 2023 and ranks 20th in the field in Good Drive% and 16th in Greens in Regulation in his past 24 rounds. He also has strong finishes at other shorter courses that can take driver out of a players hand such as Copperhead and PGA National.
Young is simply one of the best players on the PGA Tour in 2024, and I strongly believe has what it takes to win a PGA Tour event in the very near future.
Corey Conners +5500 (FanDuel)
Corey Conners has had a disappointing year thus far on the PGA Tour, but absolutely loves Harbour Town.
At last week’s Masters Tournament, the Canadian finished T30 but ranked 20th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. In his past 24 rounds, Conners ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Greens in Regulation % and 24th in Good Drive %.
In Conners’ last four trips to Harbour Town, his worst finish was T31, last season. He finished T4 in 2021, T12 in 2022 and ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course over his past 36 rounds.
Conners hasn’t been contending, but his recent finishes have been encouraging as he has finished in the top-25 in each of his past three starts prior to The Masters, including an impressive T13 at The PLAYERS. His recent improvement in ball striking as well as his suitability for Harbour Town makes Conners a high upside bet this week.
Shane Lowry (+7500) (FanDuel)
When these odds were posted after Lowry was announced in the field, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Despite not offering much win equity on the PGA Tour over the last handful of years, Shane Lowry is still a top caliber player who has the ability to rise to the top of a signature event.
Lowry struggled to score at The Masters last week, but he actually hit the ball really well. The Irishman ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Approach on the week and 7th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. As usual, it was the putter that let him down, as he ranked 60th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Harbour Town is most definitely one of Lowry’s favorite courses on the PGA Tour. In his six starts there, he’s finished in the top 10 three times, including third twice. Lowry is sensational at Pete Dye designs and ranks 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in his past 36 rounds on Dye tracks.
Lowry is perfect for Harbour Town. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 2nd in Good Drive% and 5th in Green in Regulation %. If he figures it out on the greens, Shane could have his first win in America since 2015.
Lucas Glover +12000 (FanDuel)
This is one of my weekly “bet the number” plays as I strongly believe the odds are just too long for a player of Glover’s caliber. The odds have been too long on Glover for a few weeks now, but this is the first event that I can get behind the veteran being able to actually contend at.
Glover is quietly playing good golf and returning to the form he had after the understandable regression after his two massive victories at the end of 2023. He finished T20 at The Masters, which was his best ever finish at Augusta National. For the week, Lucas ranked 18th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 20th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.
Over his past 24 rounds, Glover ranks 9th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th in Good Drive %. Harbour Town is a short course that the 44-year-old will be able to keep up with the top players on Tour off the tee. He’s played the course more than 20 times, with mixed results. His best finishes at Harbour Town include a T7 in 2008, but recently has a finish of T21 in 2020.
Glover has proven he can contend with the stars of the Tour on any given week, and this number is flat out disrespectful.
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rasel
Oct 2, 2017 at 1:54 am
its a really great idea that you have described here. thanks a lot for this best idea
Joey
Feb 23, 2017 at 2:15 pm
Is it just me or do other people just hate when you are playing with people and they will tell you ball doesn’t matter. I was playing the other day and I bought some b330s golf balls and he was wondering why I bought them instead of Top Flights that are half the price. Does anyone know something smart that i can say back to people who comment on balls that i use?
Miuralovechild
Feb 6, 2017 at 1:20 am
I can’t wait for the Sams Choice ball from Sam’s Club. They won’t let Costco dominate the ball market.
Dan
Feb 12, 2017 at 10:41 pm
more likely it will be an Amazon ball right? I’ve been buying all my golf balls from Amazon for the last year+. It’s only a matter of time before they get the same factory as Costco to make their own “prime” ball.
Eye4Golf-Albuquerque
Feb 1, 2017 at 9:31 pm
I play on city courses 95% of the time and play 3 times a week, so high end premium balls are not a good return on investment. If you play on high end courses you see some improvement if you play to a 6-12 hdcp, higher no help, lower no brainier. Last time I read the average golfer shoots in mid 90’s. I think it’s great to have such a variety of value priced quality balls Snell,Vice, Wilson Staff and others from $12-32 dozen. Duo’s yellow in winter and Kirkland rest of time are my favorites. Finding the right ball is easier and cheaper than golf clubs.
Kyle p
Feb 1, 2017 at 12:05 pm
I’ve read that article countless times with only slight variations over the years with regards to balls and clubs. It comes across as a child writing a report.
I’m asking the editor, please don’t post articles just for the sake of filling up space.
This website has always been knowledgeable and insightful and I hope that resumes in the future.
Stevegp
Feb 1, 2017 at 12:41 am
Interesting summation article. You “use” the golf ball on every shot. The ball you choose is important (IMHO). The golf ball also is the least expensive piece of equipment you purchase and one that can impact every shot, enjoyment of the game, and your performance.
S Hitter
Feb 1, 2017 at 1:28 am
No, the least expensive piece of equipment is the tee that you put your ball on
Jim
Jan 31, 2017 at 5:26 pm
Absolutely time for ‘the official tournament ball’
a barrel full on the range and every player loads their bag with them. Period. Different mfrs can sponsor events and their ‘tour compliant’ ball will be the one used that week.
let the pampered ones cry. They’ll still all have their endorsement deals on the side
george
Jan 31, 2017 at 11:54 am
Well, I’ve still got 10 dz B330-RX in the basement. I guess I’ll have to wait another two months zu select a new and improved ball… 😉
cgasucks
Jan 31, 2017 at 8:30 am
When it comes to buying new tour level quality balls, the KSig gives you the best deal for your hard earned dollars. I will count the days when it will come back (as per their Chairman’s comments).
Tim
Jan 31, 2017 at 6:23 pm
Going a little far calling the KSig a tour level ball…good ball for amateurs yes….you know the Costco ball does not or did not go through all the testing a Prov1 or other tour balls go through right…I think you will find the real threat of the KSig ball is for all the off tour balls all the big boys sell…Who would pay $22 or more for a hard cover ball if you could get a urethane ball for $15 a dozen…that is the real threat
Brian
Jan 31, 2017 at 8:40 pm
Michael Breed, is that you?
Mark
Jan 31, 2017 at 2:42 am
Hopefully more affordable. Kirkland have rocked the boat but you find a lot of golfers who want expensive and would not be seen dead with anything that wasn’t from a premium priced brand. And are off 20 and hit it all over the parish and then spend an inordinate amount of time looking for them. “It’s lost mate, this is where Elephants come to die. Not a chance…these are £3.50 each”….
JuNiOR
Jan 31, 2017 at 12:24 am
Who Makes the Best Golf Balls?
Hands down the Kirkland Signature 4 piece!!!
1. Performance
2. Price
3. Did I say price….$30.00 for 2 DOZEN
Jim
Jan 31, 2017 at 12:39 am
Your talking about an ok ball for the White Tee 15 to 20 handicapper….for a real player, one who makes birdies from the Blue or Back tees the higher end balls are going to be better…why, because the high end balls (Prov1 etc) are built to be and play better…at best with a Kirkland ball your getting a ball with play ability 5 or more years old. Fine for those that just not going to get any better..
Brian
Jan 31, 2017 at 8:43 pm
Is Titleist paying you per post or an hourly rate?
STeve S
Jan 31, 2017 at 8:52 pm
Have you seen the testing? Ksig numbers within experimental error of the 2016 Pro V1. If it’s 5 year old technology that means all the BS about new technology is just that…BS.
SV
Feb 1, 2017 at 9:53 am
A rather snarky comment. Actually a player will do his best with a ball that suits him and they don’t have to be tour level and cost $50 per dozen. Just because someone doesn’t want to pay an exorbitant price for balls doesn’t mean they can’t play. My favorite balls, which unfortunately are no longer available, are the Srixon AD333 and Callaway Diablo HX Tour. By the way, I am 68 years old, play to a 5 handicap and play to it from any set of tees.
MiloTheMarauder
Jan 30, 2017 at 8:33 pm
I’m looking forward to playing the new Chrome soft X, hopefully in Truvis.
Adam
Jan 30, 2017 at 7:01 pm
Hopefully it goes in the hole a lot more and sooner on each hole!
Geoff
Jan 30, 2017 at 1:19 pm
I’ve played the Chromax ball for about 3 years and it simply outperforms other premium balls that I’ve played. They really run out a little more on Drives, approaches and putts. Most players want more distance on their Driver and they often miss greens and putts short. Urethane balls produce more spin of the driver which causes the ball to hook or slice more and stop quickly on a good drive, while the Chromax ball is very straight and picks up a couple of extra yards. On approach shots, the urethane ball will stop and spin back; if most misses are short, you don’t want the ball to spin back. The Chromax ball takes a hop forward and then stops for me. On putts, the urethane ball grips each imperfection on the green and slows down the ball. I hate the putts you leave inches short with the perfect line—that is far less likely to happen with this ball. Pull and hit the same clubs you normally would and hit more greens and hole more putts, it’s really a no-brainer. I’m very happy with the Chromax O.V. ball.
Ian
Jan 31, 2017 at 1:42 pm
who should they make the endorsement check out to?
Geoff
Jan 31, 2017 at 5:39 pm
Ha, me I would think!