Do you balance your golf balls?

[drglew]

I decided to spin-balance my magnetic bracelet, as well as my lucky poker chip...

(can't believe the thread is revived!)

In all seriousness, if balancing works for you, great. Golf as we all know is just as much mental as it is physical, and anything that you think may help your game probably isn't going to hurt it!).

[Joeyvee]

lol, for alignment? I point the logo where I want to aim, square my hips and shoulders parallel with the logo and am dead on target 90% of the time barring mishits. Can't tell you what that little trick did with my putting. If only you could mark your ball off the green so I could do it with my chips as well.

If you think you can aim your logo right at the target you're wrong. A military sniper would have trouble aiming a laser scope at the flagstick from 200 yards. I get what you're saying though. General direction

[Valleygolfer]

I balance mine. I received the spin balance from my father. I read numerous places of the value and that the ball come from the factory off just a little and if you believe they are tested at the factory you are incorrect. I have watched them being made and they check a few things but balance isn't one of them.....sorry fourputt.

I thought it might be a waste of time but did it anyway because.....well just to be messing around with something golf i guess until I read this article. Now I do all of them that I use.

http://clubmaker-online.com/golfclubreview.pdf

[Fourputt]

I balance mine. I received the spin balance from my father. I read numerous places of the value and that the ball come from the factory off just a little and

When did I ever say that they did???? Better read my posts again. I never even hinted about anything like that because I know nothing about it.

I just know that playing a balance point identified ball or just a random ball has no material effect whatsoever on the typical amateur's game. Mental maybe, but that's as far as I'll take it.

[max power]

I just know that playing a balance point identified ball or just a random ball has no material effect whatsoever on the typical amateur's game. Mental maybe, but that's as far as I'll take it.

+100 Clutching at straws.

[zeg]

+100 Clutching at straws.

And yet +110 correct. Go figure.

[Valleygolfer]

With modern golf balls and modern manufacturing methods, such "balancing" is meaningless. Balls are factory balanced to functional quality already. It's a waste of time and can't possibly have any causative effect on one's game. You say that you like to align the line... you can only do that on the tee and on putting green. The rest of time you play the ball as it lies, so why worry about it on the tee? If you really need a line, you can use one of those little plastic cups that the ball fits into and you use a sharpie to draw a line through a slot in the cup. Just as effective and takes no time, and you can carry it in your bag to mark a ball on the course too if needed.

It was from this post. I don't think that balancing is the answer to all my problems, it is just another part of eliminating the "indian not the arrows" effect. I would never have bought the device myself, my dad is a gimic guy and I inherit stuff after he gets bored. Do i need my golf ball balanced? Probably not. Do I think that the factory may have some balls that are not "perfectly" made, yes. Mostly I just humor myself but the article I posted made me think twice about it.

On a side note, the is a guy selling one "balanced" and marked ball around 18 bucks. I did find this funny and has actually sold said balls. I sent him a a email, congratulated him for suckering people out of money and wished I thought of it. He replied "thanks". Link is below. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=270585986002

[MikeBuch]

. . .

How do you know this? I can't personally attest to his research methods or personal integrity, but Dave Pelz, in his Putting Bible presented some (what appeared to be) scientific data proving it possible for an imbalanced ball, when aligned properly, and with the right putting green and putt length, that a stroke could hole a balanced ball in the center of the cup and have the imbalanced one miss entirely. It's not going to make high handicappers go pro, but it could, very conceivably save a shot once in a while on well stroked putts. I would think we could agree that saving a shot is material. I also agree that there is more than likely a mental effect, but to say that this method will never help otherwise without anything to discredit current research seems unfounded, so where did you get this information from?

[Fourputt]

How do you know this? I can't personally attest to his research methods or personal integrity, but Dave Pelz, in his Putting Bible presented some (what appeared to be) scientific data proving it possible for an imbalanced ball, when aligned properly, and with the right putting green and putt length, that a stroke could hole a balanced ball in the center of the cup and have the imbalanced one miss entirely. It's not going to make high handicappers go pro, but it could, very conceivably save a shot once in a while on well stroked putts. I would think we could agree that saving a shot is material. I also agree that there is more than likely a mental effect, but to say that this method will never help otherwise without anything to discredit current research seems unfounded, so where did you get this information from?

I

might buy it when I see empirical evidence obtained by scientific method from an independent testing source, rather than from a "short game guru" who is trying to sell his books, training aids, lessons, etc., and who through his own ego has convinced himself that his method is the only right way. (Can you say "conflict of interest?") Even then I'll only buy it as having any value if the player has a stroke as consistent as a robot's, and can read every green perfectly every time, hit every putt dead on line with perfect speed for each read every time.... You get my drift here? As often as you may miss a perfectly struck putt because of an unbalanced ball, you are just as likely to make a putt because an imperfectly struck or read putt is corrected by the ball being out of balance. And that is only if you believe the whole theory in the first place, which I still don't.

[Shanks A Million]

I

You're still grasping at straws. Your improperly read putt error assumes the ball always goes in the correct direction, but it doesn't, there's only a 50% chance of saving a bad putt, where as the same imbalance on the correct line will mean a near 100% chance of miss. If it's imbalanced, a misread can be coupled with an imbalance to throw the putt even further offline. You've been presented evidence by three well known industry figures, all of whom did studies with swing robots, none of whom are selling balancing tools. In fact, they all say to use some water and baking soda, and to save it.

You are married to an ideology, and you cannot be convinced otherwise. Just like golf instructors who outright refuse to believe the new ball flight laws, or people who still cling to something that's been proven wrong time after time (like the idea that the earth is 6,000 years old, but that's another story). Balancing golf balls is free, and it takes about a minute.

[Valleygolfer]

You're still grasping at straws. Your improperly read putt error assumes the ball always goes in the correct direction, but it doesn't, there's only a 50% chance of saving a bad putt, where as the same imbalance on the correct line will mean a near 100% chance of miss. If it's imbalanced, a misread can be coupled with an imbalance to throw the putt even further offline. You've been presented evidence by three well known industry figures, all of whom did studies with swing robots, none of whom are selling balancing tools. In fact, they all say to use some water and baking soda, and to save it.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

[iacas]

You've been presented evidence by three well known industry figures, all of whom did studies with swing robots, none of whom are selling balancing tools.

Didn't those studies date back a decade or so? One had mentioned balata, no?

For the heck of it I tried to balance a dozen golf balls last night. Six Penta TPs, six Pro V1x. None would come to rest in the same spot in my suspension solution (salt water, Jet Dry). They were all, thus, balanced well enough.

[Fourputt]

Didn't those studies date back a decade or so? One had mentioned balata, no?

I did the same test (although not with a dozen balls) the last time this topic came up and nobody believed me then, so I didn't even mention it this time.

The proponents are as fixed to their ideology as they say I am to mine. It's like arguing religion or politics... nobody will even consider the the other side has any ground to stand on, so such discussions can never have a winner.

[Valleygolfer]

Didn't those studies date back a decade or so? One had mentioned balata, no?

It also stated in the link I supplied that the solution method was not a preferred method. Solution balanced balls only supply the less dense area and not necessarily an improvement in ball performance in play. I would guess that the chance for a less than perfect ball may be present with the cheaper balls and people who use them might notice improvement. I would say that both sides could be correct in an assessment that is and is not needed depending on the ball quality. I will spin balance a Penta a few times and see if the same point shows up and a Noodle long and soft and see what happens.

[iacas]

I will spin balance a Penta a few times and see if the same point shows up and a Noodle long and soft and see what happens.

If you want to waste your time, go ahead. Pros don't spin balance their balls nor do they get "special" balls (except for balls printed with their name or number on them - they don't get "pured" golf balls only).

I'm fairly confident in my position on this.

[Valleygolfer]

If you want to waste your time, go ahead. Pros don't spin balance their balls nor do they get "special" balls (except for balls printed with their name or number on them - they don't get "pured" golf balls only).

You wasted your time last night so I thought I would oblige. Pros hit pure more often and the balance may not effect them, I don't know. I took 5 minutes and spun the 2 pentas and 2 noodles. One penta came to the same position or equator 4 times, the second penta, 3 out of 4 times, the one time it did not it was about a 1/4" off. The noodles came to the same postion more readily everytime they were spun.

I don't know if it will change my scoring but there is a consistency when spun so if I can postion the ball so that it doesn't "enhance" my slice, I will do it. I have the machine and it is free and quick. If anything else it gives me a straight line for aiming putts.

[Zeph]

I don't know if it will change my scoring but there is a consistency when spun so if I can postion the ball so that it doesn't "enhance" my slice, I will do it. I have the machine and it is free and quick. If anything else it gives me a straight line for aiming putts.

I can guarantee you pretty comfortably that balancing your balls won't make a slightest change to your slice. Sidespin is sidespin, no matter how perfectly balanced your ball is. The only place where one possibly might see a difference through scientific research (which I've yet to see that convince me) is when putting.

[Valleygolfer]

I can guarantee you pretty comfortably that balancing your balls won't make a slightest change to your slice. Sidespin is sidespin, no matter how perfectly balanced your ball is. The only place where one possibly might see a difference through scientific research (which I've yet to see that convince me) is when putting.

Did you read the article I posted the link to?