golf ball question

**agengo02** · August 25, 2008

i keep noticing when i watch the pros play their drives dont have much roll at all to them even if they hit dead center in the fairway. the only thing i could come up with is that they use the special balls that stop so they can put lots of backspin to bring the ball back on the greens. is this the reason why they get no roll?

**tjy355** · August 25, 2008

i keep noticing when i watch the pros play their drives dont have much roll at all to them even if they hit dead center in the fairway. the only thing i could come up with is that they use the special balls that stop so they can put lots of backspin to bring the ball back on the greens. is this the reason why they get no roll?

Many of the courses played on the PGA Tour are kept very wet and soggy (so they look nice and green for the TV audience), that is primarily why there is not much rollout in the fairways and the balls stick like darts on the greens.

But beside that, skilled players can put lots of spin on the ball and they use balls with softer covers (ProV1 for example) that allow for more spin.

**kafka01** · August 25, 2008

But beside that, skilled players can put lots of spin on the ball and they use balls with softer covers (ProV1 for example) that allow for more spin.

I´m pretty sure they dont intend to put a lot of spin on the ball with a driver - god forbid make the ball stop.

The answere to that is simply the trajectory they hit - when it reaches the peak the ball descends from a very high level and comes in steep so there is not much roll in it.

**RemyM** · August 26, 2008

Many of the courses played on the PGA Tour are kept very wet and soggy (so they look nice and green for the TV audience), that is primarily why there is not much rollout in the fairways and the balls stick like darts on the greens.

No they try to keep them fast and firm, it just that mother nature doesn't always cooperate. No superintendent wants their course wet and soggy, too many turf problems arise from those conditions. You strive for tournament brown.

**Fourputt** · August 26, 2008

i keep noticing when i watch the pros play their drives dont have much roll at all to them even if they hit dead center in the fairway. the only thing i could come up with is that they use the special balls that stop so they can put lots of backspin to bring the ball back on the greens. is this the reason why they get no roll?

I hit a high driver too, and I often get little or no roll. I've even had drives back up a couple of feet. That isn't a desired condition most of the time, although it does help on holes where the landing area is on a sidehill. I play a Callaway Warbird 2-piece ball, so there isn't anything "special" about it that makes it spin... quite the opposite. I've been considering looking for a different driver to help keep the ball flight lower, but I haven't gotten around to starting the search yet.

**winders** · August 26, 2008

Many of the courses played on the PGA Tour are kept very wet and soggy (so they look nice and green for the TV audience), that is primarily why there is not much rollout in the fairways and the balls stick like darts on the greens.

No, that's simply not the case.

On the Tour, fairways are usually hard unless it rains. Greens, to be 12 to 13 on the stimpmeter, are quite hard too. If you know anything about Pro players and launch monitors, you know that they are looking for low spin (less than 3000 RPM) and low launch angles with their ball of choice. They usually have less spin off the driver than the vast majority of amateur players who don't get their drivers fit on a launch monitor. S-

**bflat450** · August 26, 2008

Well tour players launch their drivers really high, and coming in that steep the ball won't get much roll. Also, if they play it with too much roll it is hard to control where their drive will end up.

**SiamGolfer** · August 26, 2008

Well tour players launch their drivers really high, and coming in that steep the ball won't get much roll. Also, if they play it with too much roll it is hard to control where their drive will end up.

^^ That's it in a nutshell, control.

**907golfer12** · August 26, 2008

Actually to everyone who said that tour players launch the ball high, you are wrong. The faster you swing the lower the optimal launch angle is, since it will have more time to get high in the air. And because tour players get fit before just about every tournament their launch angle's and spin rates are perfect.

To the OP, I was at the Mercedes-Benz Championship earlier this year, and all of the driver that I saw rolled forever, so maybe you are just seeing the ones getting hit into soggy conditions, or maybe the ones where they need maximum carry so they do hit the ball at higher launch conditions to get that carry. Those wouldn't roll as much.

**JaY_B** · August 26, 2008

It's just an illusion, watching golf on t.v. (because of camera angles etc) makes the ball look like it has rolled less than it has.

Also like others have said maybe the course you was watching was a bit damper than usual tour events, or you could of just seen some high ball hitters, Vijay Singh for example hits the ball very high with little roll.

**agengo02** · August 26, 2008

umm it was the boeing open this past few days on the golf channel. its like age 50 and up. none of yall watched it? let me try to get a clip or something.

**907golfer12** · August 26, 2008

umm it was the boeing open this past few days on the golf channel. its like age 50 and up. none of yall watched it? let me try to get a clip or something.

The Boeing Classic on the Champions Tour. It was played just outside of Seattle, and was raining like crazy, the course was about as soggy as could be, it rained everyday. And I did watch some of it (mainly sunday)

**tjy355** · August 26, 2008

No they try to keep them fast and firm, it just that mother nature doesn't always cooperate. No superintendent wants their course wet and soggy, too many turf problems arise from those conditions. You strive for tournament brown.

You are right... no super wants their course wet and soggy, however, all the members want a super green and lush course "just like the PGA Tour." Supers struggle to balance the desires of the people that pay their salaries with the need to maintain healthy turf. Too much brown will get a super fired. I'm all about fast and firm. I just don't see it much week to week on the PGA tour. I think there is a little too much emphasis on perfectly manicured conditions in American golf and a lot of it has to do with people wanting their course to look like what they see on TV.

***iacas*** · August 26, 2008

Several things are at play here.

One: Wet Conditions
The fairways are often moist so they're green for the pros. This limits the roll substantially.

Two: Ideal Launch Conditions
Pros tend to hate roll. They want to carry the ball as far as possible with the driver, which often limits roll. This maximizes both their distance and accuracy. The ball rarely rolls OUT of trouble, after all, but it often can roll INTO trouble.

**Mats++** · August 27, 2008

Several things are at play here.

I read an article in Golf Digest (Swedish edition) about recommended loft on the driver for amateurs. The article stated that a high loft (~12.5°) on the driver are more beneficial for the reasons that Iacas mentions above. We can control the time the ball is in the air but as soon it hits the ground it's a game of chance. The article also showed that the difference of total length with the driver didn't differed to much if you used a 9° (carry + roll) or a 12.5° (carry).

**steve8820** · August 28, 2008

I read an article in Golf Digest (Swedish edition) about recommended loft on the driver for amateurs. The article stated that a high loft (~12.5°) on the driver are more beneficial for the reasons that Iacas mentions above. We can control the time the ball is in the air but as soon it hits the ground it's a game of chance. The article also showed that the difference of total length with the driver didn't differed to much if you used a 9° (carry + roll) or a 12.5° (carry).

Thats funny, when my ball is in the air it is a game of chance as well......

**JCDot33** · August 28, 2008

Thats funny, when my ball is in the air it is a game of chance as well......

Amen, brother! Amen!

***iacas*** · August 28, 2008

Thats funny, when my ball is in the air it is a game of chance as well......

Not in the same way at all, no.

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