golf ball temperature

[Fon Duc Tow]

Noticed this when I left my golf bag (with balls in it) in the car all day and then played after work.

The balls, clubs, etc, were all very warm. But to get to the point, the balls seemed to travel 20 to 30 yards father than when they cooled down to outside temperature.

Does anyone have any experience/advice with this?

[rubbery]

Yes, in theory a the warmer the golf ball, the farther it will travel, but it won't make a 20 or 30 yard difference. Most of that extra yardage was you being confident, the warmth made maybe a 5 yard difference.

[DJYoshi]

absolutely..in my experience..i'll hit a prov1 longer in the summer than in the late fall/late winter when it's cooler outside...even at night when the temp drops from 90 to 60

[SubPar]

The warmer ball compresses more. I play a lot in cool/cold weather during the winter months and it makes a big difference if I keep the glofballs warm. I put a couple on the heater vent gong to the course and keep them in my pocket when they are not in play.

On each tee I rotate the "pocket" ball into play. Keeping them warm helps with distance and spin.

SubPar

[joshtpa]

Wouldnt that mean that in FL where it is usually always warm, the ball just travels further? Im not sure it is a noticable difference. I would love to see some stats on that though. There are too many factors unless done by robot. Humidty, body not feeling as tight due to warm weather, etc...

But then again, according to the US Patent office, there are quite a few patents for golf ball heaters.

[Uber$winG]

Not sure about warm golf balls travelling farther, but I can tell you that it is not a good idea to leave your clubs in your car (or the trunk of your car) in the summer for extended periods of time.

[joshtpa]

Not sure about warm golf balls travelling farther, but I can tell you that it is not a good idea to leave your clubs in your car (or the trunk of your car) in the summer for extended periods of time.

Why? I live in FL and have always left my clubs in the trunk. I have never (NOT ONCE) ever had a problem.

[justinmill14]

Maybe i should start warming up my golf balls before i play. Maybe I will see some improvement lol, who knows.

[Smallville]

Even if you notice a difference in distance, if you slice the ball anyway, isn't it just going to go 5 yards further into the woods? That is, if it doesn't hit a tree? Don't know if you would see much improvement unless you can hit it straight (or control a slice or hook).

[DJYoshi]

Wouldnt that mean that in FL where it is usually always warm, the ball just travels further? Im not sure it is a noticable difference. I would love to see some stats on that though. There are too many factors unless done by robot. Humidty, body not feeling as tight due to warm weather, etc...

Bird it's also HUMID as hell down there! I think that plays a part in how the ball travels. Whenever I play down there, I tend to take an extra club. My 8 iron was an awesome 140 when I was there in July.

[TexasSR]

Perrfectly legal to wam the ball prior to play and keep them in your pocket provided that pocket doesn't contain a hand warmer or isn't warmed through the use of any other artificial device:

14-3/13.5 Golf Ball Artificially Warmed

Q. Is the use of a golf ball that was purposely warmed during a stipulated round with a golf ball warmer, hand warmer or any such device a breach of Rule 14-3?

A. Yes. Use of a ball that has been purposely warmed during a stipulated round with an artificial device constitutes a breach of Rule 14-3. However, it would not be a breach of Rule 14-3 to use a ball that was artificially warmed prior to the stipulated round. (Revised)

[joshtpa]

Bird it's also HUMID as hell down there! I think that plays a part in how the ball travels. Whenever I play down there, I tend to take an extra club. My 8 iron was an awesome 140 when I was there in July.

I kind of wish I was playing in dry conditions then. Because I hit my 8 about 155 and im the short one in our group. I would kill for dry air....lol

[DJYoshi]

I kind of wish I was playing in dry conditions then. Because I hit my 8 about 155 and im the short one in our group. I would kill for dry air....lol

Bird, when I'm home in NJ, my 8 iron's 150 - 160 now. when you come up to NY let me know and me, you and golf junkie can get out somewhere... architects in jersey maybe?

we have drier conditions up here.. the balls run for miles when they hit the fairway..unless you play a strong fade....in that case it hits, then you see it die down QUICK. go out to vegas and play, and your ball runs for MILES

[joshtpa]

You are on. i will be up in CT for a week because we have a place there. Maybe I will make the trek over.

[DJYoshi]

CT's not too far from me depending on where your house is. We can meet right in the middle: west chester area or lower CT like Greenwhich. I'll make the drive up there. I'd even drive over to the new courses at Foxwoods. They're supposed to be awesome.

[joshtpa]

The house is smack in the middle of West Hartford Center.

[JessN16]

Why? I live in FL and have always left my clubs in the trunk. I have never (NOT ONCE) ever had a problem.

It can create potential problems with the epoxy that holds your club components together.

My primary sport is bowling, and this same issue comes up in my "other" sport: When you have an item, be it a golf club or bowling ball, that is made of different materials, they will expand and contract at different rates relative to a change in temperature. For a bowling ball, this means the outer (urethane or urethane resin) shell reacts to heat in a different way than the core, which is made of different materials. In a golf club, on a driver, for instance, you might have a graphite shaft connected to a titanium clubhead via an epoxy resin. The graphite and the titanium will likely expand and contract at different rates, which stresses the epoxy -- which itself is expanding and contracting at different rates. The two times you're most prone to see damage is either after an abrupt change in temps -- in bowling, this manifests itself as taking a ball out of a hot trunk and rolling it down the lane in an air-conditioned bowling center; in golf, you're talking about much less of a temperature drop, but it's still significant (trunk temps can reach 150 degrees or more on a 90-degree day) -- or over a period of time when the ball/club has been subjected to repeated heating and cooling cycles (i.e., hot trunk during the day, A/C in the house at night). I got some old clubs out of my storage shed last week. They'd been out there for more than a year, and my storage shed absolutely cooks in an Alabama summer. One of the clubs was a driver. Sure enough, on the third hole, the ferrule detached from the head and backed its way up the shaft a couple of inches. The epoxy had failed. I fit and drill bowling balls as a hobby. The No. 1 trouble issue for a ball is normal wear and tear (balls typically need to be replaced once every couple of years on average), but the No. 2 issue is damage due to operator oversight, either by neglect of cleaning or leaving the ball in the trunk of the car. I've seen them literally crack almost in half due to expansion/contraction issues. Since we're talking about similar materials (i.e., the resins used to make the ball versus the epoxy resins used to hold clubs together), logic and chemistry suggest golf clubs are also susceptible. I suspect golf balls could also have issues if subjected to temperature extremes on a regular basis. Jess

[Dub]

A few years back I discovered this, too.

I was to meet my buddies at a local course for a noon tee time. It was bitter cold that day.

I had been deer hunting that morning and left the woods and headed straight to the course. I simply wore my golf clothes beneath my insulated rubber muck boots and camo overalls.

Anyway....after getting to the course I just left the chemical pocket warmers in my pockets....thought about it and added a fresh set.

My habit has always been to play with two balls in my right pocket...and I did so that day. Those two balls would sit there heating up prior to the tee shots.

I didn't notice too much difference until I reached every green, though. I'd mark my ball and slip it in my pocket with the warmer. I'd pull one out and place it down just before making my putt. This is where I noticed the most difference.....off the putter. Nice and soft.