Do you balance your golf balls?

[Fourputt]

They only hit 50% of those putts in his era... Because the balls were notoriously imbalanced! Wound core balata balls didn't putt well at all. Don't quote me on that though...

Did you actually use them? I did, for years, and they putted just fine, thank you. I worked down to a 9 handicap using them. Made 2 aces. Without balancing.

[Shanks A Million]

Did you actually use them? I did, for years, and they putted just fine, thank you. I worked down to a 9 handicap using them. Made 2 aces. Without balancing.

Yes of course I did. I started playing in 1987 or so. They never stayed round for very long. Even today, you cannot find me a Titleist Tour Balata that is perfectly round. A few holes, and the things were oblong.

[Fourputt]

Yes of course I did. I started playing in 1987 or so. They never stayed round for very long. Even today, you cannot find me a Titleist Tour Balata that is perfectly round. A few holes, and the things were oblong.

Quite true. I couldn't use one of them for more than 9 holes. It would be out of round and usually have at least the beginnings of a smile. Thank goodness we don't have to contend with that any more.

[Shanks A Million]

Quite true. I couldn't use one of them for more than 9 holes. It would be out of round and usually have at least the beginnings of a smile. Thank goodness we don't have to contend with that any more.

Hell, I swing fast. I can't get a ProV1x to last more than 6 holes, 9 at best. The grooves eat into the damn thing. The surlyn balls last longer... but... who wants to use those?

[sean_miller]

Hell, I swing fast. I can't get a ProV1x to last more than 6 holes, 9 at best. The grooves eat into the damn thing. The

Raises hand slowly - yes please.

[Texian]

Did you actually use them? I did, for years, and they putted just fine, thank you. I worked down to a 9 handicap using them. Made 2 aces. Without balancing.

Well, I'm older than you. My handicap is two less and I've had three aces. I balance and it doesn't take much time. End of argument.

[Fourputt]

Well, I'm older than you. My handicap is two less and I've had three aces. I balance and it doesn't take much time. End of argument.

If you say so... nothing in that statement that offers any evidence that such tinkering has any benefit. There are thousands of golfers who play better than I do... doesn't mean that they do so because they employ an unproven technique. I know several who have lower handicaps than you and don't bother with such irrelevancies.... I'd say that's the end of the argument, but I'm not that naive.

[Blades4me]

As long as I have 2, my balls are balanced.

[Texian]

If you say so... nothing in that statement that offers any evidence that such tinkering has any benefit.

I didn't really think it did. Just poking a little fun at your "evidence."

[ohiolefty]

I am too immature to offer a serious response.

[weavej2]

If you say so... nothing in that statement that offers any evidence that such tinkering has any benefit. There are thousands of golfers who play better than I do... doesn't mean that they do so because they employ an unproven technique. I know several who have lower handicaps than you and don't bother with such irrelevancies.... I'd say that's the end of the argument, but I'm not that naive.

I have done it in the past, and still would today if I could remember to do it....what convinced me to do it was...spin the ball and make the mark..take the ball out flip it around and replace in the spinner...spin..and the same point comes to the top. EVERYTIME, so it seems to be more than coincidence. I cant tell you what happens after the 1st hit...but at least on the first shot it will be alright.....

[Shanks A Million]

Its funny this came up, because today I was putting with range balls, and I found that many of them would actually wander offline quite noticeably. Made me wonder how many of us miss putts because we don't balance the ball?

[2bGood]

three words:

675 posts since mar 2009, hey?

I bet you are like me and spend some of your idle time reading, thinking or doing something golf related. If you thought this thing worked I am sure you kind find the time to spin a few balls.

[Fourputt]

Its funny this came up, because today I was putting with range balls, and I found that many of them would actually wander offline quite noticeably. Made me wonder how many of us miss putts because we don't balance the ball?

Putting with range balls.... Why?????

No way you can compare range balls to a decent ball for the course. And it doesn't have to be a premium ball. Even a Warbird or PD Long is still going to come from the factory with nearly perfect balance, certainly enough so that an average player will never notice whether a hole out or a miss is the result of a good stroke or bad stroke; balanced ball or unbalanced ball; good read or bad read. There are simply too many variables in the average golfer's game to say that a balanced ball will have any effect on his score. You guys can balance away all you like if it makes you feel good, but no amount of argument is going to convince me that it has any effect on anyone's game. All of the so-called evidence I see here is anecdotal, not scientific, and anecdotal "proof" is always suspect.

[Shanks A Million]

Putting with range balls.... Why?????

The range balls where I practice are real golf balls.

And quite a bit of scientific data was presented. A putting robot was set up by Tom Wishon and it proceeded to hit both balanced, and brand new, right out of the package balls (same brand, same model). Dave Pelz also did an experiment with a machine in which poorly balanced balls rolled well offline. Pelz found that for a 10 foot putt, the ball would roll about 2 and 1/2 inches offline with a poorly balanced ball. http://www.postnasaldrip.net/hybridg...golf-balls.htm Maltby also did some research. That's 3 experts.

[Fourputt]

The range balls where I practice are real golf balls.

Have you any idea how insignificant an imbalance it takes to make a ball show that in a glass of water? He even had to add a friction lowering agent to get any result at all, which tell just how little imbalance there actually was.

Also no mention of what brand or grade of ball in Wishon's test. It doesn't say whether he used a balanced control ball to verify his results. I've done a similar test with heel and toe hits without any knowledge of the balance point of the ball, and the ball hit off the toe went right every time, while the ball hit off the heel went left. What did I learn from that? Hit the ball in the center of the putter and it goes where I aim it. We've had this discussion before. If the typical golf ball was that far out of balance, nobody could or would use it. How long ago were these "experiments" done? They talk about balata balls having the best balance.... havent seen one of them for while now. Also at the end of the article he wants you to shell out $35 for a spinning machine..... no conflicts there...

[SpoiledRotten]

675 posts since mar 2009, hey?

Now that is funny! He doesn't have time to do something like balance a golf ball, but he can spend countless hours reading and arguing his point that this process is senseless. Funny Stuff!

[jamo]

The range balls where I practice are real golf balls.

Like I said before, for every ball that not spinning causes you to miss, it causes you to make one as well. I just don't see the point of spinning or the point of arguing this.