Ball suddenly dies?

[golfaddiction]

Last round I was playing with a Titleist NXT Tour, and playing well through 14 holes. On the 15th hole, I took my usual swing and the hit made a pretty standard sound (perhaps a bit more hollow than usual), but the ball popped up and came down about 40 yards away. I thought this was really odd, and wasn't sure how I could have produced that ball flight with my swing speed. I continued, hitting 3 wood fairly well, then coming up about 20 yards short with my 8 iron.

On the next hole, my drive was similar, this time going about 80 yards, but still sounding a bit hollowing, popping up, and coming right down. My approach shot with a wedge landed about 10 yards short of where I thought it would go.

From here I concluded that my ball died. I switched to another ball on the next hole, and then took one last swing with the dead ball to send it into the woods.

Am I right to have concluded my ball was dead, or was there just something weird going on with my impact? Has this happened to anyone else? A few years ago a similar thing happened with a fairly fresh Pro V1, which was surprising because of how expensive these balls are.

[Chief Broom]

It's never happened to me.

[trog2233]

mmm i'm pretty sure a ball cant wear out like that. The only way I've seen a ball to wear out if it hits a cartpath or something or splits. Playing a ball for 14 holes isnt gonna wear it out. I'm gonna guess your impact was just incorrect.

[allin]

Have you angered the golf gods? There is a slight possiblity that there was some kind of internal void or separation. But even if the ball was fine sending it off for proper punishment was the smart thing to do.

[bong_crosby]

I've never seen or heard of anything like this. If your drive popped up and only traveled forty yards, there's something more going on there. You sure you're not hitting it on the top of the clubface? That is a shot I've seen before and it looks just like you described.

Even the deadest ass ball on the driving range will fly, albeit not as far and it will have a really weird trajectory. Actually, I kind of enjoying watch the dead ones...it's like watching a really good knuckle ball pitcher.

[dhanson]

  bong_crosby said:

Even the deadest ass ball on the driving range will fly.

this.

if a range ball can withstand 100's of hits plus all the wear and tear from the collection process, i can't imagine that a titleist would be any worse off, notwithstanding some sort of catastrophic failure internally. and if you were suspicious of something like that, you should've kept it and cut it open.

[saevel25]

I had a Topflight Gamer once that had holes in the cover, probably left over from were the ball was held in place during manufacturing. There was 5 small holes, in the dimples, on one side. The ball flew the same distance, i didn't notice till i got near the par 3 green. I doubt its a bad ball, you might be catching it really high on the clubface, do you tee it up really high?

[WUTiger]

Might have been a combination of a late-round swing adjustment, and switching to a "fresh" ball. After you switched balls, possibly you "went through the steps" for lining up and made some correction you didn't really notice.

[c. lassiter]

Never heard of 'dead ball' syndrome before, and never experienced anything like what you have described.

Sorry to say that 'Operator Error' is the far more likely explanation.

[James_Black]

  c. lassiter said:

Never heard of 'dead ball' syndrome before, and never experienced anything like what you have described.

I get "unlucky golf ball syndrome" sometimes, i.e a consecutive 3 putts or a duffed chip. The ball proceeds to be launched into the trees.

I play a lot better when I take out a new ball.