Will we ever see a top golfer play a yellow ball ?

[club ho]

As soon as Pro V1 comes out in yellow, a pro will play them on the tour.

I play Volvik Vista Iv green. Love them. If I made the tour, I'd play them (unless Titleist shoveled a few grand my way).

I used to buy Pro V1's till I got hooked on using yellow. I won't buy another Pro V1 till they make them in yellow. Currently using a Srixon 3 piece yellow. Titliest's loss.

I really find it easier when I know for a fact which ball is mine as I am walking down the fairway. I have actually had to penalize myself once in a tournament by inadvertently hitting the wrong ball. It would never have happened if I had a yellow ball. IMO it helps speed up play when you know which is your ball earlier because you can be anticipating your next shot and club as you approach.

[turtleback]

I used to buy Pro V1's till I got hooked on using yellow. I won't buy another Pro V1 till they make them in yellow. Currently using a Srixon 3 piece yellow. Titliest's loss.

I really find it easier when I know for a fact which ball is mine as I am walking down the fairway. I have actually had to penalize myself once in a tournament by inadvertently hitting the wrong ball. It would never have happened if I had a yellow ball. IMO it helps speed up play when you know which is your ball earlier because you can be anticipating your next shot and club as you approach.

What if everyone starts playing yellow . . .

[Elmer]

I already do....

Bwaahahahaha!

[club ho]

What if everyone starts playing yellow . . .

Good point which is why that new company Volek? Is ahead of the curve. We need multiple color choices. I know it sounds like mini golf but if I have 4 different color balls in my bag to choose from I am all set. Would you agree that it will help speed up play?

[turtleback]

Good point which is why that new company Volek? Is ahead of the curve. We need multiple color choices. I know it sounds like mini golf but if I have 4 different color balls in my bag to choose from I am all set. Would you agree that it will help speed up play?

No it will have no effect on slow play, IMO, at least it didn't in the 70s when lots of colored balls were being played.  For a hundred years people have dealt with everyone playing the same colored ball.  I think we still can, even if we do not have to.

[newtogolf]

I remember reading an article / interview with Titleist in Golf or Golf Digest.  The Titleist rep said there wasn't enough demand for colored Pro V1's so they didn't anticipate offering any.

[golfbarefoot]

Let me get this straight. Forget performance, I want a cool, nutty looking yellow ball? Titleist's loss? A yellow ProV1? I love this site....

[joekelly]

Hello Vangator.  Volvik makes many colors of golf balls.  Why do you choose green?

I often play Volvik and play yellow, red, orange and sometimes, the pale green.  They all work the same for me except when the orange ball drops under the tree with orange flowers.

[jimmyc]

They can be a real problem finding them in the fall when the leaves start dropping. White can be tough as well but yellow can really hide around the Oaks.

[ScouseJohnny]

Trends come and go. You might see it again but colored balls never seem to have any lasting presence. Remember this http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2005-02-07-black-golf-ball_x.htm

In my bag I still carry a bright orange Wilson Aviator (circa 1985) for entirely sentimental reasons - it was one of the balls that came with the junior set of clubs I found under the Christmas tree that year (I think my poor Dad got "persuaded" to take me with him to the range around 7am on 26th December 1985).

Today I tend to play Wilson Staff 50 Elites, and, amazingly enough, 30 years later.....

Although I only buy the white ones, personally.

To answer the original question, I'd be surprised to see a tour pro teeing up a yellow golf ball, or, indeed, a ball of any colour other than white.

[Fourputt]

Remember these?  The Ping Eye2 balls.

I like the Srixon Z-Star Tour Yellow.  It's what I buy when I don't have any free ones in my bag.  My Colorado Avid Golfer passport comes with a coupon for a dozen free Srixon balls, and the last 3 years I haven't played enough to lose all of them.

[ghalfaire]

I would think not.  when you're young you don't need a yellow ball and the pros have a multitude of "spotters" in any case.   So when they lose a ball is is really lost and the ball being yellow won't help.  But maybe a top Champions Tour player will one day will play a high visibility ball.

[club ho]

No it will have no effect on slow play, IMO, at least it didn't in the 70s when lots of colored balls were being played.  For a hundred years people have dealt with everyone playing the same colored ball.  I think we still can, even if we do not have to.

In the seventies I was in high school then college played tennis never could afford greens fees. I don't remember hearing the need to speed up play back then but then again I didn't even follow golf much in those days.  It is my guess that this is the biggest marketing of yellow and other color balls in golf to date.

So you are telling me if four guys tee off on a hard dogleg right that leaves a blind leave from the tee box you are not going to determine faster who's balls is who's?  If they all have a different color ball? Really?

[turtleback]

In the seventies I was in high school then college played tennis never could afford greens fees. I don't remember hearing the need to speed up play back then but then again I didn't even follow golf much in those days.  It is my guess that this is the biggest marketing of yellow and other color balls in golf to date.

So you are telling me if four guys tee off on a hard dogleg right that leaves a blind leave from the tee box you are not going to determine faster who's balls is who's?  If they all have a different color ball? Really?

Yes.  I am telling you that for the number of times this would happen in reality, the effect on pace of play would be completely negligible.  IMO the situation would rarely occur, the delay of having white balls would be imperceptible, and in any case any delay would be time you would usually be waiting for the green to clear in the first place so there would be no effect on the ending time of the round.

As to the marketing effort?  I dunno, but colored balls were a lot more prevalent among casual golfers back then so there must have been SOME marketing effort.  At the peak I would say that the frequency of colored and white balls was flipped from where it is today.  Most players I play with still play white, whereas for a while there in the 70s it was not uncommon to see a 4-some of recreational players where none of them were using white balls at all.  But you are the first and only one that I have heard make the pace of play argument.

[club ho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by golfbarefoot

Let me get this straight.

Forget performance, I want a cool, nutty looking yellow ball? Titleist's loss? A yellow ProV1?

I love this site....

Obviously you are a dyed in the wool traditionalist. The same sediments were cast when tennis introduced the optic yellow ball back in the late sixties. Within ten years you couldn't buy a white tennis ball. Wimbledon was the last tournament to allow yellow as opposed to white. It won't be long before stuffed shirts like yourself are out numbered. As more convert to colored golf balls Titliest will change there marketing strategy and the Yellow Pro V1 will be born! I suggest you stock up on your Pro V1 whites while you still can.

[MrFlipper]

Obviously you are a dyed in the wool traditionalist. The same sediments were cast when tennis introduced the optic yellow ball back in the late sixties. Within ten years you couldn't buy a white tennis ball. Wimbledon was the last tournament to allow yellow as opposed to white. It won't be long before stuffed shirts like yourself are out numbered. As more convert to colored golf balls Titliest will change there marketing strategy and the Yellow Pro V1 will be born! I suggest you stock up on your Pro V1 whites while you still can.

First, in tennis players don't get to choose their balls. Although I agree the optic colors are generally easier to see.

I'd say that use of colored balls was way more prevalent back in the 70's than now, both recreationally and on tour. Not sure which tour balls are colored now, but back then prostaff had a tour ball, lots of tour players played it. I played a Hogan Apex back then, a balata ball that was white then came out in optic green, I loved that ball. I'm pretty sure the Hogan players on tour played it as well. Titleist never did have a colored ball, but it never hurt their sales or position in the market, or on tour.

Then it all went away. I suggest this is all a cycle too. White is the traditional color, Titleist is the ball of tour players and best amateurs, and unless Titleist goes away (which I doubt, its been THE players ball since I can remember 45 years ago at least), white will still be the most popular color. Let's face it, it's hard to take seriously colored golf balls. Think about all the jokes you hear about Easter eggs, stealing balls from a miniature golf course, etc. I've been on both sides of that

[club ho]

Yes.  I am telling you that for the number of times this would happen in reality, the effect on pace of play would be completely negligible.  IMO the situation would rarely occur, the delay of having white balls would be imperceptible, and in any case any delay would be time you would usually be waiting for the green to clear in the first place so there would be no effect on the ending time of the round.

As to the marketing effort?  I dunno, but colored balls were a lot more prevalent among casual golfers back then so there must have been SOME marketing effort.  At the peak I would say that the frequency of colored and white balls was flipped from where it is today.  Most players I play with still play white, whereas for a while there in the 70s it was not uncommon to see a 4-some of recreational players where none of them were using white balls at all.  But you are the first and only one that I have heard make the pace of play argument.

You maybe right I never played much golf back in the 70's. It was beyond my means. I probably played one or twice a year in those days. Still I don't remember any colored balls in those days. All being said I would be fine with the majority still using white then I will know my ball while approaching my next shot if everyone else is using white. I think that anytime you can shave anytime off a round it all adds up. I think it would be more than you do in this situation. Fair enough.