Golf Ball Fitting??

[Mike Flori]

Hey guys what's up. Have you ever thought about the importance of the golf ball and being fit for it? I would like to start a discussion on this topic. Let me know. If you don't yet know the difference between different balls I suggest taking a look here: https://www.golfgalaxy.com/s/golf-ball-comparison-chart

It merely scratches the surface but it is very helpful in my opinion. 

[saevel25]

This chart is a bit dated, but this is pretty much consistent in terms of performance grouping between non-premium and premium golf balls every year. You can see the red dots are all premium golf balls. The green dots are mid-range. The blue dots are low cost. The premium golf balls are all with in a tight range of values in terms of driver spin rates and wedge spin rates.

Premium golf balls all perform near the same. It allows players to really fine tune their ball flight. Lets say they are hitting a driver with a tad too much spin. They could find a lower spinning golf ball, and easily take 300-400 rpm off the driver.

 

[MarvChamp]

If I recall right, @1badbadger is an expert on this. Badger, come on in! -Marv

[WUTiger]

Mike, welcome to TST!

I tend to go with the mid-spin balls. I don't swing well enough to play the high-spin balls, and I find distance balls too unreliable on rollout distances.

You can get golf ball fittings on the launch monitor, to find balls that fit your swing characteristics and your performance needs. Once you get down to a couple of brands/models that you like, follow the instructions of the last line of the ball chart you posted:

Quote

Our advice: Greenside testing will tell you how much spin will matter to you.

(Note: As a TST member, try to start threads in the proper forum. We have a separate forum for Balls, Carts/Bags, etc.; possibly a moderator will relocate your thread.)

[inthecup]

In my experience all quality balls are the same for the average player.  Where they vary is spin around the green.  For maximum spin get a urethane cover.

I have a launch monitor, I did the ball fitting thing on the monitor and on the course.  What I concluded is that my swing is not consistent enough for the subtleties of different balls to matter on full swings.  It does matter for me around the green.  I concluded I like urethane covers.  From there I found the cheapest ball with a urethane cover.  That is a Srixon Star Z.  I can get them on sale buying 4 dozen at a time for $23 a dozen all year long.  If I find a Pro V I give it to one of the guys I am playing with.

 

[Piz]

The determining factor, for me, is how a ball feels when pitching and chipping.  The very low compression balls seem "jumpy" and more difficult to control distance-wise.  I think it is important to select a model that most closely matches your vision of the shot and, in my case, that means medium everything.

[1badbadger]

On 11/17/2017 at 7:52 AM, MarvChamp said:

If I recall right, @1badbadger is an expert on this. Badger, come on in! -Marv

Sorry I'm late to the party boys...got held up in traffic.

Yes, I am a huge advocate of golf ball fitting.  I actually used to do this for a living, and at one point calculated that I have done over 12,000 ball fittings, so I can hopefully provide some insight and honest information regarding this topic.

I have worked with players of all abilities, from Tour players to high handicappers, men, women and juniors and everything in between. I think the biggest misconception is that mid to high handicappers won't benefit from ball fittings. In my experience, those are the players that can experience the most dramatic results!   Here is why:

When balls are tested with robotics, often times it doesn't appear that there is much difference between a wide range of models.  This is because robots have a perfect swing, every time.  Real people do not.  Every player, from the best in the world to a weekend duffer have tendencies.  For example, my tendency is to hit the ball low on the face, which results in a lower trajectory and low spin.  Some players have a tendency to slice.  The difference between the pros and the amateurs is the pros have less tendencies, and they aren't as pronounced.  This is why ball fitting for pros is like splitting hairs...a gain of 1 or 2 yards is pretty good for those guys.  But when I work with average players...guys who are 10, 20, and 30 handicappers who don't think they can tell the difference between golf balls, that's when it's pretty common to see nice improvements.  Honestly, it wasn't all that difficult to increase a player's driving distance by 10 yards, or reduce their slice by 30%.  Most people are playing a ball that doesn't fit them properly, and once I showed them the difference, it was a real eye-opener.

Keep in mind...a ball fitting won't turn a player's slice into a draw, it won't turn a fat shot into a crisp hit, and topped shots won't become airborne.  But it does make a difference.  Would you play each round with a different driver...just grab one out of a pile and figure it doesn't make a difference?  Would you play a 12* senior flex one day and a 7* x-stiff the next?  Neither would I.  If club fitting makes a difference, how could ball fitting not?

 

[Patch]

Snell golf has a video on you tube where the guy gives out some decent info on golf balls. He does a Q & A thing. I thought it was pretty informative.