Do Range balls have more side spin?

[lastings]

Question?   I know that good balls are supposed to be low spin off the driver.   But, should I be expecting much less side spin (even with short-mid irons)? 

I ask because I seem to be drawing the ball a lot more on the driving range than I am on the course.   Is it assumed that this is a symptom of the ball, or that I am bring a different swing to the course with me (entirely possible).?   

 

[lastings]

whoops I put this in the wrong thread...  meant to put in balls thread. 

[Patch]

With actual range balls, I have never paid much attention to what they do. I don't put much trust in their ball flight. As long as the ball lands in the general area of where I am aiming is fine with me. 

Spin wise I don't know. I might have more of an issue with the ball being worn out, out of round, or out of balance. 

Now where I hit range balls, the bucket will contain a mix of actual range balls, and regular, otc, used game balls. Those used, game balls, I don't consider range balls. I have found PV-1s in the bucket as an example. Those balls I pay a little more attention too. The spin on those balls could be low to high, depending on brand. 

[Moxley]

I would expect actual range balls, in good condition, would have less sidespin, certainly compared to any 3 piece ball.

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, Moxley said:

I would expect actual range balls, in good condition, would have less sidespin, certainly compared to any 3 piece ball.

Me too.

[saevel25]

I found this on the Trackman website,

https://blog.trackmangolf.com/the-difference-in-range-ball-distances/

The guy was hitting a 7-iron, and a new dry golf ball, hit off grass, had 4482 rpms. That is pretty low for a 7 iron. Typically you want to see around 7000 rpms with a 7 iron.

[Zeph]

It's my understanding that you'll generally find less spin in range balls, but how much depends on the type of ball and how much wear and tear it's had. I have seen examples of range balls having higher spin, but those were possibly quite new.

 

You can experience difference ball flight with range balls than normal balls. There are a lot of different types of range balls. Some are lighter, some are of different materials, some (most) are meant to fly shorter. A lighter ball might curve more than a normal ball.

 

If you happen upon some balls out in the woods or got some random balls in the bag, you could try hitting them on the range during a session and see if they fly the same way as the range balls.

[Groucho Valentine]

Ive always thought range balls were controlled, so i take that in mind when I'm practicing with them. I try to avoid ranges have give mixed bags of range balls and used game balls when I'm practicing. Theres a club near where i live that only uses one type of practice range balls, and the pro there lets me use the range if I only use the mats.

[lastings]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

Me too.

Pretty interesting.  I suppose this leads me to the conclusion that I’m lacking the confidence to make a full turn when I’m on the course, but able to do it consistently when on this range and there is no consequences.  

Ugh... golf is hard.   However, I am really loving my ball flight on the range right now.   Just gotta figure out how to get that to the course.

[Kalnoky]

I use a 2-pc ball, so I don't notice any difference, other than my gamers go further than range balls. 

I also hit draws at the range but almost never during a round. I attribute this to just being more loose at the range. It's also easier to stay in rhythm at the range. A lot less standing around waiting when muscles can cool off.

 

[p1n9183]

I also use a 2-piece ball on the course (bridgestone e-6, the one that have the less spin in the brand) and the side spin it´s almost the same that the range balls. 

[rehmwa]

"side spin" I'm assuming range balls are designed to be more durable (ideally).  So I suspect a harder cover is a key aspect.  I'd guess "any" spin (both components of the spin axis) is likely to be less.  But that's just my thought.   But just reducing overall spin doesn't give an indication of shapability of the ball - the spin could be less, but the tilt axis could be the same.  But I can guess.

If we want to consider specifically the tilt axis since you're asking about side spin but likely really talking about shaping the flight....since club grooves are horizontal and are an aid to enable the horizontal component of the spin axis, vs there are no vertical grooves to assist the other component, then I'd assume that it's even harder to tilt the spin axis with the harder ball.

all bets are off with damaged balls - who knows what their surfaces are like - really old range balls might have lost their sheen and have quite sticky surfaces....or not....

Short answer - get new range balls and get new 'regular' balls and get on a trackman.  but you need to get a data set where the contact is in a tight range (face, path, head speed) and then take a look at total spin and spin axis.  It could be interesting.

Edited May 24, 2018 by rehmwa

[saevel25]

17 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

"side spin" I'm assuming range balls are designed to be more durable (ideally).  So I suspect a harder cover is a key aspect.  I'd guess "any" spin (both components of the spin axis) is likely to be less.  But that's just my thought.   But just reducing overall spin doesn't give an indication of shapability of the ball - the spin could be less, but the tilt axis could be the same.  But I can guess.

I believe the lower the spin rate the easer it is to tilt the axis of the ball.

[rehmwa]

35 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

I believe the lower the spin rate the easer it is to tilt the axis of the ball.

If the side component stays constant, sure.  but that's the question.  is the straight vs side component reduced proportionately or not?

If not, which is affected more by the harder surface.

 

[Patch]

Just an observation today. The course put into use brand new range balls. Not sure what brand they were. All the markings said was "range ball".

Anyways with proper set up, and club face position, I was able to hit draws, and fades with these brand new range balls. 

They were spinning. 

[saevel25]

18 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

If the side component stays constant, sure.  but that's the question.  is the straight vs side component reduced proportionately or not?

If not, which is affected more by the harder surface.

 

It doesn’t take much to curve the ball. I can hit a sub 1000 rpm drive and have it hook a ton. 

If the tilt is maintained, then the spin rate should decrease proportional to the degrees of axis tilt. 

Since the axis tilt can increase more at lower spin, I think it probably means lower spin could cause more curve. 

[rehmwa]

19 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

It doesn’t take much to curve the ball. I can hit a sub 1000 rpm drive and have it hook a ton. 

If the tilt is maintained, then the spin rate should decrease proportional to the degrees of axis tilt. 

Since the axis tilt can increase more at lower spin, I think it probably means lower spin could cause more curve. 

I agree with you all things being equal - but the question is between different type of balls.  As you note, it takes little to really turn a ball with a low spin.

So it's not a question of can you bend the shot with low total spin - that's easy.  It's a question of, with that exact same swing, will the ball with the harder surface bend more or less than with your premium ball?

I'd still like someone to buy me a Trackman so I can personally test it.

Edited May 24, 2018 by rehmwa

[lastings]

I think this is getting just a bit more complicated than I intended.   

The jist of the question is this:   I draw the ball (push draw) quite a bit harder at the range than I do at the course.   Is this most likely derivative of range balls, or me bringing a different swing to the course.   I think it's been concluded that option 2 is the answer.