Golf-FAQ.com

how to tell if a golf ball is good

by Rosemary Kihn Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago
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  1. Visit the Golf Ball Selector Tool When you visit Titleist’s online golf ball selector tool, you'll be prompted to respond to several questions about your current game, your ...
  2. Compare Golf Balls On The Course Once the selector tool has recommended two golf balls to test, the next step is to play golf! ...
  3. Play Your Best Golf Ball Model

Drop Them. One of the simplest ways to check your golf ball's performance is by giving it a good, old-fashioned bounce using any hard surface like a tile floor or countertop. Your goal is to make the ball bounce as high as you can reasonably bounce it without damaging anything in your home.Sep 20, 2021

Full Answer

How to choose the best golf balls for your game?

Monitor the way the balls move. The newer one is likely to have some more bounce to it since it’s never been used before, but your older golf ball shouldn’t be far behind it. If they both bounce at relatively the same height, your older golf ball should be okay.

How can I tell if my golf balls are still good?

Feb 26, 2019 · Based on your responses, the Selector Tool will identify a recommended golf ball and an alternative golf ball model that will most likely help you shoot your lowest scores. STEP 2: Compare Golf Balls On The Course Once the selector tool has recommended two golf balls to test, the next step is to play golf!

How old are golf balls supposed to be?

Aug 14, 2018 · Here is the breakdown with estimated costs for a dozen Pro V1s: Eagle: Brand new ball that just came out of the sleeve and was only played a few holes – $19.99/dozen. Birdie: Still in newer condition, but have a visible discoloration or imperfections – $12.99/dozen. Par: Think of a ball that struck a cart path with visible scuffs and faded ...

Should you change your golf balls?

Compression is the unique feature of a golf ball that tells you if a ball has a hard or soft feeling. Golf balls with lower compression feel soft when you hit them. That gives you a good feeling when playing. The softest golf ball has a compression rating of 50. High compression golf balls feel hard when you hit them.

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How do you know if a golf ball is good?

Monitor the way the balls move. The newer one is likely to have some more bounce to it since it's never been used before, but your older golf ball shouldn't be far behind it. If they both bounce at relatively the same height, your older golf ball should be okay.

What should I look for when buying a golf ball?

A key consideration when choosing a golf ball is the number of pieces in its construction. There are two main options: two-piece golf balls and multi-layer golf balls. Two-piece golf balls are simply made up of the core and cover. These balls are a great choice for beginners and golfers with a high handicap.

Do golf balls get too old to use?

As long as they are not stored in harsh conditions like extreme cold or heat, a golf ball can last for years in your bag or stocked on the shelf. Not all golf balls are created equal and there are a variety of factors that affect durability.

Are 20 year old golf balls still good?

So keep your balls in a cool, dry place and they will last for awhile. The golf ball researchers at Titleist state, "Today's Titleist golf balls can be safely stored for five years or even more, as long as they are kept away from excessive heat. ... Normal indoor conditions should be fine for storage."

Do soft golf balls go further?

Do Softer Golf Balls Go Further? As a general rule, soft low compression golf balls will travel further when you hit your driver and irons. With your wedges, soft and firm golf balls should travel the same distance.

What is the best inexpensive golf ball?

Titleist TruFeel 2022 Golf Ball. Lowest-priced option from golf's premier ball brand. ... Srixon Distance golf ball. One of the longest golf balls out there. ... Callaway Warbird golf ball. ... Wilson Duo Soft+ golf ball. ... TaylorMade Soft Response 2022 Golf Ball. ... Inesis Distance 100 golf ball. ... Pinnacle Soft golf ball. ... Honma A1 golf ball.More items...•Feb 14, 2022

What is the lifespan of a golf ball?

What's the Shelf Life of a Golf Ball? A golf ball in good cosmetic shape will hold its shelf life for 5-7 years or seven 18-hole rounds. However, scuff marks from any unfortunate play are more likely to result in a player changing golf balls much sooner than losing their core integrity.Oct 8, 2021

When should I replace my golf ball?

Tour players replace their golf ball anytime a half a dozen times a round – some players replace the ball every hole. It is a personal preference, but the data doesn't lie. A golf ball with a “scuff mark” or tear mark can vary offline by as much as 10 yards over a 100 yard distance.

How many years do golf balls last?

If unused golf balls are stored at room temperature which is around 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit, they can last for 10 years. Golfweek.com indicates that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a new ball off the shelf and a new one that has been stored for years.Jun 19, 2020

Do golf balls lose distance with use?

Its results confirmed that in the absence of visible damage, repeated use had no effect on a ball's performance. However, it also found that even small scuffs led to a measurable loss in distance, reducing driver distance as much as 6 yards.

Does water damage golf balls?

The further result is significant damage to the golf ball's core, which is designed to be ball's energy source. Studies show that after just one week in the water, lake balls will lose 5 to 10 yards in driving distance off of the tee; after 3 months, the distance loss widens to 20 to 30 yards.

Do golf balls get waterlogged?

The golf ball core is hygroscopic, which means that it absorbs water. However, it takes 12 hours for the water to get through the cover and find its way to the core. Therefore, we can confidently conclude that a golf ball that has been immersed underwater for an extended period can be waterlogged.May 22, 2021

1. Stick with what works

We’re not saying you shouldn’t experiment with different golf ball models from time to time—it’s fun to try new gear and see how it affects your game—but if you’re really interested in shooting your best scores, it’s best to find a model that fits your budget and swing and stick with it.

2. Fit to irons, wedges and putter

A lot of folks understandably think selecting the right golf ball means finding the one that goes the longest off the tee, but in reality you’d be a lot better offer fitting to your scoring clubs. “How well is this working in my short game? How does it feel off the putter? How about my 7-iron?” Those are the questions you need to ask.

4. Compress to impress

While there can be advantages for a very fast swinger (see “Tour player”) to use a slightly higher-compression design in terms of energy transfer and ball speed, most modern golf balls will produce relatively similar driving distances for the vast majority of players.

STEP 1: Visit the Golf Ball Selector Tool

When you visit Titleist’s online golf ball selector tool, you'll be prompted to respond to several questions about your current game, your goals and your preferences. The objective is to find the best golf ball for you to use.

STEP 2: Compare Golf Balls On The Course

Once the selector tool has recommended two golf balls to test, the next step is to play golf! Take your recommended golf ball and alternate golf ball models to the golf course for an on-course evaluation. This is the fun part. Now, you’ll get to compare golf ball performance side-by-side to determine the best golf ball for your game.

STEP 3: Play Your Best Golf Ball Model

Trust the outcome of your on-course golf ball evaluation. Use the same model golf ball on every shot of every round you play. This will eliminate a degree of variation that you would experience if you play a hodge-podge of different golf balls.

Hundreds of Millions of Lost Balls

There is an enormous secondary market for used golf balls. It is estimated that there are as many as 400 million lost golf balls out there, and guys like this risk their lives to recover them.

How Did The Used Balls Perform?

For the test, I took a random selection of the balls sent to me and tested each of them on my launch monitor. I hit full shots with a Sand Wedge, which gives a real indication of how well they can still spin. Then I hit my driver to see if there were any issues with overall spin and distance.

Think Twice Before You Stop Using That Ball

To me, this test proved a couple of things. If you are playing a premium golf ball like a Pro V1, don’t be so quick to discard them if they start showing some visible signs of wear.

4 Tips For Choosing The Right Golf Ball

We don’t have hundreds of best friend, do we? It’s best to stick with a golf ball that you have tried and tested.

Expensive vs Less Expensive Golf Balls

We have heard many say that the price doesn’t matter when choosing a golf ball. But do you really think premium balls would perform the same as less expensive ones?

Golf Balls Categorized By Construction

One-piece golf balls are primarily for recreational golfers. Beginners can also start with these.

Balls From The Perspective Of Spin

Basically, there are 3 types of golf balls. You can either choose low spin, mid spin or high spin golf balls.

Choosing Balls According to Outer Cover Preference

For this, you need to decide what is your style of play and what skills you have.

Ball Preference According To Compression

Compression is the unique feature of a golf ball that tells you if a ball has a hard or soft feeling.

Frequently Asked Golf Ball Questions

Sure you can. There is law in golf that says you can’t have different balls for different shots.

What is a golf ball?

The modern golf ball is a pretty impressive, resilient piece of equipment. They are made to withstand high swing speeds, the sometimes unpredictable terrain of a golf course, and the errant shot.

How long does a golf ball last?

Without visible damage, a golf ball can last up to seven 18-hole rounds without any loss of performance. In fact, you are more likely to lose a golf ball on the course before it just wears out. But as soon as the ball feels rough, you should replace it.

Two-Piece

Two-piece golf balls last a long time. A two-piece ball has a solid rubber core with a soft plastic or ionomer cover. Ralph Peterson, research and development director for Wilson golf balls, said, "For a two-piece ball, we've really seen no changes after five to seven years."

Three-Piece

A three-piece golf ball, usually targeted at better players, features a solid rubber or liquid center surrounded by elastic windings and a Surlyn or balata cover. "Three-piece wound balls are a bit different because they go through stress relaxation of the windings, " said Peterson, adding that they should last "a couple of years."

Storage

GolfBallTest.org debunks a myth about golf ball storage: "Storing golf balls in the freezer is never recommended and does not preserve their compression and freshness, contrary to some belief," In fact, playing with cold balls will sap your drives of their normal distance. So keep your balls in a cool, dry place and they will last for awhile.

Considerations

Even if you can store golf balls for a years without a loss of performance, you might be disappointed in their performance when you take them to the golf course. That's because golf ball manufacturers are continually looking for cutting-edge methods to improve the performance of their balls.

Golf Balls

The one on the left is the fake. The cover and core are made from lower-quality materials, the cover is thicker, and as you can see, uneven. The counterfeit golf ball flies like a knuckleball as a result.

Irons

A cross-section of this iron shows the one on the right side is the counterfeit model. The cavity isn’t hollowed-out, which means the ball won’t come off the face as hot.

Driver

The driver on the right is fake. How can you tell? Because the detail on the painting is off, and the hosel doesn’t include any adjustability.

Grips

Grips can be tough, but ultimately, you can differentiate the fakes from the real ones by the detail on the grips, the quality of the material and the smell. A good grip shouldn’t have a notable rubber smell.

Woods

The club on the right is the counterfeit, because as you can see, the detailing is lower quality and not up to code.

Balls

One of the most effective ways of telling a fake dozen from a real dozen? The hologram. Never, ever buy a dozen Pro V1s that doesn’t have one.

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