New Golf Balls

At face value the game of golf is pretty simple .  Get that little ball into 18 holes in fewer strokes than the competition and you win.  The desire to win and the money involved results in the striving to get as much performance out of the equipment as possible.

One can imagine how a golf club could be tuned for performance. Optimising the balance between club weight and swing speed will effect the force transfer to the ball.

Different sized club heads may work better for different swing styles. Looking at the golf ball one might expect little impact on the game by changing anything

One can look at the effect of the golf ball in a couple of ways. There are pricey balls and cheaper balls and no doubt some cheap ones perform well. But if using balls as logo golf balls for your clients at golf days as personalised golf gifts, a good and more expensive one is the best bet.

Nothing will kill your relationship quicker than a cheap golf ball in this case. Some cheaper balls can perform very well however.

Many a golf pro can be found using a middle priced ball because it has features that complement his game. Something in that ball matches the pro's style.

What are the features than can be exploited to improve a ball's performance.

Well even with the humble golf ball has become a focus for squeezing out as much extra performance as possible. If millions of dollars can rest on just a small handful of shots no wonder each aspect of the game is optimised.

The discovery that old dented and scratched balls outperformed new balls was a revelation.  In physical terms, the dents in the ball that led to the dimples we see in all golf balls today, cause turbulence during the flight of the ball..

It is the turbulence around the ball that forms pockets that reduces drag on the ball.  As such the ball travels further.  If you want to make a good impression with a personalised golf ball this is good news.

An old dented ball with your corporate logo may go better but it won't impress.

With this simple fact why do we not have just one type of golf ball?.  This is far from the case.  There is a wide range of golf ball makers out there .

And each manufacturer offers better performance and features than the other. Golf ball technology is now close to rocket science .

A quick browse of the major vendors whom all supply balls to  professionals, amateurs and also logo golf balls to corporate golf event organisers, Callaway, Pinnacle, Srixon, Wilson, Titleist offer many areas of focus on performance improvement.

Golf ball softness with a somewhat vague concept of soft feel.  Greater distance and velocity are prime features of most balls on the market.  Better golf ball spin and responsive short game control.  Improved accuracy off the tee and thin outer ball cover that grabs the green for precision.

We also see multi-layer balls, where the power imparted from the club is transmitted smoothly to the central core.

Going back to our dimples. Dimples and dimple patterns that have been aerodynamically tested for stable ball flight.  Icosahedral arrangements plus even patterns within patterns.

How much of this is real and not just marketing ?.  Is it only going to be the pro that is looking for the small improvements that benefits?  Unless you have a scientifically accurate technique yourself will the randomness of your ability result in no performance increase.

Is it the case that the more expensive the ball the better you play.

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