Here's a great question from David. With so many different golf ball to choose from, which one is right for you?
David,
You are correct that ball compression was the way to determine which ball to use. The slower your swing speed, the less compression you need. In the old days of balata ball, with a core surrounded by winding rubber bands around the center, the tighter the winding ,the more compression the ball had. The basic idea was to hit the highest compression ball you can compress. In the 70s, 80s and 90s, most of the major ball manufacturers made 100 and 90 compressions balls as the basic for players. They also had senior and some had ladies compression balls that were around in the 70 compression range or less. The kicker or disadvantage for all these balata balls was that the cover was soft and thin hits would cause gashes in the cover, making the ball unplayable.
Then the golf ball world changed in 1971 with the development of Spalding's Top-Flite 2 piece surlyn cover ball around a big rubber center core. Many of us called it “The Rock” because it was so much harder than a balata covered ball, and it also felt harder when you hit it … like a rock. Many high handicap golfers called it 'a blessing” for two basic reasons. First, they cost a lot less than the balata balls. Second, the cover was way more durable and would not cut through to the core on thin shots. Many times all you would see is a small crease, so the ball was still playable. Top Flites provided a lot more bangs for your buck, as long as you didn't loose them. The first big competition for the Top Flite was the Pinnacle ball from Titleist. That started the transformation from 3 piece wound center balata cover balls to more solid center, synthetic covered balls that were much more durable.
Today there is no talk of compression. Just talk about the number of centers and/or outer and inner covers. They talk about launch angles, spin rates of the ball in flight, and have parameters as to what is the right number for each of these for optimum ball flight. Many golf shops, club fitters and PGA professionals have launch monitors that can measure the launch angle and spin rate to help choose your clubs as well as help you choose your ball.
Some players and fitters have different theories on what is right or wrong or better. I have my theories. They are based on physics and from info I have gathered from the engineers and other experts I have spoken with on the subject of ball flight, as well as my personal experience. I will not go into those theories now but will finish answering your question as to how do you choose the right ball for you.
For starters, your age or sex and strength, and the game you play, are the major factors. The better you hit it and the more power you swing with, you want a ball that will fly the height you like to see, which will be fairly high, then land and run out on the fairways, and for shots to the green that will land and hold the green well. These balls will feel softer, likely have a spin factor in the higher range, which will also have more spin when it hits the green to stop quickly, with little to no backspin. These balls will be most of the brands that currently sell for over $40.00 and even $50.00 a dozen.
For players with less strength, seniors, ladies, high handicap men and junior golfers that hit the ball with less height, you will want a ball that flies lower, with less spin and thus will run out more on the fairways. These will also run better for shots onto the green when you cannot carry big front bunkers and there is room to run the shot up on the green. These balls are the brands that sell mostly in the $20.00 or less range on sale and in 15 ball packs to the $30.00 range or a little more.
The key is first to be honest to yourself about your ball striking ability, and whether you need loft and spin and bite on the greens or you need your ball to roll out more. Personally, when I play with students with handicaps in the mid to high teens, many are playing the high priced, high profile balls, which I feel are not the best for their ball flight and skill levels.
The second key is to then try different balls and test the feel of impact off the driver and woods, the irons and wedges, and then around the greens, chipping and pitching, and finally with the putter. In most cases you only need to buy a sleeve or two to give them a test run. When you find a ball or two that you like, the next thing is to test them against each other to narrow down to the one that is the best for the way you like the shot to feel at impact, see the flight and run out in the fairway, and the stop on the greens. Test trials on balls is the only way to really find the ball that fits your preferences as to the best in all the points you want to see and feel in YOUR golf ball's performance. Note: Many players of the same ability will have different taste buds for their sight, feel and spin, and thus will play different balls finding the one that performs best to fit their preferences. It's all about finding out which ball is best for you.
The Surge!