JRod
Well-known member
I so wish this were true. It would make attacking back pins so much easier for me.
Golf ball spin - Is seeing believing?
I so wish this were true. It would make attacking back pins so much easier for me.
Flooder
Active member
Hey, JB. I don't doubt you for a second, just don't remember I guess. Anyway, you're probably right, my comments don't really match up to the point of the thread.
I'll say this about whether different balls spin differently? While backspin on the green and side spin off the driver aren't the same, i think the latter is the easiest way to see the difference in balls. Off the tee for me, the average shot with a Qstar is at least 10 yards closer to center than the average shot with a Pro V1. The difference is so dramatic it feels like cheating.
Flooder
Active member
W.E., what shafts did you switch to?
bogey_russ
outside operations
i cant tell any difference in the least
i guess it all depends on how im swinging that day
i can get a top flite to hook just as hard as a nike or a titleist off the tee
as far as around the greens? i hit a very high short iron/ wedge shot so most of my balls plug/ stop dead/ or back up a few inches (never more than a foot unless its a severely sloped part of a green)
i dont really pay attention to spin characteristics im more into how the ball feels/sounds when hitting it off my clubs
would a balls compression also factor into the spin characteristics? shouldnt a really "soft" ball spin really fast?
i guess it all depends on how im swinging that day
i can get a top flite to hook just as hard as a nike or a titleist off the tee
as far as around the greens? i hit a very high short iron/ wedge shot so most of my balls plug/ stop dead/ or back up a few inches (never more than a foot unless its a severely sloped part of a green)
i dont really pay attention to spin characteristics im more into how the ball feels/sounds when hitting it off my clubs
would a balls compression also factor into the spin characteristics? shouldnt a really "soft" ball spin really fast?
gingerista
Lady Golfer
... or you can do what I did. Take 6 balls of one (ie. Pro V1x) and 6 of another (Black) and drop them in the same lie, same distance to a green and hit them all. Go see your results and do it a few more times. I saw enough of a difference to switch to the ball better for me.
TripleBogieTim
Long lost sheep
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I will add this to the equation, as War Eagle just mentioned, spin is created by swing and ball flight...someone with a shallow swing and a low ball flight will not generate anywhere near the spin of someone with a more upright swing and a high ball flight.....I regularly spin the ball back, but I do see better spin out of some balls over others. The cover has something to do with it....for shorter shots but full swing wedge shots and 8 and 9 iron shots it starts to get into how much compression you put on the ball to impart backspin...in my opinion anyways.
Let's put it this way....I was practicing over the weekend and was out late just hitting balls into a green from about 130 using a 9 iron....I hit about 20 balls...most hit the green...hopped and spun back just a little..but there was 3 or 4 in my group that hit and hopped and then spun a few feet back....those 3 or 4 balls happen to be the only Hex Chromes I have in my little shag bag, the rest are Hex Blacks....both have the same exact Urethane Cover...but the Chrome is a lower compression ball.
JBell
New member
This is the exact same thing I do...I use a practice area around my area that allows me to take full-wedge shots in and actually see how they perform.
JRod, I noticed the exact same thing with the HEX Blacks, I get too much spin and have to club-up on most shots in (It's ridiculous). Do you notice with certain golf balls that they get "eaten-up" quicker on wedge shots (too-soft of an outer-layer). A few brands, like Nike 20XI's, after 5 or so full-wedge shots into the green, they start getting chewed up.
This has been a year of learning about and experimenting with different balls. I've tried assorted Srixon, Bridgestone and Callaway offerings, as well as some found ProV's and TP5s. My sample size is too small, and playing conditions and my swing vary enough to make it less than scientific. That said, I've hit enough similar shots to at least think I see some things. For example, spin off mid irons through driver are more noticeable and, I believe, reliable. Approach irons are trickier and variance is probably explained by the factors noted above. Still, I do believe I've seen some general trends and the balls cover a general spectrum as it relates to spin (and all of them are more than good enough for my crappy swing). As I came to this completely unbiased and seriously could not care less which ball ultimately worked best for me, I don't believe marketing or hype has any influence on my perception of these balls at all.
To the comment about higher handicappers not spinning the ball, I can only say I have never spun a ball before this season. I have never spun a V2 or E6 or found ball that is generally in that category this season. But I have definitely spun many balls back this season and they were all from the tour category balls listed above. I recently had a person I was paired with start asking me how I was spinning the ball back (found ProV1) and commenting how she had never seen it before. I honestly told her it was mostly the ball and she didn't believe me.
To the comment about higher handicappers not spinning the ball, I can only say I have never spun a ball before this season. I have never spun a V2 or E6 or found ball that is generally in that category this season. But I have definitely spun many balls back this season and they were all from the tour category balls listed above. I recently had a person I was paired with start asking me how I was spinning the ball back (found ProV1) and commenting how she had never seen it before. I honestly told her it was mostly the ball and she didn't believe me.
Switched to the KBS Tour 90, from the PX flighted in the J40 DPCs.
Turf too. It dictates the contact. Fairways that aren't cut (somewhayt) tight makes it real hard to get spin and same with greens. A hairy green will just stop the ball dead.
TripleBogieTim
Long lost sheep
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This is true....as was mentioned in one of the other posts....some conditions promote spin more than others....there are times of the year here that I don't spin the ball near as much because the greens are much harder and the ball doesn't dig in and grab.
the_paulo
Euro target practice
Great thread and an interesting topic.
For me, most tour-level balls will react pretty similarly off a full wedge shot. There may be a difference in sound but conditions will dictate how much spin I see upon landing.
The one thing I was interested in when Taylormade first brought out the Penta, was the difference in spin they were claiming on half shots. This got me thinking. I think I see different results between brands on chips and half shots. Not vastly different, just a little. But who's to say this isn't the marketing getting into my head and making me think about this? Science please!
For me, most tour-level balls will react pretty similarly off a full wedge shot. There may be a difference in sound but conditions will dictate how much spin I see upon landing.
The one thing I was interested in when Taylormade first brought out the Penta, was the difference in spin they were claiming on half shots. This got me thinking. I think I see different results between brands on chips and half shots. Not vastly different, just a little. But who's to say this isn't the marketing getting into my head and making me think about this? Science please!
the_paulo
Euro target practice
Oh, I'll also add that I see a difference off the driver. The difference between a Pro V1, Penta TP3 and Hex Black has been noted this year. Sidespin especially.
My game is no secret, I am not a high spin player around the green. I usually pitch and let the ball run out to the otherside of the surface. I hit a draw that can teeters on the ledge of a disastrous duck hook. I just want spin on full shots coming into the green at this point.
Tadashi70
Well-known member
I love Koolaid or grape drink.....But I have to agree with JROD. Around the greens all pro level balls are pretty much the same to the naked eye. Is there an exception or two, sure. But if your technique is solid you can spin anything around the green.
I had this talk with a good friend during a round earlier in the year. We both agree that solid form and techique with wedge dictates the amount of spin we see. But on a straight forward chip I doubt if too many of us could tell the difference between one ball to the next around the greens when comparing apples to apples.[
QUOTE=JRod;1707498]I used to drink the kool aid until I got in a launch monitor. I think balls can perform drastically different off the driver but around the gresn if you hit the ball cleanly they all perform pretty similarly.
Edit: This is comparing apples to apples.[/QUOTE]
I had this talk with a good friend during a round earlier in the year. We both agree that solid form and techique with wedge dictates the amount of spin we see. But on a straight forward chip I doubt if too many of us could tell the difference between one ball to the next around the greens when comparing apples to apples.[
QUOTE=JRod;1707498]I used to drink the kool aid until I got in a launch monitor. I think balls can perform drastically different off the driver but around the gresn if you hit the ball cleanly they all perform pretty similarly.
Edit: This is comparing apples to apples.[/QUOTE]
My game is a work in progress but even I have found that on any given day I will get similar spin from any tour level ball around the greens. Full wedge shots will almost always stop dead or bounce forward or back 1-4 feet depending on the hardness of the greens. I notice the most difference off the driver and as such I play a Q-star, for whatever reason this ball just works for me.
Joshzilla
Secret Agent
- Thread starter
- Staff
- #68
Lots of good thoughts in here, guys. Like I said, it's something that's been on my mind for a long time now. It's always very interesting to hear about huge discrpancies in performance when data may show otherwise.
TC
Keg Thrower
Of course technique has a lot to do with it. IMO, I think the substrate has A LOT to do with it. Soft, furry greens are going to be way more receptive for me than a hard, firm green.
- Thread starter
- Staff
- #71
It definitely does, as does slope of the green. I remember spinning a Diablo Tour back something like 15 feet one time, which made me really think I'd found a spinny cheap(er) ball. After thinking about it a bit I realized that 1) I'd hit it perfect 2) the green sloped severely towards me 3) the green was on the soft side. I think any ball would have come back a little in those conditions.
TC
Keg Thrower
More than likely. It has to be the right kind of soft though, the green. Too soft and the ball just plugs and barely gets out of it's pitch mark. Where it's best is when it's just soft enough to create a pitch mark, which gives that ball the obstacle to give it nowhere to go but backwards.
I'm going to admit a level of ignorance here. I don't pay attention to what a golf ball is made of. My observations of spin have always been made after 18+ holes with a single ball model. So my observations are based upon the spin I create with my own swing. Most of the balls I tend to rely on are urethane covers, but I have played some other cheaper balls that weren't urethane. The only cheaper ball I have consistently liked is the Pinnacle Precision ball. I find it has a pretty acceptable level of spin for a ball that costs about $0.75. At the same time, I don't know what the cover is made out of.
So I guess you can say that at least with me, marketing and ball make-up have zero effect on my perception or desire to buy any particular ball. For me, I'll try it out for awhile, and it either will fit what I want or it won't.
~Rock
So I guess you can say that at least with me, marketing and ball make-up have zero effect on my perception or desire to buy any particular ball. For me, I'll try it out for awhile, and it either will fit what I want or it won't.
~Rock
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
Interesting stuff Hawk. I dont play much spin around the greens but where I notice the largest amount of spin is off the tee.