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Cold Impact on Golf Balls?

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JB

JB

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Quick little test by request in the other thread to check out the difference between golf balls in cold temperatures. While this is extreme (done by request), if you believe the ProCheck to be correct, the results may surprise you.

We took a Titleist Pro V1x and Wilson Duo Optix and put them in the freezer for 5 hours. Then tested two balls from each, one that was kept at room temperature and one that was frozen and show off the results in this video.

Before watching the video, what do you think happens (if anything) to a golf ball kept in the freezer for hours?

 
I cheated and watched first, but man, I did not expect the ProV to get softer. That's wild.

Winter conditions usually have me playing a softer ball to accommodate for the harsh winter realities. nice to have some clarity on it not really being the ball, but rather everything else (like cold unhappy hands etc).
 
I expected them to be firmer
 
Thanks for the test, I know I expected a different result. Makes me wonder if it would be the exact opposite if we are testing balls that have been in hot temps for that amount of time.
 
I honestly don't understand that result. My recollection from science class way back when is that cold weather makes molecules compress, which makes the object they comprise more dense and therefore harder.
 
Guessing it goes farther and spins less, report back once I watch the video. Promise I didn't read any comments so no clue how close or far off I am.

edit: and apparently I can't read and didn't read the first post (faceplam) either but was gonna guess it got harder. Could be a good test right before heading to the golf course too.
 
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tequila4kapp said:
I honestly don't understand that result. My recollection from science class way back when is that cold weather makes molecules compress, which makes the object they comprise more dense and therefore harder.
Click to expand...

Me too. My take away leaves 3 thoughts/questions.
1. That the change was not that much and it is more about the person being cold, more layers, etc.

2. I checked both balls before one hit the freezer and they both came out as firm. Yet yesterday I checked a Pro V1x and it came out as medium firm. So could there be a slight difference ball to ball already? I think that would make sense.

3. Could the device be reading wrong?
 
I was fully expecting the opposite of the results. Thought they would each bump up a firmness grade or two after being exposed to freezing temps for 5 hours.
 
I would be interested to hear the thoughts on this video from someone like Finley or Mike Fox. Even better would be if you could get something from guys who worked on those ball releases that were tested.
 
Wow, this is really interesting. I did not expect the ProV1 to get a softer reading, even if it's only by 1 mark (Duo can't really go any lower as is). Maybe the molecules in each layer are condensing and, although they may be getting more dense and harder, the molecules are more arranged and allow for more room to compress them....That was me trying to sound smart and reason why the results were not what I thought. Scientific method also states that the test must be repeatable, so in the event of a poor reading, that would be seen. Also, I wonder if somehow the cold temperature might be causing an error in the device, tricking it somehow? I have no idea.

Someone call Bill Nye. And Finley and Dean Snell.
 
So I just spoke to a golf ball person and their response was similar to one of the thoughts I had above. 1 bar difference could very well be ball to ball variation. Meaning something is a couple of points different, but on the border a sudden change alters that a couple of points more or a single point and without showing numbers it becomes a bar different. Variables will always exist, including in the testing equipment.
 
tequila4kapp said:
I honestly don't understand that result. My recollection from science class way back when is that cold weather makes molecules compress, which makes the object they comprise more dense and therefore harder.
Click to expand...
I'd imagine that as it gets cold and the molecules compress/shrink but the item stays the same size, it would actually make the item softer as it takes up the same Mass but molecules are smaller (allowing for something to squeeze more).

@jb, try the opposite? Put a Wilson (being the softer one) in the oven for a few to maybe like 150* to see if it increases the compressions

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
couple questions as I am at work and can't watch the video yet: were the balls tested when they were still at roughly 32*F or were they brought back to room temperature before they were tested?

If it is while still cold I don't expect it to be that different. If it is after it is warmed back up to room temp I would expect the ball to be harder, but doubt it would be markedly different. A ball that has been repeatedly subjected to cold then warmed up and/or warmed up and then cooled over a period of weeks I would expect to become softer as the variation in temps would be placing significant stress on the molecules with contraction and subsequent I guess release of the molecules back to their "normal" state.

All just a guess from science classes I took almost 20 years ago.
 
This is where the lack of precision in the instrument becomes a problem. Maybe the ProV1X is right around the low end of the Firm band, and only dropped a few points after being in the freezer. But, those few points were enough to drop it into the Medium-Firm band. Nobody knows, though, because there is no a digital compression value in the readout.
 
mancest said:
couple questions as I am at work and can't watch the video yet: were the balls tested when they were still at roughly 32*F or were they brought back to room temperature before they were tested?

If it is while still cold I don't expect it to be that different. If it is after it is warmed back up to room temp I would expect the ball to be harder, but doubt it would be markedly different. A ball that has been repeatedly subjected to cold then warmed up and/or warmed up and then cooled over a period of weeks I would expect to become softer as the variation in temps would be placing significant stress on the molecules with contraction and subsequent I guess release of the molecules back to their "normal" state.

All just a guess from science classes I took almost 20 years ago.
Click to expand...

The ball was tested while it was still cold.
 
I am very confused. When playing in the cold I feel like like cold ball on cold club (while I'm cold) maybe just make it feel harder? I've always gone with softer compression golf balls when the temp starts to drop, but maybe I'll rethink that now... Still confused.
 
The results didn’t match up with the conventional wisdom that cold temperatures would cause the ball to get harder. Hmmmmmm

So there might not be a need for a softer “winter ball”.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Hmm this is really interesting. I hate it when something I thought I knew as fact turns out to be wrong lol.
 
JB said:
Me too. My take away leaves 3 thoughts/questions.
1. That the change was not that much and it is more about the person being cold, more layers, etc.

2. I checked both balls before one hit the freezer and they both came out as firm. Yet yesterday I checked a Pro V1x and it came out as medium firm. So could there be a slight difference ball to ball already? I think that would make sense.

3. Could the device be reading wrong?
Click to expand...

A combination of #2 and #3 (depending on the definition of "wrong") was my thought while watching the video - some variance in measurement that tips it from one bin into another, especially given the fact that you checked two other balls and they fell in different bins.

That said, Titleist does say that cold makes balls "less resilient" (https://www.thehackersparadise.com/...randaddy-of-em-All-Event-We-Want-You!/page217) - but if we're talking about the materials science definition of resiliency, that should mean they're harder.
 
I expected the colder balls to be firmer.

But, what I would like to know is the difference in compression/decompression between the balls when hit.
That device measures the softness of the ball, but not the ball reaction/energy gained or lost in differing ball temperatures.
 
No idea but it seems to me balls don't go as far when I play in cold weather. Maybe due to the air density and not the ball????? I was totally surprised by the results!!
 
Is 5 hours long enough to effectively freeze the center and the compound it’s made of?

Otherwise there’s always a +/- ratio to account for in testing (I think your golf ball person alluded to that).
 
DucatiGirl said:
Is 5 hours long enough to effectively freeze the center and the compound it’s made of?

Otherwise there’s always a +/- ratio to account for in testing (I think your golf ball person alluded to that).
Click to expand...

I say we try a long term testing and leave a ball in the freezer for a week.
 
ddec said:
I say we try a long term testing and leave a ball in the freezer for a week.
Click to expand...

If we’re testing extremes and a ball that’s being abused, ie in the garage all winter then the car in summer, you’d probably need to do 24 hours in freezer, 24 hours outside, and repeat at least once.

But I take care of my stuff and store my stash of golf balls in the house, so really rather unconcerned. However one does wonder if the golf ball storage warehouses - and big retailers too - have air conditioned space.
 
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