Are higher-priced golf balls worth the extra cost?
· Yahoo Sports
Al Messerschmidt
Q: I usually cheap out when it comes to buying balls, spending about $20/dozen, and still shoot around 80. Would a tour-quality ball help me get into the mid-70s to justify the cost?
Visit syntagm.co.za for more information.
A: Honestly, upgrading your ball is unlikely to save you five or six shots a round. Although a ball change along the lines you’re suggesting should help your score (there’s a reason no non-urethane-cover balls earned Gold on this year’s Golf Ball Hot List), there are things to consider.
First, what shot or shots are preventing you from shooting in the mid-70s? If your main issue is that you’re blasting two drives OB a round, then a ball with more spin—the premium, urethane-cover type—is probably not what you’re looking for. You won’t like dropping about 15 bucks every time you hit three wild drives, either.
However, if the short game is where you’re losing strokes, it might be. But not necessarily. Think about how you get around the course. In your short game, do you toss it up in the air and look for some check? Then a tour-caliber ball will definitely help. But if you prefer running shots, that extra greenside spin is worthless. Point is, this is an exercise in self-examination that includes making sure that while you’re fixing one problem, you’re not creating another.
The best starting point is to try to figure out what problem you want solved, what kind of feel you're seeking or what trajectory you want. The answer is different for everyone, but by homing in on one or two characteristics, you can narrow the field pretty quickly.
That said, deciding on a ball is not the simplest task. Golf Datatech currently tracks north of 80 models of golf balls. Making things more difficult is the fact that the technology ladder has now moved down to balls costing as little as $20 a dozen. That’s a lot to sift through.
But beware the temptation to solely determine a ball’s efficiency on how far you can whack it off the tee. Starting your ball-selection process from the green and working your way back is probably more helpful than the other way around.
Will a ball change shave a half dozen shots from your score? No. But playing the right golf ball is every bit as important—possibly even more important—than being fit for any club in your bag. Given you’re already playing well with technologically-inferior golf balls, the call here is that you’re likely to see better scores with a more-sophisticated model.