Wedge function can determine whether a golf ball is right for your game.
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Robot test data can provide valuable insights that can get lost in a sea of product marketing. That information becomes even more valuable when you’re searching for the right golf ball among thousands of eligible offers.
As we have highlighted in previous sections, and so on Golf games The Fully Equipped podcast, golf ball testing often takes time and getting to the right position for the short game. Not to mention a few rounds to explore the possible options in the course. There’s a reason why golfers tend to throw a budget-friendly ball in the bag and call it a day. Not everyone has the time, patience or practice facilities to do a ball test.
But let’s assume that you search taking a football test but not interested in going through the same testing process as, say, Tiger Woods. Maybe you’re ready for the Cliff’s Notes version.
Where do you start? Walk straight onto the short game fairway and hit balls 40 to 50 yards from the green. For many experts, this is the money range that often determines whether a ball is worth further testing.
“It’s your short game that will be the biggest defining factor,” said Golf Laboratories founder Gene Parente. “For many tour players, the money that determines whether they will use the ball is the 40-yard wedge shot. They want to know how the ball flies, controls and lands. Start slow and work your way back.”
Last year, GOLF and Golf Laboratories teamed up to test the golf ball with the help of a swinging robot. If you look closely at the numbers, the spin rate delta on the 50-yard wedge with the robot was significantly greater than the driver – up to 3,300 RPMs for the wedge and 600 RPMs for the driver. That’s the high and low extremes of the spin spectrum, but it highlights the importance of knowing your golf ball and prioritizing the short game during testing.
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Of the 40 balls tested, 31 had a spin rate of over 6,300 RPMs on a wedge shot, which is enough spin to capture a wedge. So even if you don’t know the ins and outs of your current ball, there’s a good chance it’s somewhere in the area of what you have. it should use – as long as it has a urethane coating. Don’t just think until you see the numbers.
As for golfers who play Surlyn’s hard-cover offerings, greenside spin is offered a long way in most situations. Depending on needs (not to mention budget) and where your game is at right now, it might make sense to start with Surlyn and graduate to urethane when you start getting green on a consistent basis. That’s one way to look at it.
However you decide to proceed, just know that the data confirms that urethane is where you’ll get the most short game spin. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for.
When you consider the number of times you have an 18-hole sinker in hand, it makes sense to ponder the idea of popping something with the ability to react and stand on the green.
Yes, the driver is a sexy club in the bag. But if you think a golf ball will help you produce the best numbers – you might want to think again. The spin rate delta from the highest to the lowest balls we tested with the driver was just 600 RPM.
Of those 40 models tested, more than half had an average rotation between 2,500 and 2,800 RPMs. And the implementation has changed less than 1 degree. It makes sense to find a ball that works for every club in the bag. Don’t just weigh the driver’s numbers too much when making decisions. Instead, find one that best matches your wedge shot and go from there.
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