It’s quite simple - you can’t play golf without
golf balls so understanding
the physics and general science behind them is crucial to ensure you get the
right ball for you. This guide will take you through the major considerations
you need when you’re looking for a
golf ball.
There are some golfers who still believe that the golf ball they use will
not make any difference to the way they play or the score they finish with.
However this is just a lack of education on the benefits of using the right
golf ball for your
game. Knowing how the golf ball will react off the face of your driver, putter,
delicate wedge shots all comes from using the same golf ball for every shot.
Construction
The way a golf ball
is put together is one of the fundamental reasons why golf balls feel different
form on another when they come off the club face. Most of you will be familiar
with the 1, 2, 3 and 4 piece design but with manufacturers constantly pushing
the boundaries a new 5 piece construction has hit the market recently.
One-Piece
Unsurprisingly a one-piece
golf ball is the simplest
construction available. Designed mainly for beginners and use at driving ranges
this construction is rarely used as a playing ball. One-piece
golf balls are made
form a solid sphere of Surlyn with dimples moulded in. These balls are inexpensive
and do not give the distance of other construction due to their lower compression
- hence their use at driving ranges in vast quantities.
Two-Piece
Two-piece golf balls are used by a high majority of everyday golfers as they
combine durability and maximum distance. The basic construction of the ball
is built around a single solid sphere core, usually made from hard plastic.
This is then enclosed in the balls cover - adding the second piece to the two-piece
golf ball design. The firmer feel of the two-piece golf ball can provide more
distance, but often at the expense of control and feel. Two-piece
golf balls are virtually
indestructible and give average golfers a much needed distance both through
the air and on the ground.
Three-Piece
Three-piece golf balls,
like two-piece golf balls have a solid rubber core. The cover on a three-piece
golf ball is a soft, synthetic plastic, much softer than that on two-piece allowing
better golfers to impart spin on the ball in order to control it through the
air and on the greens. The third piece of the construction comes in between
the core and cover. A layer of enhanced liquid rubber is added around the core
adding another layer to the design and increasing the spin that is placed on
the ball.
Four-Piece
Each layer of the four-piece
golf ball is designed
with a specific purpose in mind. When working together all the layers of a four-piece
golf ball offer the long distance of a two-piece design with the soft feel of
a three-piece. The core of the four-piece golf ball is a soft rubber primarily
designed to offer explosive distance. The inner layer transfers energy from
the impact to the core. The next inner layer (the additional layer compared
to a three-piece design) is designed to increase driver distance without reducing
the spin from mid irons and when around the green. The cover of a four-piece
golf ball is where most of the feel comes from. It is the thinnest layer of
the golf ball, made
from urethane, which helps make it soft.
Five-Piece
TaylorMade have achieved the first mover advantage when it comes to the five-piece
golf ball. The TaylorMade Penta TP is the first tour ball with five solid-layers,
with each layer engineered to optimise performance in five key shot categories
that skilled players need – driver,
long-irons, middle-irons, short-irons and short
wedge shots. The five layers of
Penta TP include the core, inner mantle, middle mantle, outer mantle and cover,
and each one plays a critical role in optimising the performance of each of
the five key shots.
The extremely soft, low-compression core is the most critical layer to promoting
high launch and low spin off the driver, which are well known to be the launch
conditions that promote maximum carry and distance. The soft, fast Inner Mantle,
which surrounds the core, promotes soft feel, high launch and low spin off the
long-irons for exceptional distance and high, soft-landing flight that helps
the ball sit quickly on the green. The semi-firm and fast Middle Mantle, which
surrounds the Inner Mantle , promotes mid-launch and mid-spin off the middle
irons. Mid-launch promotes control; mid-spin keeps the ball from up-shooting,
ballooning and falling short of the target. The firm and fast Outer Mantle promotes
optimum spin off the short-irons to stop the ball quick without sucking it off
the front of the green or drawing it back too far from the hole. The soft Urethane
Cover promotes a higher than average spin-rate on the all-important short wedge
shots required in the scoring zone, within 100 yards of the flag. These are
the types of shots where many current tour balls fail to deliver the goods because
they launch too high and don't spin enough.
Spin
Low Spin
Lower spinning golf
balls tend to decrease side spin on your shots, causing the ball to fly
straighter through the air and roll further once landed. This type of ball is
more suited to golfers who tend to slice the ball and struggle to find distance.
Mid Spin
Unsurprisingly the mid spin
golf ball bridges the
gap between the low and high spin golf balls. These balls try to incorporate
the best from both distance (low spin) golf balls and soft (high spin)
golf balls. These balls
are aimed at the widest range of golfers and are suitable for use by all standards
in all conditions.
High Spin
This ball is designed to spin the most through the air, creating a longer
carry. A high spinning golf ball will not get the run out on the fairway of
a low or mid spin ball - but will make up for it around the greens. A high spinning
golf ball will give better players more control and feel in, on and around the
greens.
Feel
Firm Feel
Firm feel golf balls
will feel hard on the club face. This firm feel usually comes hand in hand with
a low spin one or two-piece construction. A firm feel golf ball will produce
the maximum distance from your driver
and irons but you will sacrifice
a certain degree of control on and around the greens.
Soft Feel
The soft feel golf ball
is the choice of many better player and all
Tour Professionals. The softer feeling
cover means that better players can work the ball through the air and spin the
ball into the pins. It does not give the distance of a firm feeling ball and
is more suited to players looking for increase control and those players who
do not view their distance as a weakness.
Conclusion
We hope that this guide to golf balls has helped in your decision. Remember
that we stock a great range of lake balls which are fantastic quality at a fraction
of the cost so you can try lots of different balls without the monetary risk.
We also have a range of single golf ball sleeves. These are new golf balls sold
in sleeves of three. These again are much cheaper than a dozen and allow you
to try the full range of golf balls without paying large amounts. If you have
any other questions please don’t hesitate to call the Golfbidder customer service
team. You can contact them through the address and phone number below.
Telephone: 0208 401 5918
Email: help@golfbidder.co.uk