Which Golf Balls Are For You?
posted in Golf Equipment, My Golf Stories |Today the selection for golf balls is a varied as the golf equipment that you have to choose from in order to pound these balls down the fairway. Just a fews years ago the golf ball world was very simple compared to today. There were very few brands to choose from and you usually only had two choices with each ball manufacturer, and this was a 90 compression or a 100 compression. This limited world was made up of Titleist, Maxfli, Spalding and Wilson for the most part. Some of you may remember playing with the Acushnet Club Special. I ran across one of those old relics in a draw the other day. The world of golf balls has certainly changed, just like the clubs. Now each brand has many different balls to choose from. The modern ball is designed to go high and straight. And of course and rightly so each manufacturer has a ball designed for the lady golfer.
One of the most noticeable qualities of the modern golf ball is its durability. In years gone by the balata ball was the top ball for the better amateurs and pros. This balata ball gave the player the most feel, but with it’s thin cover the ball would suffer severe wounds if you caught it a little thin. Even when watching tour players you would see players constantly checking their ball after reaching the green to see if any damage had been done and the ball needed to be taken out of play. Today with the modern ball and its durable covers a player could play the same ball forever. The story goes that pure swinging Sam Snead once played an entire Los Angeles Open with one ball. It boggles the imagination to think what Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and the likes would have done if they would have had the modern golf ball. These tour players of today can select from a wide range of balls to fit their individual swings and equipment. They can choose from low spin, high spin , soft feel a little harder feel or what ever the conditions may require.
Sam Snead was one of the first players that I saw that had his own personalizrd golf ball. Sam played Wilson equipment most all of his career and he also used Wilson Staff balls. Wilson printed balls for Sam that had the number 0. Today Greg Norman has a shark, Tiger Woods has Tiger on his ball and several players have their names or a personalized logo for their identity.
In order to find what ball fits your swing and equipment best, you can check with your PGA pro or see a swing doctor that has all of the modern computerized equipment to analize your swing. The things you hear so much today is all about spin, launch angle and ball speed. To optimize all of these critical areas you will then get the most out of your swing.