Understanding Your Golf Ball: The facts, fiction and the importance of playing the right model…

There has never been so much emphasis on dimples, cores and texture.

It is bordering on obscene the amount of technologies that can exist in a tiny golf ball. It seems only a matter of time until Taylormade unveil their GPS Golf Ball making wayward striking a thing of the past. But as standards sore and knowledge increases keeping up to date with your chosen brand becomes even more important to shooting lower.

With promotional advertising in overdrive it can be difficult to push past the jargon and find out exactly what each ball offers. In truth the only way to be sure is trial and error but understanding the basic principles can cut short you search.

Control

There are fundamentally two forms of golf ball; hard compound and soft. The soft design is exactly that, offering additional spin generation and control making it perfect for getting close to pins. They are most commonly used by long hitters that can afford the negative loss of distance from such a soft inner core.

Srixon Z Star balls are battle tested spin balls designed to bring incredible control to skilled players. They are most effective with short irons and wedges and coated with the brands famous ‘spin skin’. The Z star design carried Graeme McDowell to a major success in 2012.

The Top Flite Gamer Soft ball is a surprisingly complete option. They are one of the least expensive three piece balls on the market but offer great performance.

The Callaway Supersoft Golf Ball is another exclusive spin ball offering extreme control bringing pins into range for players with an experienced touch around the greens. It is the softest two piece ball in the world with a compression score of zero.

So what makes this spin happen? The inner core of the balls are highly compressed and feature super soft energetic surround. The exterior is designed with various soft shells and dimple technologies (varying per manufacturer). The ball unifies the various parts to form a soft controlled package.

On impact the ball immediately generates active spin taking effect on landing and allowing instant control on a perfect strike.

Distance

The second form of ball is harder and manufactured to generate distance and power. It has a harder exterior shell and an elastic core designed to accelerate on impact. Due to their tougher exterior they do not generally offer the same level of spin control around the greens.

The Callaway X2 Hot Golf Ball is a tour hardened option for finding crucial extra yardage. The manufacturer has created three unique dimple-pattern aerodynamics to maximize ball distance from the Tee.

This ball was released along with the driver of the same brand and aims to suit players with swing speeds over 90 mph.

Srixon Distance Balls and Taylormade offer high end of the market long shooting options. They are designed to offer extra forgiveness from the tee and suit all level of players, promising increased distance and hang time.

Finding the perfect balance

In an ideal golfing world, every player would want the correct balance between distance and control.

Although many balls claim to strike the balance nothing has the reputation of the Titleist Pro V1 Golf Ball. The most used ball on tour, it combined sizzling distance with incredible soft feel for a very happy medium. The Velocity ball is a cheaper option from the manufacturer with a new dimple pattern encouraging a shallow landing area and flattening out shot from the Tee.

Other highly recommend all round balls include the Nike RZN range and Taylormade Project A. The latter is currently producing big things on Tour and ticks all the boxes of a complete golf ball.

The Tour Stats

In 2013, there were a total of 24 events across the USPGA Tour. The Titleist Pro V1 Series accounted for 10 of these victories. What makes this remarkable is that another 4 were claimed by Tiger Woods and his Nike ball.

The same Titleist range was used by top players Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Adam Scott to claim high finishes in a number of major in the last 24 months. This also includes two Masters Titles.

It is interesting to note that Woods does not use balls available to consumers, specifically compounded balls are produced for him despite advertising campaigns suggesting differently. The point here is that club players require different formats from top pros so although it is a useful gauge, finding something for your handicap is more appropriate than major winning golf balls. 

Am I making the most from my game?

Foremost Golf offer a massive range of balls from all major manufacturers and are perfectly priced to make your cash go further.

Do not be afraid to sample different balls and cores; you will be surprised by the impact on your game and scorecard.

It is worth noting that no one golf ball is considered unanimously perfect and new advancements will continue to offer new levels of distance, spin and control.

No matter what ball you decide to arm up with, a perfect swing will always be just that no matter the dimples on the other end.

The great thing about shot shaping is that learning how to do it is good fun. The practice range is where you'll discover how to manipulate the clubface angle and swing path to hit a host of different shots and ultimately that will help you become a more complete golfer.

Place a stick on the line of your final target as shown here. Then place a second stick on the ground pointing to the left of the target for a fade or right for a draw. As you address the ball, set your body along the line of the stick on the ground and point the clubface more towards the target (do not point the clubface directly at the target). Now simply hit a series of shots aiming to start the ball either to the right or left of the target line stick, shaping the ball around it. Remember that to do this you need to swing the club along the line of your body and the difference between this angle and the angle of the clubface is what creates the shape. Have some fun with this in practice and I promise your game will reap the rewards.

To shape your shots consistently, you need the correct golf clubs. There are certain models that are designed to help you do just that, offering superb feel and distance control. For some simple, impartial advice on the right clubs for your game, please go and see your local Foremost Golf professional.

When most players think of sunglasses it sparks images of American pros such as David Duval carrying relaxed and ice cool image around the course. But in reality they do perform an important duty of protecting vision and combating the sun’s glare.

 It is not simply about creating a contemporary fashion statement (although it does help) and with recent releases, it is a great time to take a look at what makes Oakley’s 2014 state of the art glasses tick.

 What the manufacturer say…

 “Oakley is a brand that never sits still. We constantly strive to reinvent, to push farther, to do the undone. The sunglasses in our New Release category represent the latest technology and freshest new looks to complement your lifestyle.”

It seems progressive but what does it actually mean? Take the Special Edition Heritage Shades hot out the workshop. Carrying a retro styling to mark their 30 year anniversary, they feature Polarized lenses that combat glare from pavements and water.  High Definition Optics® technology ensures unrivalled clarity against the bright rays of the sun.

The Oakley Chainlink Glasses are also brand new to the market and includes Plutonite® lens that block 100% of UVA, UVB and UVC rays, harmful to the eyes.

Comfort is also at the heart of the new designs by the global giant with Unobtainium® technology offering a softer and more cultured feel around the ears and nose. It prevents unwanted rubbing and general irritation to the wearer.

Across the range of new glasses, three point fit set up has been installed which holds the lenses in perfect and optimal alignment at all times. This is often a problem in cheaper, less formed frames which reduces the lifespan of shades.

The new releases are also accompanied by a Microclear bag for storage and lens cleaning.

Style is a big factor for many players and the latest release of the ‘Scuderia Ferrari’ Carbon Blade Glasses will tick all the iconic boxes. Featuring stunning slim line carbon frames and tinted lenses these glasses are designed for ultimate style. They are described the marketing team as the most lightweight glasses ever made.

The brands icing on the cake

The High Definition Optics technology mentioned above is setting Oakley apart from its competitors. The lens offers a sharper, clearer and less magnified look and surpasses all tests of the American Standards Institute.

It offers a view of sight that is close to perfection for any golfer and an ability to instantly deal with rapid lighting changes. 

The Verdict

Oakley has really put time and effort into improving what already was a high quality range of golf sunglasses. With a slick new styling and lens technology that will make your vision on sunny days completely unimpeded.

They are priced at the top end of the market but with good reason and an ideal choice for any player seriously suffering from sun vision problems.