It’s hard to believe that the latest round of botnet testing is on the books. With massive help from Golf Labs’ swinging robot, we were able to run the tests on drivers, hybrid woods (data coming soon), irons, wedges, and golf balls. Looking closely at the categories we tested, I’d argue that the golf ball provided some of the most interesting insights.
It’s easy to look at a golf ball and wonder if playing a different model could really improve your game, but as we saw during testing, it’s possible to take your game to the next level with the right ball. Here are 5 things we learned by looking closely at ball data.
Refinement, not redefinition
If there’s one thing you take away from ball testing, let it be this: A golf ball will improve your game, not redefine it. Sure, if you’re switching from a Surlyn two-piece to a four-piece urethane, you’ll notice higher spin and feel around the green. But the ball isn’t designed to help you shave 5 strikes off your game. It should help get a few hundred rpm of spin on the high side and put it into a more optimal range, or launch lower and add spin on wedge shots. Both of these are possible with many of the balls we’ve tested.
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If I were to prioritize how to build the final driver, I’d start with the clubhead, followed by the shaft and ball, in that order. Get your fit for the club that helps your game the most, then make the ultimate improvements to your starting and spinning.
Prioritize rotating short games
Strictly looking at the numbers, the spin rate delta on a 50-yard wedge shot with the bot was noticeably greater than on the driver — coming in at 3,300 rpm for the wedge and 600 rpm with the driver. These are extremes on the top and bottom of the spin spectrum, but they highlight the importance of knowing your golf ball and prioritizing the short game during testing.
The vast majority of pros start testing on golf courses and around the short game area, so starting near the green and getting back into action is nothing new. It’s also important to note that of the 40 balls we tested, 31 had a spin rate of over 6,300 rpm in the wedge shot. What that tells me is that even if you don’t know the ins and outs of the ball, you can still play a model with a lot of spin – provided it has a urethane cover.
Urethane is the way to go for more spin
Speaking of urethane, we’ve found that the division of spin rate between urethane and Surlyn golf balls is important on 50-yard wedge shots. The benefits of a urethane sleeve are numerous, but one of the most obvious is how easy it is to use to roll a wedge shot. Unlike the Balata balls of the past, the urethane is more durable and allows the grooves to grip the cover without leaving a nasty scuff mark. Adding multiple layers to the round ball allows the launch and spin to be decoupled as well, depending on the club you’re hitting, for the best all-worlds option.
Surlyn’s steadier offerings tend to be at a lower price point and generally sacrifice the green for greater distance. Depending on the needs and where your game is currently at, it may make sense to start with Surlyn and switch to urethane as you start to find green on a more consistent basis. That’s one way to look at it. However you decide to go ahead, just know that the data confirms that urethane is where you’ll find more short games. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for.
Don’t focus on finding a ball for your driver
I understand that the driver is the sexy club in the bag. Hitting bombs is important, but if you think a golf ball will help you generate leading numbers – you might want to think again. As mentioned above, the rev delta from high to low was only 600 rpm. Of those 40 models tested, more than half had revs between 2,500 and 2,800 rpm. The launch change is less than 1 degree in all 40 balls. This delta is incredibly small. Then again, we have a bot that hits the ball to remove biases during testing.
I wouldn’t say all balls are the same in these areas, but I would expect to see gradual improvement (as I mentioned above) once a proper golf ball is added to the equation with a decent driver.
Flat launch
Without a doubt, the driver’s launch angle surprised me the most during testing. Considering all the different hoods and internal constructions we tested, I expected the launch angle delta to be greater than 1 degree. But it wasn’t. So what can be made of golf balls of all different price points and installations that produce roughly the same 10-degree launch angle? It comes down to the fact that there are no grooves on the face. Until you get to 7 or 8 irons, where grooves grip the cap to give different firing characteristics, tight deltas are the norm during instrumental testing.
As I mentioned at the top, it’s about incremental improvements when you add the correct golf ball. These incremental improvements could be a total game-changer for many golfers, but if you need to change your launch and spin in a big way, it very likely will come from using the correct head and shaft.
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