Publication date: May 24, 2023
by Andrew Tursky
source: GolfWRX
Five years ago, GolfWRX.com I posted a story About OnCore Genius golf balls that were under development. As reported, the company raised $110,000 to develop a golf ball that has a GPS tracking device inside its hollow body. The concept was that the tracker would pair with a phone app to help find the golf ball, as well as provide data such as ball speed, spin rate, spin direction, carry, and more. OnCore even brought one of their prototype golf balls to 2018 PGA Show.
While the smart golf ball has yet to hit the retail market, OnCore may have reached a new plateau with its latest prototype, and is preparing to hit the market in 2023.
On Wednesday at the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge, several PGA Tour players were seen testing golf balls at the Colonial Country Club as they put the green. For now, the new Genius “G50” prototype—which stands for “less than 50 yards”—is just for mode that, along with the app, records data points like spin, slip, and velocity.
OnCore golf balls have already been played on the PGA Tour by employee Eric Compton, who uses a VERO X2 golf ball. With the Genius ball, though, OnCore has higher goals than playing on the PGA Tour—and it’s looking to bring the golf ball market, instruction, game improvement, and game enjoyment into the future.
Although the company is still making modifications to its golf ball construction, one of the top 50 players on the PGA Tour told me after testing the ball at Colonial, “This is going to be huge.” When I asked him if there was any fluctuation in the putts, and if the golf ball felt weird, he said, “Not at all, it feels great.”
OnCore Chairman/CEO Keith Blakely was personally on site challenging Charles Schwab to run tests with players to receive feedback. I got to know Blakely afterward to get a better understanding of what a golf ball is, what it does, and what the future plans are for the technology…