The Golf Swing

Does Your Golf Ball Make a Difference?

In the past I never really gave much thought to what type of golf ball I used. But I think I’ve become more consistent in my ball striking, especially with the irons, to the point where I can actually see a difference in ball flight and spin when using different balls.

In the past I always used the Nike ’super far’ balls that you could get for $10-$12 a dozen at a local sports store. They seemed to go a long way, were pretty durable, and if I lost them, whoop de doo. But one thing is for sure, they would never get any backspin around the green. Wedge shots would only really stop if the greens were wet, or slow.

I bought a dozen Titelist ProV-1x’s a few weeks ago, and now I’m sort of regretting the decision. At around $40 a dozen, it’s certainly a big step up in cost. Unfortunately for my wallet, I am really liking this ball. Not only does it seem to cut through the wind better, it stops like a dime on the green, and I even get the ball to backup a few feet if I try to get some backspin.

The problem I see with them is the durability. My 58* wedge cuts them up good. Anytime I hit anything over a half swing with the lob wedge I know I’ll be finding bits of the ball cover in the grooves. Sure, it sticks to the green like a dart to the board, but I hope it’s just the ‘newness’ of the wedge that is cutting them up.

While I’m thinking of this, I was watching one of the Playing Lessons with the Pros on the Golf Channel last night, an old one with Natalie Gulbis. There was one part where she and her father were talking about working on chips/pitches. Apparently in the past she would roll her arms, and if her timing was off she’d be closing the clubface too early/etc. So she was working on trying to keep the clubface square through her swing, keeping her right arm ‘unrolled’ I suppose. It looked quite forced, but I suppose it makes sense. I often roll my right arm, as well that’s how I swing all the time. Should I try to keep that right arm behind the ball, more like pushing the clubface to the ball on chips?

Unfortunately, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to play lately. With the sun setting earlier and earlier, after work rounds are getting to be impossible. So sad..

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