The gutter perch ball has come along way since its humble beginnings. Today the golf ball is embattled in a fight: ethical verus technological advancements. If you make a ball go a long way it may make the classic traditonal older golf courses obsolete, but selling the ‘longest ball’ is good for business. The key issue here is, though, that the ball may fly longer but it does not mean straighter. 300 yards off the tee box may now be more obtainable for quite a few players, but that maybe also 50 yards further into trouble and indeed out of bounds.
Golf ball technology has advanced enormously in modern times and now finding the right ball for your game could nearly be as advantageous as selecting the right clubs. A golf ball in today’s marketplace is astonishing: the amount of money spent on research is incredible and the time and resources used to make ‘the little white ball’ is amazing. The new lingo in today’s market is ‘multi-layered solid core balls’ .
Construction
The construction of a golf ball is vitally important to the way it will react to contact with a club. Manufacturers are constantly pushing the limits of golf ball construction. Below are the three most basic constructions.
One Piece
A one-piece golf ball is the most basic ball that is designed primarily for beginners and occasionally used as driving range balls, but seldom used as a playing ball. Made typically from a solid piece of Surlyn with dimples moulded in, it is an inexpensive and very hard-wearing golf ball, but does not give you the length when hit because of its lower compression, also has ofter feel on impact.
Two Piece
The two-piece is virtually indestructible and with its high roll distance, it is by far the most popular golf ball among ordinary golfers for its combined durability and distance. The balls are consrtucted with a single solid sphere, more often than not a hard plastic, inside in the ball’s cover. The solid core is typically a high-energy resin and is covered by a hard, cut-proof blended cover that gives the two-piece ball more distance than any other ball.
Three Piece
Three-piece golf balls have either a solid rubber or liquid core center, a layer of superior rubber or a liquid produced layer and over that is moulded cover of durable Surlyn, or balata. They are softer and create more spin, allowing a better golfer more control over the ball’s flight.
Four Piece
A recent addition to ball construction is the four-piece golf ball. Not as common at the moment but could be the direction the ball is headed in the future. Each layer or piece of a golf ball has a specific and different purpose. All the layers come together to offer the longest hitting, softest feeling golf ball. The inner core, the first layer, of the ball is the solid rubber centre that is primarily designed to offer explosive distance. The next, inner cover, layer is in the ball to transfer the energy from the strike to the hot core. Next is the middle cover, which is the extra layer, compared to a three-piece ball. It offers the complete layer that tries to increase driver distance whilst also producing mid iron spin and feel around the green. The external cover is where the feel of a golf ball is delivered and contains between 300-500 dimples. The thinnest layer made from Urethane, it is soft yet durable.
Spin
Low Spin Golf Balls
The lower spinning golf balls tend to decrease side spin of your shots, allowing the ball to fly straighter through the air. There are many low spin golf balls on the market suited for high handicap golfers that perhaps don’t have the swing speed required to produce that 300 yard drive.Mid Spin Golf Balls
Trying to incorporate the best of both distance and feel. Aimed towards the widest range of players and suitable to most player’s game, the mid spinning golf ball will offer solid distance with varied feel and softness depending on brand.
High Spin Golf Balls
This ball is designed to increase the balls spin in the air. If you are a player that hits the ball right to left with a draw, a high spinning golf ball could be the one for you. The high spinning golf ball will not get the run on the fairway that either a mid or low spinning ball can, however its greatest advantage is around the greens. A high spinning ball will increase feel around and on the greens, which will help players improve control.
The feel of the ball
Firm Feel Golf Balls
Usually aimed towards distance golf balls, the hard cover will produce a more explosive hit than a softer feeling ball. Therefore choosing a firm feeling golf ball will produce the maximum distance from your driver and irons, but you will sacrifice a certain amount of feel around the greens. It is aimed towards high handicap golfers who place more importance on distance and iron play than spinning shots into greens.
Mid Feel Golf Balls
Similar to a mid spinning golf ball, the mid feel ball acts as a compromise between the explosive distance from a firm ball and the feel of a soft ball. Again suited to most players’ game, it is aimed towards mid handicap golfers that desire distance as well as improving their control by having a soft feel ball to use around the greens. Becoming a popular choice in today’s market as manufacturers are developing mid feel golf balls that contain dual qualities of feel and distance.
Soft Feel Golf Balls
The soft feel cover means that a skilful player can add spin into their game and use the soft feel to help their game arround the greens. It doesn’t produce the distance of a firm feeling golf ball, but offers improved playability to those golfers that distance is not a weakness. The ball is not suitable for your typical amateur.