thank you for your comment. I didn’t see your comment at the end, concerning trajectory versus distance. You might even find a facility where the quality of the Range balls are mixed (like at our facility). Distance and accuracy cannot be perfectly replicated by practice balls; they are meant only to help your fundamental swing and give an indication of what direction the ball will fly when you hit it. Distance loss range ball vs. regular ball? Are the spin rate numbers (4482) for the dry new balls hit from grass correct? On smaller shots say <150 yards you may see much closer results. A golf ball is a special ball designed to be used in the game of golf.. 2. Possibly a low trajectory flight. All shots that where hit (15 shots in each test) in my study were recorded with a TMe3 and Normalized to a Premium ball, in order to create a comparable scenario. If your range has really hard distance type range balls, the short and medium irons will go up to a club further than a pro V1 because of the difference is hardness of the covers, and difference in backspin rate. Some driving ranges are better than others at cycling out poor quality balls with regularity. If the ball is generating too much spin, it will travel up in the air and while that is great for some additional loft when required, too much spin will lead to a loss of distance.If you choose to play with a low compression golf ball, the overriding factor is likely to be the added distance so to lose this would make using the ball pointless. With the irons, however, it is a complete crapshoot. Under the rules of golf, a golf ball has a mass no more than 1.620 oz (45.93 grams), has a diameter not less than 1.680 in (42.67 mm), and performs within specified velocity, distance, and symmetry limits. And Free Online Golf Tips explains the wear and tear reduces the lacquer covering the ball and imparts marks and scratches as well. On average, how much distance is lost using a new-ish range ball vs. regular balls? A mat is similiar to this and because of the harder surface the ball will be hit lower in the face causing vertical gear effect to increase spin too and reduce it when hit from grass. And to make matters worse, the cold means less compression and therefore even further loss of distance. Club used was R580 XD 9.5 stiff. 4 hours ago. A limited-flight range ball could be 20 to 30 percent shorter. TrackMan has obviously done a ton of research and collected millions of shots on this topic, and has more fundamental data than I do. But still curious as to what you might have gleaned. The best golf ball for distance, considering all of the qualities for a long and accurate shot, is the Bridgestone Golf e12. I hit balls at a range with “limited flight” Srixon balls. The message here is: mud on your ball can lead to a loss of carry distance, depending on how much mud gets between the club and ball, so take an extra club, or two, if there is a lot of mud on the ball. (There are also BIG differences between Driving Range mats but that would be too much information for this study). not launching lower. The next time you are on the Driving Range warming up for a tournament round or just practicing: forget about the distances and just check the direction in which your shots are going. If one or more of these fundamentals are executed improperly, bad timing – and loss of distance – result. Stay up to date and receive free notifications of new posts by email. To be honest, I was expecting all the shots played from the mats to have a lower Spin Rate due to less friction. Because of this I selected a player with a low handicap (-2) because his club data would have a high consistency. Although it’s not the easiest thing to measure, colder weather does result in a decrease in golf ball travel distance. The goal of this study was to show how inconsistent distances can actually be when practicing on the Driving Range. In my study I also looked at the launch angles of the shots and found that they were very close to normal, i.e. I notice big differences like you did too. They seem low. Other golfers look at me funny when I do this. Seeing as not all Golfers have the luxury of practicing off grass tees all year round, many of us are forced to practice off mats. that may make curving the ball harder, but not so much that the same swing would be straight with a range ball and a nasty slice with a premium ball. I was wondering what the premium ball distances, spin, and speeds were for the club used in this study. James, I know that your post was more about wet and old balls but I had a question on the impact of the mat vs grass on new and dry balls: Can you explain why the club head speed was down about 4 mph (5%) on the mat vs grass? From my experience, the difference between an A+ range ball and a C- grade range ball will be around 15-20%. Most range balls will come directly from a manufacturer. Thanking you in advance for your research and professional advice Charles, thank you for your comment. As I stated in my study, the player is close to being scratch golfer in order to make the data more reliable. FL. Moving Off the Ball. So take heart – you are probably a better golfer than your last bucket of range balls suggests. I have no explanation for the change of this data other than that the data is always going to be player dependent and down to individual swing characteristics and preferences in hitting surfaces. Unfortunately I did not have a robot to do my test, so my largest variable would be the human element. Always appreciate his talking the time to do new case studies. Question: Do you recall in your Trackman education that flyer lies were described as low launching/high spinning shots and that the reason they never hold greens was because of the shallow land angle? The distance I hit the range ball is less than my carry with a ProV. My research shows, that the least helpful scenario is a used, wet ball from the mat. After that, I’m not interested. The longer irons may need higher compression and ample spin to stay in the air the normal time. I have tested all sorts of balls on my Trackman. Ever wonder whether range balls perform as consistently as game balls? Note that the 3+ piece balls are still good for distance, but not as long as a 2 piece ball on average; Dimple pattern: all golf balls have different dimple patterns. What else was very interesting was the increase in Club Speed when the player was playing from the grass hitting surface and the steeper Angle of Attack when he played from the mat. Best Range Balls. I specifically chose wet & old balls, VS dry & new balls in order to exaggerate my point. Posted by. These range balls have about 20% distance loss. As for trying to keep golf balls warm, don’t bother. Couldn’t agree more. These two scenarios are not entirely dependant on the golfer´s daily form – but this could happen on any day on any Driving Range in the world. Also, when loading range balls in your bucket always pick through them and choose only the new balls with defined dimples. When the temperature decreases by 20°F you can expect a 1 – 2 yard decrease in distance for every 100 yards in a shot. Driving range balls vs Premium golf balls test verdict. What club was being hit? You would not be advised to use high compression balls to increase your distance unless you have swing speeds of more than 90 mph. Spin rate from mats vs grass will always be higher due to zero organic material ie grass blades, grass juice to interfere with the grooves and clubface grabbing the ball. It didnt surprise me at all that the new dry balls on the mat had more spinrate as there is no grass,etc between ball and face normally the causes of less friction so always more friction from a hard tight mat. share. I ask because I am wondering if you have done testing and got a different result. One of our most interesting … Why was the spin rate so much higher on the mat? been a long time I know … but, thought I’d toss in 1-cent. report. So do not be fooled by one-off freaky distances with your irons on wet days, assuming that you „got hold of that one“, because these shots are accidental and not your standard distance. 75% Upvoted. When you head to the range, don't focus on distance, as most range balls will not perform the same as the ball you will put into play once you get to the golf course. This combination delivers excellent accuracy, which is essential for any long-distance … Many mobile phone operators base their calculations on a terrestrial signal reduction around the inverse of the distance to the power 4. a) Between new & dry balls and old & wet balls b) And between those 2 types of balls hit from different surfaces. That means that a 300 yard drive will only go around 250-260. The super low Spin Rate with the shots hit with the old & wet balls from the mat were the biggest surprise to me. How Much Does Cold Weather Affect Golf Ball Distance. In a random test of driving ranges they found, on average, a 3-5% reduction in distance … This often leaves us with a bucket of pot pourri, or even worse, complete misery. In environments like the internals of buildings such as buildings, stadiums and other indoor environments, the path loss exponent can reach values in the range of 4 to 6. A lot of Driving Ranges wash the balls when dispensing them into your basket. Most ranges use distance reducing balls - otherwise the range would have to be IRO 350 yards long to accomodate the long hitters in a down wind. When loss of distance occurs, chances are good that the player’s timing is at fault. The main variables that I focused on were the following: On all of the wet shots I wet the balls and the clubface deliberately with some water from a bottle, without drying the clubface in between shots. The only explanation I have for that result is the higher Club Speed and/or that some shots hit from the grass surface produced a higher Spin Rate due to a contact point somewhere low on the face bringing the Gear Effect into play. However; “timing” is a general term, and proper timing is based on several swing fundamentals. I sometimes hit from a mat indoors and see similar results. Limited flight golf balls come in several different varieties, but most will fly anywhere from 60-80 percent the distance of a regular golf ball. These conditions produce a range of shots which are anything but reliable due to the lack of friction. The restricted flight range balls produce identical hooks and slices as a standard golf ball but travels 30% less distance by implementing proprietary core materials to produce lower ball speeds. The wet grass gets caught between the club face and the ball at impact, causing less friction i.e. One of the reasons for this is the large discrepancies between different types of Driving Range balls and how they react when hit from various surfaces. We borrowed 20 from practice areas all … The most common range balls that you will see at golf courses are Callaway, Titleist, and Top Flite. When the normalising function is not switched on, the ball is set on Hard, which is the equivalent of the standard Driving Range ball. The modern selling slogan for most golf club manufacturers´ new drivers is: „High launch, low spin“. “They literally take their upper body and shift off the golf ball because they think … All in all it just depends on what kind of range ball and how hard you hit the ball. While they have the second-highest weight value, they clearly have a superior dimple design. The primary factor was the type of ball used and how long they stay in circulation. You don't notice the length at all. In theory a nice gesture but practically not helping you on the practice tee. Like proper golf balls, two-piece range balls from different brands can be optimised to perform in certain areas – but not across the whole bag like a modern tour ball. Well , you most certainly recorded a variation of spin and distance. The biggest difference between a premium ball and a brand new distance style range ball is not distance, but consistency and accuracy. Other long-distance balls in this compression range are the Maxfli Noodle Long and Soft balls and the Taylor Made Burner TP balls. I would like to have a well researched answer to my students questions. I agree to your thoughts on the vertical gear effect. Charles. The player used a Bridgestone J15DPF 7-iron. I’m looking for a comparison of “new grass/mat” to “old grass/mat” which will help understand the change in ball quality on launch speed, spin and carry distance. Distance for golf balls doesn't vary much. I am curious because of what might be expected, in terms of degradation, between the course and the range so that if I am using a trackman or other device I might know what the variance would be from range to course. This will give you peace at mind and could quite possibly help you lower your scores on the course. Imagine you are hitting a 9iron (with a loft of 42°), and due to the reduced friction between the ball and the club face at impact your shot produces a much lower Spin Rate, then you will have a shot with high Launch Angle and a low Spin Rate which will most definitely fly past your desired target. Turns out they don't. "Under normal storage conditions -- 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit -- a golf ball can last forever," states The Golf Professor. Of course if your range has limited flight style range balls, every club in the bag will go much shorter – probably by 25% on longer shots. I look forward to your continued succes in presenting continued research , questions . Most people do not have a clue how this shot actually occurs. It’s actually quite easy. Expect the range balls to fly 10 to 15 percent shorter than a normal golf ball. Using TrackMan to gain consistency on the course, Practice Your Wedge Distance Control with the Test Center, PERFORMANCE OF THE AVERAGE MALE AMATEUR GOLFER, Shots with new & dry balls from the grass. Distance loss range ball vs. regular ball? Range ball quality can really vary from course to course. What about a new range ball versus a brand new Pro V1 or other premium ball? The decrease in distance, because of a decrease in air temperature alone, is about 2 yards of carry and a little more in total distance for every 10 ° F change. However, the reduction factor varies between design of ball, so theres actually no way of knowing (unless you ask at the range … Choose 2 targets , alternating the look , as you may experience when reaching the next tee box. The grass that was played off was dry in order not to tamper with the result of my study. https://hititlonger.com/am-i-losing-distance-hitting-range-balls They usually have just been washed, and sit in the machine damp. This effect is, in my opinion, a very underrated factor in golf despite the major effect is has on the golf ball. Shelf Life of a Golf Ball. hell yes. My concern is what is the direction and did I compress it. Those dimples give the ball loft and curvature when you are working on fades and draws. Balls market with practice my be limited flight balls. Our test shows the extreme case because we used a lot of mud, but the effect will exist whenever there is an impediment on the ball. In that case, a premium ball may go farther because of its higher compression. I would agree that attention to direction and contact are the more important results to observe while on the practice area. So my question is, what in general is least helpful . Now available in a restricted flight version. Often, range balls are wet as well. There is only about a 10-12 yard difference between the golf ball that goes the shortest and the one that goes the furthest. High compression golf balls are those with a rating of 90 and higher. For starters, Rule 14-3/13.5 prohibits warming a golf ball during the round. The Top-Flite Super Range Golf Balls have been the best selling and most popular range ball for decades. Close. I agree with what you are saying. thank you for your comment. Distances are so so variable. Process. James, Great study. Generally, range balls do not fly as far as regular golf balls. Top Flite Super Range and Pinnacle Brand balls actually fly farther when new. Are they normalized? Another variable, besides the hitting surface, is the quality of the practice balls (see pictures). > I will often have 8 balls , that are in better than average condition for use with my driver . Further research I did also showed that “Flyers” tend to spin much lower, resulting in less holding on the greens. and balls market as super range balls are very close to normal golf balls, but they are still a range ball and even though i didn't get to hit a normal ball at the 300 yard range, i did have a few balls roll up a hill towards the 300 mark. 43 comments. Practicing in these conditions often results in different Carry Distances, where you can hear the Golfers say „boy, am I hitting it short today“ or „man, I am killing it on the Range today“. Not many Golfers could imagine there being any differences between new and old balls or even whether it matters if the practice balls are wet or dry. So yardage wise , it totally depends what kind of range balls are being hit , and how strong of a player you are. there is definitely truth to distances, and i've heard non-scientific claims of 10%-20% distance loss with range balls vs new premium balls. Before every dry shot I made sure that the ball and the clubface was dry and clean by using a clean towel. I would like your opinion as to what is the least helpful results , that are encounted for continued practice from a mat .No doubt, that practice from a turf area provides the true varied conditions encountered while on course. Would you happen to know what brands of range balls that make a Limited Flight Range Ball that is around 70% of what a normal range ball is. Let me explain what happens on a Flyer: Usually you hit a Flyer out of a damp or wet, semi-rough lie. So how do you calculate the change in performance? When possible tee up from turf conditions . Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me via email: info@jamestaylor-golf.de, Thank you for your response to my questions. Unless you store your golf balls in an environment with an extreme temperature -- a freezer, for example, or during summer in the trunk of your car -- they will last for years. An average drive for me is around 315 and I lose around 25 to 30 yards hitting the range balls we have at my country club that I play at. less spin. Moisture will reduce the spin rate as well, causing the irons to actually go farther, like a flyer coming out of the rough. Well, this depends on a number of factors. So from 75 °F to 35 °F you can expect about 8 yards less carry and about 10 yards less in total distance – unless the ball lands on a frozen patch of ground -- because of air temperature. What separates golf balls are spin, softness and feel around the greens. This can result in longer carry distances – but just on the shorter irons. For our Drivers\woods on our range we currently use a hybrid range ball called “PointFive” but they are expensive (in … At least in terms of distance. But the biggest difference isn't necessarily that range balls typically fly shorter distances, but that they vary so widely in distance performance. The best distance balls are 2 piece balls typically, meaning they are made up of only the golf ball cover and the core. All shots that where hit (15 shots in each test) in my study were recorded with a TMe3 and Normalized to a Premium ball, in order to create a comparable scenario.When the normalising function is not switched on, the ball is set on Hard, which is the equivalent of the standard Driving Range ball. save. I am aware of the fact that the Normalise mode would alter the data to a certain extent but I wanted it to be as comparable as possible (especially because it was a cold, cloudy day when I did my testing), relying on the other variables to produce different data. Focus instead on timing and solid contact. So that same range ball you just hit 40 yards shorter off the driver may go 15 yards farther off your wedge! I've played Pro V's, Tour i's, Z-Stars, Nike Ones, etc. first “thank you” – it seems that by doing “new/dry grass/mat” and “old wet grass/mat” you modified 2 variables rather than 1. it isn’t really possible to know which of the 2-var change (old+wet) is responsible for a +/- change in carry distance. Although a new range ball might travel about 10 percent shorter than a regular golf ball, a beat-up range ball might fall 30 percent short of normal golf ball distance. I always spin my shots the most off a really hard tight mowed fairway. Range balls also don't have consistancy with compression. "Graham Waiffers" <[email protected] > wrote in message news:[email protected] > sushil prasad wrote: >> I was wondering as how much further a good new golf ball like titleist >> pro V1 would travel when compared to a range ball. The tour average for a 7 iron is 7097. But how much difference is there in distance between a brand new range ball and a beat up range ball? Even different practice balls can have huge differences in flight distance, so I would always recommend using a relatively nice ball for playing holes. Some facilities are able to buy new Range balls regularly, whereas other facilities are forced to keep the old, battered balls due to financial reasons. hide. The old & wet balls could be seen as a simulation of the „Flyer“-shot, that many of us know and dread. The more worn the range ball, the less backspin you will put on it with short irons. Let’s start with a driver. This effect is desirable for maximizing distance with your driver, but not very helpful when approaching a green and expecting the ball to stop quickly. A pro V1 or other ‘out of the box’ golf ball will be very similar in distance to a range ball fresh out of the case, unless your swing speed is out of this world (say 130 mph+). They will launch higher and spin less. OnCore Elixr Golf Balls – Great Feel, Distance and Control Both in Air. The optimum temperature for golf balls is around 23 degrees and for every 10 degrees below, you’ll lose about two yards of distance. A dramatic increase in speed with new and dry balls from a mat . In your article you are saying the opposite. High Compression.