New Versus Used Golf Balls

New Versus Used Golf Balls

Recently we saw results of a test of New versus Scuffed Golf Balls, where the new golf ball outperformed the scuffed golf ball by 32.5 yards in a distance test with a driver. 

Here at Drive Golf Performance, when fitting for golf clubs, we use a combination of new and used golf balls, some of the golf balls have scuffs on them but we really haven't noticed any drop off in the performance of used/scuffed golf balls over the new ones.

Normally we tell golfers to use a golf ball until they lose it, that it would take 9 or 10 rounds of golf before the ball looks like it might lose any performance.

We decided to do our own test on golf balls and compared 12 used golf balls versus 12 new golf balls.

 

 

Used Pro V1

 

New Pro V1

We took 12 new Titleist Pro V1 out of a box and gathered up 12 used ones, both are pictured above, the wear and scuffs are pretty clear on the used golf balls. Both are the same model Pro V1 and the new balls were the yellow version.

The test was done on a good early June evening with temperatures around 20 Celsius and very little wind. The same diver was used to compare the golf balls, a Titleist TSR3 with 10.0 degrees of loft and a Fujikura Ventus shaft.

12 drives were hit with each type of ball and the results were recorded with a Trackman IV launch monitor. Each type of ball was hit three times and then alternated to the next one until 12 shots were hit with each.

The main performance numbers that we looked are were club head speed, ball speed, carry, total distance, accuracy, launch angle, peak height and spin rates. Ultimately the main ones to be interested in are ball speed, carry, total distance and accuracy.

 

Results

 

Dispersion of the Shots

 

Golf Ball	Club Speed MPH	Ball Speed MPH	Carry Yards	Total Distance Yards
New	102.7	152.7	246.5	270.5
Used	102.5	151.6	248.1	272.2
	Dispersion Feet	Launch Angle	Spin Rate	Height Feet
New	23.22	12.9	2653	94
Used	32.96	12.3	2755	93

We can see from the results that both new and used balls gave very similar results in ball speed, carry, total distance, launch angle, spin rates and height. 

There was a difference in accuracy. The accuracy measurement was calculated from the average left or right the balls were from the target. The used balls were more accurate than the new balls, nearly 10 feet more accurate. You'd have to say this is significant enough.

Analysis and Conclusion

From this test we can say that used balls in it had no drop off in performance in comparison to new balls. This test would strongly suggest that you can use a Titleist ball until you lose it. If anything the used balls were better than the new balls with the difference in accuracy.

Why would the used balls be better? Did the golfer just randomly hit better shots with the used balls? It's a possibility but having a sequence where not all the same type of balls were hit in a row would mitigate against this a little. Hitting more balls would give better data but 12 is similar to the number of drivers a golfer hits in a round so is a reasonable data set.

Did some of the scuff marks make the used balls fly better? Again it's a slight but unlikely possibility given how much research golf ball manufacturers do on golf ball dimple patterns, they would have discovered this already and be selling balls with scuff marks on them.

There is another possibility, the new balls were the yellow version of the Titleist Pro V1 and the golfer reacted differently to the yellow ball in comparison to the used balls which were white. It's a possibility but not a certainty. It would seem another test is needed to compare the white version to the yellow version.

Comments and questions are always welcome.

The Top 10 Worst Golf Tips

 

The Top 10 Worst Golf Tips

 

Golf is full of tips and advice, some are good and some are bad and here are the ten worst, don't give them to anyone!

 

 

• ·         Keep your head down

 

The golf swing is a movement, keeping the head down hinders the movement, if you were to throw an object while in a golf posture you would never keep the head down, don’t when swinging either.

 

• ·         You’re swinging too fast

 

The only time you swing too fast is when the ball goes too far, slowing down your swing and changing nothing else after a bad shot will lead to a shot that was just as crooked as the last one but shorter; short and crooked is a bad combination. Rarely has speed led to bad shots, poor sequence or poor contact is much more likely.

 

• ·         Hit down on the ball

 

The club is above the ball on the back swing and no matter what you do in the downswing you are hitting down, there is no need to focus more on hitting down on the ball. Learning low point control would be a much better way to improve fat or thin shots rather than hitting down on the ball. Also, hitting down on the ball doesn’t make it go up.

 

• ·         Golf is 90% mental

 

Golf is a primarily a physical game, when you can move the ball with your mind it will become predominantly mental game until then improving your physical skills is the key to the biggest improvements.

 

• ·         Keep your left arm straight

 

This tip leads to an overly rigid swing restricting movement and adding tension to the left/trail arm. A similar tip in the short game would be take your wrists out of pitching/chipping.

 

• ·         All putts break towards road/river/structure

 

In some clubs you’ll hear that all putts break towards a certain road or certain river, in Palm Springs you hear that all putts break towards Indio. Putts break downhill, they don’t break towards an object or area that aren’t near the putting green.

 

• ·         Keep your head still

 

The head moves in the golf swing, notice with Jack Nicklaus it tilts to the right in his backswing, with Jim Furyk, Annika Sorenstam and Henrik Stenson it moves even more coming into impact. Allowing the head to move is no problem.

 

• ·         Take the putter straight back

 

With putting we are standing to the side of the ball; the putter will naturally swing on an arc as a result. Trying to swing straight back and through leads to a lot of manipulation of the club face, the most important factor in putting is face alignment at impact, better to focus on that rather than on the path of the putter.

 

• ·         Grip the club like you’re holding a bird

 

You must hold the club with a reasonable amount of strength in full shots, for many golfers with a lot of grip strength it feels like they are not holding the club tightly, but they would be in comparison to many golfers with little grip strength.

 

• ·         Giving advice after every bad shot

 

This just leads to more and more clutter and paralysis by analysis. Your best bet is to say nothing and follow the flight of the ball, making it easier to find it.

 

What else would you add to the list?