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.