Hopefully before you got here you read Part 1. If you haven’t please do; there is a reason this is Part 2.
So, are you shocked to find out that sellers of new balls say that the characteristics of new balls are better than new ones? Hah! Paul Lovelace (Golf Ball Paul) has a retail store in Kansas City, KS, and he says that the new generation of balls, covered as they are with “polymers and polybutadeine”, deteriorate at the same rate whether they are on a store shelf or at the bottom of a pond.
An unnamed top company executive, after asserting that the performance difference between a ball straight from the factory and a ball that had been at the mercy of the elements is big. He was quoted as saying, “…we don’t think that consumers who want quality and consistency are well served with re-used balls.” Ahem. Oh, sorry, I had to clear my throat.
Steve Ogg, Callaway Golf V.P. of golf ball R&D, said that golfers using any ball that was previously submerged for months will experience less distance than they are used to, and that there will be a loss of spin, too, although to a lesser degrees. And, he says, that the aerodynamics of a repainted ball “may be significantly degraded”.
You, as the consumer, don’t know where these used balls came from. Even if you find one in the water yourself, do you know how long it has been there? Hey, if it’s right there, easy to see from where you are, then it couldn’t have been there long, right?
Can you tell the difference between a recycled and a refinished ball besides the fact that refinished ones are more expensive? Would it shock you to discover that there are ”shady people” that might lie to you about the quality and/or condition of their used golf balls?
Have you ever thought about how many golf balls are sold each year? I never had until I started this research, but you can bet Steve Ogg and Golf Ball Paul have. I had a reaction to discovering that an estimated 500 million balls are purchased in the U.S. every year! I’m still trying to analyze the reaction – is it amusement, surprise or indifference?
Am I consistent enough with my drives that I can tell if I would lose ten, twenty, or thirty yards off the tee? Can I tell if I would lose backspin on an approach shot that would cause my ball to roll off the green? Or whether a loss of spin would affect my draw shots or fade shots? Can I hit a draw shot or a fade shot on purpose anyway? Is the difference going to show up on my scorecard?
I would have play a lot more golf than I do now to tell the difference. I would have to make my golf games into laboratory experiments, which I think would diminish my enjoyment of the game.
But, of course, I could be wrong about that, too.
What do you think?
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More about Golf Balls Part 2
May 8, 2009 by davrig51
Hopefully before you got here you read Part 1. If you haven’t please do; there is a reason this is Part 2.
An unnamed top company executive, after asserting that the performance difference between a ball straight from the factory and a ball that had been at the mercy of the elements is big. He was quoted as saying, “…we don’t think that consumers who want quality and consistency are well served with re-used balls.” Ahem. Oh, sorry, I had to clear my throat.
Steve Ogg, Callaway Golf V.P. of golf ball R&D, said that golfers using any ball that was previously submerged for months will experience less distance than they are used to, and that there will be a loss of spin, too, although to a lesser degrees. And, he says, that the aerodynamics of a repainted ball “may be significantly degraded”.
You, as the consumer, don’t know where these used balls came from. Even if you find one in the water yourself, do you know how long it has been there? Hey, if it’s right there, easy to see from where you are, then it couldn’t have been there long, right?
Can you tell the difference between a recycled and a refinished ball besides the fact that refinished ones are more expensive? Would it shock you to discover that there are ”shady people” that might lie to you about the quality and/or condition of their used golf balls?
Have you ever thought about how many golf balls are sold each year? I never had until I started this research, but you can bet Steve Ogg and Golf Ball Paul have. I had a reaction to discovering that an estimated 500 million balls are purchased in the U.S. every year! I’m still trying to analyze the reaction – is it amusement, surprise or indifference?
Am I consistent enough with my drives that I can tell if I would lose ten, twenty, or thirty yards off the tee? Can I tell if I would lose backspin on an approach shot that would cause my ball to roll off the green? Or whether a loss of spin would affect my draw shots or fade shots? Can I hit a draw shot or a fade shot on purpose anyway? Is the difference going to show up on my scorecard?
I would have play a lot more golf than I do now to tell the difference. I would have to make my golf games into laboratory experiments, which I think would diminish my enjoyment of the game.
But, of course, I could be wrong about that, too.
Like this:
Posted in Commentary, Golf Analysis, Golf balls, Golf Commentary | Tagged "How It's Made", 17th hole, Adam Barr, alligators, big business, close encounters, Florida, gators, glof golf balls, golf, golf ball manufacturing, Golf Channel, golfers, green, Jacksonville, Jim Best, lake ball, Patrick Daniels, Ponte Vedra Beach, premium golf balls, Sawgrass, skin divers, snakes, suryln, Titleist, Tournament Players Championship, used golf balls, water hazards | Leave a Comment
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