Ocean State Golf

Golf ball reviews? Hmmm. I remember reading an issue of Consumer Reports once that had an extensive article and rating report for golf balls.

What type of Golf Ball do you use?

It was the first time I had ever seen a ratings report and it got me to wondering. What ball should you use? Is there really a difference? Can my game get better if I use the proper ball? Should I pay $50 for a dozen balls? I’ve been playing golf for 48 years. For the first few I used any ball that I could find-literally. We’d walk in the woods (usually the right side of fairways because most guys sliced) and find balls and sell them to get enough money to play. Any we didn’t sell we would play with, so usually they were pretty lousy and often had a smile on them. In the 1960’s the Uniroyal (formerly U.S. Rubber) plant in Providence made Plus 6 balls, and they seemed to be everywhere. Not sure why, but I heard the rumors. Acushnet Rubber was just over the line in southeastern Massachusetts and the Titleist balls were considered the best, but the ones we found usually had a smile on them because of their soft cover. Top Flite had a golf production facility in western Massachusetts and they were the least expensive balls. I still remember the Spalding Eagle balls didn’t seem to roll straight. But the balls were hard and they seemed to go farther. As I got older and had a few more dollars in my pocket I usually played Titleist because that was what most of the pros were using, and they were playing for money, so they would certainly have the best product available, right? I wasn’t aware how much money the pros received for playing a certain ball until I got quite older. Along comes Consumer Reports to actually rate them. Usually I check that publication to see how many red circles Toyota gets when I’m looking to buy a new car. This time I was looking at red circles (half red circles, white circles, and a few half black circles, also) as I checked the ratings. Surprise. Nike was rated the number one and two balls. I had never bought a Nike ball. Sure I’ve used them a few times (right side of the fairway, remember), and I knew that Tiger and Michelle Wie used them, but never bought them. I called Steve Sormanti, the Nike rep for Rhode Island and western Mass. to have him send me a few balls to sample (the power of the press-read cheap). He sent me a dozen Nike One Black (highest rated), Nike Power Distance Super Soft (rated second and a Best Buy because of their inexpensive price), and also the new Nike One Platinum that was not rated. “The rating have been a godsend, sales have been unbelievable. I didn’t know so many people read Consumer Reports,” said Sormanti in a phone interview. “Spalding was the innovator of the multi-layered urethane ball in 1996 with the Strata. Everyone has caught up to the technology and most all ball companies make a very good product now,” he added.

Consumer Reports had five categories for their golf ball reviews: distance with driver, soft feel, accuracy with 8-iron, accuracy with driver, and spin with an 8-iron. In their golf ball reviews, they also listed construction (2-, 3-, or four-piece golf ball) and price. Computerized hitting machines were used for distance and accuracy, machines rated spin and feel was rated by a large group of professionals.

The more layers the more cost. The Titleist Pro V1x (rated fifth) is a four-piece ball, as is the Nike Platinum and the Wilson Staff Tx4Tour (rated 18). The Nike One Black (rated 1), Titleist Pro V1 (rated 4), Callaway HX Tour 56 (rated third) and Ben Hogan Tour Deep (rated sixth) are among the three-piece balls. Professionals and better amateurs usually use them. The two-piece Nike Power Distance Super Soft is rated second. Two-piece balls are used by 60-70 percent of golfers according to the article.

Golf Datatech, a golf research company, also did golf ball reviews and rated the on-course unit share of the market and found that Titleist’s share was 68 percent, with the next best at 11 percent. “We believe that all golf balls are not created equally, and players should find what is best for their particular game,” said George Sine, Vice President, Golf Ball Marketing and Strategic Planning, Acushnet, Company-which is the parent company of the Titleist and Pinnacle brand names. He also believes that there is no formula that exists between handicap and type ball to use. “Balls are golfer biased, not randomly decided by a player’s handicap,” he added.

What to use? Should the pocketbook dictate your own golf ball reviews and what you should buy? Should a famous player be the one who you emulate? Many people gave me quotes for this story, but it would just make the decision that much more difficult. Probably the best solution is to try a bunch of them and see what gives you the best result. Score is usually a pretty good indicator, but also feel and ball flight should be considered in your personal golf ball reviews.

How do you get to try so many different types of balls? Remember that theory about walking down the right side of fairways and looking down instead of up. Some people might have a ball scoop, although putting one in his bag embarrasses this reporter. Not good for the reputation.