Golf Balls 101
Whether the golf ball or clubs are the first piece of essential golf equipment is like answering the question, which came first the chicken or the egg. Bottom line you need both golf balls and clubs to play the game of golf.
The choice of golf ball comes down to playing skill, style and your willingness to pay for a certain type of ball. So many of us buy and use balls based on what one of friends is using or the latest commercial from TV.
Have a lousy ball and no matter how well you connect with the ball, it won’t go anywhere.
Beginning Golfer: Learn, Practice Without Breaking The Bank
When someone is starting to learn the game of golf, it’s about having balls to hit. Beginning golfers lose a lot of balls. At the beginning point in the golfer’s experience buying a ball based on how far it will go is an interesting discussion but just a discussion.
The focus for a beginning golfer is having balls to hit and to focus on hitting those balls consistently and reliably. One way of having plenty of golf balls to hit without breaking the bank is to buy bulk or overrun balls.
These balls are ‘found’ balls from golf courses, which have been recycled. Or when more balls were imprinted for a tournament or corporation than what was needed or ordered. Bottom line, you get the most balls for the money
As a beginning golfer you want to learn to hit the ball straight and keep it in the fairway. But as you learn these skills your balls are going to travel into the woods, water and every other decorative hazard on the course. This means you’ll use or lose many if not dozens of golf balls as you play the game. If you are ready to invest in more expensive golf balls here are some suggestions for beginning golfers.
Want Help With Distance?
There are three main types of golf ball: two piece, three piece and hybrid golf balls.
If your golf shots are in need of more distance you might want to consider a two-piece construction for your golf balls.
Two-piece balls are designed to give the most distance possible with each stroke or hit. The balls have a super tough exterior shell.
But what you gain in distance you’ll lost in control as the two-piece ball produces less spin. Two-piece balls are very tough with an exterior cover of a material called Surlyn. If you don’t lose these balls you’ll find they are extremely durable.
As your game improves and you start developing some consistency. You're going to want to start increasing the distance your ball travels after you hit it. At this point you want to move up to a 2 piece ball. A two piece ball will give you distance without the spin.
Ready To Take More Control Of Your Shots?
Three-piece balls are designed to have more spin, which lets you as to have more control over your shots. These balls have a soft exterior cover of Balata with an inner core.
The inner core is wrapped with a third layer of material over the core and inside of the exterior cover. Golfers frequently describe three-piece balls as letting them ‘feel’ the shots.These balls are the ones used by the Tour professionals.
The downside of three-piece balls? With the soft exterior cover the balls are easier to cut and destroy.
The all-purpose ball is the third main category of golf ball. It combines the best quality of a two-piece ball, distance, with the control or feel of the three-piece ball. Like any product, which tries to blend capabilities and characteristics, all purpose balls blend or compromise. As such these balls have exceptional distance balls or a great ‘feel.’
Newer players will see more results from two-piece balls. The durability will save you money and the distance capabilities will get you closer to your goal of getting the ball in the hole.
When your skills and ability to play the game increase, you can choose either the three-piece golf ball or the all purpose ball. Then you can take the control benefit combined with distance to improve your game.
Here are some suggestions for choosing golf balls no matter your skill level.
Recreational or Novice Golfer (score 112 or higher)
Intermediate Golfer (Scores from high 80's to mid-90's)
Advanced or Experienced Golfer (Scores from 70's to 80's with handicap <12)
