You're Overpaying For Golf Balls

 

I know, I know. Inflation is insane and the prices of literally everything are high right now, so it’s technically true that we are all overpaying for golf balls no matter what brand or model you play. But the point I want to make in this blog is more related to the golf ball industry specifically, and how you and I have been duped into overpaying for golf balls that aren’t even best for our game. 

For years and years, golf companies have been spending bucket-loads of money on advertising their tour level ball trying to market it to you as the key to unlocking your best golf. ProV1, ChromeSoft, TP5, Z-Star, and all the others will blast commercials at you saying that this ball will revolutionize your game and it will help you shoot better scores, GUARANTEED! Here’s the issue with that: there’s only about 5-10% of golfers that actually need to be playing those tour-level balls. The golf companies don’t mention that, though, because those are their most expensive balls and if you think those are the ones you need, you’ll pay the extra money to have the “best” ball for your game. 

When I say 5-10% of golfers need to be playing tour-level balls I’m generalizing, of course. That is an arbitrary number I pulled out of my backside. Just know that it’s not very many people. The reason for that is that tour-level balls generally have higher compression ratings than the average (cheaper) ball. This obviously varies from company to company and model to model, but all you really need to know is that the higher the compression rating, the faster you need to swing to optimize the distance (and have control) of the ball. Basically, if you have an average swing speed (let’s say 75-85 MPH), you will actually lose distance by playing a tour ball because you won’t compress the ball enough to get the most distance possible. You also won’t have as much control of that ball because it will end up spinning more. 

In my opinion, most golfers who have an average swing speed need to think about playing a softer, lower-compression ball. Something on the bargain or “step above” bargain range would actually suit your game better if you fall into this category. Let’s take Srixon for example, because I think they have a good “tier” model that is easy to make sense of. They have their cheapest ball, the Soft Feel, which is their softest and lowest compression ball. If you have a slow to medium swing speed, that’s the Srixon ball for you. Then they have the Q-Star ball which is right in the middle. If you have a swing speed of roughly 85-100 MPH, I’d go with this one because it’s literally made for that level of player. Then, at the tour level, they make the Z-Star for swing speeds of roughly 100+ MPH. That swing speed will optimize the compression rating of the golf ball and give the golfer the best chance of maximizing the distance of the golf ball. 

Every brand has its versions of these “tiers,” but they generally only market their tour ball to make you think that’s the ball you need. That makes them the most money while you keep going out and losing balls and shooting higher scores. My advice is to ignore the commercials and the advertisements and figure out what “tier” of ball you need to be playing. Then, next time you head to your local sporting goods store or the pro shop you’ll know which ball to grab that will actually fit your game and give you the best chance of playing better. It may even save you some money, too.