- 4 minutes ago
This video, in which Neil Tappin is joined by Titleist golf ball specialist Tom Hiscock, explains what these misconceptions are and will hopefully help you make a smarter choice when it comes to selecting the right ball for your game.
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00:00Hello everyone, Neil Tappan here from Golf Month B and welcome to West Hill Golf Club
00:03in this video in which we're going to take a look at seven of the biggest golf ball myths.
00:08Now we've partnered up with Tightlist for this one and I'm going to play golf with Tom
00:13Hiscock who's a golf ball specialist at Tightlist and he's come up with a list of seven misconceptions
00:18I guess you'd say about the type of golf ball that certain players should be using.
00:23We're going to talk about what they are and hopefully debunk some of those myths in order
00:27to help you make a better choice about what actually is the right golf ball for your game.
00:33Right, let's head out onto the golf course and get started.
00:43Okay, so the first one on our list to talk about and this is one I've heard a lot over
00:47the years
00:48is people say I don't spin the ball and well that's just not true, right?
00:54Absolutely, yeah and this is the reason why we've got so many different clubs,
00:57isn't it? The loft of the golf club helps us spin the golf ball and as soon as the golf
01:01ball is in
01:02the air or it's left the ground, left the club face, it's spinning and it's spinning backwards.
01:07So we're talking about backspin but we're not talking about how you might perceive backspin
01:12like you do on the TV, you see the players hit it into the green, it's spinning backwards.
01:15We're talking about the golf ball slowing down.
01:17Yeah, okay.
01:18So it's all about for us trying to find out how much spin or stopping power or rollout
01:24the golfer's looking for.
01:26Right, okay.
01:27We're not talking about curvature, that's something we can come to later,
01:30but it's more about how the golf ball's reacting when it hits the green.
01:35So spin is backspin but it's stopping power and not seeing the backspin.
01:39Right, and so the sort of the follow-up for me then on this, Tom, is that because of the
01:43different way that different golfers attack the ball, they will create different spin profiles.
01:50You might think, I don't spin the ball, but because actually the way that the club attacks
01:53the ball, you are creating more spin than you need to in certain shots and therefore
01:58it might be ballooning up into the air.
02:00Am I talking nonsense?
02:01No, not at all.
02:02So every golfer has a different spin profile.
02:04So we have to match that in with your delivery and how you deliver the golf club.
02:08So like I said, every golfer that comes to see us will spin the golf ball.
02:12It's then down to us, if they're having a track man fitting for instance, it's down to us
02:16to guide them or recommend a golf ball based on how they deliver the golf club.
02:21And every golf ball, because they perform differently, it's really important to get
02:25the right one.
02:25Okay.
02:26Especially if you're chopping and changing from hole to hole or round to round.
02:30Yeah.
02:31It's really important to settle on the one that's performing best for you.
02:33Yeah, because then you're going to understand how it's going to react when it hits the green.
02:36You're going to know what club to hit presumably as well.
02:38Absolutely.
02:38Yeah.
02:39Absolutely.
02:39Right, Tom, you have, do you know what, you've got 180 in here.
02:44180.
02:44It's into the wind and there's just not a lot going in your favor.
02:49I don't want to sort of put you off before we've even got started, but.
02:52This is, this is, this is an opener, isn't it?
02:55This is a bit of a, it's quite daunting this, isn't it?
03:01Oh, it's a bit pulley.
03:03It's a bit pulley, but do you know.
03:04It nearly fell over.
03:05Good flight.
03:06It's on the green.
03:07You've got to take that, it's fine.
03:08Yeah, it's okay, isn't it?
03:10Okay, so for our next one, we are going to talk about soft versus hard.
03:14Golf balls and how that affects performance.
03:17And I think the, the myth here, certainly the, the conception that a lot of people will
03:22have is that a softer golf ball is going to spin more.
03:25And that by contrast, the harder golf ball is going to offer me less control.
03:29Yeah.
03:29In the short game.
03:30Is there any truth to any of that?
03:32Not really.
03:33No, it's a, it's a big myth.
03:35And the word soft is very misunderstood.
03:39So soft golf balls are soft through compression.
03:42They feel soft.
03:43Right.
03:44Okay.
03:44Soft covered golf balls are typically higher in compression, firm feeling,
03:48but offer you more spinning control.
03:50Right.
03:51Okay.
03:51So, but you have different compression golf balls in your range, right?
03:57Absolutely.
03:57So why do you have different compression golf balls?
03:59So the, the compression is, again, it's very much a feeling thing.
04:03So every, every golf ball will have a preference.
04:04Some golfers prefer a slightly softer golf ball.
04:07Some people prefer a firmer feeling golf ball.
04:09So within our performance range, which encapsulates,
04:13true feel, velocity, tour soft and tour speed,
04:18all those golf balls are a different compression.
04:21They're all two piece golf balls, right?
04:22Tour speed is three piece.
04:24It's a three piece.
04:25It's multi-layered, but true feel, velocity, tour soft,
04:28they're two piece golf balls and they have different compressions.
04:30They'll feel different, but with them being two piece,
04:34they're going to offer you low spin for distance off the tee, which we all want.
04:37Yes.
04:38But as we get closer to the green, because they're two piece golf balls,
04:42you're going to get some control and stoppability from loft,
04:47but with them being a harder cover over a softer core,
04:50you're going to compromise a little bit when it comes to spinning control.
04:53Right, okay.
04:54But there will be a feel, a feel difference between the three of them
04:57and therefore there'll be an option for everybody.
05:01Come on, let's hit this one.
05:10Good hit.
05:12Okay, so for this one, we're going to talk about golf in the winter.
05:16And I think it feels like a fairly sensible idea to play maybe a different golf ball
05:20in the winter when conditions underfoot are different.
05:22It's wet here today at West Hill.
05:24The temptation might be to use a harder golf ball.
05:27What's the sort of tightest thinking on that front?
05:30Yeah, it's a really good question, Neil.
05:31And it's a question we get asked all the time.
05:33The consistency of playing the same golf ball from season to season,
05:38from wet conditions to drier conditions remains the same.
05:42We would much rather the golfer change their club selection
05:46or their technique to suit the conditions.
05:51Because if you change the golf ball to suit the wind, say, for example,
05:55or where the golf was landing, it's also going to feel very different when you're putting
05:59and chipping when the conditions are not going to be too different to how they might be
06:05in some conditions, for example.
06:07But for us,
06:08the most important thing is consistency.
06:10You play the same ball all the time.
06:12Obviously, we reference the tour players a lot
06:14and they play at a different venue every single week.
06:18They might go from a Lynx venue to an inland venue.
06:21Do you ever get golfers on tour changing their ball?
06:24Very, very rarely.
06:25Because you're trying to discourage them from doing it.
06:28Yeah, absolutely.
06:29But they would be quite comfortable maybe taking a long iron out and putting a hybrid in
06:33or changing their their wedge selection, but they would never change the golf ball
06:39because they know what that golf ball does.
06:41But also, they're hitting that ball on every single shot.
06:45Yes.
06:45Well, so in that spirit, I've changed my...
06:47I've gone down in loft.
06:49I'm going to try and hit it in a wee bit lower.
06:51Great.
06:59Well, it's quite high.
07:03Yardage was good.
07:04Look at that.
07:05I'll take it.
07:05Perfect.
07:06I'll take it.
07:08Right.
07:08So the next myth we are going to cover is around swing speed.
07:12The idea being here that a lot of golfers would say,
07:14well, I have a swing speed of, let's say, 100 miles an hour.
07:18Therefore, I need to use X golf ball.
07:22But Tom, Titus would say that's not actually how golfers should be thinking about it at all.
07:26Yeah, absolutely, Neil.
07:28Our methodology is quite different.
07:31So when we're recommending golfers, we start from the green and we work our way back to the tee.
07:35Because if we think about it this way, when it comes to club head speed,
07:39yes, you are going to swing your driver faster than any other club in your bag.
07:42But as soon as you exit the tee and make your way towards the green,
07:46every golfer is going to slow down.
07:47And we've got 14 clubs.
07:49Every club is swung at a different speed.
07:51Yeah, what speed do you swing your 7-iron?
07:52I don't know the answer to that question.
07:54Absolutely.
07:55Yeah, and then you think about your sand wedge and you could even include your putter.
07:59Yeah.
08:00We spend loads of time on the green and the club's still moving at a speed.
08:03So for us, it's not about the speed, it's more about the club conditions.
08:08So loft, spin loft and how the golf ball reacts to the loft that we're presenting.
08:14Right, that's interesting.
08:15So I was fitted by Tom into a golf ball last year, went through the whole fitting process.
08:19I ended up with the Titus Provy 1X. I'll put in a link below to that video if you're interested
08:23in taking a look.
08:25And I know from that experience that you start at the green, work your way back towards the tee,
08:30but you would fit the club to the ball once you get to the tee, is that right?
08:33Absolutely.
08:34Yeah, so yeah, you're absolutely spot on, Neil.
08:36So we fit the golf ball to the wedges and the irons, we fit the driver to the golf ball.
08:40There's far more we can change from the driver setting, whether that's loft or centre of gravity or head
08:45design to influence spin and distance from the tee. So we focus primarily on the shorter shots.
08:53Given that we spend more time there, all of our golf balls are designed to be low in spin from
08:58the tee
08:59to give you optimal distance. And then we focus primarily on the shorter shots.
09:04Right, okay. So there will be balls in the range that are lower in spin, but they'll be lower in
09:10spin
09:10around the greens as well.
09:11Absolutely. Yeah, when we're talking about lower spin golf balls, it's more with irons and wedges.
09:17So we're talking about stopping power as opposed to distance from the tee.
09:21Right then, let's have a hit.
09:23Give it a whirl.
09:30Oh, come back.
09:32Oh, it's at the post on the left. Get out.
09:34Oh, good bounce.
09:35I squeaked out, you know.
09:36And Andy's bounce.
09:43A bit heavy.
09:45Ah, it just skipped over the ground.
09:47It's fine.
09:49Okay Tom, so for the next one I wanted to ask you was about female golfers. And the idea,
09:56the myth here being that female golfers should use a golf ball that's designed specifically
10:01for women. I know that's not a kind of a school of thought that Titleists buy into.
10:06Why not? And how should female golfers be thinking about their golf ball choice?
10:11It's a really, it's a really good one. And again, it's one we tackle every day.
10:16I always say the golf ball doesn't know who's hitting it. So the golfer doesn't know whether
10:21you're male or female, whether you're older or younger, and vice versa. So for us, it's more a case
10:26of what's the golfer looking for, regardless of their gender. How do they want the golf ball to
10:32perform? What are their preferences when it comes to golf balls? But typically, women's golf balls are
10:38softer for slower club head speeds. But again, from our methodology, working from green to tee,
10:45for us, speed doesn't come into it. Because from here, every golfer is going to spring in the club
10:49slowly. And we spend more time around the green. So it's more about our approach from fitting,
10:56green to tee. The long clubs, everybody wants the same thing. So all the golf balls are going
11:01to be distance orientated from the tee. But then it depends on what the female or male golfer wants
11:06from here and how they want to see the golf ball perform. It's not about speed. Soft is a big
11:11word
11:11when it comes to women's golf balls. And for us, soft is more of a feeling thing. It's not performance
11:16based. And all those differences between the golf balls that you've spoken about,
11:20they're going to be noticed by whoever's hitting them, whether they're male, female, older, younger,
11:25etc, as you mentioned. Absolutely. And you can't link a club head speed with a gender because there
11:30will be some females that swing it faster than some males and vice versa. So it's more about what the
11:36golfer is looking for and not gender. Yeah. Okay. Right. I'm going to have a go at this. This is
11:40not
11:42my forte, this particular shot, Tom, but... I've got faith in you, Neil. You've actually got a long putt.
11:48You're in three putt territory there, so I feel fine.
11:54Oh, what a little kick forward. Hitting the collar of the thing. I'll take it. It's fine.
11:59Great. That's beautiful. Great shot, Tom. So, Tom, next one I wanted to ask you was about
12:18coloured golf balls. Now, I don't want to offend anybody who uses a coloured golf ball that watches
12:23this video, but I have heard people say from time to time, things like, oh, you know, serious golfers
12:28don't tend to play coloured balls, but that's a myth, isn't it? Yeah. Again, it's a big myth,
12:34isn't it? You know, there are coloured golf balls being used on tour now. So some of the senior players,
12:40it might be more of a visual thing, but to be honest, for us, it's more preference. We always
12:44talk about when we're fitting and recommending golf balls, we're talking about performance primarily,
12:50if the golfer's looking for that, but it's really important to find out what the preferences are.
12:55I remember fitting a gentleman who was struggling to hit the white golf ball. As soon as I put an
13:01orange golf ball down, he could make really good contact and it completely revolutionised his game.
13:07That's very interesting. What I found, Tom, is that I've used a yellow golf ball in not dissimilar
13:15sort of sunlight to today. So kind of like dappled sun where it's quite bright, but then there's shady
13:20areas and it can be quite hard to see. And I feel like I can see a yellow golf ball
13:25maybe a little
13:26bit better in that scenario. Yeah. I mean, the good thing from our side of things is that the colour
13:31golf balls, whether it's yellow or some of our matte finished golf balls, they all perform as the same
13:37as the white golf ball. So it's not a performance thing. It's just a preference. And yeah, in winter
13:42conditions, for example, like you just referenced or if the light's changing, then some of the other
13:48golf balls might be a bit easier to pick up in flight. Yeah. And have you not just launched a
13:53blue
13:53golf ball? We have. Yeah. Yeah. So in our velocity range, we have white, obviously, and then we have
13:58orange, green and blue. Yeah. So it's not for everybody, but there will be a lot of people out
14:05there that are excited by that proposition. Yeah. And I always worry with blue, for instance,
14:09that it's going to be a bit dark and I might not see it as it goes into the shade.
14:12Yeah. But I take it
14:14that they've worked on that to make sure that you can. Yeah. And anything we do is researched
14:19before we launch any product. So there's been some great research behind the colour schemes and
14:25the options that are available. Yeah. And from a visual perspective, it's great for some golfers
14:32and not for others. Yeah. So it's going to be a very individual thing. But yeah, we'll see how it
14:39goes.
14:39Yeah. Quick question. Do you use a coloured golf ball? If so,
14:42which colour do you use? Why do you use it? Be interested to hear what you have to say.
14:46Right. Go on, Tom.
14:50OK, so this myth is I'm not good enough to play a premium golf ball. And I suspect there's people
14:57watching this video that probably will feel a little bit like that. And my theory on this,
15:02Tom, is that it stems a bit from tour because you're watching tour players using premium golf balls
15:07and your equipment set up is quite different to a tour player set up. So people might automatically
15:11think, well, my golf ball set up needs to be quite different to a tour players set up.
15:16What are your thoughts on that one?
15:18Yeah. Again, it's a big myth. It's a misconception.
15:21You know, those golfers are the best golfers in the world and they're looking to optimise their
15:25performance. If they're looking to optimise their performance, then we should as well,
15:30especially given the fact that most of us are striving to be as good as we can be.
15:34And typically, when it comes to handicap and ability, a lot of golfers don't think they're
15:39good enough because potentially they just feel like they're losing too many. So it might be more
15:42of a cost thing. Right. OK.
15:44But actually, from a performance standpoint, if the golfer is looking to improve and develop as
15:51a player and get as good as they can get, when you're hitting shorter shots into the green,
15:54you could argue that higher handicappers miss more greens. So therefore, having a product that,
16:00a premium golf ball, which gives them more spin and more control, makes their target bigger.
16:05So it actually makes the game easier. They're more forgiving golf balls with the shorter shots.
16:10Right.
16:10So it gives the golfer the best opportunity to get the golf ball as close as they can to the
16:15hole,
16:16have shorter putts and shoot lower scores. So it is a big myth, but I can kind of understand
16:22potentially from a cost effectiveness point of view.
16:26Yeah. Right. We've been looking at this shot for a time now.
16:30Yeah.
16:31So it's time for you to knock it in.
16:32I should know the rebuy now. I should knock it.
16:40Oh, I hate to say it, you missed on the amateur side there.
16:43I did. Low side. Not good.
16:46So there you have it. That's our look at golf ball myths. Hopefully you found that
16:50useful. Hopefully there's been some guidance in there about some of the things that you might be
16:55thinking were true about selecting a golf ball that actually either aren't true or actually
16:59really aren't that important when it comes to finding exactly the right golf ball for you.
17:04If you do have any questions, please post them below. We'd love to hear what you think.
17:08But for now from West Hill, it's goodbye.
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