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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 Titleist for this one and I'm going to play golf with Tom Hiscock
00:13who's a golf ball specialist at Titleist 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 trackman fitting,
02:14for instance, it's down to us to guide them or recommend a golf ball based on how they deliver
02:20the golf club. And every golf ball, because they perform differently, is really important to get
02:25the right one. Especially if you're chopping and changing from hole to hole or round to round.
02:30It'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, absolutely.
02:39Right, Tom. 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 favour.
02:49I don't want to sort of put you off before we've even got started.
02:51But this is an opener, isn't it? 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, it's good flight. It's on the green.
03:07I've got to tell you 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 golf balls and
03:15how that affects performance. And I think the myth here, certainly the conception that a lot
03:22of people will have is that a softer golf ball is going to spin more and that, by contrast,
03:27the harder golf ball is going to offer me less control in the short game. Is there any truth to
03:31any of that?
03:32Not really. It's a big myth and the word soft is very misunderstood. So soft golf balls are
03:40soft through compression. They feel soft.
03:43Right, okay.
03:44Soft covered golf balls are typically higher in compression and firm feeling,
03:48but offer you more spinning control.
03:50Right, okay. But you have different compression golf balls in your range, right?
03:57Yeah, absolutely.
03:57So why do you have different compression golf balls?
03:59So the compression is, again, very much a feeling thing. So every golf ball will have a preference.
04:04Some golfers prefer a slightly softer golf ball. Some people prefer a firmer feeling golf ball.
04:09So within our performance range, which encapsulates true feel, velocity, tour soft and tour speed,
04:18all those golf balls are different compressions.
04:21They're all two-piece golf balls, right?
04:22Tour speed is actually three-piece.
04:24It's a three-piece. It's multi-layered, but true feel, velocity, tour soft are two-piece golf balls
04:29and they have different compressions. They'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. But with them being a harder cover over a softer
04:49core, you're going to compromise a little bit when it comes to spinning control.
04:53Right, okay.
04:54But there will be a feel difference between the three of them and therefore
04:58there'll be an option for everybody. Come 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 and I think it feels like
05:17a
05:17fairly sensible idea to play maybe a different golf ball in the winter when conditions underfoot
05:21are different. It's wet here today at West Hill. The 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, and it's a question we get asked all the time.
05:33The consistency of playing the same golf ball from season to season, from wet conditions to drier
05:40conditions remains the same. We would much rather the golfer change their club selection or their
05:48their technique to suit the conditions. Because if you change the golf ball to suit the wind,
05:55say for example, or where the golf ball is landing, it's also going to feel very different when you're
05:59putting and chipping when the conditions are not going to be too different to how they might be in
06:05in summer conditions, for example. But for us, the most important thing is consistency. We play the
06:10same ball all the time. Obviously, we reference the tour players a lot and they play at a different
06:16venue every single week. They 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.
06:25No, because you're trying to discourage them from doing it.
06:28Yeah, absolutely. But they would be quite comfortable maybe taking a long iron out and putting a hybrid in or
06:34changing their their wedge selection. But they would never change the golf ball because they know
06:40what that golf ball does, but also they're hitting that ball on every single shot.
06:45Yes. Well, so in that spirit, I've changed my... I've gone down in loft. I'm going to try and hit
06:50it in a
06:51wee bit lower. Great.
06:59Well, it's quite high.
07:03Yardage was good. Look at that.
07:05I'll take it.
07:05Perfect.
07:06I'll take it.
07:08Right. So the next myth we are going to cover is around swing speed. The idea being here that
07:13a lot of golfers would say, well, I have a swing speed of, let's say, 100 miles an hour. Therefore,
07:18I need to use X golf ball. But Tom, Titus would say that's not actually how golfers should be thinking
07:25about it at all. Yeah, absolutely. Our methodology is quite different. So when we're recommending
07:32golfers, we start from the green and we work our way back to the tee. Because if we think about
07:36it
07:37this way, when it comes to club head speed, yes, you are going to swing your driver faster than any
07:41other club in your bag. But as soon as you exit the tee and make your way towards the green,
07:46every golfer is going to slow down. And we've got 14 clubs. Every club is swung at a different speed.
07:51Yeah. What speed do you swing your seven iron? I don't know the answer to that question.
07:54Absolutely. Yeah. And then you think about your sound wedge and you could even include your
07:59putter. We spend loads of time on the green and the club's still moving at a speed. So for us,
08:04it's not about the speed. It's more about the club conditions. So loft, spin loft, and how the golf
08:11ball reacts to the loft that we're presenting. Right. That's interesting. So I was fitted by Tom into a
08:17golf ball last year, went through the whole fitting process. I ended up with a tightest
08:21Provy 1X. I'll put in a link below to that video if you're interested in taking a look. And I
08:25know
08:26from that experience that you start at the green, work your way back towards the tee, but you would
08:30fit the club to the ball once you get to the tee. Is that right? Absolutely. Yeah. So yeah, you're
08:35absolutely spot on. So we fit the golf ball to the wedges and the irons. We fit the driver to
08:39the
08:39golf ball. There's far more we can change from the driver setting, whether that's loft or center of
08:45gravity or head design to influence spin and distance from the tee. So we focus primarily
08:52on the shorter shots. Given that we spend more time there, all of our golf balls are designed to be
08:56low in spin from the tee to give you optimal distance. And then we focus primarily on the
09:03shorter shots. Right. Okay. So there will be balls in the range that are lower in spin,
09:09but they'll be lower in spin around the greens as well. Absolutely. Yeah. When we're talking about
09:13lower spin golf balls, it's more with irons and wedges. So we're talking about stopping power
09:18as opposed to distance from the tee. Right then. Let's have a hit. Give it a whirl.
09:30Oh, come back. Oh, it's at the post on the left. Get out. Get bounce.
09:35I squeaked out. It's a bit heavy. It just skipped over the ground. It'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 Titleist 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 golf ball 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 of
10:27what's the golfer looking for, regardless of their gender. How do they want the golf ball to perform?
10:33What are their preferences when it comes to golf balls? But typically, women's golf balls are softer
10:39for 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. Yes. And we spend more time around the green. Yes. So it's more about our approach from
10:56fitting green to tee. The long clubs, everybody wants the same thing. So all the golf balls are
11:01going to be distance orientated from the tee. But then it depends on what the female or male golfer
11:05wants from here. Yes. And how they want to see the golf ball perform. It's not about speed.
11:10Soft is a big word when it comes to women's golf balls. And for us, soft is more of a
11:15feeling thing.
11:15It's not performance based. And all those differences between the golf balls that you've
11:19spoken about, they're going to be noticed by whoever's hitting them, whether they're male,
11:23female, older, younger, et cetera, as you mentioned. Absolutely. And you can't link a club head speed
11:28with a gender because there will be some females that swing it faster than some males and vice versa.
11:33So it's more about what the golfer is looking for and not gender. Yeah. Okay. Right. I'm going to have
11:39a go at this. This is not my forte, this particular shot, Tom, but... I've got faith in you, Neil.
11:47You've actually got a long putt. You'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. Great.
12:12That's beautiful. Great shot, Tom. So, Tom, next one I wanted to ask you was about coloured golf balls.
12:20Now, I don't want to offend anybody who uses a coloured golf ball that watches this video,
12:24but I have heard people say from time to time, things like, oh, you know, serious golfers don't
12:28tend to play coloured balls. But that's a myth, isn't it? Yeah. Again, it's a big myth, isn't it? You
12:35know,
12:35there are coloured golf balls being used on tour now. So, some of the senior players, it might be
12:40more of a visual thing. But to be honest, for us, it's more preference. Right. We always talk about,
12:45when we're fitting and recommending golf balls, we're talking about performance primarily, if the
12:51golfer'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
13:01golf 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
13:19shady areas and it can be quite hard to see. Yeah. And I feel like I can see a yellow
13:25golf ball maybe a
13:25little bit better in that scenario. Yeah. I mean, the good thing from our side of things is
13:30the coloured golf balls, whether it's yellow or some of our matte finished golf balls,
13:35they all perform as the same as the white golf ball. So it's not a performance thing,
13:39it's just a preference. And yeah, in winter conditions, for example, like you just referenced,
13:45or if the light's changing, then some of the other golf balls might be a bit easier to pick up
13:50in
13:50flight. Yeah. And have you not just launched a blue golf ball? We have. Yeah. Yeah. So in our velocity
13:56range, we have white, obviously, and then we have orange, green and blue. Yeah. So it's not for
14:02everybody, but there will be. Do you know, there'll be a lot of people out there that are excited by
14:06that proposition. Yeah. And I always worry with blue, for instance, that it's going to be a bit
14:10dark and I might not see it as it goes into the shade. Yeah. But I take it they've worked
14:14on that.
14:15Yeah. And anything we do is researched before we launch any product. So there's been some great
14:23research behind the colour schemes and the options that are available. Yeah. And from a visual
14:29perspective, it's great for some golfers and not for others. So it's going to be a very individual
14:36thing. But yeah, it's it's we'll see how it goes. Yeah. Quick question. Do you use a coloured golf ball?
14:41If so, which colour do you use? Why do you use it? Be interested to hear what you have to
14:46say.
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, Tom,
15:02is 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 players set up. So people might also
15:11massively think, 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? Yeah, 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. But actually from a performance standpoint, if the golfer is looking to improve
15:48and develop as a player and get as good as they can get, when you're hitting shorter shots into the
15:54green, you could argue that higher handicappers miss more greens. So therefore having a product
16:00that a premium golf ball, which gives them more spin and more control, makes their target bigger.
16:06So it actually makes the game easier. They're more forgiving golf balls with the shorter shots.
16:10Right.
16:10So it gives the golf 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's, it is a big myth, but I can kind of understand
16:22potentially from a, from a, a cost effectiveness point of view.
16:26Yeah. Right. We've been looking at this shot for a time now.
16:29Yeah. So it's time for you to knock it in.
16:33I should know, I should know the read by now. I should know.
16:40Oh, oh, 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
16:55be thinking were true about selecting a golf ball that actually either aren't true or
16:59actually really 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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