How to Pick the Right Golf Ball

With so many choices on the market for golf balls to use, how do you know which might serve your game the best? With each passing golf season there even more choices. Most golfers have a golf bag full of a variety of golf balls. Which ball do you play and how do you decide which to stick with? There are many answers to this question.

First lets talk a little about golf ball construction. For those of us over 40 years old we can remember when golf balls were made from a liquid filled core wrapped in rubber band and then having an outer core. The outer covering was made from either balata for spin or surlyn for durability. Both of these played well but if miss hit could be made unplayable. Many of the balata balls left the golf course with a smile that was actually a complete hole through the cover and to the wrapping inside. That made rolling the ball on the green next to impossible, but made a funny whizzing sound going through the air.

Today the golf balls are made in two, three and four piece varieties. The two piece balls have a large solid core with a covering on the outside. This makes them very durable and resistant to side spin. They also roll better and give better yardage to those with slower swing speeds. If you happen to be hitting a large hook or slice with your current three or four piece ball you should look into a two piece to reduce the sidespin. These balls do not have as much bite around the green as the others and will roll more on the green and on the fairway.

A three piece ball has a slightly smaller solid core with a mantle and then the outer covering. This results in more feel around the greens, better stopping on wedges and a softer feel overall. This ball is an excellent in between ball for those players wanting more feel but not wanting all the spin of the top of the line golf balls. When hit off center they can and will slide off course more. With each plus there is also a minus so weigh them carefully.

The four piece balls are normally played by low handicap players. They have a slightly smaller solid core with two mantles and an outer covering. This gives a lot of feel, a lot of potential spin and feel around the greens. They may not travel as far as the two piece balls with slower swing speeds as they are normally optimized for a slightly higher swing speed. If you want to wow your golfing friends with spin or feel like you have the best of the golf balls you will pay more to have these in your bag.

After all of this do you feel like you can pick a golf ball off the shelf and just go play your local golf course? Of course not, and I did not think you could. However here is a good tip for picking a golf ball to play. Once you have picked the type, brand and model of golf ball that fits your game, stick with it. Practice with your golf ball around the greens, putt with them and even hit them over that water hole. Committing to one specific ball will help your feel and knowing your yardage when you need it most. This will lead to lower scores.

Article found at: http://webdevjim.hubpages.com/hub/Golf-Tips-The-Right-Golf-Ball