# Balls & Clubs



## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

I have my own opinion on this. What are your opinions on certain types of clubs that allow for more working of the ball? By this I mean do some clubs put more spin on the ball than others? Say perimeter weighted vs blades? Forged? Cast?

I am not concerned with the different brands available. Golf clubs are golf clubs. Some brands just last longer than other. 

What about the ball? Do some balls spin more than others? Softer vs harder compression? Personally I get better performance when using the softer compression balls. 

Last but not least, will a certain club/ball combination spin more than a different, different club/ball combination? What if a golfer were to use a high spin club, but a low spin ball? High spin ball with a high spin club? Low spin club with a low spin ball?

My opinion is that some, different clubs based on materials used, and the manufacturing process used do indeed put more spin on a ball. Some balls because of their manufacturing materials, and process will spin more than others.


----------



## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

FrogsHair said:


> I have my own opinion on this. What are your opinions on certain types of clubs that allow for more working of the ball? By this I mean do some clubs put more spin on the ball than others? Say perimeter weighted vs blades? Forged? Cast?
> 
> I am not concerned with the different brands available. Golf clubs are golf clubs. Some brands just last longer than other.
> 
> ...


Wow Frog, those are not the easiest of questions. Where to start?

Starting with irons, Cavities 'v' blades. A cavity iron, i.e. one with peripheral weighting. By moving the weight to the edges of the club the size of the sweetspot making it easier to hit the ball straight. However, in so doing it actually makes it harder to work the ball left to right/right to left. So where a player 'wins' with one aspect he 'loses' with another. 

Blades will give a more penetrating flight, and are easier to work the ball with. They will also give a more consistent length providing the ball is struck from the sweetspot. However, catch them off centre or with the face open or closed and the result isn't pretty.

Now that's just the two types of clubheads. Spin and trajectory can be affected by shaft stiffness and where the kick point is on the shaft.

Woods; larger clubheads allow greater peripheral weighting but, again, this affects the size of the sweetspot which will affect distance and workability. Typically, a lot of pro's favour the smaller headed driver. Grooves on woods tend not to go all the way across the face. This is because the less spin on a ball the straighter it will fly, and further. And then there is the multitude of shafts, even more choice than for irons.

Balls; solid compound, multi-layer, different compressions, dimple patterns, size of dimples(diameter and depth). You can even be custom fitted for a ball that suits your swingspeed and trajectory. To achieve the optimum transfer of energy in the club to the ball the ball has to be compressed to a certain point. Typically ladies juniors and seniors benefit from a low compression ball, and one of the manufacturers is bringing out a 65 compression this year. However, if you compress the ball too much and have a slice/fade... bye bye ball.

Cast clubs 'v' forged clubs; the quality of casting has come on leaps and bounds, and because of that its possible to achieve a relatively similar feel and performance off a cast club. Cast clubs are better for creating all the intricies of a peripheral weighted clubhead. But forged are still perceived as being 'better.' Because of the softness of forged clubs the ball 'sticks' on the clubface marginally longer and acquires more spin because of that extra grip. Forged also gives more feel, feedback, to the player. 

At the end of the day its possible to optimise a particular type of club, shaft and ball to a particular type of player, the end result being a lower score. For handicap golfers this just means they end up with a lower handicap and don't actually gain an advantage over other handicap players. But for players playing off scratch, e.g. professionals, if they have a better tool than the next man there is a possibility they will shot a better score, especially over 4 rounds.

So should manufacturers have free rein when releasing new products? The simple answer is no. Manufacturers could bring out a driver and a ball that would quite easily add 50yds to a drive but that would mean the bunkers would no longer be in play thus spoiling courses. They could bring out wedges with more drop and stop, and in fact have had to 'go backwards' with their products, but again that is to the detriment of current courses.

Modern equipment has made the game easier, and brought more people into the game. Its also meant that some who may have retired from the game have actually stayed longer. In that respect it serves a solid purpose but the marketing hype that comes with it surely means we're all hitting the ball arrow straight a 1,000yds with the ball stopping on a sixpence(dime). The modern game improvement clubs, peripheral weighted, have sadly meant that many players haven't learned to work the ball - there nothing more satisfying than finding your ball blocked out, then shaping it onto the green.

EDIT: just to add, grip thickness has a impact on the direction of ball flight too.


----------

