# What does "feel" mean



## DisKoDucK (Jun 12, 2006)

Hey everyone.
I'm pretty new to the game (3rd year coming up) and having a blast learning the game. I was doing some reading on golf balls, and the word "feel" seems to come up a lot. I have no idea what that means. When I hit too golf balls, they feel exactly the same to me. doesn't matter if I am putting, or chipping or driving.

I'm a pretty avid basketball player and I'm trying to make the same analogy to leather vs. rubber balls? Is that what they mean by feel?

Thanks!


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## white_tiger_137 (Mar 23, 2006)

Yes. Good analogy. Some golf balls 'stick' to the face of the club longer than others. Some of them compress smaller than others. I only really notice it if I hit a really old ball. 

Feel can also mean spin. If it says that a ball will feel great around the greens, it means that a good player will be able to manipulate the spin easier than on a distance ball.

Hope I answered your question​


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## DisKoDucK (Jun 12, 2006)

yea, that does help.

So if I don't feel anything does that just mean I just need to spend some more time hitting golf balls? I'm not overly concerned about it, more curious than anything.

It took me so long to enjoy leather basketballs more than the rubber kind.


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## zebrasinamerica (Jan 22, 2007)

DisKoDuck, what kind of putter do you have? Is it an insert putter or a putter that is made completley of metal? When I say insert I'm refering to a putter like an Odysey DFX or WhiteHot. I ask this because I can feel huge differences in balls when it comes to putting so much so that I can feel differences between different models of the same ball such as from the ProV1 to the ProV1x however if I use an insert putter a range ball feels the same as a ProV1 to me. This is the main reason I will never own an Odysey putter. Also loosing the feel of a ball with this style of putter adds about 5-10 strokes consistantly onto my scores and I believe that the ball comes off the face at different speeds every time you strike the ball with this type of insert.

Just my 2 cents

Zebra


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

zebrasinamerica said:


> DisKoDuck, what kind of putter do you have? Is it an insert putter or a putter that is made completley of metal? When I say insert I'm refering to a putter like an Odysey DFX or WhiteHot. I ask this because I can feel huge differences in balls when it comes to putting so much so that I can feel differences between different models of the same ball such as from the ProV1 to the ProV1x however if I use an insert putter a range ball feels the same as a ProV1 to me. This is the main reason I will never own an Odysey putter. Also loosing the feel of a ball with this style of putter adds about 5-10 strokes consistantly onto my scores and I believe that the ball comes off the face at different speeds every time you strike the ball with this type of insert.
> 
> Just my 2 cents
> 
> Zebra



I use an Odyssey putter (see sig) and I can tell the difference between a TopFlite and a Pro V1 by the sound... as well as by the feel of it. I wouldn't have anything BUT my DF 992.  

To the OP:

Feel is something that isn't picked up overnight. It takes a lot of play, hitting a lot of different balls with different kinds of clubs to really understand what that feel is all about. And even then, the sense of "feel" as applied to golf is rudimentary for most amateurs when compared to the pros.


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## zebrasinamerica (Jan 22, 2007)

FourPutt, the DF is a DFX insert correct? If it is I agree with you that you can "feel" the ball but I still think that the comes off of them inconsistantly. That is just my personal opinion though and that is why there are hundreds of different putters out there

Zebra


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## 65nlovenit (Dec 8, 2006)

Try this url, they define the heck out of the word "feel" as it applies to golf..

* Feel - (Golf): Definition

Hope this helps...


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

zebrasinamerica said:


> FourPutt, the DF is a DFX insert correct? If it is I agree with you that you can "feel" the ball but I still think that the comes off of them inconsistantly. That is just my personal opinion though and that is why there are hundreds of different putters out there
> 
> Zebra


I wouldn't know what "DFX" is :dunno:, all I know is that it's about 6-7 years old and the insert is black, not white. I've never much gotten into the technical aspects of the game gear. I pick my clubs by a combination of feel and performance, but I do so by hitting balls, not by reading tech manuals. Most of the equipment discussions on these boards leave me scratching my head.  

This putter fits me better than anything else I've ever tried, and I started playing golf on a more or less regular basis more than 30 years ago. I don't see any inconsistency in it at all. Our differing opinions are obviously why Golfsmith has such a huge array of varied and sometimes peculiar looking putters in the center of their store. I swear that some of them must serve the added purpose of branding cattle...  Mine is fairly conventional except for the insert.


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## 300Yards (Jan 23, 2007)

Hit a ball with the toe, then hit one with the heel. Feel the difference now? JK!:laugh:  Feel is something you develop over time, it will come.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Feel as it applies to golf is somewhat multifaceted. You can talk about feel in three ways as I see it.

Feel in a ball has to do with how much it can be compressed, thus how soft it feels when you hit it. The miniscule fraction of a second longer or shorter that it sticks to the face before it rebounds off into space will be a softer feel the longer it sticks on the face. A harder ball that leaves the club face more quickly is generally considered to have a slightly harder feel.

Feel in a club has to do with the sensation up your arms when you hit it, whether a powerful shocking sensation when the ball is well struck in the center of the face, or a rock hard sensation when struck off center. This can be affected by the material in the clubhead, whether cast or forged and the design of either. Club feel can also be a biproduct of the shaft material and flex, whether graphite or steel, regular, stiff, or ladies flex.

The third "feel" is in your body. You practice and practice to create a muscle memory so you can hit the ball consistantly and have it "feel" the same each time, which should probably be called "body management"... but... Every once in a while, all of us are going make the swing from Mars and wind up under some overhanging tree. You need to manufacture a shot you've only seen Tiger pull off, but in your head, you know what you are supposed to do. If your body has a "feel" for the shot, you can set up and make a swing shaped more or less like what the text book says and the shot will stay low, go right to left, then rise and go left to right, then turn 90 degree towards the pin and fly the balance of 275 yards, (see, 7 iron always was your BEST club!), and it will land like a butterfly with sore feet less than a foot from the hole. I hope you remembered your putter.

So, what I'm saying is, "feel" is subjective. You might hate my clubs, but I love them. I might hate yours and think they have no "feel" for the way I hit them...

Chocolate and vanilla...


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## white_tiger_137 (Mar 23, 2006)

Try loosening your grip.​


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## srothfuss (Nov 17, 2006)

Speaking of feel.... You can also feel your hand ache when you miss hit a ball at the driving range (off those rubber mats.)

As for the putter... it's not the stick that makes the ball drop, it's the person holding the stick. No matter how much money is spent on any putter, you won't be able to sink any putts without practice.


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