Golf ball testing for "forgiveness"?

jpdx · January 10, 2017

Most golfwrx members seem to be pretty darn good golfers...300yd+ drives, + and low single dig hdcp's. Also lots of golf geeks (I say that in a positive way) with extensive knowledge of the game, equipment and such.

In the KSig ball thread, I said:

Couple of reviews by lower handicap players out on golfwrx got me thinking-what about the golf nerds like me who just aren't very good at golf (beginner, new to game, work in progress, or just don't get it)? Why aren't there any tests saying how (I'll use avg joe) avg joe's inconsistent ball strikes affect the ball? I get that we want ideal all the time but for most of us, yes even some golfwrx'ers (me!), don't hit the ball the exact same spot on the club each time. To me, it would seem that the ball that reacts best under less than ideal situations is the best ball? For me, ksig are a clear winner based on price alone due to my inconsistencies. Is there any merit for testing bad shots? I'd love to see a test of ksig vs other premium balls under less than ideal. ...am I way out left (OB) in this line of thinking?

(I can't believe I quoted myself...LOL!)

There were a few comments on it but I felt it was starting to get really off topic. I did a search to satisfy my own curiosity but found no topics close to the question which is:

Is there a way to have testing to see how forgiving a ball is?

I get that when a REALLY terrible strike that happens (topping the ball, and chunking), all balls will be terrible. Doesn't matter if it's a prov, ksig, nitro, pinnacle gold. I'm talking about that less than perfect shot.

(can't believe I'm quoting myself again....)

how forgiving is the ball when struck with a less than perfect swing? If I hit the ball with the same aoa, swing path, contact on the face all of which is not ideal - will some balls end up less offline? how can that be measured? I think there is a way to market a ball that is made FOR the avg joe. If there was a way to test out how little distance you lose with a poorly struck ball - surely that's of value?

in my eyes, the game is not about hitting the perfect shot each and every time, it's about how often and how big your misses are right? we all aim to reduce the margin in which we miss our shots. and anything to help us reduce the margin in our misses is what we want.

deetsal · January 10, 2017

I think the easy answer is a ball that has little side spin, i.e. a low spinning ball. You may not be able to "score" with it depending on the greens. You asked about forgiveness, so a poor swing with a high spin tour ball and a Pinnacle Gold, are probably very different. With the driver a slice may be 35 yards right with a tour ball and 20 to 25 otherwise. Now the 1/2 sculled or thin shot with say your sand wedge may have tones of back spin with a tour ball and "lowish" ball may check up whereas the non spinner will be "over the river and through the woods to grandma's house". (Not that I would EVER do such a thing but I heard rumors of those that don't strike it pure every single time). Some food for thought.

NJpatbee · January 11, 2017

You will find some threads by high handicappers like myself discussing the performance of surlyn golf balls for the average player (nationwide, not WRX). For the most part balls like the SuperSoft, Duo, Softfli, Gamer Soft, and Pinnacle have their fans on this site. I would also check out reviews of urethane balls like the Gamer Tour and e5 that have less spin than a tour ball and are straight off the driver, while being pretty good performers on the green. My favorite ball in the last decade is the now discontinued Maxfli U/3 which did receive some attention. All of the surlyn balls mentioned above I would consider "forgiving" and the urethane options are more forgiving than super high spin tour caliber balls like the ProV1.

jpdx · January 11, 2017

You will find some threads by high handicappers like myself discussing the performance of surlyn golf balls for the average player (nationwide, not WRX). For the most part balls like the SuperSoft, Duo, Softfli, Gamer Soft, and Pinnacle have their fans on this site. I would also check out reviews of urethane balls like the Gamer Tour and e5 that have less spin than a tour ball and are straight off the driver, while being pretty good performers on the green. My favorite ball in the last decade is the now discontinued Maxfli U/3 which did receive some attention. All of the surlyn balls mentioned above I would consider "forgiving" and the urethane options are more forgiving than super high spin tour caliber balls like the ProV1.

Interesting. I switched to premium balls about a year ago and have noticed that I score better. My shots are hitting more fairways and I hold more greens. My dispersion, although not great, is better. I don't know if a semi bad swing with a urethane ball has had much effect for me vs a non urethane ball. Impossible to tell as a number of factors come in to play. I could be hitting more consistent after the switch. Maybe it's mental. But scores definitely on a downward trend.

I just think that theres value to how forgiving a ball is on slight mis hits. How to measure though?

Z1ggy16 · January 11, 2017

I'm not sure what ball forgiveness means, but I assume it might mean in the case of a high HC, a straighter ball flight. In this case, hands down you'd be talking about a 2 piece surlyn ball. Furthermore, balls that are "soft" feeling, and can compress a little more, may be easier to hit and launch for beginners, too.

In conclusion, a soft 2 piece ball such as the Callaway Super Soft is probably one of the best balls for a new or inexperienced golfer to play. It flys straight as heck and feels like a nice little pillow off your irons. Do note though, if you are a high SS high index player, it will start to feel mushy at times and combined with cast irons makes it extremely hard to gauge strike.

jpdx · January 11, 2017

I'm not sure what ball forgiveness means, but I assume it might mean in the case of a high HC, a straighter ball flight. In this case, hands down you'd be talking about a 2 piece surlyn ball. Furthermore, balls that are "soft" feeling, and can compress a little more, may be easier to hit and launch for beginners, too.

In conclusion, a soft 2 piece ball such as the Callaway Super Soft is probably one of the best balls for a new or inexperienced golfer to play. It flys straight as heck and feels like a nice little pillow off your irons. Do note though, if you are a high SS high index player, it will start to feel mushy at times and combined with cast irons makes it extremely hard to gauge strike.

I'm not sure what ball "forgiveness" means either lol. I figured that was the best way to describe what thoughts were.