The golf ball – an underestimated ally of every golfer

The first piece of equipment that comes to mind when considering a game of golf is usually the club. This should not be particularly surprising, after all, it is its quality that most affects the comfort of the game. What comes to the background, however, is the ball, which, as it turns out, is also an extremely important part of golf equipment.

At first glance, all the balls look almost identical – possibly they differ from each other in color. But don’t be fooled by appearances! There is an extremely wide variety of balls available on the market, which can be overlooked by beginner players. They are classified based on various parameters. When planning to purchase a set of golf balls, you should first consider what your requirements are. It should be remembered that another model will turn out to be optimal for someone who is just beginning his adventure with this elite sport, and quite another for a professional.

An important step is therefore to determine your own skills and experience. In golf we distinguish five levels of initiation determined by the so-called handicap, which means equalization of chances in the form of adding a certain number of strokes:

–beginner (above HPC 36),
–Amateur (HPC 36 and above),
–intermediate (HPC 27 and above),
–experienced (HPC 18 and above)
–advanced (from HPC 9).

Golfers qualifying for the first two categories are advised to use harder balls, which are great for honing their playing style. Intermediate players and up should look for equipment with more individual features that match their expectations.

Let’s take a look at the parameters according to which golf balls are grouped. They are divided, of course, into soft (usually three-layer for experienced players), normal (two-layer) and hard (one-layer for beginners). It is also worth noting a feature such as distance, which is of fundamental importance in this sport. There are the following distances:

–very large – works well for long distance hits,
–large – the ball flies further than average,
–medium – the influence on the distance is negligible
–shorter – in accordance with the name it may have a negative impact on the distances achieved.

Next in line is the so-called spin, which is the degree to which a given ball turns. It can be very high, high, medium or low.

Golf is an outdoor sport, so players are somewhat dependent on the vagaries of the weather. Sometimes it’s good to get the ball up a bit, while other times, such as in strong winds, it’s better to let it roll quietly on the ground. In order not to give up on the weather, you should familiarize yourself with the flight feature. It is divided into several categories:

–very high – the ball does a great job of flying at high altitudes and rolls short after hitting the ground;
–high – the ball flies higher and stays suspended in the air longer than average;
–medium – most often these are balls that offer a balanced Carry and Roll ratio;
–flat – the ball is designed to hit typically on the ground.

An important, and for many perhaps even the decisive factor in the purchase is, of course, the price. The rule here is simple – beginners and amateur golfers should reach for the cheapest or used balls. Debut games can be difficult, and it often happens that you lose several balls in the process. Golf is not a cheap sport, but there is no point in spending a fortune on equipment whose potential we will not be able to use anyway. Balls from the lower shelf initially will not have a negative impact on the quality of our game, but the wallet – thanks to such a choice – certainly will not suffer excessively.

Distinctive photo: Adobe Stock