Vancouver Sun

Teeing up right ball may require a few test-for-the-best rounds

- JEFF PATERSON

You want to buy a dozen golf balls. But a quick trip to any pro shop or big box golf retailer presents you with dozens of options. It can all be a little overwhelmi­ng for weekend warriors looking to shave a few strokes off their scores.

Finding the right ball for you and your game can be tougher than finding the fairway off the first tee at your local course. Advancemen­ts in technology and varieties in compositio­n, colour and cost have flooded the golf ball market with options depending on a player’s budget, ability and what he or she is looking for in terms of performanc­e.

There are golf balls that claim to add distance off the tee. Others boast that they fly straighter than the competitio­n. Many want you to believe they are softer than anything else on the shelf. And the names. Oh, those names. Tru Speed. Velocity. Max. Rush. And many are just a combinatio­n of letters and numbers that don’t mean much to the consumer.

With that in mind, we consulted with a couple of local golf pros to help cut through the clutter to assist players in the search for the right ball for their game.

“I think too often people get caught up in the whole distance off the tee game,” says Steve Liddicoat, head pro at Vancouver’s University Golf Club. “The most important part of finding a ball that is going to work for you is finding which ball works best for your scoring clubs — your wedges around the green and the feel off your putter. That, for me, is more important than five or seven extra yards off the tee. You’re going to save strokes around the green.”

In Liddicoat’s opinion, the major golf ball manufactur­ers are all producing quality products so the consumer can’t really go wrong. He recommends average golfers steer clear of premium or tour-grade golf balls when alternativ­es that will perform just as well are available at lower price points. Why pay top dollar when the ball is likely to end up in the water or the woods?

Liddicoat suggests a mid-range or higher golfer shouldn’t get bogged down in the compositio­n of the product nor worry about whether balls have five layers or four pieces, or which space-age material is in the core. None of that should really matter to an average golfer. At its simplest, it’s a question of how the golf ball feels at impact.

“Talking to manufactur­ers, the thing they say most average golfers key in on is whether it’s soft or it’s hard. There are five or six companies that are all making good golf balls and if you put them head to head, they all perform similarly.

“A lot of it comes down to marketing to get you to use a particular product.”

At Mayfair Lakes, the Golf B.C. owned layout in Richmond, head pro Brian Coe believes most golfers should take advantage of the technology in the game today to help them narrow their search for the right golf ball. Like a club fitting to find the proper specificat­ions for the tools of the trade, Coe recommends golfers get fitted for the correct ball, too.

“With the launch monitor technology available around the Lower Mainland, golf profession­als can assess what the golf ball is doing with spin-rate and launch angle,” he explains. “With those components, it’s all done to optimize things for the player.”

If you’re not into a high-tech fitting and figure you can find the right ball through trial and error, Coe recommends the less is more principle — don’t buy by the dozen. Instead of walking out of the golf store with a box of 12 of the same ball, purchase by sleeves of three and put them to the test.

Once you’ve narrowed your search, then you can buy in bulk.

“Absolutely, I would try a few different kinds,” he says. “Rather than buying a dozen of one brand, buy sleeves of a few different types and take them around a green and chip and putt and see how they feel. And narrow it down from there until you find one or two that you want to take out to the golf course to see how they perform for you.”

Golf is a tough enough game that it only makes sense to find the proper equipment for you — and these days that includes playing the right ball. A little time and effort to find the proper ball might help you save some money on your next golf ball purchase and it could end up saving you more than dough. It may save you a couple of strokes the next time you tee it up.

 ?? DAVID GOLDMAN/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Experts like Steve Liddicoat, head pro at Vancouver’s University Golf Club, recommend average golfers steer clear of premium or tour-grade golf balls when alternativ­es that will perform just as well are available at lower prices.
DAVID GOLDMAN/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Experts like Steve Liddicoat, head pro at Vancouver’s University Golf Club, recommend average golfers steer clear of premium or tour-grade golf balls when alternativ­es that will perform just as well are available at lower prices.

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