SO, WHAT DID WE LEARN?

Here are six interesting discoveries

X-style tour balls look great on a spreadsheet

We were surprised how well the ‘X’ versions of these balls performed compared to the standard ones. Most golfers would expect the typically firmer ‘X’ to be faster and go further, but not too many would have expected ‘X’ models (apart from the Taylormade TP5X) to spin more with a wedge than their softer siblings. If you play a softer style tour ball, because you assume it gives extra spin in the short game, you might want to think again; there’s a chance you’re giving performance up at both ends of your bag. We concluded that softer tour balls are predominantly designed for ‘feel’ players, those who put a higher premium on ‘feeling’ shots, much more than any data they create on a launch monitor.

Golf balls aren’t quite as accurate as we think

When we first talked about using a robot for golf ball testing, like most people we expected shots to literally be landing on top of each other, as robots are so consistently accurate. As it turned out, that wasn’t the case. While we didn’t see any shots shooting off at right angles, there’s definitely space for improved consistency through manufacturing processes to make balls more reliable. Crucially, by using Foresight’s GC Quad launch monitor we took wind and weather conditions out of the equation.

Two-piece balls CAN spin

Snobby golfers turn their noses up at two-piece balls because common thinking has it that these simple constructions mean distance rather than shots that spin and stop. Our data turns that thinking on its head. Both two-piece models here – Srixon’s AD333 and Mizuno’s JPX – span above our test average and within 400rpm of the highest spinning ball.

Soft is slow… but slow doesn’t mean short

There’s no masking how the softest compression ball in our test (Callaway’s ERC Soft at 76.1 compression) wasn’t the fastest when it came to ball speeds. It’s commonly said in the industry that soft (compression) is slow when it comes to golf balls. Our results don’t challenge that. They do, however, show how the ERC Soft launched high (among the competition), which ultimately meant it was in the air for longer to maximise carry distance.

How much is too much?

Until now, picking a ball could be a painful process, as weighing up the pros and cons of each took some serious research. From seeing how differently balls perform within this test we reckon a fresh approach might help. Start by asking yourself how much is too much to spend on a dozen balls. And remember you’ll likely need six-10 dozen a year. Then look at your options at that price point. There maybe a few or many options, but immediately choice is narrowed to what you can realistically commit to spending on golf balls over 12 months.

More speed = bigger misses

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise the faster our robot swung, the wider the misses became. We started with an average dispersion window of 4.8 yards with wedges, which meant some shots were literally landing on top of one another. That rose to six yards with irons, and 7.1 yards at 85mph with a driver, and then 14 yards at 100mph and 19.6 yards at 115mph. What does it say? Well, the faster you swing the more attention you need to focus on your ball selection. A seven-yard miss at 85mph will likely find the fairway, whereas a 20-yard miss at 115mph could be the difference between being in or out of bounds.

‘Start by asking yourself how much is too much to spend on a dozen golf balls’