How much do golf balls matter?
That may seem like a very basic question, but I wonder if staying with the same ball becomes a matter of personal choice, comfort or whether choosing a different one can have a positive effect?
To be sure, it all depends on what your desired effect is? Distance, spin control, feel?
Again, what works well for one person may not have the same effect for another.
Most people prefer Titleist, specifically the Pro V1 and Pro V1x. But there are variations of those, such as the Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash, designed for high flight and low spin. Consider Bryson DeChambeau (Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash). He switched to Titleist after he ended his association with Bridgestone when he left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf three years ago. You can certainly make the case his game has dramatically improved since he left, highlighted by his U.S. Open win last year. DeChambeau has finished in the top-10 in his last six Majors.
DeChambeau said a week ago in an article with GolfMonthly.com he is looking for a golf ball that flies a little straighter. That is somewhat surprising given that he’s been playing relatively well this year on LIV with a win, a T2 and a fifth-place finish in his last three tournaments. He also had a T5 in the Masters and a second in the PGA Championship. He is clearly looking for an edge to repeat in the U.S. Open, which will be remembered for a dramatic bunker shot with his third shot on the final hole, followed by a par putt for the win. He edged Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5x), who flubbed a three-foot putt for the second time in his final three holes.
“Everybody talks about how straight the golf ball flies,” said DeChambeau in the GolfMonthly.com article. “Well, upwards of 190 (mph) like Rory and myself, it’s actually quite difficult to control the golf ball. The ball sidespins quite a bit and it gets hit by the wind quite a bit because our golf balls are just longer in the air. So I’m looking at ways how to rectify that so that my wedges can be even tighter so it can fly straighter. I feel like there are times when I hit wedges and it just over-curves, depending how high and how much time it is in the air and how much spin is on the ball.
“I think that’s really what I’m going to be looking at now along with some equipment stuff to just make myself a little more precise the next time.”
DeChambeau is clearly a mad scientist when it comes to perfecting his game, but it just goes to show that sometimes changing balls can make a difference.
As an aside, Titleist also has the Pro V1 Left Dot, and according to a 2023 GolfWRX review is lower spinning and lower launching than the Pro V1. Among the PGA Tour players who use the Left Dot are Justin Rose, Tony Finau and Cameron Young.
GRIFFIN DOES IT AGAIN: A few weeks ago I wrote about Ben Griffin (MaxFli) after he teamed up with Andrew Novak (Srixon Z-Star) to win the Zurich Classic. Well, this past weekend he recorded his first solo win on the PGA Tour with a victory in Charles Schwab Challenge. He is the only PGA Tour player using MaxFli, but if his success this year is any indication you can be sure others will follow.
He is absolutely on a tear and given that the Charles Schwab included Scottie Scheffer (Titleist Pro V1), who was the heavy favorite going into the tournament and tied for fourth, the victory did not come against a weak field. He is having a career year.
Tommy Fleetwood (TaylorMade TP5x Pix) tied with Scheffler and you have to wonder when will he finally win a PGA Tour event?
RORY SKIPPING JACK’S EVENT: The Memorial Tournament starts on Thursday and Scheffler is back to defend his title, but noticeably absent will be McIlroy, who tied for 15th last year. This is the first time since 2017 he is not in it.
McIlroy has chosen to sit it out to play in the Canadian Open the following week. He is a star in the Canadian Open and will play that as his final prep before the U.S. Open and play in the Travelers Championship the week after. Rory won the Canadian Open in 2019, and when it was postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 he returned in 2022 and won it again.
While his decision has caused some interesting conversation on social media, in particular after his disappointing finish in the PGA Championship and his controversial driver disqualification, he committed to the Canadian Open. Some people are pointing to his history earlier this year, in particular asking Memorial Tournament host Jack Nicklaus for advice on how to finally win the Masters, as a reason he should play in the event. As I’ve said many times in this blog, McIlroy has become the face of the PGA Tour in the last four years and win, lose or not even play he becomes is a key story.
The Memorial is expected to include 43 of the world’s top 50.
