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revkev

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That's an interesting thought. The weight of the ball is something I thought everyone assumed, but would invariably being untrue. The X outs puts things in perspective that it's not a usual cosmetic issue that created the problem like I'd assume. It could be something worse.

 

When dean sells balls for so cheap, why even bother with the other two options? Haha.

:titelist-small: TS3 8.75 with HZRDOUS Yellow and Black MicroPerf Best Grips.

:callaway-small: XR 16 3W & 5W with HZRDOUS Red shafts and Black MicroPerf Best Grips.

:srixon-small: U65 4i with Fujikura MCI shaft and Black MicroPerf Best Grips.

:titelist-small: AP3 5-PW with Accra Tour 110i shafts and Black MicroPerf Best Grips.

:titelist-small: SM7 50F, 54S and 60M grinds with Dynamic Gold 120 Tour Issue S400 and Black MicroPerf Best Grips.

:bettinardi-1: Queen B #6 with 34" Stability Shaft and P2 Aware Tour Grip.

:titelist-small: Pro-V1 Golf Ball.

Jones Utility Golf Bag.

Dormie Custom Headcovers.
Bushnell Pro X2 Laser Rangefinder.

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The second chance balls are typically balls that have been pulled from a pond or water holes.. they are sometimes cleaned and sold as is, and sometimes covers are attempted to be re molded or re painted to make look new.. There are a few concerns here.  If the balls have been in the water for a long time, they will start to absorb  water, and gain weight.  This can do two things.. make the balls slower in ball speed, and also possibly make them illegal by being over the USGA weight limit.  We all try to make the legal balls to the weight limit, so it does not take much to make them over the limit if sitting in pond for a long time.  When new covers or new paint is applied, then all the aerodynamics are lost as there can be too much paint and flood the dimples and cause weird flights.   As for the X-0uts that are sold by the companies as true xouts, these could be from various reasons where they failed some spec in the process.. maybe too light.. maybe too heavy... maybe cosmetic defects.. maybe out of core specs, out of compression specs, etc.. you do not know as they all get lumped into one group and sold as a dozen.

 

Dean,

We haven't talked much about dimples.  Does the USGA/R&A control dimples on a ball?  Like number or size?  The tendency over the last few years seems to be reduce the number of dimples; I assume to reduce spin.  There are numerous shapes to dimples, and even dimples within dimples.

 

Is there still a lot of research going on with dimple design or number of dimples, or has the golf ball industry reached similar limits as in driver design based on rule limitations?  Is there anything new on the horizon?

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Dean,

We haven't talked much about dimples.  Does the USGA/R&A control dimples on a ball?  Like number or size?  The tendency over the last few years seems to be reduce the number of dimples; I assume to reduce spin.  There are numerous shapes to dimples, and even dimples within dimples.

 

Is there still a lot of research going on with dimple design or number of dimples, or has the golf ball industry reached similar limits as in driver design based on rule limitations?  Is there anything new on the horizon?

The USGA does not have any control or restrictions on dimples.  They control speed, distance, size, weight and symmetry... The number of dimples is not really as important as the size, shape, depths, edge angles of the dimples.  Once the ball design is complete, the dimple design is chosen.  You can have the best ball in the world, but if you do not get the dimples correct, it can be the worst.  Once we know the spin, speed and launch angles of the ball based on the design, then we try to develop dimple patterns that control the distance for both carry and roll.  We also have to pick patterns that are good in all wind conditions, since golf is played with down, cross and head winds.  So it is a balance.. we work to balance the lift and drag of the ball, to optimize the flight.  Today, a lot of balls run in the 322 to 392 dimple count range.  But the numbers are not really as important as the factors above.  A lot of times, the numbers and layout can be a visual look that players like... we found that a lot of better players do not like the 450 and 500 dimple look because they just look to small... and under 300 seems to look too big... hope this helps.

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Thanks Dean.  I appreciate the information, and it makes sense.  I was just wondering if dimple number and design is maxed out, or if there are things ball manufacturers can still do to increase distance or improve trajectory to match todays driver designs.  Seems like there is not much left to improve.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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We came up with a question Dean while playing in our 2 day tournament at the club.  If you don't want to or can't answer this one please don't.

 

We know from you Bio that you have several golf ball patents.  Because of that were you able to start producing designs for TMag and then yourself right after leaving your former employers or did you have some sort of non-compete.  A couple of the guys that I was playing with were in sales and they have had to deal with that when changing jobs in their lives.

 

We're just curious.

 

Regardless everyone enjoyed your ball and we all used it on our last nine on the way to victory!

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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We came up with a question Dean while playing in our 2 day tournament at the club.  If you don't want to or can't answer this one please don't.

 

We know from you Bio that you have several golf ball patents.  Because of that were you able to start producing designs for TMag and then yourself right after leaving your former employers or did you have some sort of non-compete.  A couple of the guys that I was playing with were in sales and they have had to deal with that when changing jobs in their lives.

 

We're just curious.

 

Regardless everyone enjoyed your ball and we all used it on our last nine on the way to victory!

I did not have any non-compete agreements but am not able to comment on anything with respect to TaylorMade or Titleist with respect to separation agreements... Both companies were very good to me, and i enjoyed working for both very much.  I have a lot of respect for them and have many good friends at both locations.  

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Thanks! Given that I bag a Taylor Made driver and would always consider Titleist when purchasing equipment that's great to know.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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I have a question for Dean.  When the Pro V first came out, there was a huge debate about seaming and the distance benefits if you aligned the ball's seam with the direction of the hit.  Also, some said that if you did the opposite with irons, you'd get better spin.  Haven't heard anything about this for years, however.

 

Was there anything to this, or did you just find it amusing?

Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts.

In my Ogio Ozone XX Cart Stand Bag:

Ping G400 10.5 Deg Driver, stock Stiff shaft
TM Rocketballz 19 Deg 5 Wood, stock Matrix Osik Stiff shaft
TM Rocketballz Stage 2 21 Deg Tour 4 Hybrid, Rocketfuel 80h Stiff shaft 

Callaway Apex CF 16 Irons, 4-P, Stiff Shafts
 
Scor 48 and 55 degree wedges.  
Renegar 60 Deg Steel Shaft Lob Wedge

TM Ghost Spider Si 38" Counterbalanced Putter

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I have a question for Dean.  When the Pro V first came out, there was a huge debate about seaming and the distance benefits if you aligned the ball's seam with the direction of the hit.  Also, some said that if you did the opposite with irons, you'd get better spin.  Haven't heard anything about this for years, however.

 

Was there anything to this, or did you just find it amusing?

Yes, there was some truth to the seaming of the ball.. when first introduced, there was a noticeable increase in distance if hit along the seam... however, this was corrected years ago since it has to pass a symmetry test where all balls must fly the same distance when teed up along the seam and cross seam.. so today, there are no benefits to hitting along the seam.  Some still do because them like the look or "think" it may still be true.  As for the added spin, I did not hear that one... haha... the balls spin rate is typically determined by the cover and construction, and not the dimples.. the dimples control the flight when the ball is spinning.  But the symmetry issue was corrected many years ago, so neither is true to be a benefit today.

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Used the snell MTB for the first time today, it played very well, I, however, did not, lost one on 6, and another on 12, I don't think either can be found. I stopped using them after the lost one on 12, I didn't want to lose anymore due to me not being able to keep the $&@/$& ball anywhere on be golf course property

Lefties are always in their Right Mind

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I like the looks of the old 336 dimple pattern that almost everybody used on 1.68" balls back in the day (1.62" balls were still being made then). 

 

The original Top Flite (not XL) had that pattern, and when I was young, I for some reason loved that rock-hard ball.  Not that Callaway would ever re-introduce that old Spalding ball, which was then a maverick two-piece in the age of wound balls, but if they did, I'd certainly try it to see how I could play with it this many decades later.

 

I play the inexpensive Titleist DT SoLo because playing with a premium ball like the Pro V1 doesn't seem to make a difference with me.  Perhaps it does with a scratch player. It must if people are paying five dollars each for a ball that looks so much like the two dollar version. 

 

 

 

 

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I like the looks of the old 336 dimple pattern that almost everybody used on 1.68" balls back in the day (1.62" balls were still being made then). 

 

The original Top Flite (not XL) had that pattern, and when I was young, I for some reason loved that rock-hard ball.  Not that Callaway would ever re-introduce that old Spalding ball, which was then a maverick two-piece in the age of wound balls, but if they did, I'd certainly try it to see how I could play with it this many decades later.

 

I play the inexpensive Titleist DT SoLo because playing with a premium ball like the Pro V1 doesn't seem to make a difference with me.  Perhaps it does with a scratch player. It must if people are paying five dollars each for a ball that looks so much like the two dollar version.

 

Where do you live in New England ( I'm from CT) and what type of course do you typically play? Im surprised that you wouldn't notice a difference between a premium ball and the one you are using around the greens and on part wedge shots. Try it out objectively. Dean's MyTour ball is less than $3 a ball. It wouldn't hurt and could be enough of a game changer to get your handicap down to single digits. Good luck!

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

So I have been swinging better the last couple weeks, so I brought out the Snell MTB again, it's not often you play a ball that you have high hopes for, and have it actually perform that way, but this one did, at least last weekend, I was striping my tee shots, 5wd, 3wd, and driver, interestingly enough, with the driver the ball was going much further than I was used to, I only used the driver on the par 5's, and I was easily 25 yards farther. The ball checked up much harder on the greens than I have been used to, but I will get used to that, all in all, this ball performs. This is a very good ball that I will be using as often as I can now.

Lefties are always in their Right Mind

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First thanks again Dean for hanging around and continuing to answer all of our questions.  I switched to the My Tour Ball during the Father's Day promo and I've got another 5 or 6 guys at my club that have since switched over too, keep up the great work.

 

On to my question.  We all know the ball doesn't go as far in cold weather as it does during the summer heat.  I've heard a lot of different theories about using different ball each hole and keeping the other in your pocket.  Using those hand warmers in a cooler and keeping balls in there.  Switching to lower compression balls when the temp drops below 50 or so.

 

Is there a good way to not lose as much distance in cold weather?  How much does cold weather actually affect distance?  Personally I've only done the switch to lower compression in the colder temps.  I just don't like that it feels like hitting a marshmallow so I'm looking for a better option if there is one.

Driver: :taylormade-small: SLDR w/ Fujikura Ventus Black

3w: :taylormade-small:'16 M2 hl w/ Diamana D+ 82

5w: :cleveland-small: Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Yellow

Hybrid: :cleveland-small: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black

Irons: :cleveland-small: 5i - gap Launcher CBX w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Wedges: :cleveland-small: 54 CBX & 58 Zipcore w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Putter: :odyssey-small: Red 7s

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Last week I ordered 2 dozen My Tour Ball and one dozen of the Get Sum just to try them out for a change when it gets colder.  The expensive tour balls don't work for me when it gets cold anyway, so I thought the Get Sum might be a better option.  To piggyback on hcky's question, is there a significant difference between the MTB and the Get Sum in cold weather, and is there a temperature where it really doesn't matter what ball you use??  I play when the temp is 20-30*.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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And conversely, when its 85 at 9 in the morning and its rained 18 days in a row (Rev and Foz sent their weather to the east coast) and you can see the humidity simmering up off the saturated ground (no wind of course), it seems that the balls go nowhere (even disregarding the fact that even your low, line drive drives plug in the fairway).  How much does humid air affect distance (I'm assuming, of course, using a cold golf ball wouldn't do any good)?

Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts.

In my Ogio Ozone XX Cart Stand Bag:

Ping G400 10.5 Deg Driver, stock Stiff shaft
TM Rocketballz 19 Deg 5 Wood, stock Matrix Osik Stiff shaft
TM Rocketballz Stage 2 21 Deg Tour 4 Hybrid, Rocketfuel 80h Stiff shaft 

Callaway Apex CF 16 Irons, 4-P, Stiff Shafts
 
Scor 48 and 55 degree wedges.  
Renegar 60 Deg Steel Shaft Lob Wedge

TM Ghost Spider Si 38" Counterbalanced Putter

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  • 2 weeks later...

great questions.. the golf balls actually perform optimum when they are conditioned and played in 70 - 90F weather.. if the temps gets colder, and the golf balls are stored in your car or bag room, and lets say it is 40F, then the balls will lose significant ball speed, firm up the covers to reduce spin,  and be much shorter in distance.. the cast urethane covers seem to have a bigger loss in ball velocity if stored at 40F overnight and then played the next morning.. surlyn covers are about half the loss, but both lose..  and if it is really hot, like in arizona in the summer and you leave the golf balls in your trunk, the covers will soften, ball speed is greatly reduced and the balls again are much shorter... so in general, I strongly suggest that players keep the golf balls in their house and do not leave in bag in the car or garage or bag storage.. if you start with 70F, and play when cold, then take a few balls, rotate them hole to hole (some players even put a hand warmer in their pocket to help keep the golf balls warm.. if you do this, you will reduce any distance loss significantly during the round... if you story overnight at home, then I do not believe that you need to play something different during the round if cold.. just keep rotating the golf balls from hole to hole..when the air quality is thick and dense with fog, the balls will also fly shorter.. typically just plain humidity (no dense fog) will not have a huge affect of the balls at all... when fog and water is  is in the air, this can reduce the distance by 2 to 3 percent... depending how foggy..

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Dean,

Your Snell My Tour Ball seems to be a hit here with the forum guys, myself included.  I can only assume that business is picking up elsewhere as the word gets out on what a great ball this is.  All ball manufacturers come out with a new version periodically with new this and better that, more distance, more spin, exceptional feel, etc.  Are you working on any updates?  At my level of ball-striking capability I haven't really seen much if any performance improvement from the previous version to a current version of any tour ball that I have tried.  I was wondering at what point does it make sense for a company like yours to introduce a new/improved model.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Dean,

Your Snell My Tour Ball seems to be a hit here with the forum guys, myself included.  I can only assume that business is picking up elsewhere as the word gets out on what a great ball this is.  All ball manufacturers come out with a new version periodically with new this and better that, more distance, more spin, exceptional feel, etc.  Are you working on any updates?  At my level of ball-striking capability I haven't really seen much if any performance improvement from the previous version to a current version of any tour ball that I have tried.  I was wondering at what point does it make sense for a company like yours to introduce a new/improved model.

We are in the process right now of testing new protos to continue to improve in some area of performance.  In fact i just received the new protos to begin testing this week.. I do not believe that a golf ball needs to be updated every year... once a player gets used of the performance, then it is changed and the process starts all over again.. we just started shipping the MY TOUR BALL around the first of April, so around 7 months now... the proto phases take some time to make, test, refine, make test, etc... so we start this process early.  I appreciate all the feedback on these types of forums and trust me, your voices are heard in the development of new products.. So we plan to keep the MY TOUR BALL for next year, and will continue to develop new golf balls until we have something that we feel can truly help the player... I will not introduce a new ball just to say NEW on the package and try to get more shelf space.. no need to do that at all...

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Dean - Amen to your answer -  Gains in golf ball technology, seem minimal to me at this point, an extra yard every so often perhaps (or perhaps its as much because the player has changed and a ball that once fit no longer does quite so much) a bit softer feel, a tad bit more spin around the green, hardly noticeable for anyone but the very elite player.

 

To my way of thinking it's better to stick with the same ball for a couple or three years at least.  It takes a month or so of play to get accustomed to its performance around the green and flight characteristics.  Most often familiarity far out weighs what little gain their might be in technological advancement.

 

Right now I have a dozen and a half My Tour Balls, a dozen Bridgestone B330 Rxs and a dozen Pro VIs (someone gave them to me as a gift for performing their grandchild's wedding.)  All three are great golf balls but all perform a bit differently in regards to feel, ball flight and greenside spin.  Once I get around the green I have to be very mindful of which ball I'm playing when selecting a shot because the difference in spin can make a difference of a couple of feet - huge difference in make percentage between a 4 footer and a 6 footer. 

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Actually, I am very happy with the MTB right now, and did not ask looking for another ball.  I was just curious about why ball manufacturers keep releasing updated versions.  I agree with you and rev that once a player gets the feel of a ball, there better be a good reason to make a change.  

 

I received a dozen Get Sum balls while I was on my trip the last two weeks and will be starting to get a feel for them when the weather gets a little cooler.  There is a point when it doesn't really matter what ball I use when the temperature gets cold.  Yeah, the softer ball helps but the biggest factor is the firmness of the fairways and greens.  It feels better hitting a soft ball when it gets below freezing!

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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  • 2 months later...

Awesome thread.  I have a question on the golf ball seam.   There seems to be much varied opinions on whether or not a seamless ball improves the flight characteristics or not.  Since the MTB ball does have a seam it leads me to believe that a seamless ball doesn't have any significant advantage over a ball with a seam.   Also, does a seam reduce the amount of dimple coverage on a golf ball by any kind of significant amount?  

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  • 1 month later...

I too, have a slower swing speed (87-95) and have been gaming low compression balls....to date I have tried Maxfli Softli, Snell Get Sum, Titleist DT Trusoft, 3Up 2S14, Wilson Duo & Wilson Duo Spin.  Of these I like theSoftli(2 doz/$25) & Get Sum(3 doz/$45) the best. Both tend to be a bit longer off the driver and chip well around the greens. I am currently playing the Get Sum and have to say the $15/doz price point for 3 dozen is a terrific value.

Anybody else been comparing Low compression balls? 

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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