DiscipleofPenick Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 When is it too cold to play high compression balls? After seeing the initial tests from the ball lab, the ones I like to play are 90 compression or higher? At what temp does one start to lose distance or performance with the firm balls? It's close to the end of the season in northern Ohio, but still in the low 70s right now, so I thought good time to pose this question. Also, I know compression is different now than from the wound ball era. Take Dead Aim Quote Take Dead Aim Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15* Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18* Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58 Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar Ball: Srixon Z-Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shankster Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 silver & black, PMookie and aerospace_ray 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscipleofPenick Posted October 9, 2020 Author Share Posted October 9, 2020 Thanks for the link but I think their conclusion is a false equivalency. They had a ball at 90F and one at 42F but the room is a comfortable 75F. It makes sense that a colder, firmer ball will go further than a super heated ball that the tester admitted to over compressing. I suppose it's difficult to test with all temps, dew point, humidity % and so on. Take Dead Aim Quote Take Dead Aim Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15* Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18* Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58 Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar Ball: Srixon Z-Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscipleofPenick Posted October 9, 2020 Author Share Posted October 9, 2020 Found an article on GD from 2013. Here's a screencap of a quote from Dean Snell. My question is now, is 40 degrees the cutoff, or is it a bit higher temp the performance drops? The search continues. Take Dead Aim MattF, Flip4000, PMookie and 1 other 4 Quote Take Dead Aim Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15* Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18* Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58 Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar Ball: Srixon Z-Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscipleofPenick Posted October 9, 2020 Author Share Posted October 9, 2020 Found a GolfWeek article but no date on it. It says 2 yards less per 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Take Dead Aim MattF 1 Quote Take Dead Aim Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15* Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18* Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58 Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar Ball: Srixon Z-Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEZIPR23 Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 36 minutes ago, Tsmithjr9 said: Found a GolfWeek article but no date on it. It says 2 yards less per 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Take Dead Aim The 10* 2 yards is for air density not due to the ball being cold. JohnSmalls 1 Quote Stealth 2+ 9 (Diamana PD 60 S 45") Stealth 2+ 15 (Diamana PD 70 S 43") G425 19 (Raijin 2.0 85x) G425 22 (Raijin 2.0 85x) ZX7 5-9 (KBS C Taper S) Vokey SM9 45 10 F (KBS 610) Vokey SM9 49 08 F (KBS 610) Vokey SM9 55 08 M (KBS 610) Vokey SM9 59 04 T (KBS 610) Spider GT Splitback 34" ProV1 #23 Twitter @THEZIPR23 "One thing Golf has taught me, is that my muscles have no memory." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shankster Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 I personally don’t change, even when I was living in the tundra. Playing the V1x at the time, it got down into the 30’s sometimes when I played. I’ve strayed away from the ProV1 too many times, and every time I do I expect something to be better... but they never are. But my dad and his buddies all started to use a softer ball when it got into the 50’s. Golfspy_CG2, silver & black, Flip4000 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenGolfer Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 I live in Ohio and play in temps ranging from 90 degrees to 40 degrees and I always play the same ball. I honestly don't notice much difference in distance and Im not convinced that much of that distance difference is more the effect of wearing a polo and sweater/jacket and the effect it has only how easy it is to swing a club more than it is in how a ball somehow compresses and springs off the club face. MattF and silver & black 2 Quote "I suppose its better to be a master of 7 than to be vaguely familiar with 14." - Chick Evans Whats in my Sun Mountain 2.5+ stand bag? Woods: Tommy Armour Atomic 10.5* Hybrid: Mizuno MP Fli-Hi 3H Irons: Mizuno T-Zoid True 5, 7 and 9-irons Wedge: Mizuno S18 54* and Top Flite chipper Putter: Mizuno Bettinardi A-02 Ball: Maxfli Tour X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver & black Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 11 hours ago, BadgerGolfer said: I live in Ohio and play in temps ranging from 90 degrees to 40 degrees and I always play the same ball. I honestly don't notice much difference in distance and Im not convinced that much of that distance difference is more the effect of wearing a polo and sweater/jacket and the effect it has only how easy it is to swing a club more than it is in how a ball somehow compresses and springs off the club face. I'm in Massillon, and I change to a cheaper ball starting in the Fall, just because I lose so many in the leaves and glare of the sun. Like you, I really don't see much difference in distance because of the temp. I do notice a difference in swinging freely because of bulkier clothing. MattF and tony@CIC 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscipleofPenick Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 I live in Ohio and play in temps ranging from 90 degrees to 40 degrees and I always play the same ball. I honestly don't notice much difference in distance and Im not convinced that much of that distance difference is more the effect of wearing a polo and sweater/jacket and the effect it has only how easy it is to swing a club more than it is in how a ball somehow compresses and springs off the club face.I am Ohio too. And the articles are talking maybe 10 yards of difference when it's 40 degrees vs. when it's 90 degrees. And I agree with @silver & black play something you don't mind losing in the fall. I just got home from the course today and the leaves are coming down. Take Dead Aim silver & black and ZenGolfer 2 Quote Take Dead Aim Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15* Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18* Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58 Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar Ball: Srixon Z-Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middler Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 If you’re really concerned, use two balls. Not sure where I first heard it but one ball in play and one in your (warm) pocket, and swap balls at each tee. The ball doesn’t get uniformly cold to the core instantly. I used to buy lower compression balls in winter (Chicago) but I quit worrying about it years ago. Makes little difference for 95% of us. Quote Titleist TSR2 11° HZRDUS Red CB 50 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize Titleist TSR2 16.5º HZRDUS Red 60 CB 6.0 & TSR2 21º HZRDUS Black 4G 70 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize Mizuno JPX923 HMP 4-GW, T22 54.12WS, T22 58.04DC w Lamkin ST+2 Hybrid Midsize Evnroll EV5.3 Maxfli Tour & ProV1 Ping Pioneer - MGI Zip Navigator AT Payntr X 002 LE, Ecco Biom C4, Payntr X 001 F (Mesh) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TR1PTIK Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 I play the same ball regardless. Speed may change, but I still want a quality ball with urethane cover to help around the greens. Quote Driver: ST190 9.5* Fujikura Atmos Blue 5S Fairway Wood: ST190 15* Fujikura Atmos Blue 6S Hybrid: CLK 17* Fujikura Speeder EVO HB Irons: J40 CB (3-PW) Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: Milled Grind 2 54* & 58* Dynamic Gold S200 Putter: Tri-Hot 5k Two 34" Bag: Players 5 Stand Bag Ball: Maxfli Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscipleofPenick Posted October 12, 2020 Author Share Posted October 12, 2020 I play the same ball regardless. Speed may change, but I still want a quality ball with urethane cover to help around the greens.That's a good point. Balls may go the similarly, but the urethane ones sure stop different. Though as seen in the ball lab reports one can find a urethane at 90 compression or higher (Pro V1, Snell) or at 75 (Chrome Soft)Take Dead Aim tony@CIC 1 Quote Take Dead Aim Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15* Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18* Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58 Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar Ball: Srixon Z-Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenGolfer Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 On 10/10/2020 at 1:30 PM, Tsmithjr9 said: I am Ohio too. And the articles are talking maybe 10 yards of difference when it's 40 degrees vs. when it's 90 degrees. And I agree with @silver & black play something you don't mind losing in the fall. I just got home from the course today and the leaves are coming down. Take Dead Aim Amen. My bigger concern in the fall is losing expensive balls. Theres nothing worse than thinking you hit your ball in the fairway, only to not be able to find the darned thing because its under a leaf. silver & black 1 Quote "I suppose its better to be a master of 7 than to be vaguely familiar with 14." - Chick Evans Whats in my Sun Mountain 2.5+ stand bag? Woods: Tommy Armour Atomic 10.5* Hybrid: Mizuno MP Fli-Hi 3H Irons: Mizuno T-Zoid True 5, 7 and 9-irons Wedge: Mizuno S18 54* and Top Flite chipper Putter: Mizuno Bettinardi A-02 Ball: Maxfli Tour X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardcoreLooper Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 4 hours ago, BadgerGolfer said: Amen. My bigger concern in the fall is losing expensive balls. Theres nothing worse than thinking you hit your ball in the fairway, only to not be able to find the darned thing because its under a leaf. That's when the lake balls come out. They're still Srixon Z-Star XVs, but they're not brand new. I'll be honest, I hit the Z-Star and the XV about the same distance at any temperature. I just like the harder feel of the XV. DiscipleofPenick 1 Quote What's in the bag: Driver - F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S ) 3 Wood (13.5*) - 980F 4 Wood (18*) - F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S ) 3 Hybrid (19*) - RBZ 4i - PW - D7 Forged - Recoil 760 ( S ) 52* - CBX 58* - CBX Full Face 2 Putter - Craz-e Bag - 2.5 (Blue) Ball - AVX Instagram - @hardcorelooper Twitter - @meovino Facebook - mike.eovino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collins923 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 On 10/10/2020 at 1:37 PM, Middler said: If you’re really concerned, use two balls. Not sure where I first heard it but one ball in play and one in your (warm) pocket, and swap balls at each tee. The ball doesn’t get uniformly cold to the core instantly. I used to buy lower compression balls in winter (Chicago) but I quit worrying about it years ago. Makes little difference for 95% of us. This is the best answer. Cook a couple in your pocket on the way to the course and then alternate between two or three balls so that you're always playing a warm ball. Quote Driver: ST-180 10.5°, Mitsubishi Diamana B Series 60 X Fairway: ST-180 15°, Mitsubishi Diamana W-Series 70 X Hybrids: 913H 19° & 21° Irons: C300 5-GW, KBS Tour V stiff Wedges: SM8 54.12D and 58.12D Putter: Toulon Columbus Ball: Tour B XS RH, 7.5 hcp from Boston, MA - PM if you ever need a 4th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackal Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 When it gets cold enough for me to wear long pants, I switch to a softer golf ball. Quote Always chasing different clubs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bohnson Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 Is there any science behind a softer ball performing better in cold weather? I think it is imperative to keep your clubs and balls in the warm house when it is cold out. Hitting frozen balls and frozen clubs will kill your distance. Quote Brandon Johnson, MBA COO / Co-founder North American Golf Tour www.northamericangolftour.com e: [email protected] WITB: D - Taylormade M1 w/ tensie pro orange 3w- Taylormade M1 w/ tensie pro orange 2i - Srixon 4- 5 Srixon 785 6- 9 Srixon z blades PW, GW, SW, LW Cleveland rtx true temper shafts in all of my irons putter - Odyssey #9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver & black Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 On 10/23/2020 at 11:17 AM, Bohnson said: Is there any science behind a softer ball performing better in cold weather? I think it is imperative to keep your clubs and balls in the warm house when it is cold out. Hitting frozen balls and frozen clubs will kill your distance. How do you keep clubs warm while playing? I understand keeping balls in your pocket, but I would think clubs would acclimate within minutes of being exposed? Bohnson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah T Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 I live in Utah and put a little disposable hand warmer in the pouch I keep golf balls in. In years past, once it got a below 50 degrees, I’d switch to Q-star tours, but after Wednesday’s ball lab....I’ll probably still switch to a lower compression ball, maybe snell Mtb blackSent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy GregGarner 1 Quote Driver - Cobra LtDxLS 3 Wood - Ping g410 LST 2iron - Titleist U505 Irons - Ping i59 Wedges - Vokey Sm9 Putter - Mizuno Mcraft IV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMookie Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 Man, I play the same ball all year. Sometimes all of this is just overthinking things. Golfspy_CG2, Chip Strokes and HardcoreLooper 3 Quote Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X Irons: Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100 Wedges: SMS 50D/54V/58DModus 130 stiff, +1” Putter: EAS 1.0 Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golfspy_CG2 Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 On 10/9/2020 at 8:40 PM, BadgerGolfer said: I live in Ohio and play in temps ranging from 90 degrees to 40 degrees and I always play the same ball. I honestly don't notice much difference in distance and Im not convinced that much of that distance difference is more the effect of wearing a polo and sweater/jacket and the effect it has only how easy it is to swing a club more than it is in how a ball somehow compresses and springs off the club face. I was going to post this exact comment. This has more of an effect than the ball. On 10/23/2020 at 11:17 AM, Bohnson said: Is there any science behind a softer ball performing better in cold weather? I think it is imperative to keep your clubs and balls in the warm house when it is cold out. Hitting frozen balls and frozen clubs will kill your distance. 45 minutes ago, PMookie said: Man, I play the same ball all year. Sometimes all of this is just overthinking things. I played golf this week with a friend who has worked for both Titleist and Bridgestone in the ball category. i asked him this exact question and he said, no. So I’ll tske that as a pretty informed answer. ZenGolfer, HardcoreLooper and GregGarner 3 Quote G430 Max 10K TSiR1 15.0 Aldlia Ascent 60g TSR2 18.0 PX Aldila Ascent 6og TSi1 20 Aldila Ascent Shafts R T350 5-GW SteelFiber I80 SM10 48F/54M and58K S159 48S/52S/56W/60B Select 5.5 Flowback 35" ProV1 Play number 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bohnson Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 5 hours ago, silver & black said: How do you keep clubs warm while playing? I understand keeping balls in your pocket, but I would think clubs would acclimate within minutes of being exposed? You can’t, I have seen guys keep their sticks in the trunk overnight and then the next morning they are frozen. Quote Brandon Johnson, MBA COO / Co-founder North American Golf Tour www.northamericangolftour.com e: [email protected] WITB: D - Taylormade M1 w/ tensie pro orange 3w- Taylormade M1 w/ tensie pro orange 2i - Srixon 4- 5 Srixon 785 6- 9 Srixon z blades PW, GW, SW, LW Cleveland rtx true temper shafts in all of my irons putter - Odyssey #9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah T Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 I don’t know about the science, I just like the feel of a softer ball when it’s cold out...Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy Tom the Golf Nut and Kenny B 2 Quote Driver - Cobra LtDxLS 3 Wood - Ping g410 LST 2iron - Titleist U505 Irons - Ping i59 Wedges - Vokey Sm9 Putter - Mizuno Mcraft IV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlH Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 I just play the same ball year round -- Snell MTB X. Prior to shifting to Snell 2 years ago, I played Taylor Made balls year round. HardcoreLooper 1 Quote Driver: Rogue ST Max (10.5* set at -1 and neutral) -- Mitsubishi Tensai Blue 55g R shaft Fairway: Rogue ST Max 3 wood (16.5*) and Heaven Wood (20*)-- Tensai Blue 55g R shaft Hybrids: Rogue ST Max 5H (23*)--Tensai Blue 55g R shaft Irons: Apex CF19 6-9, PW, AW -- KBS Tour Graphite TGI 70 shafts R +1/2 inch 3* upright Wedges: Edison 53* and 57* KBS PGI 80 Graphite +1/2 inch 2* upright Putter: L.A.B. DF 2.1 -- BGT Stability shaft Ball: Maxfli TourX...Golf Bag: Pioneer...Shoes: Hyperflex... Glove: Red Rooster Feather My Photography can be seen at Smugmug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 2 minutes ago, Micah T said: I don’t know about the science, I just like the feel of a softer ball when it’s cold out... I agree. When my hands are cold, hitting a hard ball doesn't feel very good on these old hands. Today I played at 40º and used a soft ball. Made almost no sound off the club (but I am a little hard of hearing) and no vibration like I get at this temp with a tour ball. I had a few longish drives for me which was unusual since I wore 4 layers of clothing, but we did have 15-20 mph wind. Tomorrow we will have a frost delay since it's supposed to be 23º overnight. When the greens freeze below the surface, a tour ball doesn't stop any better than a softer ball. Quote “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackal Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 (edited) I saw many years ago, where a guy played in freezing temps. He had a thermos that he put hot water in at home. Then, when the thermos was hot, poured the water out, and kept 3 warm golf balls in the empty thermos. If I bring a thermos, it'll have coffee in it. Edited October 25, 2020 by Jackal Golfspy_CG2, tony@CIC and silver & black 3 Quote Always chasing different clubs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMookie Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 3 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said: I was going to post this exact comment. This has more of an effect than the ball. I played golf this week with a friend who has worked for both Titleist and Bridgestone in the ball category. i asked him this exact question and he said, no. So I’ll tske that as a pretty informed answer. Meaning he said don’t change balls? Golfspy_CG2 1 Quote Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X Irons: Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100 Wedges: SMS 50D/54V/58DModus 130 stiff, +1” Putter: EAS 1.0 Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golfspy_CG2 Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 2 hours ago, PMookie said: Meaning he said don’t change balls? Essentially. There would be no difference in performance. We had the whole soft is slow discussion as well. Be agrees with Tony’s findings PMookie 1 Quote G430 Max 10K TSiR1 15.0 Aldlia Ascent 60g TSR2 18.0 PX Aldila Ascent 6og TSi1 20 Aldila Ascent Shafts R T350 5-GW SteelFiber I80 SM10 48F/54M and58K S159 48S/52S/56W/60B Select 5.5 Flowback 35" ProV1 Play number 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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