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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.

 

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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

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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

 

 

 

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

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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. 20201009_191544.jpeg

Take Dead Aim

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

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Found a GolfWeek article but no date on it. It says 2 yards less per 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Screenshot_20201009-192010_Chrome.jpeg

Take Dead Aim

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

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36 minutes ago, Tsmithjr9 said:

Found a GolfWeek article but no date on it. It says 2 yards less per 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Screenshot_20201009-192010_Chrome.jpeg

Take Dead Aim
 

The 10* 2 yards is for air density not due to the ball being cold. 

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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.

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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 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

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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.

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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

 

 

 

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

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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.

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I play the same ball regardless. Speed may change, but I still want a quality ball with urethane cover to help around the greens.

Driver: :mizuno-small: ST190 9.5* Fujikura Atmos Blue 5S
Fairway Wood: :mizuno-small: ST190 15* Fujikura Atmos Blue 6S
Hybrid: :mizuno-small: CLK 17* Fujikura Speeder EVO HB
Irons: :bridgestone-small: J40 CB (3-PW) Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: :taylormade-small: Milled Grind 2 54* & 58* Dynamic Gold S200
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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

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

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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.

"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

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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.

 

 

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3 Wood (13.5*) - :titleist-small: 980F 
4 Wood (18*) - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Hybrid (19*) - :taylormade-small: RBZ
4i - PW - :wilson_staff_small: D7 Forged - Recoil 760 ( S )
52* - :cleveland-small: CBX
58* - :cleveland-small: CBX Full Face 2
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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.

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Hybrids: :titelist-small: 913H 19° & 21°

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  • 2 weeks later...

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. 

Brandon Johnson, MBA
COO / Co-founder North American Golf Tour 

www.northamericangolftour.com

e: bjohnson@northamericangolftour.com

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
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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?

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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 black


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Driver - Cobra LtDxLS

3 Wood - Ping g410 LST

2iron - Titleist U505

Irons - Ping i59

Wedges - Vokey Sm9

Putter - Mizuno Mcraft IV

 

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Man, I play the same ball all year. Sometimes all of this is just overthinking things.

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: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

Putter:  :edel-golf-1: EAS 1.0

Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX

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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. 

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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. 

Brandon Johnson, MBA
COO / Co-founder North American Golf Tour 

www.northamericangolftour.com

e: bjohnson@northamericangolftour.com

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
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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.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max (10.5* set at -1 and neutral) -- Mitsubishi Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Fairway: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 3 wood (16.5*) and Heaven Wood (20*)-- Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Hybrids: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 5H (23*)--Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Irons:  :callaway-small: 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: :ping-small: Pioneer...Shoes: :footjoy-small: Hyperflex... Glove: Red Rooster Feather

 

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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.

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

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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 by Jackal

Always chasing different clubs

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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?

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: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

Putter:  :edel-golf-1: EAS 1.0

Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX

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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 

:ping-small: G430 Max 10K 

:titelist-small: TSiR1 15.0 Aldlia Ascent 60g

:titelist-small: TSR2 18.0 PX Aldila Ascent 6og

:titelist-small: TSi1 20 Aldila Ascent Shafts R

:titelist-small: T350 5-GW SteelFiber I80 

:titelist-small: SM10 48F/54M and58K

:ping-small: S159 48S/52S/56W/60B

:scotty-cameron-1: Select 5.5 Flowback 35" 

:titelist-small: ProV1  Play number 12

 

 

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