Range balls and temp

[RobbyT]

Yes, the range ball will go much shorter, I think below 80 degrees it is 1 yard for every 4 degrees cooler

[Zeebedy]

21 hours ago, Buffly said:

That is a loaded question

My experience is that my gaps from club to club do not drastically change with range balls (in good condition). Range balls may not fly as far, but they usually remain relatively consistent from club to club. 

People who struggle with longer irons not flying much farther than mid irons are usually having a combination of issues from poor impact (off-center), not enough club head speed, poor attack angle (too steep), thin strikes (trying to lift), and fat shots, etc. 

Hybrids help some golfers with those issues by increasing club head speed (lighter graphite shafts that are longer than irons), oversized face compared irons have larger sweet spots, lower center of gravity helps get the ball airborne more easily (all in theory based on getting fit or finding the right club for you). 

I wouldn't blame range balls for not being able to carry your 5-6 irons unless you experience no problem with those clubs and your normal game ball??? 

I do tend to catch the ball fattish when I hit a bad one.

im just getting back into golf from a few years back, determined to stick at it for health reasons also, physical and mental..

just can’t wait, (I moved house a few months ago) for my new club to open, get on the course and a few lessons..hopefully, soon.

and I’m fortunate that my club is literally 400 yards up the road, and being a small community, the course, driving range, lessons etc are cheaper than most places..

[Zeebedy]

3 hours ago, RobbyT said:

Yes, the range ball will go much shorter, I think below 80 degrees it is 1 yard for every 4 degrees cooler

So, if my math is correct, -1 would be roughly 80/4, so 20 odd yards in those condItions 

surely not that much?

[Kenny B]

1 hour ago, Zeebedy said:

So, if my math is correct, -1 would be roughly 80/4, so 20 odd yards in those condItions 

surely not that much?

No, the temp was -1ºC or 30ºF.  So, about 12-13 yards.

[Zeebedy]

5 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

No, the temp was -1ºC or 30ºF.  So, about 12-13 yards.

Ahh, ok, thanks. Thought I would be wrong!

still, for me, 12-13 yards is a big chunk of change!

[Middler]

On 1/20/2021 at 11:37 AM, TR1PTIK said:

When it comes to distance, I wouldn't pay much attention to what range balls do regardless of weather. There just is no comparison to a quality, non-limited flight, golf ball like you'd use on the course. Unless the ball is traveling severely (and routinely) offline, I wouldn't let a range ball's flight be the determining factor in whether or not I need to work on my swing. If impact and turf interaction are good, the ball starts online, and hits the approximate window you'd like to see, don't worry about the rest.

+1. I’ve read articles that suggest range balls will give you about 85% of your distance using a decent ball. And range balls vary considerably as well. They’re only good for loosening up to me, and general swing training. They’re not useful for establishing distances for each club, you’ll hit longer on course with a decent ball...

[GaDawg]

in my opinion, both have an impact. Normally in the summer months with 85 - 90*F, I am about a club to club and half longer. Most range balls are about 10% shorter than a premium ball. I don't have data to back this up, just my opinion and experience.

[fixyurdivot]

I'm just happy a couple of the ranges here have invested in new balls and good ball washers.  Some places are absolutely horrid - especially when moist with lots of sand.  Old, rough, balls dusted with sand = no Bueno on club face wear .

[Kenny B]

3 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

I'm just happy a couple of the ranges here have invested in new balls and good ball washers.  Some places are absolutely horrid - especially when moist with lots of sand.  Old, rough, balls dusted with sand = no Bueno on club face wear .

My muni is pretty good about their range balls.  After balls are picked from the range, they are washed in a large ball washer, transferred to plastic garbage cans and transported inside to the pro shop.  Baskets are sanitized, of course, then ball are rented back out to customers.  Even when it's cold outside, at least the balls are given to us at room temperature.  They cull out any older and cut balls and constantly add new balls into the supply.  Very rarely will I find a ball in the basket that is not worth hitting into the range.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

10 hours ago, Kenny B said:

My muni is pretty good about their range balls.  After balls are picked from the range, they are washed in a large ball washer, transferred to plastic garbage cans and transported inside to the pro shop.  Baskets are sanitized, of course, then ball are rented back out to customers.  Even when it's cold outside, at least the balls are given to us at room temperature.  They cull out any older and cut balls and constantly add new balls into the supply.  Very rarely will I find a ball in the basket that is not worth hitting into the range.

Your muni is better than my private club. They pick the range, load them into a plastic garbage can that is strapped on the back of a golf cart. This cart is parked next to the pro shop. Then they have a stack of baskets in the basket of the cart. At the end of the day they pull the cart into the non heated cart barn. So the ball temperatures are the same as the outside temperature all the time. Who knows how often the balls are washed. I think the morning dew on the grass does most of the cleaning!

Back to the original question in the post. Balls travel less in colder conditions from several factors. Air is denser as it gets colder. Ball materials used reacts differently in colder conditions, and your club material reacts differently in colder conditions. Range balls have a much harder/ durable cover to hold up to the thousands of hits. This material typically does not grip the club face and spin as much as a premium ball thus reducing lift.

I'm toward the end of testing the Top Flight Gamer ball. If you read this thread you will see that I have experienced distance loss with this ball in cold conditions compared to other balls. These are brand new balls. To add to this I had two lower single digit handicap players hit two balls of two models in the early morning where the air temperature was just under 36 degrees. The Gamer flew shorter than the Pro V1 by some 10 to 15 yards. Same day, same two players, at 56 degrees the Gamer flew the same distance as the Pro V1. So if I happened to test this ball in the summer I would have never found out about the issues experienced in the cold. So if I like the ball I know I would have to switch out in the winter. 

[lasorcier]

I think there are a lot of factors at play.  35 degrees is about as low as I will go and it needs to be calm and sunny and warmer than that when I started the round.  The distance loss is substantial.  I think it is because of:

1.  Cold air is denser, so the ball has to fight the air more

2.  My clubs are cold.  So, they cannot flex as much and the face cannot be as springy as it would otherwise be

3.  I am cold.  To fix that involves more layers.  More layers restricts the swing, so swing speed and therefore ball speed, drop as a result

On the plus side, the ground is much harder.  So, there is more bounding and rollout.

When I played last (mid-december), the ground was frozen about a half inch deep.  So, the ball would make a huge bounce high into the air.  It even makes a sound.  It is similar to when you would hit a sprinkler head in summertime. 

So, it isn't just the ball as being the cause of problems in cold.  It is the combination of all factors.  All of that adds up to significant distance loss for me.  As an example, on the 11th hole of my home course, there is a par 3 that is around 150.  In summer, this is a 9-iron unless there is a complicating factor (wind, etc).  When I played it in December, I used a 7 iron.  It was a nice day for December and was around 50-55 degrees.  The ball hits the green with a loud thud, bounces pretty high and then pretty much dies.  So, it is a 2-club difference.  It becomes a 3 club distance as the sun's angle decreases and it gets colder.

With a driver, there is definite significant distance loss, but it is mitigated to some degree by the extra rollout than one would get in summer.  With short irons, the extra rollout isn't a factor.

The above is with a good ball, not a range ball.

Hope that helps.