Does the ball matter in a club fitting?

[paul6057]

My instinct on this one is "obviously, yes" but then I got thinking a bit further. If I'm being fit using GC4 or Trackman, does the ball I'm hitting make a difference to the club fitting numbers? Are the spin numbers and ball speed numbers actually measured and calculated, or are they estimated based on the clubhead?

 

I'm asking because a lot of courses seem to offer fitting services, but in range studios, so therefore the only option is to hit range balls. Is that type of fitting any good or should it be avoided?

[RickyBobby_PR]

Yes the ball can affect those. If you generate a lot of spin playing a ball designed to spin is going to make your already high spin shots even higher, vice versa if you don’t generate a lot of spin playing a ball that doesn’t spin a lot will show low spin on the monitor.
 

Find a ball that does what you want on/around the greens and with your approach game. Then fit driver to the ball.

There are certain aspects of the launch characteristics that are part of the algorithm and some monitors read different heads differently for clubhead speed which is why good fitters are looking at ball speed instead.

indoor fittings depending on the monitor and if the balls aren’t marked with dots or using rct may have some issues reading on the monitor and if there’s not enough room in front of trackman it becomes even more of an issue.

also when hitting off mats compared to grass spin will be lower and launch higher for irons. A good fitter will know how much difference there is for their mats vs grass

 

Edited April 9 by RickyBobby_PR

[sman3115]

There are definitely some that read it some that calculate an estimate.  I mean typical logic says to do the fitting with whatever ball you are going to play with to get the best results.

Then as a counterpoint, if you are hitting the same ball with multiple clubs, as in a typical fitting, how much does it matter?  I mean the numbers may not be what you see on the course, but you are looking at performance relative to the other clubs you hit.  A lot of the numbers are more or less subjective as your swing may be different one day to the next and even from the start of the fitting to the end.  That's why you want an experienced fitter who you can trust that understands you and doesnt push a 100% solution at the end of the fitting.  Especially on non-driver fittings where the mat and simulated turf interaction is so much different than you'd see on the course.

Though if you are in a studio and getting fit and you are hitting range balls that would be a red flag right off the top.  I've gotten fit at TrueSpec (ProV1) and GolfTec (TP5) so I would be cautious if they drop down some beat up yellow pinacle ranges rocks on you.

The best thing to do if you can, is to get fit, if you can get fit by different fitters again do it and compare, then resist the sales pitch to buy on the spot.  Then try and find demo's or a store where you can hit for free and try them out on your own, especially if you can take it to the range.  The more data points the better.  I think of the fitting as like step 2 of 5, not 1 of 1.

[Hacker60521]

@paul6057 this is a really interesting question. I had an indoor fitting with TrueSpec, and they had a wide variety of golf balls. So,  I used the same ball I normally play. When I did a Callaway outdoor fitting for fun last year, the fitter had a launch monitor (maybe a GC Quad?) so I could see ball flight using range balls along with monitor data.

 

Honestly, I’m probably not good enough to interpret too many things at once. My sense is that if I get good, consistent ball flight even from a range ball then the club will probably work “even better” with my regular ball.

 

[jaskanski]

If you can use your gamer ball for your fitting numbers, then so much the better. You'll be comparing apples to apples with your overall specs.

If you have the luxury of Trackman and an outdoor fitting so you can visually see what's going on downrange - win/win. The mk1 eyeball still cuts through the BS on just about everything.

[jaskanski]

...I should also add - the eyeball shows the here and now - the Trackman explains the why...

[paul6057]

On 4/9/2024 at 6:49 PM, jaskanski said:

If you can use your gamer ball for your fitting numbers, then so much the better. You'll be comparing apples to apples with your overall specs.

If you have the luxury of Trackman and an outdoor fitting so you can visually see what's going on downrange - win/win. The mk1 eyeball still cuts through the BS on just about everything.

I could book a fitting at a range that use Z Stars and GC4, but most of my local places are either on the range with range balls, or in indoor simulators.

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 hours ago, paul6057 said:

I could book a fitting at a range that use Z Stars and GC4, but most of my local places are either on the range with range balls, or in indoor simulators.

Depending on the condition of the range balls and assuming they aren’t limited flight balls there’s about a 10% difference between range balls and a prov1 type ball. If the fitter is using a trackman they can set it to optimize al which translates the data as if a prov1 was being used

[McGolf]

The short answer is yes,  it can make a difference.  However, dont get wrapped around the axel. An indoor fitting can just has good and if not better than outside. 

For instance if you go to the range with your perfect golf balls and whatever launch monitor and you hit into a 10 mph head win you wont see the typical 275 yd shot off the tee nor proper flight.  This is the same argument as hitting off a mat. they (fitting areas) all have pros and cons, It comes down to the person operating the gear and integrating the data into the fitting. As Per Ricky above

Back to the ball, range balls are hard, greasy, and very durable.  That's why they are range balls.  In lower irons say from 7 or 8 iron down you probably wont see a bunch of performance difference except spin however not by a lot. When you go up in club selection the range ball will under perform about one club length due to the lack of rebound and added spin. 

I would suggest warming up with the range ball and if finding parameters such a length then its apples to apples. However when doing performance testing use a real golf ball from the same category you like, meaning if you are used to hitting a prov, don't test with a Callaway super soft.  Too muddy the water even more, If you concentrate on the ball and find the one you have been using a poor selection be open to change. :)