Odd question

[ZAP]

I was messing around with my new Casio today and hitting those foam balls in the garage when I think I noticed something. To my eye it seems like the foam balls start more towards the path than I would expect a regular ball to. It kind of makes sense to me because the softer ball would kind of "stick" to the clubface.

If you think this is an odd question you should try hanging around me for a whole day. lol

 

[ekennedy]

Eyeoffish,

I wondered the same thing about balata golf balls...clearly to a lesser degree than the nerf balls you're using. I suppose there are still balata balls around that can be tested and maybe a gutta percha or two.

 

[bax1865]

I would say that would make a difference. The longer the time it takes for the club to reach maximum compression the longer the ball would remain of the face. The longer it remains on the face the more the path will influence. With that premise........does the face alignment of the putter have greater influence than that of the driver. If so, how much difference? I always had a tough time beleiving that the ball remains on the face of the putter and the driver for the same amount of time.

 

[ekennedy]

I know this topic was brought up during the Anti-Summit, but have there been any studies on the length of time the golf ball stays on the face with softer golf balls, i.e. balata, or low compression balls? Is it significantly different than the Pro-V1? If so, how would it affect the balls initial direction or trajectory?

 

[softconsult]

Do you guys that played Balata balls, I sure did, ever smile when the subject of draws and fades come up. The younger guys simply have no idea how much those balls would curve ( and cut ).

 

[softconsult]

"does the face alignment of the putter have greater influence than that of the driver."

Don't know about the comparison, but Mangum says that a face mis-alignment the thickness of a blade of grass away from square is way more
significant than the path. He had an exact number, but I don't recall it.