Golf balls have come a long way since the days of the old 'feathery' which most of you will have heard of but never seen. This was made from a ball cover of stitched pieces of leather packed full of boiled feathers, and it was surprisingly hard. A 'gentleman's top hat full' was the amount properly used.
This was then superseded by a ball made from solid gutta percha, and it was noticed that the more the ball was used, the farther it went. Ultimately it was realized that this was due to the roughening of the ball with play, and so developed the era of the dimpled ball.
Today, golf balls are high tech components of your golfing equipment. The dimples have been scientifically calculated and arranged for maximum use of spin and the aerodynamics of spinning spheres have been used to best advantage. Various materials of construction have been tested, and it now appears that you have a choice of two basic coverings: balata or surlyn.
A balata ball has a rubber wound core with a balata covering. This is a soft urethane material that is easily cut. It is said to more playable in that better use can be made of spin with it. Hence you can get more backspin, and stop it quickly on greens, and also fade and draw the ball easier. It also implies, however, that if you have a tendency to slice or hook, the ball will curve more and end farther off target. You also sacrifice some distance in exchange for this capability to better shape your shot.
A surlyn ball has a solid core and is therefore a lot harder than the balata ball. Surlyn is a synthetic material design to be hard wearing, and to eliminate cuts and nicks. By gaining that, however, you lose the ability to use spin to the same effect. However, a surlyn ball is cheaper and harder wearing than the balata ball, and it also travels farther.
Another property of golf balls that you should be aware of is the compression. Typical ratings are 80 - 100, with most players using the average 90. The compression is the amount by which the ball compresses when struck, and the higher the compression rating, the harder the ball feels when you hit it. Compression generally has no effect on distance, so if you have a choice go for the figure that feels best for you.
Having this information, what type of golf ball should you choose to play with? For most golfers, it really makes little, if any, difference. There are those that can play with either and not notice. The surlyn balls are often called 'distance' balls, and the balata 'spin' balls. Typical balata balls include the Titleist Pro VI, and they are better for the more competent player who is able to control the spin imparted to the ball.
Professionals, that are able to hit the ball as far as they need to, tend to use the soft balata spin balls because they generally need to be able to hold the ball better on the green, and to shape their shots either round obstructions or into positions that give them an easier next shot. The average player is more concerned with playing this shot than the next one, and curving the ball round a tree is more luck than judgment.
The ordinary golfer is better with the two piece surlyn ball, not only for the distance, but because it is harder. You don't want your ball to be all cut up after two or three holes, and a mis-hit can easily damage a soft covered ball. In addition to that, ordinary players tend to slice more, and the effect of the slice is minimized with the harder ball that takes less spin. A slice is caused by clockwise spin on the ball, or counter-clockwise for left handed players. Obviously a ball designed to make best use of spin is going to slice much worse than one that is not.
Finally, the best advice you can be given is to try out a few balls and play the one you feel best with. A harder cover might be better for you in general, but there are many different makes of surlyn ball, among them the Nike Juice 321 and the Wilson Titanium.
Choose which you like best, and play with it for a few rounds. Eventually you will find a type of golf ball that you like, and that you will stick with. Most beginners, however, don't care what ball they play with and have a long way to go before it makes a difference!
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