Spin-Balanced Balls?

[Big Brother Dunk]

Do you spin-balance your golf balls?


I've been using the Check-go spinner for 5 or 6 years now and in my opinion, it does make a difference.

[Pa Jayhawk]

I've been using the Check-GO for about 2-3 years now. Before that I used Dave Pelz old trick of floating the ball with Epsom salt and tapping the top side with a Sharpee and drawing a line around the ball. Now Pelz has his own ball spinner.

After the Check-Go, there is no going back. I buy about 5-10 dozen at a time and spend about 2-3 hours spinning the balls, and throw them back in the box.

In my opinion, there is a big difference. I also find that the line is a great way to line up the tee shot with confidence.

[Rockford35]

Uh, ok.

I'm not gonna slam what you guys are saying here, because if this works for you, then use it. That's all there is too it.

But, if you're buying 5-10 dozen balls at a time, would you say that the thing doesn't work?

Just curious if you could shed some more light. I understand the fact that it may line up putts better for some, but I don't use a line to line up my putts, personally...

R35

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

But, if you're buying 5-10 dozen balls at a time, would you say that the thing doesn't work?

This come into play more for other reasons. Playing in the area that I do and specifically my home course which is only 5500 yards from the whites and a slope of 132, 5900 yards from the blues and a slope of 137. There is only water on one hole and it does not come into play. Four of the courses I play the most have a slope of more than 130 from the whites. But everyone seems to love to look at the wonderful trees that are everywhere 10-20 yards wide of the fairways, not to mention the tall grass on every hole.

Reason number 2 is where I live there are no places that sell golf balls for a reasonable rate, or even Clubhouse prices. I play clearance balls because I go through them fast and would spend more on balls in a round then I would the round if I played Pro V1's. Specifically the A-10's at $14 a dozen. However, the Tour Revs are coming down, so I may switch to them this year. To give you some insight, I will go through 4-5 balls a round on the average on this course, less on other. Although I do use found water balls on certain holes (Titleist, Stratas, or Maxfli's). The last friend I played with on my course that was about a 12-13 handicap went through 18 in his first round He packed up what little he had of his Pro V1's after the 5th hole. I amazed he had enough balls in his bag.

Anyways, because I have to drive about an hour to an hour and fifteen to the nearest Dicks or Golfsmith, that sells my ball, I buy quantity. 10 dozen golf balls, playing roughly 3 rounds per week will last me 5-6 months. I would guess I go through 15 dozen a year on a 9 month season.

As far as the putting, I did it for kicks when I saw Pelz article on comparing identical 10 foot putts that broke about 6 inches to a foot different for no apparent reason. Putting has allows been the strong point of my game. Where I used to live my putting average was about 25-27 on a 15 handicap. Since moving up here it is 30-31 average on a 21 handicap. Probably in large part to playing a larger variety of courses. I figure when I take 4-5 penalties a round, putting is the only thing that will save my handicap so I will take every advantage I can get.

[Don]

Not using a line on the ball when you putt is a waste of a good method of lowering your score. Think about it. When you putt, you have two things to think about, line and speed. BUT, if you use a line on the ball and align that line to your target, be it the hole or a spot to the side of the hole to allow for the break, NOW, when you stand over the ball, all you have to do is think about speed. The line is already taken care off my the line on the ball. If you reduce those 2 things to think about down to 1, you just made your life a lot easier. And your putting average should come down quite a bit. May not be for everyone, but it works for me, and a lot of others that have tried it and use a line on the ball all the time.

[Big Brother Dunk]

It seems a lot of pros put a line on thier balls as well. On Tiger's chip-in in the Masters, you could see the line on his ball.

[Rockford35]

Don and BBD,

Putting is a personal thing. Me, I pick a line and judge my speed based on the green. I don't need the line, it just makes me think more. I find myself concentrating more on "is the lins straight to where I'm aiming?" rather than the putt itself.

I carried a handicap of just over 4 last summer. So obviously, my method works - for me.

I was just questioning Jayhawks vast quantities of golf balls that he seems to go through, and he honestly answered which I appreciated. I just couldn't put it together that he'd buy so many balls to put lines on to theoretically lower his scoring on the green (which is the best place to start), but losing golf balls at a rate that he's quoting leads me to beleive that perhaps some lessons would be a better purchase over a machine that helps you put a line on the ball. (No offense Jayhawk, just talking out loud here....)

Remember Ben Hogan? And Bobby Jones? And Walter Hagen? And Sam Snead? All those guys didn't have the benefit of a machine that found the balance of a golf ball and they turned out to be pretty damn good players. Without a line on the golfball.

But honestly, to each their own. Honestly. If it works for you and lowers your score, use that bloody thing until the cows come home. That's the best that one can ask from a tool such as this!

R35

[GregInOz]

I have never spin-balanced a ball. I'm not good enough that minute differences that this may offer would really help me (nor are the cheap-ass balls that I use).
As for the line, I tried it for a while, but I'd aim it up, get over the ball, think "that's not pointed at the hole", second guess it, realign, then all sorts of bad things happened. It just was not for me. I now position the ball so all I can see is white. Nothing to even subconsiouly line up with except the hole.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

but losing golf balls at a rate that he's quoting leads me to beleive that perhaps some lessons would be a better purchase over a machine that helps you put a line on the ball. (No offense Jayhawk, just talking out loud here....)

No offense taken. Actually I picked up the spinner for about $14 when my handicap was still lower.

Lessons are an entirely different matter. I would take 1 a year whether I felt I needed one or not, just to stay away from bad habits. Unfortunately, since moving up here, trying to find a new instructor became an issue. I tried one, which was O.K., but not quite the same as the one where I used to live.

The beginning of next year, I decided I will probably just make the hike down to where I used to live and get a hold of my old instructor. I figure I started 5 years ago, and within 2 years my handicap was down to a 15, since moving it is back up to a 21 (was even higher starting the year) and my shot have lost quite a bit of consistancy, the nice consistant draw I had with all of my clubs is now "Sometimes Snap-hook, sometimes hook, sometimes a pulled draw and sometimes a draw". I owe it to my game to make the trip.

Never thought finding a new instructor would be such a problem.

[Rockford35]

Hey, 2 years and down to a 15, that's very, very good shooting. I commend you for that, it must have taken some practice and concentration.

Lessons, whether you're just starting out, or you've been playing for years, are worth their weight in gold. You have to take from them the positives that influence your particular swing, as not everyone is the same.

It'd be a cool experiment to see how your game reacts, should you seek out your old swing pal. Maybe he's your lucky charm!

R35

[Big Brother Dunk]

Rock, no doubt putting's a personal thing and like you said, whatever works for you.

Nonetheless, I did a test on my pool table and found that the balanced balls rolled truer when rolled on axis than those that were rolled off axis.

I did a fairly lengthy write-up on it, but I couldn't post it. I kept getting an error message for some reason. If I can overcome that, I'll post it.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Can you post in two parts, I'm interested to see what it says.

I may be one the few that enjoys all the extra technical material in the Pelz books.

[Don]

Nothing to even subconsiouly line up with except the hole. GreginOz, not trying to get you to change or anything, but what do you do when you have to allow for a 4 foot break? You can't line up to the hole, it's four feet off. With a line on the ball, you just align the line on the ball to a spot left or right of the cup, and forget about direction after that. You just hit the ball the correct speed, and it's in the cup, or real close. As it's been posted before, Putting is the most personnel part of the whole game, but I still like to make it as simple and easy as possible, and for me at least, the line does that. Have a nice weekend everyone.

[SiberianDVM]

I confess: I too am a ball-balancer.

I used my Check-Go on the free used balls that dealsongolfballs sent me, and there was a lot of asymmetry in some of those balls, even though they looked very good. Some of them even refused to balance, and on some the Check-Go pen could not make a complete circle on the ball.

The Forest Hills range that I go to sometimes is owned by Augusta State University, and they have the crappiest, most beat up range balls I have ever seen. Hitting a really beat up one, you can actually see the ball flutter and weave. I figure an out-of-balance ball does the same thing to a certain extent, so I always line up the balance line with the direction I'm hoping to hit the ball, on a tee shot.

On putting, I do the same thing, and I think the visual line helps me to play the break.

[Pa Jayhawk]

I would add, that when I first started using a line on the ball with the epsom salt deal, I had a real problem using it for putting, I felt I concentrated less on the putt, it drove me nuts trying to get it lined up correctly with the break. Decided to skip using the epsom salt and just put a line on the, I used it mainly for lining up my tee shot. Kept going back every now and then to lining up putts and eventually became second nature, at which point I bought the spinner.

Another thing I like about the line for tee shots, specifically the driver, it give you a line on the clubface that instantly tells you where you made contact, no more looking for dimple paterns on the course. I alternate cleaning them or leaving them as if I leave them, I get a rough average of where I am consistantly making contact.