Effect of sand on ball?

[SiberianDVM]

Yesterday I went to the range closest to me to hit a few balls. The balls are a so-so mix of Top-Flite range balls and whatever else is out there, all put into a Ball-A-Matic machine. You buy tokens inside and the machine drops them into a bucket.

The hitting area is pitiful this time of year: almost no grass, just sand.
The balls were slightly damp and would pick up some sand on them.

Irons hit normally. My driver seemed to hit big curve balls; either hooks or slices. Could be my swing, I know, but could the sand on the balls exacerbate the spin?

[DaveE]

Of course it's the sand, unless your ball starts going straight.

[JEFF4i]

Why don't you clean the balls off first?

This would also prevent nasty scratches on that pretty driver of yours.

[Rockford35]

Yep, sand sucks for your clubs. I wear the hell out of my wedges so they practically look new instead of raw when I hit the balls at the range that lines the grass with sand instead of soil. I just hate that.

As for distance, i doubt it would make much of an impact on trajectory, but you might lose some distance over a clean strike.

R35

[SiberianDVM]

I should have cleaned them, but I didn't have a towel, and I didn't want to use my shirt.

If I go back, I will definitely take a towel. I may even take a mat to hit off of.

[obagain]

The sand should cause less spin.
The sand will fill the grooves thus creating a flat face. A flat or smooth face creates less spin.

[JEFF4i]

You don't have a towel on your golf bag?

Man, I've got two. One connected for clubs, and a huge one(beautiful odyssey towel that was a birthday gift) that cleans my balls on the green.

[SiberianDVM]

Originally Posted by JEFF4i

and a huge one that cleans my balls on the green.

Not.....going......there.......

[JEFF4i]

What? I clean my balls quite often, nearly every hole. You know, my balls get very dirty from so much use.

[atlgolfer]

Originally Posted by JEFF4i

What? I clean my balls quite often, nearly every hole. You know, my balls get very dirty from so much use.

Don't go there Siberian... Don't do it...

[emc]

Originally Posted by JEFF4i

What? I clean my balls quite often, nearly every hole. You know, my balls get very dirty from so much use.

I can think of one hole anyway that gets the balls very dirty

[SiberianDVM]

I went to a different range this evening, the good one, Wedges & Woods, where the balls are clean and new and the price is higher.

Hitting the driver much better with only a couple of real bad shots. In all honesty, it's my swing. I have a habit of getting too long in the backswing with most clubs. When I concentrate on shortening the backswing to a reasonable length, I hit straighter shots.

If I could only remember that.

[JEFF4i]

If you have someone that can go with you, here's a fun little drill that's incredibly annoying, but you get the point.

Tell them where you would like to be stopping, and give them one of your clubs. Have them hold your club at that point, and every time you hit it because you went back too far, you have to start all over again. Do this until you get it right 10 strokes in a row.