Category: Golf Equipment

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Used Premium Golf Balls

By Scott Messner

I’ve written a lot in the past regarding the best golf balls for beginners. When we’re just beginning, depending where we play, we may lose balls on a regular basis, so the cheaper the ball the better.

Cheaper golf balls offer many other benefits for high-handicap and beginner golfers. Through their construction and cover, they have less spin off the clubface, which is generally a good thing for beginners. Less side spin can translate into a less severe slice. Also, the cover material of cheaper golf balls is more durable than that of premium balls, which means it will better resist getting cut on mishits.

As our skill level progresses, our ball striking will improve. We eliminate our slice, and our overall ball flight improves.

It’s at this point that it may be beneficial switching to a more premium ball. The spin we try to avoid in golf balls as beginners becomes our friend, especially with the wedges and putter. The urethane cover of premium tour balls provide spin and feel that is hard to achieve with other cover materials.

I’ve received Titleist Pro V1 balls as a Christmas gift, and since it is a popular ball, I find many of them in the woods. Pro V1’s and other premium tour balls do have a spin and feel around the green that a cheaper ball cannot match. Still, almost every course in my area has tight, wooded fairways, balls still get lost, so spending $55 for a dozen Titleist Pro V1 balls would break my golf budget.

There are a lot of articles online about used golf balls having the same performance as brand new. Of course, much of this information is shared by the sellers of used golf balls, and the performance will degrade at some point. All used golf balls can have player markings or logos. After that their condition is graded on a scale.

5A or AAAAA or Mint
This is the best available grade. These balls will have their original color and sheen, looking brand new. The bad news is they will also cost near brand new.

4A or AAAA or Near Mint
These balls may have small cosmetic blemishes or slight discoloration, but their performance is not lessened in any way. They will look like they have been played a few holes. 

3A or AAA or Good
These balls will show some wear and would look like they have been played for a round. Their big advantage is their price.

There are lower grades but balls in these grades are best suited for practice.

I decided to play Titleist Pro V1 grade 4A used balls this upcoming season. I found a great deal for four dozen of them at Jerry’s Golf Balls eBay store. $48 shipping included. One dollar a ball! For less than the cost of one dozen brand new, my hope is that four dozen balls will last me the season.

These used golf balls were once lost but are now found. In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus tells us there is more rejoicing over one repented sinner than ninety-nine who do not need repentance.

Luke 15:6-7
6
 When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 
7
 I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance. 

Are you lost? Jump into the Bible and grow your personal relationship with Jesus.

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Golf Equipment

Titleist Tour Soft Golf Balls

By Shooting 90

New for 2018, Titleist introduced the Tour Soft golf ball. The Titleist Tour Soft replaces both the Titleist NXT Tour and Titleist NXT Tour S golf balls.

The 2 piece Tour Soft has the largest core of any Titleist ball which gives it a resp

onsive, soft feel while still delivering great distance.

The Titleist Tour Soft makes it on our Best Golf Balls for Beginners list, although with a retail price of $34.99 per dozen, you’ll want to make sure you are staying out of the waters and woods on a regular basis.

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Golf Equipment

SkyGolf SkyPro Golf Swing Analyzer Review

By Shooting 90

Bluetooth golf swing analyzers provide a large amount of information about your full swing and putting stroke, all with a price tag well under $200. One of the best golf swing analyzers available is the SkyPro by SkyGolf.

The SkyPro provides measurements on the following parameters:

Speed Address
Clubhead Speed Shaft Angle
Swing Tempo Shaft Lean
Top of Backswing Half Back
Backswing Length Takeaway Angle
Face Angle Face Angle
Shaft Direction  Impact
Half Down Shaft Lean
Return Angle Shaft Angle
Face Angle Attack Angle

 

The SkyPro comes with a charging cradle and USB cord. To charge, place the SkyPro in the cradle and plug in the USB cord to a computer or wall charger. It is recommended that you charge the SkyPro after every use. The only other piece you will need before you get started is the SkyPro app which is available for free from both the iTunes and Google Play stores.

Attach the SkyPro on the shaft of the club about one inch below the grip. When you open the SkyPro app, it will connect to the device and ask you to calibrate. Calibration is an easy three step process. Once the SkyPro is calibrated, you’re ready to start swinging!

The SkyPro will automatically detect when you have swung and transmit the data back to the app. From the app, you can rotate your swing 360 degrees and see information for several positions of the swing. Alerts are also displayed for parameters that the app feels are out of normal range. The number of alerts are displayed on the i next to the swing name at the top of the screen. Tapping the i icon will take you to a screen that displays all of the parameter readings.

  

The SkyPro golf swing analyzer is a great tool that will help the beginner or high-handicap golfer improve their swing. It is a great training aid for increasing your swing speed, getting the right tempo, controlling your club face and more! It can even by used for putting!

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Golf Equipment

3 Up 2S14 Golf Ball

By Shooting 90

The 3 Up 2S14 golf ball is one of the best golf balls for beginners. It is a two-piece ball with a low compression of 55. It is in the same class as the Wilson Staff Duo and Callaway Supersoft golf balls, which have compressions of 40 and 38, respectively. Super low compression balls are made for players with slower to moderate swing speeds.

The deep-soft core technology of the 3 Up 2S14 provides great feel on and around the green while still providing long distance off the tee. The ionomer cover is very durable while producing less spin off the driver than the softer covers of 3-piece tour balls.

3 Up Golf was founded by Rob Zimmerman and his wife Danielle. In addition to the 2S14 golf all, 3 Up also sells the 3-piece 3F12 golf ball along with apparel and headwear.

The best part of 3 Up Golf is their commitment to giving back to charity. From every dozen golf balls that 3 Up Golf sells, they donate $3 to golf and cancer related charities. You’re donating 25 cents to charity every time you lose a 3 Up Golf ball!

If you’re looking for a great performing golf ball and a way to help out charities, check out 3 Up Golf today!

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Golf Equipment

Bushnell Hybrid Pinseeker Laser Rangefinder and Golf GPS System

By Shooting 90

Shooting 90 has always recommended golf GPS systems over laser rangefinders as the preferred yardage measuring device for high handicap golfers. Golf GPS systems make it easier to hit greens in regulation as they give you the distance to the front and back of the green. While laser rangefinders will give you the exact yardage to the flag, going for the pin on every hole will often leave the high handicap golfer in green side trouble.

The Bushnell Hybrid Pinseeker Laser Rangefinder provides the best of both worlds. It’s a laser rangefinder and a golf gps system in one.

The GPS gives the yardage to the front, center, and back of every green, allowing the high handicap golfer the ability to think of their approach yardage as a range, increasing the odds of hitting more greens in regulation. The Bushnell Hybrid Pinseeker comes preloaded with over 25,000 North American courses and there is no subscription fee.

The laser rangefinder uses Bushnell Pinseeker technology to provide accuracy within plus or minus one yard. This provides the exact yardage on the holes where the time is right to go for the pin. 5x magnification makes it easy to lock in on your target.

Consider the Bushnell Hybrid Pinseeker if you are in the market for a new golf GPS system.

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Golf Equipment

Should You Be Fitted For Golf Clubs?

By Shooting 90

Many beginner and high handicap golfers struggle with when and if to get custom fitted for golf clubs. Should a golfer who is buying their first set of clubs and just starting out in the game get custom fitted for clubs? Many say golfers should wait until they can consistently repeat a swing. But what exactly does that mean? What level of repeatability does one have to reach? We’re all going to have the occasional mishit.

There are many measurements and observations that are part of a custom club fitting. Some measurements are static such as your height and arm height. Other measurements pertain to your swing and are more dynamic, or fluid.

It is not the best idea to buy a set of clubs off the rack with no fitting whatsoever. You will create bad swing habits that may be difficult to correct later on if you adapt your swing to clubs that do not fit you.

At the very least, get fitted for shaft length, shaft flex, and lie. Starting with clubs that physically fit you will allow you to build a correct, consistent swing over time.

As time goes by, your swing will improve and at some point you will benefit from being refitted. You will have the consistent swing that can then be analyzed for spin rate, launch angle, and ball speed. This information can be used to determine the exact right clubs for your game.

If you are looking for a new set of clubs, be sure to make a fitting part of the process. It will be highly beneficial to your game. Any club fitter, whether they are a big retailer like Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy, or a smaller pro shop at your local course, will do a free or very inexpensive fitting when you are buying a new set of clubs.

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Golf Equipment

Invest in the Right Putter

By Shooting 90

Last week was the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, a yearly showcase of new advancements in golf equipment. New advanced equipment comes out every year aimed at improving your golf game. Through equipment upgrades, golfers have the opportunity to immediately improve their game.

The most advanced equipment, however, is not always right for the high handicap golfer. Many high handicap and beginner gofers play with a Titleist Pro V1 golf ball. Although Titleist may tell you differently, a Pro V1 tour ball is almost always the wrong choice for a high handicapper. A less expensive two piece ball is most likely a better fit.

Many golfers also have no problem dropping several hundred dollars on the newest driver, a club they use 14 times a round at the most.

The club you do not see many golfers begging to show you the bright, shiny, new model they just bought is the putter. In fact, more than a few golfers probably use a $10 putter. Golfers take a majority of their strokes with their putter. We need to put some effort into making sure the putter we are using is best for our game.

Length is an important factor when choosing a putter. You need a putter that conforms to your stance instead of changing your stance for a putter. A proper putting stance has you bent at the hips with your eyes over the ball. Cutting a putter shaft that is too long down to size is not a good thing to do as the weight of the putter head is matched to its length. Your shortened putter will feel too light.

Your putter also has to match your putting stroke. Your putting stroke will fall into one of three categories – straight back straight through, slight arc, or strong arc. A straight back straight through stroke is just what it implies. The putter head goes straight back and then straight through impact with the ball, with the putter face remaining square to the target line all the way through. An arc stroke means the stroke travels on a path that starts inside of the target, moves out to the target line for impact, and then back inside. The putter face will be slightly open at the start, square to target at impact with the ball, and then closed at finish.

Putter heads are weighted differently. A face balanced putter, where the weight is equally distributed from the heel to the toe of the head, is ideal for golfers that have a straight back straight through stroke. A toe weighted putter, that has more weight in the toe of the head, assists the face in moving from open to closed through the shot, making it ideal for golfers with an arc putting stroke.

So how do you tell if your putter is face balanced or toe weighted? Balance the shaft of the putter in the palm of your hand. If the face points up and is horizontal, it is a face balanced putter. If the toe hangs lower than the rest of the putter head, it is a toe weighted putter.

Finally, should you use a blade or mallet putter? While personal preference plays a small role as you can get both face balanced and toe weighted versions of both blade and mallet putters, face balanced  mallet putters are best suited for straight back straight through strokes and toe weighted blade putters are best for arc strokes.

Go to your local golf store or pro shop if you’re not sure what type of putting stroke you have. They can analyze your stroke and make sure you have the right putter for your game.

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Golf Equipment

Super Low Compression Golf Balls

By Shooting 90

The ability to compress the golf ball is what allows golfers to hit for long distance. The ball compresses after impact with the club and then springs back to original shape. This gives the ball a “slingshot” effect off the club face. Many golfers do not have the ability in their current game to compress the ball to a high degree. This inability is caused mostly by slow swing speeds. Swing technique does impact the ability to compress the ball, as some golfers with higher swing speeds still do not effectively compress the ball, but swing speed is the main driver in compressing the ball.

Historically, most of the golf balls available had compression ratings from 70 to 100. The higher the compression rating the more density the ball has. Tour balls used by professionals and low handicap golfers have a high compression rating. Better golfers typical have higher swing speeds which allow them to compress a high density ball. The benefit of a high density ball is that it offers more control to advanced players.

The average male golfer has a swing speed in the mid 80’s mph while the average swing speed for women is in the low 60’s mph. For a long time, golf ball manufacturers have provided balls with lower compression ratings (around 70) to help golfers with slower swing speeds to better compress the golf ball. These balls have less density which allows them to compress more and offer more distance. The majority of these balls are targeted to women golfers. I’m not sure if that is the best marketing ploy, as there are a large number of men who could benefit from a low compression rating ball but refuse to play a women’s golf ball.

The Wilson Duo golf ball was introduced in 2012 and created a lot of buzz in the golf community. Wilson was able to produce a ball with a super low compression rating of 40, providing long distance and minimal spin off the driver while still having a soft feel around the green. Many amateurs, including some with relatively faster swing speeds over 100 mph, find success with the Wilson Duo. It is a great ball for high to mid handicap golfers. Low handicap golfers will most likely find that the 2 piece Duo does not give them the necessary high spin, especially with their wedges.

Callaway recently introduced another ball into the super low compression market, the Super Soft golf ball. The Super Soft golf ball has a compression rating of 38 and incorporates Callaway’s HEX Aerodynamics as the dimple pattern. Like the Wilson Duo, it’s main selling point is long, straight drives off the tee with more softness around the greens than other two piece balls. The Callaway Super Soft provides another option to those looking for a super low compression ball.

If you’re a high to mid handicap golfer looking for more distance, give a super low compression ball a try. The Wilson Duo and Callaway Super Soft both offer super low compression to give golfers with slower swing speeds added distance.

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Golf Equipment

The Real Best Golf Balls for Beginners

By Shooting 90

In the past posts Best Golf Balls for Beginners and Choosing the Right Golf Ball, we’ve talked about matching your golf game to the correct ball. By playing a two-piece golf ball, you’ll save money as the cost is only around one dollar per ball. You also gain distance and reduce ball spin off the tee which will help minimize your slice or hook.

However, the golf ball you play does relatively little by itself to improve your game. By comparison, the irons you play have a much greater impact on your game. For example, high handicap and beginner golfers should be play super game-improvement irons. Super game-improvement irons will give a golfer much more forgiveness than a golf ball ever could.

A golf ball does very little to mask major swing flaws. High handicap and beginner golfers should choose a two-piece ball brand and play it consistently, taking advantage of its cost, distance, and reduced spin.

So what are the real best golf balls for beginners? Of course the answer is the practice ball. The quickest way to improving your game is through practice, not equipment. Regular time at the practice range is vital for becoming a better golfer. It is important to not use your practice time to just whack ball after ball. Your time is too important and limited to waste practicing in a non-optimal way.

Too many golfers head to the practice range and hit ball after ball with their driver. While it is very necessary to learn how to hit your driver, you should split your practice time between full swing, short game, and putting. Spend one third of your practice time in each area. Addressing each area of your game in practice is required to improve your overall game.

Do long winters prohibit you from visiting your local course’s practice range for months at a time? Visit a local indoor golf facility and spend regular time on one of their simulators. The instant feedback you receive on club head speed, ball spin, ball flight path and more puts you on the fast path to improving your swing.

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Golf Equipment

Golf GPS Systems vs Laser Rangefinders

By Shooting 90

There is no reason for amateur golfers to continue to rely on on-course yardage markers in today’s world. Marking off the actual yardage from your ball to a yardage marker is inaccurate and time consuming. There are two distinctly different devices available on the market to help you determine yardage on the course; the golf GPS system and the laser rangefinder.

Which one is right for the beginner or high handicap golfer?

First, let’s take a detailed look at each.

Golf GPS systems utilize the same GPS satellite system that a car navigation system does. GPS coordinates must be mapped for each course that the manufacturer offers on the device. This is primarily done through the use of satellite images but Sky Golf, maker of Sky Caddie systems, prides itself on walking every course. The accuracy of a golf GPS system is usually within a few yards with the Sky Caddie systems claiming even better accuracy. Using these GPS coordinates, the device can tell you the distance from your ball to various points on the hole. The most basic of systems tell you the distance to the center of the green. Most tell you at least the distance to the front, center, and back of the green while some offer more including the distance needed to carry hazards. An overhead view of the hole is another feature on some systems. Most of the touchscreen models offer the ability to drag to any point on the hole and see the distance to it.

A laser rangefinder shoots a laser off an object to determine the distance to it. By far the biggest benefit of a laser rangefinder is its accuracy in measuring the distance to the flag. Several rangefinders boast of accuracy within one yard or less. A secondary advantage of some rangefinders is the ability to determine the slope from your ball to the target and factor it into the distance. So if the actual distance is 150 yards but the target is uphill, the device would also give a longer “play-as” yardage. Rangefinders are also able to lock onto targets other than the flag, although this can sometimes be trickier and take more time. The major drawback of a laser rangefinder is the fact that it cannot measure the distance to a target that it cannot see. So any blind shots are not measurable.

So which device is better for the high handicap or beginner golfer?

A golf GPS system is the best choice for the beginner or high handicap golfer. There are several reasons why.

  • The goal of a high handicap golfer is to hit greens in regulation – not to go for every flag. Many times holes are guarded by hazards and the safe play is an area of the green away from the hole. A golf GPS system that tells you the distance to the front, center, and back of the green will help you think of the distance remaining to the green as a yardage range instead of a specific yardage, helping you hit more greens.

 

  • Many golf GPS systems show an overhead view of the hole. Visualization is a crucial component of being a successful golfer. An overhead view of the hole is highly beneficial in utilizing course management to plan out your shots on each hole.

 

  • A golf GPS system is quicker than a laser rangefinder. Slow play is becoming an increasingly larger problem in golf. It takes time to zero in on a target with a laser rangefinder. A GPS will instantly tell you the remaining yardage to the green.

 

  • You can keep score and track stats on many golf GPS systems. In addition to determining yardage left to the green and hazards, many golf GPS systems allow you to keep score and track stats.

 

While hopefully someday your golf game will progress to a level that requires the accuracy of a laser rangefinder, it is simply not necessary at the high handicap level. The added benefits of a golf GPS system make it the easy choice for the beginner or high handicap golfer.

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