Too Many Golf Balls

When it comes to golf balls, today’s golfer is spoiled for choice.  In fact, it’s overwhelming.  Go to a big box store and you’ll find a dozen brands of golf balls, each with 3 or 4 or 7 or 8 models.  Add to that the exploding market of direct to consumer golf balls.  How can you make an informed choice in the face of this ocean of options?  By reading Plugged In Golf’s Golf Ball Buyer’s Guide.

Money

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a ball, and price is one of the most obvious.  You can pay anything from $0.50 to $4+ for a golf ball.  While some of you may not be concerned with price, it may be a deciding factor for others.

If you do feel that your choices are limited by price, I would suggest looking into used golf balls.  There are a plethora of sites that sell high quality used golf balls for a fraction of the new price.  I would also recommend looking for deals on older models.  While there are improvements from year to year, they are typically modest.  There’s also an expanding market of companies making premium balls for prices well below those of the big names.

The Technical Stuff

When it comes to golf ball technology, there are 2, possibly 3, things that really matter.

The Cover – When it comes to the cover, there’s urethane and there’s everything else.  Every $40+ tour ball has a urethane cover because that’s what delivers the most spin on wedge shots.  The downside of urethane is that it’s not as durable as cover materials like surlyn.  However, durability is less of a concern as manufacturers learn to make more durable urethane covers and wedges no longer have the ball-destroying grooves of yesteryear.

The Layers – From cover to mantle to core, golf balls are made of multiple layers.  Inexpensive distance balls are generally made of just two pieces.  On the other end of the spectrum, tour level golf balls have anywhere from three to five layers.  These extra layers give the engineers more flexibility to use different materials and more finely tune the ball’s performance.

Compression – Compression used to be a major part of golf ball buying (and marketing), then it almost disappeared, and now it’s making a comeback.  Compression used to be a measure of manliness – playing a high compression ball meant you were a stud.  Now there are Tour-level balls with low compression because the emphasis has shifted to “low compression feels good.”

Different Golf Ball Fitting Methods

Just as there are many different golf ball manufacturers, there are many different theories about the best way to fit a golf ball.  Let’s take a quick look at three of the best known.

Distance is King/Fit for Swing Speed – The Bridgestone Method

What does every golfer want?  More distance!  So let’s pick the ball you can hit the farthest.

Of course, that’s a slight oversimplification, but that’s what Bridgestone’s ball fitting is primarily about: distance.  Their Tour B family is explicitly divided into swing speeds of “Above 105 MPH” and “Below 105 MPH” to help golfers choose.

From Green to Tee/Everyone Needs a Tour Ball – The Titleist Method

If you’ve watched more than a minute of golf or picked up any golf magazine, you’ve seen Titleist’s ads stating that every golfer should play the ProV1 or ProV1x.  Their logic seems airtight: most shots are taken within 100 yards of the green, and tour balls perform best in that area.

In truth, the Titleist fitting process is a little more involved than simply, “Buy a ProV1.”  They advocate starting on and around the green and finding the ball that performs best for you in those areas.  Only if you are pleased with the short game performance of multiple different models should you use distance to decide.

Tour Balls for Tour Players – The Srixon Method

This last one isn’t so much a fitting method as a different perspective on the idea of amateurs playing tour balls.  In past ads, Srixon has claimed that tour balls, which spin more, will exacerbate the average player’s tendency to slice and hook the ball.  Bridgestone has picked up on this idea in their marketing of their e-Series golf balls.  They promote a lower spinning ball as a better option for recreational players.

The Plugged In Golf Method

I don’t necessarily support or oppose any of these methods.  Ultimately, it comes back to why you play the game.  If you play purely to have fun and to out-drive your buddies, then you should buy the longest ball.  If you want to shoot the lowest scores, find the ball that will help you do that.  In the end, these fitting models are simply frameworks that will help you to make a decision, but none of them can fit every player perfectly.

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Know Your Yardages

It used to be that only PGA Tour players, with their professional caddies and detailed yardage books, could expect to get precise numbers to the flag.  Regular golfers had to be content with yardages stamped on sprinkler heads and the occasional white stake.  Now, however, with GPS on every smart phone and plenty of companies making laser rangefinders, precise yardages are available to everyone.  The problem with so many choices is that it makes it difficult to pick the best option for you.  With that in mind, we bring you this simple guide to deciding between a golf GPS and a laser rangefinder.

GPS

Pros

The biggest thing in favor of GPS is the cost.  There are dozens of golf GPS apps available for any smart phone, and many of them are free.  Standalone GPS units can cost as little as $100.  While there are certainly more expensive, full-featured options, the barrier to entry for GPS is practically nonexistent.

Another thing that makes GPS attractive is the wide array of forms that it takes.  You can get your yardages on your phone, on a watch, on a hat clip, or on a handheld unit.  This allows you to use whatever is fastest and most convenient for you.  For me, a GPS watch is easily the fastest way to play.

Finally, a full-featured GPS provides the most information.  The importance of this can’t be overstated, specially when you’re playing a course for the first time.  A GPS will not only give you the distance to bunkers and water, it will show you the hazards that you can’t see.  It also gives you information about the size and shape of the green which can be crucial for good course management.

Cons

The primary complaint against GPS units is accuracy.  While modern GPS units are a huge improvement over the originals, there are still times when the accuracy is not as good as a laser.  It’s also worth noting that, though many units display a movable flag, a GPS unit cannot give you a precise yardage to the flag.  This can be a good or bad thing, depending on your personality and course management style, but for players who want to fire at flags, a laser rangefinder is a must.

Another concern is that GPS units can only be used at courses that the company has mapped.  This isn’t the problem that it once was – almost every unit has tens of thousands of courses – but that won’t make you feel any better if the course you want to play isn’t available for your device.

Finally, GPS units can be difficult to use.  Again, they’ve come a long way in this regard, but there’s a natural tension between making a device easy to use and packing in more features.

Laser Rangefinders

Pros

The single biggest reason to prefer a laser rangefinder is accuracy.  Every major rangefinder on the market is accurate to within a yard, and some promise accuracy to the half or tenth of a yard.

Another plus for lasers is that they can be used anywhere.  You can use a laser rangefinder at every course on the planet without worrying about downloading it in advance.  Lasers are also great on the range – you can verify that the flag you’re knocking down is actually 150 yards away and not 142.

Cons

The biggest hurdle for laser rangefinders is cost.  Even the most inexpensive laser rangefinder costs around $200.  While a good laser should last for years, some people will have a problem with laying out that kind of cash up front.

Another issue that some people have with lasers is pace of play.  Where a GPS will give you the yardages as soon as you get to your ball, a rangefinder requires you to take it out and aim it at the flag to get your number.  This is an even bigger concern for players with shaky hands.  Personally, I feel that playing with a laser rangefinder is still much faster than playing without one, but others do prefer GPS for pace of play.

Finally, a laser rangefinder can only give you yardages to things that you can see and “hit” with the laser.  A laser is best for knowing the distance to the pin, but it can’t reliably tell you the distance to the front, back, or middle of the green.

Hybrids

A new category has emerged in the last couples years: hybrid GPS rangefinders.  These devices look like laser rangefinders, but they include GPS features either on a side screen or right in the viewfinder as with the Garmin Z80 shown above.

Pros 

These units have everything you could want.  They have the accuracy of a rangefinder, the ability to be used on any course, and they can target anything that you can see.  Additionally, they give you front, back, and center yardages plus the distances to hazards.  If you want maximum data for making course management decisions, this is the type of device that you want.

Cons

The biggest issue is cost: most hybrid units are around $500.  This should become less of an issue as more companies enter this space and older units become available at a discount.

Another issue is ease of use.  Because so many features are packed into one device, they can be difficult to manage.

Finally, as with a plain rangefinder, there can be pace of play issues.  For some players, more information means more time spent thinking about the perfect decision.  If you’re going to use one of these devices, make sure you’re fluent in its operation so you don’t hold up play.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the decision between a GPS unit and a laser rangefinder comes down to some personal preferences.  Is a laser’s dead-perfect accuracy worth the money?  Do you value the additional information a large screen GPS can provide?  Know that regardless of which option you choose, today’s golf technology will certainly help your course management.

If you’re looking for more specific recommendations on a rangefinder or GPS, I’d check out Breaking Eighty’s rangefinder guide here

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Your Biggest Investment

One of the most difficult decisions to make when buying new clubs is what type of irons to buy.  Part of the problem is that if you ask ten people, you’re going to get ten different answers.  In this buyer’s guide, I’ll discuss what your choices are, the two major competing theories on what you should play, and, of course, I’ll give you my thoughts.

Types of Irons

For those of you that read Golf Digest’s “Hot List” (I’ll tell you why you should stop doing that some other time), you’re probably familiar with their categories for irons.  Though my disdain for the Hot List is immeasurable, I will give them credit for creating useful categories: Players Irons, Game Improvement, and Super Game Improvement.  Here are the characteristics you can expect to see in each type of iron:

Players Irons

Generally, these are going to be the smallest (heel to toe) and thinnest (top line and sole) irons, and they will have the least amount of offset.  These are going to be the least forgiving type of irons, they feature shallow cavities or none at all, so missing the sweet spot will be penalized with a loss of distance.  The advantage of these clubs is that they make it easier to shape your shots: high, low, left, or right.  These irons are favored by “players” or those with lower handicaps.

Game Improvement (GI)

This is that “just right” middle that most of the irons on the shelf fit into.  GI clubs will have some offset, a medium sized face, sole, and top line, and they will have cavities of medium depth.  These clubs won’t cover up your mistakes as well as the SGI clubs will, but they give you more ability to control your ball flight.

Super Game Improvement (SGI)

These are the clubs designed with the beginner or high handicap player in mind: lots of offset, thick sole, deep cavity, and big, forgiving club faces.  They are designed to go the same distance no matter where you hit the ball on the face, and they encourage a high, straight ball flight.

*Please understand that this is just a rough framework.  Irons exist on a continuum, not in discrete categories.  I provide the categories simply to give you a basis for thinking about iron selection.

Two Schools of Thought: “No Pain, No Gain” vs. “Make the Game Easy”

Go to any golf equipment forum, and you’ll find that the longest, most heated discussions involve who should play what kind of irons.  Read enough of those threads and you’ll see that people fall into one of two groups.

“No Pain, No Gain”

“I grew up playing blades, and that’s how I learned be a good player,” is the oft-heard refrain from this group.  They believe that if you want to be good, you need to play blades or players clubs so that you can see and feel your misses more acutely.  They believe that being penalized in this way will force you to focus on your shots and hit the center of the face.  According to this group, playing GI clubs, or, God forbid, SGI clubs, will cause you to be a sloppy ball striker.

Fun fact: these guys all have shrines to Ben Hogan somewhere in their houses.

“Make the Game Easy”

These are the guys trumpeting the fact that KJ Choi has won millions of dollars playing clubs that others would deride as “shovels” (big, chunky SGI irons).  They don’t buy into the notion that you need blades to play high level golf (and they have the evidence on their side).  These guys claim that they can feel a miss on their oversize irons just as well as they can with a butter knife blade…they’d just rather not suffer the consequences.

My Approach to Iron Selection

First, neither of those two camps is entirely right, neither is entirely wrong.

There’s no debate about the fact that playing with blades will give you more feedback on your mishits than any other kind of club.  Whether or not that’s valuable is debatable.  If hitting bad shots led you to hit good shots, there would be a lot more good golfers out there.  Unfortunately, the reality is that getting feedback is only useful if you know what to do with it.

With regard to the shovel-lovers: yes, absolutely there are guys who play SGI clubs on tour.  It’s also true that at that level, they could play with brooms and tennis rackets and still score better than most of us.  If someone wants to learn about high level shot making, a club slightly smaller than a minivan can be helpful.

Second, it’s your damn game, do what makes you happy.

As with so many things in golf, you need to start by figuring out what you want to accomplish:

Are you buying a new set because you want the clubs to fix your problems? 

Then you probably want the biggest SGI clubs you can find.

Are you buying new clubs as part of a game-improvement plan that includes lessons and practice?

In this case, go ahead and buy something that’s a little ambitious.  If you currently play GI clubs, dive into the players irons and figure out how to make them work.

Do you want to shape your shots or would you be happy hitting nothing but high draws?

If the former, you will want a players iron.  If the latter, buy something bigger.

Another thing to consider is that most of us should be playing some kind of combo set.  The idea of playing an old school 3-PW set is dead, and manufacturers are making it easier than ever to pair more forgiving long irons with short irons that offer more control.  Many sets are even built with this idea in mind.

Conclusion

Selecting your irons is one of the toughest equipment choices because you’ll likely be married to them for a number of years.  The best thing I can recommend is to decide what you want out of your new irons and be very demanding in finding a new set that will fulfill those desires.  Finally, when you make your decision, work with a qualified fitter to make sure every spec matches your swing.

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Golf Bags Buyer’s Guide

Are you considering a new golf bag?  Plugged In Golf is here to help guide you through the many options so you can make an informed decision.  Whether this is your first time buying or it’s time for something new, the good news is the right bag is out there.

We’ll discuss each of these in detail, but first, bag types:

• Staff – the big ones you see pros (or, more accurately, their caddies) carrying
• Cart – designed to be strapped to a golf cart
• Carry – lightweight with double straps, most often with legs
• Sunday – ultra lightweight, meant to carry a few clubs for an easy stroll

As you can imagine, the lines between bag types are blurry.  Increasingly, manufacturers are adding features or massaging the norm in each segment to appeal to consumers’ wants and needs.  The first thing for you to establish is what your bag will be doing 80% of the time when in use, and be realistic.  Do you typically drive up to a bag drop, get a cart, and go?  Or do you carry your bag to the driving range and practice frequently?  Do you like to stuff your bag with apparel for every weather possibility?  Is storage for a cold 6-pack a must?  Everyone utilizes their bag a little differently, so let’s explore the options.

Staff Bags

Not just for professionals, you can pick up a stock staff bag at most retailers for $250 to $500.  These will have a large brand name on the side, and you can get your name added to the front pocket.  For a truly unique bag, companies like JStewart Golf will create a custom staff bag for $500 to $700.   This is a great way to promote you and/or your business.  You can read about the ordering process and review of the PIG bag pictured above here.

Staff bags are big and roomy so make sure you have adequate trunk space if you don’t have a cart to keep it on.  Staff bags do stand up on their own nicely, which works well when you are trying to show it off.  Just be ready for the attention you will get if your game doesn’t match up with your high profile bag.  Bottom line – a custom staff bag is as cool as it gets.  With that said, don’t show up at a caddies only course or event with this bag; they’ll just switch out your clubs to a ‘house’ bag.

Pro – Built for show

Cons – Heavy, cumbersome, and impracticable for most golfers

Cart Bags

As the name implies, cart bags are meant to be utilized on a golf cart.  This segment boasts plenty of pockets in materials that bring it in around 7 or 8 pounds – several pounds lighter than a staff bag.  The bag top is typically 10″ to 14″ across, and you’ll need to choose between individual club slots or roomy sections.  Either way the dividers should be full length to the bottom of the bag allowing smooth club retrieval and shaft protection.  Manufacturers call the number of slots/sections “X-Way”.  So a 14-way top is individual club slots.  With a 6-way, your clubs will need to share sections.

As you contemplate club arrangement consider the orientation of the bag on the back of the cart.  Same goes for evaluating pockets and zipper locations.  And pay attention to how the wide nylon strap of the cart will secure the bag – a good bag will have a feature built in to take the guess work out.  A staff favorite at PIG, the Sun Mountain C-130 pictured above may be the perfect cart bag (retail $230).  Rigid handles at the top make it easy to get in and out of your trunk, pockets are expertly oriented toward the user, and the materials scream quality.  Similarly as mentioned above, this in not a bag for courses that require caddies.

Pros – Perfect if you own your own cart or never walk, room for all your gear

Cons – Not good for walking the course or travel

Carry Bags

Once again, the category name speaks for itself.  Whether you mainly transport your golf bag to the practice area or truly enjoy walking 18 holes, a carry bag is designed to make the effort as easy as possible.  Carry bags have dual straps, one for each shoulder to evenly distribute the load.  Once you’ve arrived at your destination, carry bags have pop out legs making your clubs readily accessible.  But be sure to check the sturdiness of the legs and their pop out mechanism before you purchase a new bag.  Some bags require surgical precision to pop open and others topple over if not perfectly level.

Tops are in the 9″ wide range with 4 to 6 sections for clubs.  The bag pictured above, a Sun Mountain Three 5 Zero-G (retail $230) is an upgrade to the class leader Three 5 (retail $210) for even more walking comfort.  Bag weight (3 to 5 lbs) and number of pockets vary greatly in the carry bag arena, so again be realistic about how much gear you want to store and how far and often you walk.  If you mostly walk check out the Sun Mountain 2Five bag to save a few more pounds while maintaining features not found in Sunday bags.  Many bags in this segment will have a water bottle holder built in for staying hydrated, but can also double as a place to keep a tube of divot sand.

Pros – Good compromise for those who walk, ride, and enjoy having their bag at the practice range

Cons – Clubs fit snugly, pocket orientation set up for stand positioning – not cart

Sunday Bag

Finally a category name that’s not so intuitive.  A Sunday bag is super light weight, typically has a single strap, and just a couple of small pockets.  Although you can probably cram all 14 clubs in the bag, it’s best utilized with half as many.  This is a bag for easy walking, a quick nine holes, or maybe a par 3 course.  Prices range $40 to $1,000+ for a handmade, custom bag.

Matt Saternus recently wrote a comparison of some of the best Sunday bags which you can find HERE.

Pro – Great for walking

Con – Very limited room for extras

General

All the bags described will have loops for attachments such as towels and brushes.  All but the Sunday bags should have some accommodation for a large umbrella.  Staff and cart bags most often have a dedicated slot for the umbrella, while a carry bag will likely just have loops or ties.  Rain hoods are again common in all but Sunday bags.  Any bag of quality should have at least one velour lined valuables pocket.  You may find upgrading to a waterproof bag well worth the cost after getting caught in a down pour and finding your warm clothes, wallet, and cell phone soaked and useless.

Most golfers will gravitate to the cart or carry bag categories.  If you can’t quite decide, look for category hybrids.  Manufacturers are adding legs to some cart models.  And some carry bags are approaching the size of cart bags.  If you end up with a cart bag, consider picking up a truly lightweight carry or Sunday bag to have as a backup for traveling or for that last minute invite to a club that utilizes caddies.

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