Ball testing… something lost in the experiment

[harpo_72]

I like the ball tests I think it’s a great idea.
I like the 3 swing speeds and working out the characteristics of each ball at low/med/high
What I think they are missing is the impact of compression vs temperature.
I have not seen a table of compression vs temperature.
I suspect there is a remarkable difference in performance for the medium swing speed customer.. meaning you can have a ball based on climatic conditions.
Or perhaps the question is does low compression low temperature equate to better distances? Has actually Snell played a winter blinder by producing the 2 piece low compression urethane ball ?

 

[Neilds]

Crikey, must be a slow day

 

[harpo_72]

Crikey, must be a slow day

Nah if it’s not golf it’s boring … !

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I like the ball tests I think it’s a great idea.
I like the 3 swing speeds and working out the characteristics of each ball at low/med/high
What I think they are missing is the impact of compression vs temperature.
I have not seen a table of compression vs temperature.
I suspect there is a remarkable difference in performance for the medium swing speed customer.. meaning you can have a ball based on climatic conditions.
Or perhaps the question is does low compression low temperature equate to better distances? Has actually Snell played a winter blinder by producing the 2 piece low compression urethane ball ?

I thought Crossfield did some stuff on this years back

 

[jim8flog]

Many years ago I seem to remember Titleist saying 2 yards lost for every degree under 20 but I think they were referring a balata wound ball.
My own experience is that I need around two clubs more when it is below 10 degrees but that is down to more than how cold the ball is.

 

[Backache]

I listened to a podcast on it a while back and whereas there was some drop off in distance with lower temperatures from the ball though a fair bit of it is from the denser air rather than just the ball properties, I don't remember them saying there was much difference in distance between balls. What was quite significant for many was that there is often a significant drop in swing speed as the weather gets colder which is usually bigger than the drop in distance that the ball will travel in the cold if hit with the same swing speed.

 

[harpo_72]

I was just interested because the yardage deficits between the different compressions were 8-10 yards in carry. There was also a difference over swing speed as you would expect but no one really addresses what is the impact because you could catch back some yardage lost .. the air density is a factor but how much ?

 

[Slab]

We're hot and humid for several months and the humid part definitely impacts carry but I've no figure to give you but its noticeable
Dunno if its just the ball or if swing/clubhead speed are also slowed

 

[Springveldt]

I was just interested because the yardage deficits between the different compressions were 8-10 yards in carry. There was also a difference over swing speed as you would expect but no one really addresses what is the impact because you could catch back some yardage lost .. the air density is a factor but how much ?

Did MyGolfSpy not do an article on this when they had balls in a freezer and also in a bucket of hot water? If it wasn't them, I'm sure I've seen this before somewhere on YouTube as well.

edit:

Hot vs. Cold Golf Balls

How temperature can impact golf ball performance

mygolfspy.com

TXG did it a few years ago as well.

 

[Orikoru]

It's more high winds that kill me in winter than distance. Would be more interested in seeing a report on which balls are less affected by cross-winds and fly better into the wind.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It's more high winds that kill me in winter than distance. Would be more interested in seeing a report on which balls are less affected by cross-winds and fly better into the wind.

I would have thought (as a layman) that a premium ball would be more affected as it spins more

 

[rulie]

We're hot and humid for several months and the humid part definitely impacts carry but I've no figure to give you but its noticeable
Dunno if its just the ball or if swing/clubhead speed are also slowed

Does water vapour increase or decrease the density of the "air"? (density = weight per unit volume)

 

[Backache]

Does water vapour increase or decrease the density of the "air"? (density = weight per unit volume)

Water vapour is less dense than air as water has a molecular mass of 18 Nitrogen 28 and oxygen 32.

 

[rulie]

Water vapour is less dense than air as water has a molecular mass of 18 Nitrogen 28 and oxygen 32.

So you're suggesting that an increase in humidity would decrease the density of air?

 

[Backache]

So you're suggesting that an increase in humidity would decrease the density of air?

Yup from wikipedia

Water vapor - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Impact on air density​

Water vapor is lighter or less dense than dry air.[11][12] At equivalent temperatures it is buoyant with respect to dry air, whereby the density of dry air at standard temperature and pressure (273.15 K, 101.325 kPa) is 1.27 g/L and water vapor at standard temperature has a vapor pressure of 0.6 kPa and the much lower density of 0.0048 g/L.



Having said that even in humid conditions water vapour is a relatively small constituent of air and will not actually affect its density very much in the normal atmosphere.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Speaking from no more than personal experiences and H4H being one, the ball definitely gets knocked out of the air quicker and therefore doesn't go as far in torrential rain

 

[Slab]

Does water vapour increase or decrease the density of the "air"? (density = weight per unit volume)

No idea how to answer that. Sorry

 

[Backache]

Speaking from no more than personal experiences and H4H being one, the ball definitely gets knocked out of the air quicker and therefore doesn't go as far in torrential rain

Yup rain isn't water vapor though it once was.

 

[sjw]

Speaking from no more than personal experiences and H4H being one, the ball definitely gets knocked out of the air quicker and therefore doesn't go as far in torrential rain

Do you think backspin is affected? For every drop that knocks some spin off, there will be another that puts some on...

 

[Orikoru]

Do you think backspin is affected? For every drop that knocks some spin off, there will be another that puts some on...

If the clubface and ball are wet there is less friction and less spin from the strike in the first place. But then the greens are wet too so you don't need spin anyway.