A club golfer ventures into the professional's shop and inquires, "what golf ball would suit my game," to which the professional replied, knowing the swing of the gentleman in question, "white and round, sir." The story may be slightly apocryphal but a cursory examination of the Irish golf consumer reveals that there are two distinct thought patterns in relation to the golf ball.
On one hand are those who either through a slavish brand name fixation or accomplished golfers who are able to differentiate between the various types and offer a preference against golfers who cherish value for money above any performance related statistics.
The latter category eschew any knowledge of the dynamics of the golf ball; construction, compression, trajectory, spin, roll and durability are terms that simply don't enter the equation. These people are not in a minority according to two of the largest golfing retail outlets in the country, McGuirks and Nevada Bobs.
Dave Morgan of McGuirks Golf Shop in Blanchardstown pointed out: "The single biggest seller in our shops - McGuirks, Howth is the other - would be the Wilson Pro Staff. It is an 18 pack two piece ball that we offer at £12 and would be a huge seller among society golfers.
"They don't really care about the performance related specifics of a ball. Most recognise they are likely to lose a fair few and therefore are more concerned with getting more balls for less money. We would sell between 20-40 boxes (18 per box) a day. It terms of the big brands, like Titleist, Nike, Callaway, Maxfli and Strata, we might sell 10-15 boxes."
A spokesperson for Nevada Bobs confirmed that their biggest seller would probably be the Top Flite XL 2000 range that retails for £17 per dozen. The Dunlop Titanium range would also be popular in that bracket of the market.
At the other end of the scale is the Titleist Pro V1 (see panel). The recommended retail price for a sleeve of three balls is £12.95, making it £51.80 per dozen. They are available from various pro shops and golf superstores from £48-£52. At around £4 per ball, they must be considered a luxury item.
Titleist has cleverly controlled the supply of the Pro V1 to the Irish market, guaranteeing if not an exclusive tag then a recognition of being difficult to acquire. Morgan confirmed that McGuirks receive 18 dozen Titleist Pro V1 balls every three weeks and are sold out within a couple of hours: they limit anybody wishing to purchase to one dozen per time. Nevada Bobs offer a similar tale.
The main competitors to the Titleist Pro V1 are Callaway Rule 35 Softfeel (blue log) and Firmfeel (red logo), the Nike Tour Accuracy Tiger Woods, the Strata Tour Ultimate, the Maxfli Revolution and the Srixon Hi-Brid, the latter from Sumito Rubber Industries, one of the biggest corporations in Japan.
In terms of combining value for money and a good quality ball, it is the Maxfli Revolution that suggests the most compelling argument. At between £25-£32 per dozen it is almost half the cost of the Pro V1 and over £1 per ball cheaper than the Titleist Professional.
It boasts a reasonably durable outer shell while offering the softer feel of a balata. It is easy to drown in a morass of technical specifications. Balata, two piece, three piece, liquid injection core moulding, the dynamics of the composition of golf balls can be a little perplexing for the average hacker.
There is also the breadth of choice. At present the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the United States Golf Association presents a 34 page long list of golf balls that have been sanctioned for competitive golf, meeting all the stringent requirements; that is well over 2000 different golf balls.
It is therefore reasonable to risk a little advice from a club professional that knows your swing or to answer truthfully when questioned by a sales representative at a golf superstore with regard to playing ability.
David Walker, is a teaching professional attached to Foxrock Golf Club, and currently lies fourth in the PGA Order of Merit, Irish Region. He plays the Pro V1 and therefore it is hardly surprising he espouses its virtues. "It has certainly added 10 yards to my game but I would have to point out that probably won't be the case for every golfer.
"To get any pronounced benefit, you would need to be a good golfer, nine down, or have a slightly quick swing. You need to generate club head speed to reap the dividends. As a benchmark for anyone to judge swing speed, I would say that if you were able to hit an eight iron 140 yards; that would be a good barometer.
"In terms of sales in the shop, Titleist (the PTS Wound, Professional) and Maxfli (XS Tour, Revolution) would be the big two with a demand for the Strata (a very fine ball) and Nike also."
So what ball would be recommend for the various categories of golfer? "For the Juniors, I would go for something that isn't too hard and offers a bit of spin so that they can learn to control the ball. Everyone wants to emulate the guys on television: maybe the PTS wound or the XS tour.
The most popular ball among the ladies here is the Pinnacle Gold for women. It has a little logo, a pink ribbon on it and Titleist donate a certain amount to Breast Cancer research. For the high handicappers I would steer clear of the "jumpers" as they are known, balls that shoot off the clubface.
"For the mid handicap range, the PTS, XS tour and Wilson Ultra would all be reasonable choices. Basically if you want to get a reaction out of a golf ball you are going to have to pay for it. On the other hand if you play golf on mediocre to poor greens, there is no point in wasting money on good golf balls."
The Irish weather is also a significant factor. Given the rainfall during the winter and the soft underfoot conditions, the extra feel garnered from a balata or even the mighty Pro V1 is not going to matter. It is only in the summer when the hard greens are in evidence that a true benefit can be gleaned.
What is irrefutable is that there is a golf ball out there for every golfer, whether they require, distance, spin or need a high trajectory, low trajectory. One problem remains in spite of all the technological advances: you still have to hit the thing!
