[kbace6]

I got this in an email from my Dad.



Golf Ball hitting steel at 150 mph.

This one you will not believe, but @ 70,000 pictures a second, it will make you a believer. Whether you are a golfer or not, this is pretty amazing. I thought golf balls were fairly hard. Golfers and non golfers will be interested in seeing this.

No one has a swing speed of 150 mph, including Tiger Woods who is just under 130 mph. I had no idea the golf ball compresses this much. But first a little history I recently learned:

1 - The Pro V-1 golf ball by Titleist is actually a three part ball, but you have to have a club head speed of at least 100 mph or more to be able to compress all three stages. If you don't, the ball never fully compresses and you don't get the distance out of it that the pro's do.

2 – We duffers will get more distance out of a ball that only has two stages of compression, like the Titleist NX Tour. It is more suited to our swing speed and we can compress it upon impact and can hit it further than the Pro V-1 ball.

3 - So the secret is not to buy the most expensive balls out there because we are actually decreasing the distance we can hit the ball, unless your club head speed is over 100 mph, which unless you are 21 to 50 years old, isn't going to happen!!! Watch this video, this shows what a golf ball goes through when hit at 150 mph, it's amazing to me how long these balls last. Maybe that's why the Pros use new balls every time they play.

Remember, it's 70,000 frames per second.

Golf Ball Hitting Steel At 150mph - Slow Motion (70,000 fps)

[ugotme]

Couldn't get there from the link.

Another one perhaps????

[kbace6]

Originally Posted by ugotme

Couldn't get there from the link.

Another one perhaps????

Sorry, not sure why. It just worked for me. Maybe try a different browser.

[villagerjack]

Originally Posted by ugotme

Couldn't get there from the link.

Another one perhaps????

Golf Ball Hitting Steel At 150mph - Slow Motion (70,000 fps)

[Pat_RI]

You would think after that much compression your next shot might be anything but straight.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I've seen that video many times before and it's very interesting. You do have to put it into context however. The video is on of a club striking a ball at 150 mph. It's of a ball traveling at 150 mph slamming into a steal plate several inches thick.
As has been noted Tiger Wood's clubhead speed in about 130 mph and driver heads have some give to them. So a ball being hit by a driver, even by Tiger does not react like this.
Also, ball compression is a myth. The difference between compressions of balls is so small as to not be a factor.
The Pro V1 is an amazing product. Nothing like it had ever been developed before. It is designed to react very differently at various clubhead speed.
This is done through the three layers. A short iron striking the ball only penetrates the first and softest layer which give the ball a great amount of spin. Medium irons begin to penetrate into the middle and second firmest layer thus causing a bit less spin and a bit more distance. Finally, a driver penetrates into the middle and hardest layer thus giving maximum distance and least amount of spin.
Prior to the Pro-V1 balls performed in a similar manner but had a fairly consistent club head speed-loft-spin rate. With the Pro-V1, the spin rate on the driver is reduced significantly more than on older model balls.
I was fortunate to meet the man who developed the Pro-V1 a few years back. I can't recall his name, but he now works for Taylor Made and was the one that developed the TM Tour ball.
I've also been to the Titleist plant and have spoken with their engineers. Ball manufacturing is a very interesting process. Distance is only one consideration. In fact, the Pro-V1, Taylor Made ball and almost all of the other balls intended for use by highly skilled players are designed around how they react on short shots. Good players are looking for optimum spin rates. It doesn't matter to Tiger if the ball goes ten yards further. He wants to know what it will do when it hits a green from 100 yards. In fact as kbace6 noted, the most expensive balls are not the longest. They are not the longest for you or for the tour pros. If you want a ball that simply goes long you should be looking at the cheaper balls like the Pinnacle or the Velocity. They are very hard, very long balls that don't spin much off of the short irons.

[Russ_Boston]

Let's also remember that spin is only 1 of the factors on short play. The other variable is trajectory. Personally I use a distance ball but have a VERY high trajectory and while I don't spin them backwards I do stop real close to where I land on anything within 170 yards.

I know that the Villages pro shops have ball fitting sessions every now and then. 15 minutes. Not sure of the cost. They can determine your optimal ball flight etc. with various ball choices.

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

I've seen that video many times before and it's very interesting. You do have to put it into context however. The video is on of a club striking a ball at 150 mph. It's of a ball traveling at 150 mph slamming into a steal plate several inches thick.
As has been noted Tiger Wood's clubhead speed in about 130 mph and driver heads have some give to them. So a ball being hit by a driver, even by Tiger does not react like this.
Also, ball compression is a myth. The difference between compressions of balls is so small as to not be a factor.
The Pro V1 is an amazing product. Nothing like it had ever been developed before. It is designed to react very differently at various clubhead speed.
This is done through the three layers. A short iron striking the ball only penetrates the first and softest layer which give the ball a great amount of spin. Medium irons begin to penetrate into the middle and second firmest layer thus causing a bit less spin and a bit more distance. Finally, a driver penetrates into the middle and hardest layer thus giving maximum distance and least amount of spin.
Prior to the Pro-V1 balls performed in a similar manner but had a fairly consistent club head speed-loft-spin rate. With the Pro-V1, the spin rate on the driver is reduced significantly more than on older model balls.
I was fortunate to meet the man who developed the Pro-V1 a few years back. I can't recall his name, but he now works for Taylor Made and was the one that developed the TM Tour ball.
I've also been to the Titleist plant and have spoken with their engineers. Ball manufacturing is a very interesting process. Distance is only one consideration. In fact, the Pro-V1, Taylor Made ball and almost all of the other balls intended for use by highly skilled players are designed around how they react on short shots. Good players are looking for optimum spin rates. It doesn't matter to Tiger if the ball goes ten yards further. He wants to know what it will do when it hits a green from 100 yards. In fact as kbace6 noted, the most expensive balls are not the longest. They are not the longest for you or for the tour pros. If you want a ball that simply goes long you should be looking at the cheaper balls like the Pinnacle or the Velocity. They are very hard, very long balls that don't spin much off of the short irons.

Interesting read, thanks for taking the time to post...

[Tom Grooms]

This is what a REAL golf ball looks like slamming into a solid steel object. This was produced by the USGA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00I2uXDxbaE

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by Tom Grooms

This is what a REAL golf ball looks like slamming into a solid steel object. This was produced by the USGA

REAL Golf Ball hitting steel in slow motion by the USGA - YouTube

Do not read the comments under the video