Bet You Didn't Know These Golf Facts! (Neither did I)

Welcome to Golf Talk. Here are a few golf myth busters that surprised me at the Titleist website...hope you find them interesting, too.

Q. Can a golf ball be hit an unlimited distance?

A. Nope.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) has regulated the distance a golf ball can fly since 1976. They updated their method of regulating the ball in 2004 because of the dramatic changes in both the equipment the professionals use, as well as the physical or athletic condition of the modern day players themselves. The rebounding characteristics of the official golf ball, technically known as the Coefficient of Restitution (COR), have been regulated for more than 60 years. Unless you can hit a golf ball longer than Tiger or J.B. Holmes, however, you shouldn't be concerned about exceeding the ball's regulated distance.

Q. Is the old golf expression Drive for show, putt for dough accurate?

A. Yep.

According to PGA statistics, some of the longest hitters - like Tiger and Phil Mickelson - have also been top money earners on the Tour. However, as a group, the long-ball hitters have been ranking between #77 and #103 in recent years. In fact, drive statistics have become a less important indicator of earnings on the Tour during the past 25 years, while putting has become a more accurate money winning predictor. That means the other old expression "Short game, Short game, Short game" is true, too.

Q. Doesn't the average PGA professional swing the club more than 120 mph?

A. Nope.

The average PGA Tour pro has a clubhead speed around 113 mph. Some - Tiger, Phil, J.B. and a few other members of the grip-it-and-rip-it gang - go over 120 on their swing speed, but not many. In the real world, however, the typical amateur player swings about 90 mph. Maybe, that's why the big guys get those big bucks.

Q. Does top-spin make a ball go farther through the air?

A. Nope.

When a golf club strikes the ball cleanly, it causes the ball to compress and rebound off the club face with back-spin. The back-spin creates lift, keeping the golf ball in the air until it is pulled down by gravity. When the ball hits the fairway, the back-spin is arrested or abruptly stopped, making it bounce or skip forward. It's a lot like stubbing your shoe while running down a basketball court, which will catapult you forward into the air...just before the "owey".

If you would like to learn more than you ever wanted to know about a golf ball and its characteristics, visit the Titleist Technology website. Anything not included there, you don't need to know.

Thanks for visiting Golf Talk.

Hit ‘em long, straight and often!

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