What’s in a Ball?

What’s in a Ball?

(Or that which we call a ball by any other name would fly as sweet)

When you wander into golf shop you’ll undoubtedly find a vast array of (increasingly colorful) golf balls. If you’ve ever wondered why a certain dozen costs $20 while another costs $50, or if a certain ball could help your game, this post is for you. Read on!

Construction

Golf balls have layers, and the more they have, the more expensive they generally are. Here’s a quick rundown:

One-Piece: Your typical limited-distance driving-range ball. They are inexpensive but don’t fly as far as a normal ball due to extremely low compression (more on that later).

Two-Piece: These are lower-priced golf balls good for beginners or those that don’t like hitting a dozen $5 golf balls into the water. They have a little firmer feel (for the most part) and will maximize distance for slower swing speeds. Two-piecers also help keep the ball straight.

Three-Piece: The rubber core is surrounded by enhanced liquid rubber to help impart more spin. This helps control the ball around the green.

Four-Piece: This is a combo that adds distance while keeping feel and spin. These are more expensive but will be the best all-around ball for mid to low-handicappers.

Dimples

If you haven’t noticed, golf balls have dimples (anywhere from 250-500 depending on the ball). Dimples help the ball fly. Dimples vary in shape, size and number depending on the ball’s characteristics. If you have some dimple-less golf balls in your bag, don’t use them. They won’t go far.

Compression

Here’s a good analogy: imagine wrapping a rubber band around your wrist once (low compression). Now imagine that you stretched the same band out and wrapped it around three times (high compression). This is the same way golf ball compression works.

Compression ranges from 40-100, and low-compression balls are softer and will help slower swing speeds and higher-handicappers achieve more distance. High-compression balls are harder and help faster swing speeds achieve distance while gaining better control. If a fast swinger hits a low-compression ball it will compress too much and won’t perform as well, and vice versa.

For example, a ProV1 has a lower compression than a ProV1X (as is the case with any “X” golf balls). The ProV1 vs ProV1X is an article in itself, as they’ve undergone significant changes in spin and other factors through the years. You can read more about the differences here.

Spin

There are three spin characteristics of golf balls:

Low-Spin: These are designed to decrease side spin and are good for golfers who are looking to increase distance and keep the ball straight.

Mid-Spin: These are a mixture of low and high-spin balls and are probably the best for the majority of golfers. They’ll give some spin around the green while still aiming to stay straight and maximize distance.

High-Spin: These spin the most in the air and will give the most feel and control around the green. These are good for those who carry the ball a long way but are looking for a better short game.

Does any of it Matter?

Only in the sense that it matters to you. If you’re just starting out, you’re going to lose a lot of golf balls. Stick to a (relatively) inexpensive two-piece ball that will help your distance and keep you in the fairway. For better players and those who’ve been playing awhile, I’d recommend finding a ball that stops somewhat quickly on the green, even if you sacrifice a couple yards off the tee. It’s more important that you put chips and pitches close than gain 3 yards.

The bottom line is you want to figure out what you’re willing to spend and play rounds with a few different golf balls. More expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better for your game, and you might be surprised by the results. Happy golfing!

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Golf Course/Driving Range Update 3/19

THE PLAYERS Championship Preview

THE PLAYERS Championship Preview

Over/Unders:

Times “The 5^th Major” is said during the national broadcast – 562 (75% said as they go to commercial breaks)

Times “The Strongest Field in Golf” is said during the national broadcast – 2,987,654

The Course:

TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Par 72 (4 Par 5s!!!), 7,189 Yards

Architect: Pete Dye

Scoring Average: +.01/Round

Projected Cut: +1

The big news is this tournament is now in March. While the course may play slightly easier due to the move, the wind tends to blow a different direction than it does in May, meaning course history may play a bit less of a factor than normal. The grass will be also be overseeded to prevent patchy conditions before the Bermuda grows in. Overall, TPC Sawgrass is an awesome test of golf, and all different types of PLAYERS (get it) have fared well here. There’s a ton of water on the finishing holes and everyone finishing late on Sunday will be tasked with hitting the iconic island green on #17.

The greens are also notoriously fast here, often reading 13+ on the Stimpmeter. They will be slightly slower this year due to the overseeding but are still grading out around 12.5 (anything over 12 is FAST). The wind is also going to blow in the teens all four days, so we’ll see plenty of splooshes on #17. Bottom line, it’s going to be a good watch.

The Field:

This tournament is pretentiously called THE PLAYERS, so THE PLAYERS should PLAY, right? I’ll say it one last time here, but this is the best field men’s professional golf gets all year. The other majors have a bunch of geriatric former winners and prepubescent amateurs you can cross off the list before the event begins, but the golfer with the worst odds at THE PLAYERS is Michael Kim, and he won the John Deere last year. So yeah, every great player is playing and the bottom tier actually has a shot (not really but more so than usual).

Prediction:

Like any strong-field event, there are probably 15-20 guys in real contention, and the rest will need a fantastic ballstriking/putting week to win. I’m going to roll with Justin Rose this week, mainly because I picked him in the PGA Tour Preview and I just drew him out of a hat. Really though he checks all the boxes you want here: awesome driver, ballstriker, scrambler (though that could be somewhat negated with the fast greens) and putter. What you want here is someone with an all-around game where if something fails he can make it up in other areas.

Losing DraftKings/FanDuel Lineup:

Justin Rose

Sergio Garcia

Xander Schauffele

Gary Woodland

Emiliano Grillo

Luke List

Good luck and happy golfing!

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The New GGR…with EXOS!

Where Do You Lose Golf Balls (Or Your Mind)?

Greetings faithful reader! As the rules regarding hazards (PENALTY AREAS) have changed in 2019, so will Hart Ranch GC. Below is a short questionnaire on how you feel about the current course setup and if any changes should be made. Obviously we have some ideas, but our valued patrons’ input never hurts. We will update you on course changes as we get closer to the season, but a big thanks for giving your observation(s)! You never know, there might be something in it for you (hint hint)…

[contact-form]

Stroke and Distance Local Rule

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization-copy/major-changes/golfs-new-rules-stroke-and-distance.html

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The New Rules and Taking Relief

The New Rules and Taking Relief

By now you’re aware that you can leave the flagstick in while you putt (and you should!), but there are a lot of other new rules the USGA has adopted to simplify and speed up the game. This week we’re going to look at one of the most important (and often confusing) aspects of golf: taking relief and how it has changed in 2019. Read on!

RELIEF AREA

This video will explain the new Relief Area better than I can, so here goes:

Just remember, whenever you drop the ball must come to rest in that relief area, otherwise you re-drop. If you drop twice and the ball rolls out, then you may place it.

OUT OF BOUNDS

OK, let’s get this one out of the way quickly. THE OUT OF BOUNDS RULE HAS NOT CHANGED. If you blow one out onto Spring Creek Road on hole 2, you must take the stroke-and-distance penalty and drop or re-tee from the previous spot (you do have an expanded Relief Area now, see above).

There is now an option for committees (and courses) to adopt a LOCAL RULE that allows players to drop after hitting the ball OB. You will not see this option in any big tournaments on any tours, but it may come into play during casual rounds at certain courses. Regardless, it’s good to know the rule, because it can give you a huge advantage if it’s adopted at the course/event you’re playing. Here’s another video:

PENALTY AREAS

OK, here’s the meat and potatoes. First of all, there are no more water hazards (well, there are, but they’re not called that). Courses and committees can now decide to make anywhere a PENALTY AREA, which are played very much like water hazards used to be. Think of the left side of hole 14. We weren’t able to make this a “hazard” in previous years because that area didn’t hold water. Now, we can (not that we will!). PENALTY AREAS will still be marked by yellow or red stakes or lines (or the area itself can act as a marker). You may now also ground your club in a PENALTY AREA, but we’ll get to that later. Here’s a video:

We don’t have to deal with “hazards” and “lateral hazards” anymore, so you’re probably going to see almost every penalty area marked red (to offer the two-club length rule). The “equidistant” rule no longer exists except as a local rule (you probably rarely used it anyway).

ABNORMAL GROUND CONDITIONS

Similar rules apply here, with the new RELIEF AREA in effect. Here you go again:

UNPLAYABLE LIE

Another similar rule, but a good refresher:

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of how to take relief in 2019. The rules have really been simplified, and  in my humble opinion the USGA has done a fantastic job. We’re always available if you have any questions, and happy golfing!

 

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How to Play DFS (Fantasy) Golf

How to Play DFS Golf

With over 59 million players and a $7 billion industry (as of 2017), fantasy sports have exploded over the last decade and will only go up from here. Along with season-long leagues, daily fantasy (DFS) sites like DraftKings (DK) and FanDuel (FD) offer huge payouts for relatively small entry fees (and it’s legal!). If you’re looking to dip your toes into the DFS golf waters this year, these tips will help. All DFS sites will also let you play for free if you want to practice first (highly recommended). Let’s get rolling!

Get Your Players Through the Cut

PGA tournaments generally feature between 132 and 156 golfers and have a 36-hole cut (top 70 and ties usually make it, if more than 78 players make it there is another cut after Saturday). Any player that doesn’t make it through isn’t going to accumulate points and/or money for you on the weekend.

On DraftKings and FanDuel you pick 6 golfers and must stay under each site’s determined salary cap. Golfers are priced based on a lot of factors, but if you’re able to get all 6 players through the cut you’re probably going to win some $$$. Only ~10% of DFS lineups get all their players through the cut so you’re way ahead of the curve if you do.

Know Your Game

DFS offers two main avenues to play. The first are cash games, and they’re highly recommended if you’re just starting out. Cash games are much easier to win, but the payouts are lower. They include Head-to-Head (play against only one other player, win 80% of your entry fee), Double-Ups (double your money if you finish in the top 43%) and 50/50s (win 80% of your entry fee if you finish in the top 50%). In cash games you want to take “safe” players, i.e. those who regularly make the cut, have good odds, etc. Ownership is much less important in cash games (we’ll get to that shortly).

Tournaments are the lifeblood of DFS. They offer large payouts (up to $1 million for the 4 majors) for smaller entry fees (although they offer high-dollar games for the whales). The problem is you’ll have to beat 100,000+ other lineups to win the whole thing, and finish in the top 20% or so to win any money back. Also keep in mind that there are DFS pros (and people with money to waste), and in the large-field, multi-entry games (the ones with gigantic payouts) they can make up to 150 lineups. That means if you’re only entering one lineup into these contests you’re at a serious disadvantage. I’d highly recommend when you’re first playing tournaments to find Single, 3 or 5-entry MAX contests. The payouts will be lower, but you’ll have a much better chance to cash.

Know Ownership

In order to win tournaments, you must take risks. You want to take some shots on players that other lineups don’t have. Think of it this way: if there are 100 lineups in a contest and 99 of them have Dustin Johnson, you’re not gaining anything on the field if you have Dustin Johnson. However, if you’re 1 out of 100 who has Kiradech Aphibarnrat and he scores the same amount of points as Dustin Johnson you’ve just lapped 99% of the field.

That being said, you don’t want your entire lineup to be made up of low-owned, no-name golfers (unless they all play awesome; hint: it won’t happen). It’s OK to take Dustin Johnson if he’s 99% owned but he wins the tournament.  Generally the best strategy is to take 2-3 of the top guys you think have the best shot at winning without worrying about ownership then differentiate elsewhere. If you have a cheap, low-owned golfer that makes the top-15 you’ve done extremely well.

Know the Scoring System

Each site differs in scoring slightly. Both offer about the same amount of points based on finishing position, but each site rewards scoring differently. You’ll get more points for eagles than birdies, birdies than pars and so on, but FanDuel gives more points for a par, making a grinding-type par-maker slightly more valuable on that site. This is an underrated aspect of DFS golf.

Know the Course

The best part of DFS golf is how much it changes week-to-week. We’re always trying to piece together a puzzle based on a golfer’s profile and the course. A bomber who doesn’t hit many fairways isn’t going to do great on a tight, heavily-wooded course, while a short knocker isn’t going to compete on a wide-open 7,800 yard behemoth (although there are always exceptions…finding them can give you leverage against the field). If you’re going to play, do a bit of research on the course.

Know Course History

Some golfers are just wayyyyy better on certain tracks than others (see Bubba Watson at Riviera and Augusta, Dustin Johnson at Kapalua and Pebble Beach, etc.). Sometimes it’s a matter of where they grew up or went to college, sometimes it’s a statistical thing, sometimes we have no clue but they just play well and feel comfortable on certain courses. If someone has played a tournament 12 times and made 12 cuts, you should probably make a point of rostering him.

Take Rickie Fowler at Torrey Pines. He was highly owned in tournaments yet almost missed his 4^th straight cut there and tied for 66^th (kind of rough for the spokesman of the sponsor). However he has an awesome record at TPC Scottsdale, left a bad taste in people’s mouths after the week before and ended up winning. Course history matters, folks.

Know the Weather

Anyone who golfs in South Dakota knows that weather plays a huge impact, and Tour golf is no different. If there’s a big wind/rain/cold discrepancy from morning to afternoon on Thursday and Friday you need to be paying attention. Those who tee off at the calm part of the day have a gigantic advantage on those who have to play in a 35mph squall.

Know Vegas

Vegas produces odds on every single golfer for every single golf tournament and guess what? They’re pretty good at it. Pay attention to the odds and look for discrepancies in DFS pricing. Sometimes a player with decent odds will be priced too low on DFS sites and vice-versa. Looking at Vegas odds is a great way to research when you’re just starting out.

Embrace Volatility

This is my last point, but probably the most important. Golf is extremely volatile (don’t we know), meaning there are going to be times the highest-ranked, highest-priced player in the field fires an 80 on the first day and decides to WD and pack it in for the next tournament. It happens all the time.

Here’s the rule (and it applies to each golf shot you hit as well): Treat each week completely separately than the one before.  You cannot afford to have biases if you’re trying to win. Just because Justin Rose crumbled on Friday and missed the cut for you doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look at him next time. Just because Sergio Garcia is out destroying greens and trying to dig a hole to China doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play him in a good spot (but really, c’mon man).  There are guys everyone likes who will always be highly owned even if they’re a bad course fit. See Fowler, Rickie; Finau, Tony, and guys everyone hates who will go underowned even with great odds. See Reed, Patrick; Poulter, Ian. Always play with your head and not your heart and you’ll have a big advantage on those that don’t.

Trust me, there’s nothing like watching Sunday of a golf tournament when you have 6 players through the cut and are winning $$$, but one final thought: don’t go crazy. It’s extremely difficult in DFS to win consistently in any sport, and golf is probably the toughest. There’s just so much variance week-to-week that it’s impossible to do great every single tournament. Choose the right games for you and play small, lose small. Happy golfing!

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