Is the best-selling ball in golf right for you?
Yesterday morning, Titleist — the far-and-away leader in golf ball sales — debuted its new Golf Ball Fitting App. But you won’t find it on the Apple or Google Play store. Described as a comprehensive and efficient way for golfers to find the best Titleist ball model for their game, it’s essentially only for clubfitters who use the Trackman launch monitor.
The goal is to have a pro help find you the proper Titleist ball model using launch monitor data from 12 shots you take with a half-wedge, full-swing pitching wedge, 7-iron and driver using a specially-marked Pro V1 ball geared for limited flight fittings. The process takes roughly 15 minutes, and the result of each shot is fed into a proprietary algorithm developed by data gathered from thousands of Titleist golf ball fittings – ranging from Tour players to amateurs – to deliver a recommendation.
“Our goal is to make golf ball fitting more accessible and convenient,” says Jeremy Stone, Titleist’s Senior Vice President, Golf Ball Marketing and U.S. Sales. “Selecting the correct model can be difficult without the necessary information or the right process. The app gives us the scale to meet more golfers on the fitting tee and provide them an accurate golf ball recommendation that’s unique to them.”
Titleist offers other ball fitting tools, from tour-level fittings to virtual consultations to its online ball selector tool. Competitors are in this space, too. Bridgestone invites you to seek out its OTTO system for its golf ball fittings. Srixon lets you select a ball by interactively answering questions on its website. Ping – which doesn’t even sell golf balls – also uses the Balnamic ball fitting tool to help you find the best ball for your game, regardless of the brand. And even popular golf retail chains offer brand-agnostic fitting quizzes, to help you pick out the best model for your swing.
Another new iPhone and Android app, ScanMyGolfBall, uses your phone’s camera to scan any golf ball and tell you its condition and how appropriate it is for your game. Answer a few questions, and it will recommend a ball, as well. The nice thing about using this app is that it’s not loyal to any particular brand, so you know you’re getting honest advice. I admit that my first scan with this app – I literally pulled a brand-new but 1996 Titleist DT (yeah, I keep old golf balls around) from its sleeve – was not so impressive. The app told me it was slightly scuffed and that would affect ball flight. Trust me, this virgin golf ball has been extremely well preserved. Regardless, the app worked fine after that.
But the point of all this is that before you drop money down on random golf balls to try, put in a little effort up front and intelligently narrow your choices. There’s no reason to waste your money on a top–of-the-line Tour ball if you’re a beginner. But you also shouldn’t race out for two dozen Kirkland-brand balls just because they’re cheap. Regardless of your skill level, there is a ball with the right construction, feel and performance for your game. And with a little patience and perseverance, you will find it.