What Makes a Golf Ball different from others?

matt g: What Makes a Golf Ball different from others?
I work at a sporting goods store and now since are golf pro is gone they put me in golf for a bit. The problem is I know the bare minimum about golf but really want to learn about it. I look at the whole wall of golf balls and I just wonder what makes one better than the other? Is it player preference?

Answers and Views:

Answer by spartaworld.combat
Matt, golf balls are engineered to be customized for every occasion. The interior windings are different as are the dimple’s on the outside. Factors for choosing a ball are weather distance. spin, and various golfer uses. Just go by the carton description for each make to suit the customer.
Spartawo…

Answer by weistie
Pick up the golf digests in your section and read you’ll learn some valuable info. As far as ball goes : everything can be different . The covers , dimple pattern , core material , how many layers a ball has . Some golfers pick a ball by price , some buy the latest greatest, and others have done some field testing and found a ball that works the best for them. You can go to different websites and do some research and sift through the marketing and find some selling points. You can find some to recommend in each price range . Like the Top Flite gamer 20 bucks a dozen , is a three peice ball that spins well on the low end . On the high end there is Prov1 , Srixon Z-star and Bridgestone . Cannot go wrong with reccomending these balls. For a lil more detail talk to manufacters’ reps that work in your area. It’s part of what they do is to educate about their products . Above all enjoy it most golfers are pleasant to chat with and love holding the new stuff. Wouldn’t take alot to sell golf stuff to a golfer.

Answer by green_lantern66
There’s two basic constructions of golf balls: two-piece and multi-layered (used to be three-piece, but some companies have four layers- Taylormade has a five layered ball!).

Two-piece balls have a core and a cover. The cover is generally made out of Surlyn (or Ionomer), while the core is a solid plastic and/or rubber mix. Bridgestone’s e5 is the lone exception: a two-piece ball with a urethane cover. They are generally billed as “distance” balls, though robot testing by Golf Magazine has proven that there’s only a 5-7 yard difference between all golf balls (at 95 mph swing speed).

Multi-layered balls have a core, mantle and cover. The models with four layers have different names for the 4th layer (dual-core, inner mantle/outer mantle). The covers can be made of either Surlyn/Ionomer or urethane… price point is a key factor in knowing which is which. The “mid-level” balls, like the NXT Tour and HX Hot Bite have the Surlyn cover, while the Pro-V1, B-330 and Penta have urethane covers.

Urethane is softer than Surlyn. This allows the grooves of the club to grip the ball better, thus imparting more spin. Really, this is where the biggest difference in balls is. Throw in the manufacturing process (urethane cannot be recycled, as for as golf ball manufacturing is concerned) and it’s easy to see why “tour” balls cost more.