September rolls in and it’s an odd year. That means it’s Ryder Cup time (and Solheim Cup too)!! When I look at the Ryder Cup, one thing makes me wonder… When the players play alternate shot, how do they deal with playing a different golf ball??

I think it’s safe to say that golf balls are different. It’s safe to say that most players will notice a performance difference between one ball and the next – especially for world class players. One could argue that making a golf ball change could be the most difficult thing for a player to make a change to/ from. 

So, it begs the question – Do Captains Johnson and Donald factor in which ball a player uses when making alternate shot pairings? Do players receive word from the captains in advance that they may be paired with player X, and then the players start working with other golf balls? Do you pair Ricky Fowler with Colin Morikawa, or Sam Burns with Xander because of the golf ball? Certainly with the Ryder Cup hanging in the balance, this is a critical piece of the puzzle. It’s interesting fuel for thought for us sideliners to speculate about.

Is there a parallel to the rest of us? I can tell you I played the Chrome Soft X LS since it first came out. I consider myself a high spin, high launch player. That ball seemed perfect for me. Perfect until… I tinkered. I tried the Chrome Soft X one night. Wow, I really liked that ball. Around the greens, WOW!! But, it curves a little more with the driver. And with the irons. It spins more. I have to be careful with full swing shots with wedges. I would classify this as more of a tweak or a minor adjustment than a wholesale ball change. Yet, it still took me a few weeks to adjust and feel really comfortable.

Imagine a club member making that change – before every round, and sometimes during a round? Bridgestone on #1, hit that in the woods on 6, found a ProV1 , so I’ll play that. Maybe they buy whatever they find a deal on – Golf balls.com has a 3 for 2 on TM balls – cool, I’ll get those. I’ll go back to Chrome soft when these are gone. Can you play golf like that? I guess so, but can you play good golf? I would ask what your definition of “good” is before I just say NO. 

I’ll challenge you. When you see a member, ask him/her what ball they play. Then ask them why they chose that one and if they were fit for that ball. I will guarantee you that over half of your membership is playing the wrong ball for their golf swing, and at least half of the other half plays whatever they find. I’d be shocked if 25% of your members were playing the right ball for them.

This isn’t a Callaway thing. It’s a “do the right thing by your members” thing. You know enough about all the different balls out there that you should be able to come pretty close to fitting a player by just knowing a little bit about their golf game. By asking the questions, you can say “Hey, did you ever think about trying this ball instead? It’s a little lower compression than the ball you are using now, so it should go a little further and spin a little less. Maybe it’s worth a try?” You are the expert. Use what you know to help your members.

So why talk about this now? It’s almost snowing out (how did that slap in the face feel? Haha). How many of your members have shop credit? How many are going to buy golf balls with that? GREAT!! Make sure they get the right ones. How many are headed down south to play all winter? Why not get them to buy from you before they go?? No disrespect to the PGA Brothers and Sisters down south, but these are YOUR members. Give them a little deal. Ship them right to their Florida home so they don’t have to pack and travel with them. You look out for them, they’ll look out for you. 

I hope this helps!! Happy fitting, happy retaining, and happy selling.