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Distance Calculation with Advanced Balls (other than the Starter Ball)

• SimonTheBeetle 3,645 Posts

  Fri, Jun 17 2016 1:05 PM

  Hi fellow WGT golfers,

  After using the Starter Ball (the freebie) for a long time since day 1 and now with the need for more distance, I started experimenting and mapped my NIKE Vapor Fly Pro Iron Set (L85+) with NIKE 20XI-X Balls (L71+) which has distance 5.0 & spin 4.0 and is probably the best ball I can get at my level in terms of cost-effectiveness.

  The experimentation, however, put me in a total confusion. Well, I can tell the ball definitely goes further, but the problem is that even after mapping them for hours in practice mode, the results I'm getting in rated rounds are very disappointing. They simply vary too much! Sometimes it goes way over and sometimes on the contrary, it comes way too short whether I hit it with & without spin.

  YES, this is all after taking into consideration of elevation & wind and I know my distance calculation is good since with the freebie, I can get it much closer to the hole once again whether I hit it with & without spin.

  If I'm constantly over- or under-shooting, I'll be able to adjust accordingly, but it's practically lottery right now as it lands short and long whatever its highness wishes. What really drives me nuts is that I see the ball landing way beyond the pin in headwind and the opposite, coming way short in tailwind! (I don't mean to brag or anything, but I used to be a scratch player in real life until I stopped playing due to shoulder rotator cuff problem a couple of years ago and I know that simply doesn't make any sense!)

  Anyway, I'd like to get some tips or advice on how to calculate or readjust the distance with more advanced balls. Thank you in advance.

  Cheers and good shooting, everyone!

  Simon

• borntobesting 9,706 Posts

  Fri, Jun 17 2016 8:44 PM

  One thing to remember with the higher spin balls is that even a slight change in spin can dramatically affect the distance of your shot. Less spin and the ball can go farther in the air and roll more. More spin the ball will have a shorter flight and have less roll. With the Nike ball using the Nike Swoosh as a reference point you should be able to set your spin consistently the same or nearly the same. Doing this should help with distance control. And dont forget to set your spin. I don't know how many times I have made my calculations lined up the shot then thought just as I hit the shot "crap I forgot to set my spin".

• ScottHope 10,443 Posts

  Sat, Jun 18 2016 12:00 AM

  ...and when b2b says a slight change Simon, he means a slight change. Rightly or wrongly I use max spin on most of my shots, (except wedges), and to get a few extra yards flight distance, I move the spin dot up by a few pixels, not a half ball, quarter ball or even an eighth ball, just a few pixels.

• SimonTheBeetle 3,645 Posts

  Mon, Jun 20 2016 8:40 AM

  Thanks B2B, Scott and Solarflares.

  I took 4 days off for the first time in... I don't remember how many months and it was very good and refreshing away from WGT.

  I didn't know the spin setting was THAT sensitive.

  The "chase-down effect of tailwind" is a very interesting concept. I think the opposite is true in RL golf, though. In headwind, I play a club more especially when steeply chopping down the ball with a bigger divot for max backspin and in tailwind, I don't change the club but grip it a bit shorter or swing about 10% less since the wind brings the ball higher up in the air, thus carrying more distance. And the results were, most of times, satisfactory. (Correct me if I'm wrong. Unlike in Britain, we don't play in that kind of gutsy-wind conditions here in Korea so...)

  I will apply your tips in my game and see what happens. It's really nice to have connaisseurs like you guys here to get helps from. :)

  Many thanks once again.

  Regards,

  Simon

• GStinkybottom 14 Posts

  Mon, Jun 20 2016 9:24 AM

  Hey there,

  I am struggling w/ exactly the same problem as SimonTheBeetle and still, after searching the net or this forum, I am looking for a constant value to add to my calculations as i´d love to have sth like: +2 distance = 2 yds/100yds ... :(

  Haven´t found anything yet, hence i´ll stick w/ the GI2-S or GI-S Balls

• MrFunnyWobbl 894 Posts

  Mon, Jun 20 2016 2:51 PM

  Solarflares:

  Past level 81 clubs and balls - a very rough rule of thumb is that the first-bounce distance of any iron is actually very close to the rated distance of the club , using a 5-power ball.

  Full backspin will generally take 5 yards from that - over the whole range.

  Map all you like , but the above is so close that - buying L85 V-forges and an 81 ball , you can go straight-out on the ranked-course and start to bang 'em with confidence immediately.

  This works up to L90 RSi2's - after that , I don't know yet.

  ..............................................

  Often overlooked is the "chase-down effect of tailwind.

  For example , a 10mph tailwind for a 120yard shot to the green.   You would perhaps think that a 115 PW with full backspin is the right shot. But this will land you 7 yards short with minimal-rollout.

  The 10mph wind is normally worth 5 yards per 100. But with a tailwind , split the difference. The extra-carry is almost halved and the extra distance travelled is less by half of the normal wind-value.

  I'm confused, can anyone try re-explaining this?

• Yiannis1970 3,305 Posts

  Mon, Jun 20 2016 5:32 PM

  MrFunnyWobbl:

  Solarflares:

  Past level 81 clubs and balls - a very rough rule of thumb is that the first-bounce distance of any iron is actually very close to the rated distance of the club , using a 5-power ball.

  Full backspin will generally take 5 yards from that - over the whole range.

  Map all you like , but the above is so close that - buying L85 V-forges and an 81 ball , you can go straight-out on the ranked-course and start to bang 'em with confidence immediately.

  This works up to L90 RSi2's - after that , I don't know yet.

  ..............................................

  Often overlooked is the "chase-down effect of tailwind.

  For example , a 10mph tailwind for a 120yard shot to the green.   You would perhaps think that a 115 PW with full backspin is the right shot. But this will land you 7 yards short with minimal-rollout.

  The 10mph wind is normally worth 5 yards per 100. But with a tailwind , split the difference. The extra-carry is almost halved and the extra distance travelled is less by half of the normal wind-value.

  I'm confused, can anyone try re-explaining this?

   

  Explanation is pretty simple actually. The lighter the club, more easier to stop the ball cause the spin is working more and the ball tends to go higher (higher trajectory). So, to make an example...

  With 8-10 tailwind for a distance of 120 yds (depending on your balls and clubs) you can play a full back spin 120 shot. On the other hand, on 210 distance with the same wind, you can't play 210 full back spin because probably you will be long (i4 is much heavier than PW). So, you have to compensate with let's say 5 yards less.

  Naturally, every ball plays differently and any club too not to mention the topography of the courses...

   

• SimonTheBeetle 3,645 Posts

  Mon, Jun 20 2016 9:26 PM

  Solarflares:

  The first-bounce figure increases by 1 yard on every iron for each point of ball-power.

  Full-backspin applied decreases the first-bounce distance by 1yrd for every point of ball-spin

  Then what about the backspin from the club? Shouldn't it be considered as well? Or simply ignored as soon as you start using advanced balls?

  In other words, which of the following calculation is correct for a full backspin PW shot?

  [A] 111 (Original 1st Bounce with Freebies) + 5 (Ball-Power Point) - 4 (Ball-Spin Point) - 3.5 (Club-Spin Point) = 108.5 yds

  [B] 111 (Original 1st Bounce with Freebies) + 5 (Ball-Power Point) - 4 (Ball-Spin Point) = 112 yds