SWEET!!!
Written: Sep 15 '03 (Updated Sep 16 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use. Legal and relatively cheap golf aid.
Cons: Marking a little faint.
The Bottom Line: A great tool for the avid golfer in your family. Compact, keep one and home and one in your golf bag.
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| PALWalrus's Full Review: Golf Ball Sweet Spot Finder |
Okay folks, I love golf. It's my game. I don't play it really well but I'm better than most. I am always looking for an edge and or a reason for my failings. I know I have a tendency to hit from the top when I don't play regularly and I also know that I am a better than average putter.
Why So Sweet?
So why am I looking at something as gimmicky as a Sweet Spot Finder? The answer is simple, I hate missing putts. Even worse I hate missing putts that I thought were good putts. I went through a period where I missed a number of putts that I was sure that I had hit correctly.
Why Sweet?
I have read the David Pelz Putting Bible in the past and had been taken with the concept of the ball spinner to find the true center of balance of the ball. I had been intrigued with some of the tests that he had run showing the deviation off line. When I started missing putts I went looking for the ball spinner.
How So Sweet?
I found the tool under the name Golf Ball Sweet Spot Finder (GBSSF from here on) at Sharper Image. They have a local store so I went in and picked one up for just under $25. As always I still needed some convincing that this was going to help before I used it during the round so I proceeded to do some testing at home.
How To Sweet?
Using the GBSSF is simple, just put a ball in cradle, put the guard on and press the button. Wait 30 seconds for the ball to get into a true spin and then put a marker in the top to mark the sweet spot, then in the side slot that allows marking of the true line of balance. Be careful when marking the line though, as pushing the marker in too hard will cause the ball to spin off its true axis. A very faint dotted line is drawn on the ball that you can enhance when you have removed it from the GBSSF. I used a permanent marker and allowed the markings to dry. My preference is to use another tool to mark the ball more clearly after getting the initial line and dot drawn by the GBSSF, but that is personal preference only.
Is It Sweet?
The best way I could think of testing this was on the carpet at home over a set distance. I marked up 10 balls with the spinner and used 10 other balls with standard markings. All 20 balls were my preferred Maxfli Revolutions. With the 10 marked up balls I obviously used the line drawn by the marker to help me line up to the target and had the sweet spot pointed towards me when putting. With the 10 unmarked balls I used the normal Maxfli logo to line up the putts. The results were very convincing. Firstly, when you hit the ball with the GBSSF line you will find it MUCH easier to get the ball square on the clubface and square to the target. The line is a very positive reinforcement. Secondly, you will know if you are hitting the ball sweetly because you will clearly see the ball rotating along the marked line. Thirdly, as the ball approached the target and was losing speed the ball stayed on line perfectly. The variation off line was extremely low (less than 1/2 inch). All the positives with using the GBSSF marked balls quickly became negatives with the control group of balls. The drifting offline in the control group was dramatic with some balls drifting as much as 2-3 inches as they lost speed, more than enough to miss a golf hole!! After putting for a very short time I was convinced that there were benefits to using the marked balls. I felt more confident with my lining up to the hole and that I was hitting the ball cleanly.
Of Course It Is Sweet!!
Only one more set of tests needed to be done to prove the worth of this tool to me. How does this translate to the course? Does the sweet spot vary after the ball has been hit for a few holes? On the five rounds that I have been using balls marked by the GBSSF I have tracked my putting statistics and I have cut 2-3 putts off a round. While this could be a result of just feeling more confident with lining up it is apparent to me that this is a dramatic difference. I have also respun the balls after playing for several holes and the sweet spot and line remain the same.
Truly Sweet!!
I have not tested the claim that using the line and sweet spot with the driver will increase distance, and have no idea how you would prove this without extremely expensive test equipment, but as the old golf adage goes, drive for show...putt for dough..for $25 I assure you that my little GBSSF is worth every penny.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
PALWalrus
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Location: Alachua, FL
Reviews written: 87
Trusted by: 43 members
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Good food, fine wine and close friends...who could ask for anything more?
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