Would You Play a Yellow Golf Ball If It Helped Your Game?
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 10, 2010 12:59 PM EST
in Playing Golf
Email
PrintSrixon Golf presents an interesting new product for 2010. It's a bit of a throwback, though. Now, reintroducing the yellow golf ball!
This time, though, Srixon is pushing a yellow ball with some science behind it that suggests that the colored ball may actually help you play better.
Srixon sent out a press release a few days ago introducing the ball and explaining the technology.
"By tapping into the psychology of hitting each shot and the visualization and calming effect at address, the Z-STAR"! and Z-STAR"! X Tour Yellow golf balls incorporate the science of visual perception with the psychology of color effect on the human brain."
"Science has proven that yellow is the most visible color in the visual spectrum and psychology has correlated green with calming and stress relief; therefore Srixon has combined the two colors based on these findings to tap into the player's mind and expand the benefits of playing a better ball."
It kind of makes sense. A few years ago, Nike Golf came out with their Maxsight athletic contact lenses with specific hues for sporting performance. The color that they chose for golf was grey-green. They were designed to help with reading greens.
The lesson of the story is that Paula Creamer may have incidentally been onto something when she chose to play final rounds with a pink ball. She may love the color - and it is part of her nickname - but it may also have a positive psychological impact, too.
45 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
If a yellow golf ball actually
helped my game, sure I’d use it. I’d use a trapezoidal ball if it helped.
Ok - who's in on this bet...
you just KNOW there was a bet between some guy at Srixon and somebody else – “I’ll bet you I can talk golfers into using yellow golf balls.”: :-)
I’m not sure that golfers will go for it – actual science or not. We’ve seen yellow golf balls before and they are almost always laughed at – almost as much as someone pulling out the pink Flying Lady ball.
Creamer’s use of the pink ball on Sundays is marketing – not performance. She has one win with the pink ball in play.
That said – this has been done in other sports. The one that pops to mind first is tennis. For decades, tennis balls were white, but tests were done with yellow balls and players liked them better. Wimbledon switched from their traditional white Slazenger tennis balls to yellow a while back for the same reason. Fast pitch softball has experimented with yellow balls and got some good feedback.
But I’m not buying it for golf – the ball isn’t being struck while it’s in motion.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
OK - I may not buy the psychological angle
but I do buy the visual one. You mean you measure your masculinity against the colour of your golf balls? :o)
not me – I use Precept SSIII balls in the winter because the pearlescent colors reflect light better and are easier for me to find when all the grass is dormant.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
You can laugh all you want, but I play women’s balls in the winter because they are softer.
There IS a certain amount of irony in the term “women’s balls” but this is a family blog and I will leave that one laying as its played.
by Charles Boyer on Feb 10, 2010 3:15 PM EST up reply actions
This is good news
My husband finds yellow golf balls much easier to see (he has macular degeneration of the eyesight). However, the ones he was playing with were cheap and cheerful, so I bought him some white Srixons which he hit a lot further. At the time, (mid-Dec.) the proshop assured me there were no decent yellow golf balls manufactured. Hope these new yellow Srixons are available over here soon therefore.
Wendy, one of my severe hooks
should land there around springtime. Watch for it.
Hah! Good one, Wendy. And speaking of
water carry, I gotta go to the loo.
I m not sure
any color ball will help my game, but haven’t we always been told that RED is the dominate color…that’s why most neon signs are red?…STUB
Stub......How about white??? As in SNOW......
we are supposed to get 4-5 inches tomorrow into Friday afternoon…….We hardly ever get any snow accumulation….are you supposed to get any???
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
If they could talk John Daly into playing them...
I bet they go like crazy…although, with the pants he wears there could be days when the ball gets lost in the design.
For most golfers, I think there is still a “stigma” attached to the yellow ball…they are just not cool. I don’t see people giving up their Pro-V’s anytime soon.
And I agree with CG – the concept of the ball not being in motion makes me think the yellow color holds less impact.
I write about golf at www.tees2greens.com, too.
Yellow Ball Hater!!!! That makes you a bigot and racist too!!!.......lol
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
EM, remember
Jumpin is getting twitchy about loosing both bets…and Ya, 2-3 inches of snow…Colder than a blue nosed goat…in the 30s…I’m beginning to think Wendy and Easing did a Voodoo number on us…I ask again, if yellow is the big color, why are most neon signs in Red???…for years, we were told that this is the color that attracted you eyes the fastest…Don’t tell me we were deceived…oh my gawd….STUB
Snowing here
All tee-times cancelled this week & only managed 10 mins. on driving range before admitting defeat – guess Easing is much hardier than I am.
Red doesn’t show up against green as much as white or yellow.
tee times cancelled for the WEEK ?? What’s going on over there ?
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
It's called comeuppance
Back in December I boasted that I played golf all-year round, 3 times a week. I’m still making the bookings; I’m just not getting out there to play in the freezing conditions we’ve had ever since my bragging.
Or did you mean how come I play several times a week?
Self-employed, work from home, club member so no green fees to pay per round, rounds only take 31/2 hours so play first thing in the morning, home for lunch and then work whatever hours I need to – usually well into the evening, plus w/es. Sure beats the corporate world I used to live in!
Huh. So tending bar in one's living room
counts as self-employed? (J?K)
Just curious, Wendy, what’s your field?
Haven't tended bar for a living since college days!
Research in one field, design in a different one, and neither remotely connected to my previous incarnation, I’m pleased to say.
actually, I didn’t realize you were talking about your own tee times – thought the course(s) you play were cancelling tee times because of the weather.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
No - the loonies are still out there playing on my course
Public access to the course, so nothing to stop anyone from going out there.
No rangers this time of year either, so guess some hardy people are actually playing for free.
Played Wednesday, wonderful day..untill hailstones on the 18th..
Thursday was snowing on the 6th…damn. Heres hoping Monday is fine.
Yes, wonderful sunshine Wednesday/today
but every time I set foot outside the house, the sleet came down/bitter NE winds. If I had already been out on the course, I would have continued, but I’m not going to start in those conditions.
How about the range, Wendy ?
when the snow was bad last month, I went down a few times…good way to get it out of the system. Or, you could go for 9 holes…be done in 90 minutes. The bacon buttie taste wonderful after the knock…it was good to get out of the house…go on, lol.
Stuck in out on the range for 10 whole minutes, Easing
before my feet froze. Little chipper was going dead straight though even with those ropey old range balls. Sadly that didn’t justify a bacon buttie on return home.
No worries...March will soon be here
I’ll be playing Royal st Georges then…might even take the sun protection, lol
( I always try to look on the bright side )
What percentage of London/England and all those shires
actually has a bright side? Just curious. And just kidding.
To be clear (so to speak), I was referring
to the city/country, not the Londoners, English folk themselves. I honestly think they’d be some of my faves.
Touble is, I’d have to eat at least some of the food.
Give the snails a miss though Wendy..
Does your hubby like the dish ? I enjoy French food, but not those, lol.
Eaten both snails & frog legs often enough
like them both, but they are totally outmoded on French menus today. Bit like that era of “Prawn Cocktail, Steak Diane & Black Forest Gateau” on English menus.
Tell you what though, the lunch at French golf clubs is “formidable”.
Paula rocks with Pink
Actually Paula has won 6 events while on tour with the pink Precpt ball she plays. So maybe she was ahead of all the tech guys that are figuring out this recent color concept.
Special Contact Lenses
Special contacts lenses for sports seems like a new frontier. I guess that’s where sports technology is going these days. Golfers have literally no end to the amount of accessories that they can purchase. Amazing.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Have a golf story tip? Contact editor Charles Boyer and he will follow the story! Thanks!
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
