Tip - Finding the Optimum Rolling Axis
Hello everybody. I've just finished reading a spectacular book by Tom Wishon called The Search for the Perfect Golf Club. He's got a tip at the very end of the book about finding the best rolling axis for the ball.
Basically, you take 1 cup of epsum salt, mixed with 1 cup water (I think it was 1 cup). After stirring the salts will have disolved into the water. Then, simply drop your ball in the bowl, and when the golf ball settles, mark the dimple that faces directly up with a Sharpie. If you drop the same ball in the solution, and your previous mark does not rise to the top, then the ball is in very good balance. But, if the ball has any unbalance, the mark will rise to the top again.
Tom Wishon said he saw a demonstration with a guy that had a robotic putter. He saw him mark the ball as described above, and had the robot putt it twice; once with the mark facing the sky, and once with the mark facing to the right when looking behind the ball. With the mark facing the sky, the robot sunk it everytime. With the mark placed to the side, the putt missed everytime. Every since, Tom has aligned his ball with the mark facing up. For that matter, Tom also places the mark facing up when driving as well.
I struggled at first visualizing how placing the mark on top helped. But then it dawned on me that in the water, the heavy end sinks to the bottom, and the light end on top. So as the ball rolls, it goes heavy end over light end, heavy over light, etc, etc. This is opposed to the heavy end of the ball placed to the side, which will basically cause wobble in the end.
I thought this was a great tip. Anybody else have similar tips? Do you guys do anything to mark the axis of the roll?
Verrrrrrrry interesting...
:stirthepo So the Check Go measures the same thing consistently, and as it is designed to measure the "heavy" spot I guess it is reliable... or is it? I still like leftyucas' idea of a second test <Epsom Salts> to check on the Check GOs accuracy. I have neither the "kit" nor the gizmo... but I do have the balls :rofl1