Month: February 2023

2023 Callaway Supersoft Golf Ball Review

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This golf ball is one of the most popular among recreational golfers. In the very competitive two-piece ball market, it is possibly the most popular one. Despite its popularity, this is the first time I have tried it myself. I had a general idea of what to expect, but this 2023 Callaway Supersoft golf ball review will let you know how it all unfolded.

Like every time there is a new generation of golf balls on the market, the companies claim everything is better and improved. That is the case this time as well.

The HyperElastic SoftFast core helps with ball speed and a soft feel around the green. When it comes to distance, a very soft feel, and durability, Callaway attributes it all to the Hybrid Cover.

2023 Callaway Supersoft Box by golfballsworld.com
2023 Callaway Supersoft Box by golfballsworld.com

According to industry experts, the new Supersoft compression rating is around 40. That places it among the softest golf balls on the market. It has a lot of fans which makes it the most popular Callaway golf ball next to the premium Chrome Soft. Without further introduction, check below how the ball did on the golf course.

Who Is This Ball For?

There is one thing that immediately stands out when it comes to this golf ball. You guessed it, this ball is soft, very soft. It is not just in the name, it is a fact. What extreme softness means is that it is engineered with players swinging the clubs at slow to medium speeds in mind. That doesn’t mean you should not play it even if you swing a touch harder.

Nevertheless, if you are a fast-swinging golfer, you might not get the same results as you would with a ball with higher compression. A softer ball usually means less short-game spin. In case you don’t care much about spin and like a nice feeling while hitting the ball, this could be an option. Another thing, the price is reasonable as well for golfers on a budget.

PROS

  • Distance
  • Durability
  • Price

CONS

  • Less Short Game Spin
  • Not for Fast Swing Speeds

Callaway Supersoft

Review by golfballsworld.com

Distance Control
Chipping and Pitching
Putting
Durability
Appearance
Price

On the Green

As with every review, I will start from the green backward. My first impression when it comes to putting with this ball was positive. I probably do not have even to mention its softness upon contact with the putter. It produces a very mellow sound that is pleasant to the ear. Now on to the performance.

The things I noticed after a few putts were good pace control. It didn’t take me much time to adjust to the intensity I had to hit the ball on putts from various distances. On top of that, the ball was holding the line very well. This goes both for short and long putts. There were no bad points when it came to putting.

Around the Green

Again, the first thing I noticed was how soft the ball fell off the clubface. With this ball that is a given any time you hit it. In general, chipping was on the positive side. That is probably because the bump and run is my chipping style of choice. In that case, the lack of short-game spin does not come as too big of a challenge.

Once I adjusted to how hard I had to hit it for distance control, all was good. Less spin is more noticeable when it comes to higher trajectory chips and pitches. Those situations require a more precise landing for the ball to roll and stop at the right moment. It was still very manageable to obtain decent results around the green.

Approach Shots

Of all the shots, these are my favorite ones. It is mostly due to the fact I test golf balls on a par 3 course, meaning every tee shot is an approach shot. You can already guess it, this ball feels very soft off the clubface. No matter if you do a half-swing, three-quarter swing, or full swing, it just feels soft.

I was seeing pretty much the distances I usually reach. There was not much adjustment needed there. The flight trajectory was higher on average. That was helping the ball to stop on the green due to less spin. I did lose distance on a few mis-hits, which was more my error than anything else.

When it comes to shot manipulation, the ball performed well. I like to hit lower shots on some holes and that worked just fine. My misses were consistent with the regular ones. The flight direction was consistently on the straight side. I had a good experience hitting this golf ball.

Appearance and Price

The new Callaway Supersoft golf ball has not seen major changes when it comes to the look. It looks the same as the previous generation with a minor tweak to the alignment arrow design. Instead of one small arrow at the end of each side of the big line, now there are two. The alignment is very visible and helps if you use it before putts. A clean and simple look gets the job done.

The price was always one of this ball’s strong suits. It is not the cheapest ball out there, but its features and performance put it into the good value category. There is a lot of competition in the two-piece soft golf balls category and Supersoft always finds itself among the leaders. That fact speaks for itself.

It is available in white and yellow as well as in matte green, orange, red, and pink.

Durability

Since I hadn’t played this ball before, as I mentioned earlier, I had no idea how durable it was going to be. I will just say I was impressed. Of all the golf balls I have tested until now, this one was among the best-performing ones. After a round on a par 3 course, there were barely any marks visible.

It might have something to do with the new Hybrid Cover, the engineers have done a great job. This adds to its great value for money. If you get these golf balls, they will last long.

Final Verdict

Callaway has done a great job with one of its most popular golf balls. The Supersoft new generation has all the ingredients to become one of the best sellers once again. If you were loyal to the previous generation, you will most likely not be disappointed. In case you haven’t played it, and like a soft feel durable golf ball, it might be for you.

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2022 Titleist TruFeel Golf Ball Review

2023 Wilson Duo Soft Golf Ball Review

Golf Swing Impact Drills – How to Hit It Pure

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Here is a fact. No matter how you swing your club at the end of the day the most important part is contact. Don’t get me wrong, you should still pay attention to how you deliver the hit. Otherwise, even with good contact your ball can end up anywhere. Here we will focus on golf swing impact drills you can do to improve your ball striking.

How you hit your ball and where on the clubface you hit it can make a difference between a great shot and a bad one.

Another thing that will improve with solid impact is distance. More distance usually means better chances for lower scores.

I am sure you know exactly when you hit a good shot. There is no feeling like the one when you know you have hit that ball purely.

That gets even better when that ball does exactly what you wanted it to and goes the distance you have envisioned.

Granted, even professionals do not do it every single time. However, the drills below can help you do it more often.

Image by Virgile Donadieu on Unsplash
Image by Virgile Donadieu on Unsplash

Impact Bag Drill

This is one of the most popular impact drills you can do. To perform it as intended you will need an impact bag. If you do not have an impact bag you can use something that will serve the purpose. That could be a regular duffel bag or even a backpack you can fill up with something like towels to make it firmer.

  1. Place the bag just ahead of where you would place the golf ball
  2. Start with shorter swings at first then work your way to longer ones
  3. Every time you hit the bag make sure you move it forward
  4. Keep your position at impact for a few moments so you get the feel for it
  5. It is important that you keep the wrists quiet through impact without flicking the club

The drill will help you to get the sensation of your body motion at impact. More importantly, the way the impact bag is designed will show you the golf club position once you strike the ball. It might be different from what you are used to so it might be weird at first. There is a reason this drill is so popular among golf instructors.

Tee Peg Behind Golf Ball Drill

All you need for this simple drill is a tee peg. It will help you make better contact with the ball by forcing you to shift your weight forward. Besides that, it will help you strike the ball while you lean the club shaft forward. You can do it at the driving range, at home, or anywhere else where there is enough room to swing a club.

  1. Place the tee peg about one clubhead length behind the golf ball at the setup
  2. Start with shorter swings and gradually work toward a full swing
  3. The goal is to miss the tee peg in order to hit the ball first then the ground
  4. It will give you instant feedback depending if you miss or hit the tee peg

Tee Peg Behind Golf Ball by golfballsworld.com
Tee Peg Behind Golf Ball by golfballsworld.com

Press Clubface Against Object Drill

The main purpose of this drill is to get you used to the impact position. It will help you get the feel of the moment when you strike the golf ball. You can do it anywhere as long as there is a firm object you can use to press your clubface against. It is a drill you can easily do at home or anywhere else.

  1. Find a firm object like a wall, a desk, a bookshelf, or even a sofa
  2. Place your golf clubface against the object and assume the impact position
  3. Now press your clubface against the object to get the feel of your body in that position
  4. Make sure you are in the right position in order to get the right sensation

This might feel different from what you are used to. It might feel a bit odd, but the objective is for you to feel the right impact position. You will see which muscles activate during the impact and how your body has to be positioned.

Short Swing Drill

This is a drill that is straightforward and self-explanatory. The goal is to feel the proper impact position while actually hitting the ball. It is a good way to get used to the feeling of delivering the club in a solid manner. Because it is a shorter swing it will help you slowly build up your impact sequence in your swing.

  1. Set up for your regular swing
  2. Bring your club until parallel to the ground in your backswing
  3. Pause briefly before swinging
  4. Swing until your club is parallel to the ground in the downswing
  5. Make some dry swings until introducing the golf ball

Don’t Forget to Play

Drills are a great way to improve or sharpen your golf skills. I would always recommend them even as occasional reminders when it comes to technique. They can help you with straightening your game and take you to the next level. This is especially the case with basics which should always be learned thoroughly.

On the other side, sometimes you could get caught up in too many drills and too much time spent practicing. You have to remember that golfing on a course is something entirely different from practicing. Go out and golf as much as you can because that is the only true way of experiencing different situations.

While you might enjoy going to the driving range, nothing compares to playing. It will put you in all sorts of scenarios that are hard to replicate in a controlled environment. You will only truly improve by golfing more. Do drills and practice, but try to golf more in order to see real improvement.

You may also like:

How to Get a Consistent Golf Swing – 5 Tips for Beginners

Most Common Golf Swing Mistakes – How to Avoid Them

How to Golf on a Budget – 5 Tips to Save Money

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Once upon a time golf was a relatively expensive hobby. Nowadays it is more accessible, although a lot of people still see it as a sport reserved for the elites. I am not saying it is cheap or anything like that. However, the increased accessibility and recently increased number of participants help. There are answers to the question of how to golf on a budget.

Now, it is true that you can spend unlimited amounts of money on golf equipment and accessories.

At the same time, due to the growth of the game golfing has become more user-friendly to put it in simple words.

Image by Matthew McBrayer on Unsplash
Image by Matthew McBrayer on Unsplash

That means you do not have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to enjoy this beautiful game. If you have the right information, you can easily get yourself a nice set of clubs and all the additional accessories and apparel. On top of that golf courses are popping out everywhere and the learning material is ever-present. Let’s dive into the tips below.

1. Old Clubs Do the Job

The golf clubs’ prices are a big reason why golfing can be very expensive. To be more precise, I am talking about new golf clubs. The big brands are releasing new shiny clubs every year, with a couple of exceptions. They are almost always promising better performance with new technology. It always sounds promising.

Are new clubs always better? That is a tricky question. In general, if you have clubs that are older than 5 years, there is a good chance the technology has improved. Nonetheless, that does not mean older clubs are not good anymore. There are still older club models out there that can do as well as new ones on the course.

You might lose a couple of yards if you’re using an older model, but they can still perform just fine. If you just want to play and enjoy, you do not have to have the most expensive ones in the bag. You can also have a look at lower-priced sets that can start you off when you just begin to golf. The secondhand golf equipment market is big, you could take advantage of that as well.

2. Take Advantage of The Growing DTC Market

In the last few years, a new golf equipment market emerged. That is the direct-to-consumer market or as you may often see DTC. You can buy literally anything from golf clubs, golf bags, golf balls, and golf apparel straight from the brand. I am not talking here about just buying online, I am talking about brands that have only an online presence.

For that reason whatever you buy will usually come at a lower price since there is no middleman. However, there is one potential issue here. That is not being able to try the product before buying it. Golfers prefer to get a feel for clubs and balls before they purchase them. With this method that is out of the picture.

Surely most of the brands have the option to return the product if something is not right. There is also the option of online fitting where you put in some info they ask you and they give you the best options for you. It can’t be compared to in-person fitting, but it can do the trick to a certain extent.

Image by Will Porada on Unsplash
Image by Will Porada on Unsplash

3. Use the Equipment for Your Skill Level

One of the areas where you could be wasting money is if you have equipment that is not for your level. This is most often the case with golf clubs and golf balls. I am not saying that you won’t have use of better equipment, but it might not be time yet. That can leave quite an impact on your budget. Better equipment tends to be more expensive.

There are so many different types of clubs on the market. Some are more appropriate for beginners, some for intermediate players, and some for advanced golfers. Similar is with golf balls, except you could still play more expensive ones and it would not make as big of a difference as with wrong clubs.

It is simply the question of what you need your equipment for. If your skill level is at a point when you can’t really execute different types of shots, there is no real use of clubs or balls meant for that level. The time will come when you are going to be able to shape shots and add/take off spin among other things. Until that moment, save yourself some money and have fun.

4. Use the Tee Time Booking Apps

As technology advances, there are more solutions that make our lives easier. Some of those are tee time booking apps or websites. If you have already started using them, good for you. In case you are not so familiar with them, I would highly recommend you look them up. There are many out there to choose from.

Why I am suggesting this, besides the convenience, you can find good deals. First of all, you can find a lot of golf courses to choose from in one place. On top of that, the apps tend to offer discounts on tee times. It would be a shame not to take advantage of discounted tee time rates. Have the same good time, just for a lower price.

Image by Daniel Stenholm on Unsplash
Image by Daniel Stenholm on Unsplash

5. Learning Is a Click Away

This is the key thing when it comes to golf. You can have all the perfect equipment, but without learning how to golf the right way it is hard to fully enjoy it. Golf lessons don’t come cheap, even though it might be the fastest and most efficient way to learn how to golf. There is also the time element required to go for a lesson.

Luckily, we live in a day and age where technology allows us to absorb a lot of knowledge from home. There is so much content out there in the form of tutorials whether in written or video format. You can take advantage of free education more than ever. If you still want to work with an instructor, you can do that from home as well.

There is something for everyone and that is great. However, if you are going to learn something on your own it requires self-discipline. Make sure you do everything you learn thoroughly. Work on a single thing at a time and do not move on to the next things until you perfect what you are currently working on.

Stay on Budget to Enjoy More

To paraphrase a saying I once heard; if you are lucky to golf, you are lucky enough. Golfing is even more fun when it does not leave a hole in your pocket. The good news is that it is achievable. Take advantage of all the opportunities to stay on budget. Dive into the second-hand equipment market or embrace the technology.

There are always ways to spend less and still enjoy this wonderful game. At the end of the day, it is going to be entirely up to you what you make of it. The days when golf was reserved for wealthy people are past us. There is not much that stands between you and a nice round with your golf buddies. Go out and enjoy it.

You may also like:

Best Golf Balls for New Golfers – Enjoy the Game for a Lower Price

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Golf Swing Basics for Beginners – How to Learn It Right

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When you start learning something new there is always a lot of excitement. That is especially the case with golf where you can see the progress week after week. Nevertheless, getting solid golf swing basics for beginners can be tricky. It is common to want to move on as quickly as possible and neglect the fundamentals for building a solid golf swing.

I do not want to say you will not learn how to swing the club. You have to do that in order to golf to start with.

What I mean is you might move too fast trying to do things before you master the basics. At that point, it will be harder to fix potential swing issues.

Image by Courtney Cook on Unsplash
Image by Courtney Cook on Unsplash

The sooner you build solid foundations, the sooner you will be able to develop your game in the right direction. There are so many different shots you will be taking during rounds. In order to be able to execute all of them, you will have to learn everything the right way. Now, let’s see which areas of your golf swing you should pay extra attention to in order to have a reliable golf swing.

Setup

Every time I think about the golf swing, setup is the first thing that comes to mind. Why? Simply because there is no solid swing without a solid setup. This is where it all starts. It is the first thing you do before hitting every ball when you golf. For that reason, you have to nail down the setup if you want to get good at golf.

Now, your setup will be slightly different for every single club you use and for every different shot you are hitting. In essence, it has the same basics just a bit altered. For you to get to a higher playing level, you will have to learn all those little differences. Don’t worry, once you get the first one it will be easier to get the others.

To start with it would be best if you learned one setup position. Let’s say with a short or mid-iron. Learn it really well until you feel confident to move on. From there it is going to be easier to move to wedges, long irons, fairway woods, and hybrids. The driver setup is again slightly different from the others due to the side bend.

It should not take long to get a hold of all the different setups. Once you have mastered all of them your swing is going to have a great foundation to build on.

Don’t Rush It

Believe it or not, you will not necessarily hit the ball better and further if you swing faster. What you should be focusing on when working on your swing is the tempo. The key is to have solid contact and a good tempo will help you with that. When you strike the ball properly it will go far and in the direction you want it to go.

Rushing your swing will make it much harder to execute it right and can lead to all sorts of trouble. I noticed some time ago my swings turn out pretty bad when I try to rush my swing and hammer the ball. The important thing is to find that sweet spot on the clubface, you can always increase your swing speed gradually as you become more confident.

There are tempo training apps out there that can help you with it as well as numerous other sources available for free. Be patient and learn to swing with a nice tempo. It will help you improve your swing and become a solid ball striker.

Image by Courtney Cook on Unsplash
Image by Courtney Cook on Unsplash

Under the Plane

The first time I learned about the plane was in the book “Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf”. Despite the book being published in 1957, all the lessons can be applied to today’s golf. One part of the book speaks about the plane. The plane can be described as the line your club shaft forms at your swing setup.

There are a couple of ways you can swing your club for better results. One way is to swing on the plane and the other way is to swing under the plane. What you should definitely avoid is swinging over the plane. Swinging over the plane usually leads to poor shots. This is when you can see slices that end up way off the target.

The easiest way to know if you are swinging over the plane is if you film your swing from behind. Once you have a look you will know what needs to be fixed. As for everything else, there are a lot of resources available to find the drills to help you work on it.

Keep the Relation to the Ball

It might not be the first thing you look at when you mess up a shot, but it tends to be one of the major reasons for poor outcomes. What I mean by keeping the relation to the ball is to keep the same distance from your upper body to the ball through your swing. If anything you can get a touch closer to the ball, but in no scenario, you should get further.

Losing the relation to the ball can lead to thick and thin shots. There is a good chance you have experienced that and you know the feeling is not so good. Early extension is among the reasons you lose the relation to the ball to name one. Basically, it is any time you stand up and distance your upper body from the ball before you hit it.

Work on keeping your upper body from moving up before you make contact with the ball. It is going to pay good dividends once you get used to it. There are dills you can find that can help you fix it if you are among golfers experiencing it.

Image by Courtney Cook on Unsplash
Image by Courtney Cook on Unsplash

Different Ball Positions

If you have ever read or watched anything about golf ball positions at setup you know there are different perspectives out there. There is a general theory that you move the ball from the center toward your lead foot as the club length increases. That is fine and it works when the ball position is the right one.

The thing is, it does not have to be exactly the same for everyone. The same ball position for a 7-iron does not have to be identical for you and your friend. Sometimes a slight tweak can produce better results. The ball can also be moved depending on what type of shot you are trying to hit.

What I am trying to say is that you can follow the general rule. However, don’t be afraid to play around with the ball position in order to find your sweet spot for each club. Go to the driving range and experiment a bit. See what results you get when you move the ball around. You may discover something that works better in the end.

It Is Ok to Make Mistakes

Achieving perfection in golf is next to impossible. There is always something you could have done better, always a shot that should have been better executed, and always a putt that had to go in. This is true for all golfers no matter if they are professionals or recreational golfers. That extends to the golf swing as well.

The only difference is professional golfers’ swings are a touch closer to perfection. Mistakes while swinging are always going to happen. The sooner you accept that the sooner you will be able to have a good time on the course. The goal is to make fewer of them, but they are inevitable. What you can do for your game is to learn from those mistakes in order to improve.

Relax and enjoy the great time you are having while golfing.

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How to Get a Consistent Golf Swing – 5 Tips for Beginners

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Categories: Beginners Golf Swing