Q & A with Dean
Q: You have tested golf balls with many PGA TOUR players including Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Jason Day and Dustin Johnson. What can the consumer learn from your experience and what is the best way to “fit” a golfer with a ball?
When I entered the industry in 1990, player testing consisted of looking at driver and 8-iron spin. Today, the ball fitting process is far more sophisticated with players spending hours on the green to watch how the ball reacts on short pitch shots. If that goes well, we work our way back to 30 yards, then 75 yards, then full sand wedges to evaluate the flight, spin and feel of the golf ball. Next comes mid and long irons shots to test the ball’s performance into a headwind. After testing with a variety of prototypes, the golfer usually has a good idea which one he or she likes. The final step happens on the tee where players look at their launch and trajectory. All golf balls today, travel the same distance off the tee, so my recommendation is that amateurs “fit” themselves inside 100 yards.
Q: What is “consumer pricing?”
It’s simple. Unlike other ball companies, we do not have significant marketing, advertising, player contracts, sales reps or steep overhead. As a result, we can pass the savings back to the consumer. Imagine, a ball that performs like the number one played ball on Tour with a steep discount on price.
Q: What is the difference between MY TOUR BALL and GET SUM? (original models 2015-2017)
MY TOUR BALL (MTB) is a 3-piece cast urethane golf ball designed for complete tee-to-green performance. Golfers will expect to see low driver spin for longer distances, controlled mid and short iron spin to eliminate ballooning and distance loss in the wind. The soft cast urethane cover delivers outstanding durability, soft feel, and high short game spin around the greens to help lower scores. MTB competitors: Bridgestone B330RX, Callaway Chrome Soft, Srixon Z Star, TaylorMade Tour Preferred and Titelist ProV1, GET SUM is a low compression, soft feeling 2-piece ball with a soft surlyn cover designed for great feel, outstanding durability, and low spin tee to green. With a lower spinning ball, golfers will notice an increase in distance off all clubs. The low spin also gives golfers a little more control and helps mitigate hooks and slices. The 2-piece construction makes it easier to get the ball into the air. GET SUM competitors: Callaway Super Soft, Srixon Q Star, TaylorMade Project(a) Preferred and Titelist Velocity.
Q: There are many companies making and marketing golf balls. What are some of the myths that exist today around ball performance?
There are a lot of companies using “compression” as buzzwords to market their golf balls. Snell Golf believes players today should never choose a golf ball strictly based on driver fittings. Regardless of swing speed, the golf balls today are compressed on drivers and will go about the same distance. A better way to think about golf ball performance is from 100 yards and in. After all, the average golfer who shoots in the mid-80s, will use driver 14 times maximum. The concern should be around the ball’s behavior in the other 70 shots. Premium urethane golf balls WILL help you score better in these areas.
Q: Will Snell Golf be played on TOUR?
We won’t say “never,” but the company is structured today to pass the savings onto the consumer. As soon as Snell Golf enters into golf ball contracts with players, we would inevitably need to raise the cost of the ball. Our focus now is on the consumer.
Q: What has been the feedback on the Snell Golf ball products to date?
We are humbled to have received such a positive response from consumers and media. The feedback has consistently been around the ball’s performance into the wind and control around the green. These comments are consistent with the engineering behind our golf ball line-up. From a sales perspective, we exceeded our expectations in the first five years.
Q: Do all “TOUR” balls have thin urethane covers? Why?
Urethane technology has enabled balls to keep maximized speed while enhancing feel and spin. This is a very tough process and expensive process, but we are happy to provide it to our customers. More recently, TPU or thermoplastic urethane covers have also improved with crosslinking processes. We now can use cast urethane or crosslinked thermoplastic urethane to achieve performance desired for each golf ball we design.
Q: What is the performance difference in a two-piece, three-piece, and four-piece golf ball?
A 3-piece ball or 4-piece ball is often for the more accomplished golfer who is willing to spend a little more money for tee-to-green performance. By adding an additional layer(s), we can keep driver spin low, but use the mantle layers to work with the cover to add spin around the green and other more specific performance characteristics. To summarize, the more layers, the more specific performance we can make, however it does add cost to manufacturing.
The golfer needs to know their needs and capabilities, take our online fitting test to see which of our current models may fit your best.
Q: What is the difference between your new 2019 models MTB BLACK & MTB-X? (2019 models)
The 2019 models are both premium, tour quality urethane balls and both have won numerous accolades including Golf Digest Gold Medal and recently the MTB-X was the "longest ball in golf" according to MYGolfSpy.com
The MTB BLACK is an evolution of the original MyTourBall. A 3-piece construction, but we have lowered the core compression about 7%, further lowering driver spin and increasing distance slightly. It provides moderate "controlled" iron spin. Perfectly designed for good golfers looking for a penetrating ball flight and short game control.
The MTB-X is also a 3-piece design with cast urethane cover. The similarities in performance to MTB Black are fast ball speed, low driver spin, and exceptional distance. The cast urethane cover also provides great short game feel and control.
The key difference is short iron spin and feel. To provide a bit higher spin on short irons we use a thicker, firmer mantle layer. This also gives the ball a bit firmer feel.
Wondering how they compare to the market leaders?
The 2019 MTB lineup would be compared to Titleist® offerings as such:
MTB Black is similar to ProV1, and MTB-X would be similar to ProV1x.