Fore: A Two Year Study of Golf Ball Prices vs. Quality

Overview

Objectives/Goals Golf companies design slogans to entice people to buy their product. Slogans like "The #1 brand in golf" and "Distance doesn't have to be hard" are only two of many ways by which golf brands try to attract customers. The goal of this project is to see who is stretching the truth and who is not when it comes to whose golf ball is really better. The purpose of finding this out is to see if golf ball prices are appropriate. The Brand A ball is the most expensive and is used by professional golfers, thus it should have the highest average distance over a series of hits (AD). All other golf ball brands should fall in decreasing order with the largest AD corresponding with the more expensive balls. Methods/Materials Four golf balls, all of different brands, were tested. The prices of all four brands were compared on the same website (www.golgalaxy.com). Brand A charges $43.99 per box of golf balls, Brand B charges $15.99 per box, Brand C charges $14.99 per box, and brand D charges $9.99 per box. These balls were tested for their AD using 50 hits. A consistent swing device (CSD) was constructed to ensure an accurate and consistent swing. A putter was attached to the CSD, which was set on a golfing green. A spot was marked using a golf tee to ensure a consistent contact point on the club was made every time it was swung. Each ball was struck 50 times. Results The Brand A ball traveled an AD of 231.9 inches per swing (IPS) while the Brand D ball, traveled an AD of 244.4 IPS. Following, was the Brand C ball traveling an AD of 223.4 IPS compared to the Brand B ball which traveled an AD of 210.3 IPS. Conclusions/Discussion The data did not completely support the hypothesis. The pricing of golf balls is out of proportion. The ##1 Ball in Golf,# which charged the most per box (Brand A) was, in fact, the ball that went the furthest. The Brand D ball, the least expensive, went the second furthest. Next was Brand C, followed by the Brand B ball.. These results show golf ball quality does not always match the cost. Paying more for a box of balls yields more AD; however, the cheaper balls were inconsistent with their pricing and distances.

Competition history

• CSEF 2007 Applied Mechanics & Structures · Entry S0206

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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