The World’s Best Golf Ball

Golf Today Magazine
July, 2006

by Bob Fagan
Before I share with you the pearl of golfing wisdom I have so recently acquired, let’s briefly examine what the world’s greatest golf ball might be. First, it would always go exactly where I intended it to go. Okay, maybe I would not shoot an 18, but how about a 36 for a round of golf? As strange as that sounds, for me it appears the perfect number given that golf’s ruling bodies will limit the distance golf balls travel. At least shooting that score, I would no longer have to embarrass myself putting. Am I silly or what? Yes, of course I am. Seriously, my perfect ball would play as well as any on the market, be long off the tee, but playable too. It would be durable as well. And seriously, I don’t want to pay premium prices. Finally, I have always dreamed that when I do hit astray, I would be able to find the blessed little sphere. Thus, I would save on penalty strokes, improve my score, and save more golf balls, as well as keep playing moving.

Okay, you say I am dreaming again? No way, that ball already exists! It is available from RadarGolf and just may be the "Golf Product of the New Millennium." Here is a ball that retails for just $39.95 a dozen and is long off the tee with a medium spin ratio, so it is also very playable. Now for the exciting part, it comes with embedded technology that, together with a smallish handheld finder, helps you actually find your golf ball. If the ball is in the heavy rough, the trees, tall grasses, bushes, flowers, or whatever, you can find it.

The only exception is a ball submerged under water. There you may not be able to retrieve it anyway. By holding this handheld finder in the general direction of the ball, an audible and visible signal is emitted until it gets louder and louder and more frequent, and you are literally on top of your ball. The operation is both simple and intuitive. The handheld unit comes with a dozen balls and accessories, and lists for $250. Best of all is the ball is USGA approved for tournament play and the handheld finder is good for establishing a handicap.

For most of us, this may save many strokes, not to mention several balls a round. Even for the really accomplished players, having their playing partners using this technology really helps move play along. Those disconcerting searches for your friend’s errant shots are a thing of the past. Can you imagine if all the golf balls had this capability how much faster play would move around American golf courses? Faster play makes for more golfers and higher revenues per course. Heck, better golf course profit margins might even keep the cost of green fees contained.

Now for one of the golf industry’s dirty little secrets. Just as the auto industry has been accused of resisting new fuel and engine improvements for years, so too have the golf ball manufacturers been resisting anything to help their customers find their golf balls. If they had their way, you would lose your golf balls in the trunk of your car, under your sofa or in the ball washers so they could sell you more replacements. To that end, several manufacturers have been working on ball paint finishes that will eventually turn from sparkling white to an ugly gray color — all in an effort to sell you more golf balls.

Well, the folks at RadarGolf have perfected a technology that indeed works and does not deteriorate with age. Radar executives share that they plan to license their technology to the other golf ball manufacturers. For speeding up play, eliminating "lost ball penalty strokes" or simply delighting their customers, this new development could represent a new paradigm shift in the world of golf. Now let us see which of the leading golf ball companies are customer-oriented enough to incorporate this new technology in their products? Likewise, it will be interesting to see the reaction of green grass golf professionals. Will they exploit this new technology in an effort to delight their customers or resist in the name of tradition or inertia. Several leading golf retailers are already on board with this product.

To those who might suggest that this RadarGolf ball is a gimmick, let me remind you that when the wooden tee replaced a small pile of sand, they said the same thing. Ditto for the metal-headed club replacing wooden ones or soft spikes. And this USGA-conforming ball looks and plays like all the other traditional ones. So what if I pull out some little handheld device to supplement my optical glasses to help me find my errant shots?

Well, if you argue that the RadarGolf ball finder is a gimmick or an artificial enhancement, then it follows that you think that my glasses or contact lenses are also artificial enhancement, right? Like my glasses, it simply helps me locate my shot where upon I can continue playing — and that’s not all bad.

And don’t forget that Tiger Woods had lasik eye surgery to help him, assistance that Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, and I never enjoyed. Should Tiger’s post-eye surgery record have an asterisk aside it? No, of course not, and neither should a ball-finding device. We still have to hit the ball to create a score.

When you consider that purchasing this system (finding device, accessories, and a dozen balls) costs a whole lot less than those new drivers, this is a smart investment to make, one more apt to help your game. And imagine the joy of winning that wager or keeping that great round going because you are a Radar Golfer — oh how sweet!