On Golf Balls

   It is snowing here today and golf will not be played for a while. The subject can be broached, however, and I will begin broaching by considering the colour of golf balls. As well, for those readers who prefer the serious over the frivolous, I will make the subject more timely by also mentioning gender, which one is required to do these days.

   Men prefer white balls. I haven’t done any research on the subject, but it is likely that even Black men do as well and I am sure Harold Varner III does, but you would expect him to do so because of the III. Even with the III and a name like “Harold”, he probably would not have been allowed into most country clubs a while back and in those days it is also likely that even a white club member would have  been blackballed if he chose to use a ball that was not white. But, this is about gender, not race, so consider this quote: “Female golfers have long accepted balls in a variety of hues.” 

   That quotation comes from an authoritative source: The Wall Street Journal. It is even more authoritative in this instance, given that most readers of it, and likely the writer of the article, are golfers and, more importantly, members of country clubs. Just as they know more about hedge funds, they are more likely to have accumulated wisdom related to poa annua grass and know that it should not be allowed at their clubs.

   Statistical evidence is provided by the WSJ: "At Whispering Pines Golf Club north of Houston, the pro shop tells me that less than 10% of men purchase colored balls, while nearly 60% of women do." That proves, among other things, that women are smarter than men, since colour, unlike, say compression, has no effect on ball performance and the brightly coloured ones are easier to find in the deep grass, or for that matter in the deep snow outside today. 

   Even tennis players are smarter than male golfers and the International Tennis Federation, more liberal than the PGA, since they made yellow balls the official ones back in 1972. Wimbledon went yellow much later, in 1986, but it is greener over there. 

    I should mention that Bubba Watson is also smarter than most other male golfers since he used a pink golf ball at the Masters a few years ago. I am surprised that they allowed him to do so, but by then I think they had also agreed to allow Condoleezza Rice to become a member. 

Sources:

“Gender Gap on the Golf Course,” Peter Funt, WSJ, April 15, 2021.

If you are heading out to Golf Town, are male and feel sufficiently masculine, here is a guide that will be useful: “10 Best High Visibility Golf Balls in 2022,” by Carroll Ball. Kansas Golf.

Post Script:

Readers who are attentive and who read my post about Aptronyms, will appreciate the name of the author of the article above: Carroll Ball.

The Bonus: 
Srixon is introducing a two-toned one.