As if playing in front of rowdy fans with intense allegiances wasn’t pressure enough, Harris English has been prepping for an equipment change that’s bound to add an extra layer of intrigue to the biennial matches.
Along with pairing players based on their personalities and playing styles, Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald will be considering the golf ball as well — at least for the foursomes format, where two-man teams are required to alternate shots with the same ball.
As English revealed on Ping’s Proving Ground podcast, the format requires more thought as teams—especially those playing different ball brands and/or models—figure out the ball they’ll play on each hole.
“We’re pretty much switching on every hole,” English said. “I’m sure some teams have one ball and they choose one ball if guys play the similar ball. But, I mean, the guys I’ve been trying out will all play different balls.”
Since 2006, the “one‑ball rule” has reduced the awkward conversations that inevitably ensued as teammates attempted to figure out the ball model they’d play for an entire match. The revised rule means partners can change which ball they use from hole to hole, provided they tee off with that ball.
The rules tweak offers flexibility, but also subtle complexity: You must decide strategy in advance—who tees off which holes, who plays what type of shot into the green, and whether to switch balls across holes to give each teammate his preferred feel for irons/wedges.
In most cases, the player hitting the approach shot or a delicate chip around the green is going to have his ball prioritized over whoever is bombing it off the tee. The reason? There’s more variance in launch and spin on a short-sided chip. During recent robotic testing, the Golf Laboratories swing robot confirmed the spin rate delta on the high and low end with the driver was 600 RPMs—a number that might register a shrug from some pros.
On a 40-yard wedge shot, the spin rate jumps to more than 3,300 RPMs between the high and low end — a massive performance divide when comparing golf balls. English won’t see a spin difference of 3,000-plus when testing a teammate’s ball, but the numbers highlight why prioritizing the approach and short game is so important when alternating balls.
While it’s easy to look at the ball brands and models being played on each team and assume you can simply pair Titleist Pro V1 users, English said it isn’t that easy.
“I play a 2017 Pro V1 and there’s probably four or five guys on the PGA Tour who play it,” he said. “Guys play TaylorMade, Ben Griffin plays Maxfli, Xander plays Callaway. So there are a lot of different golf balls that people play and that’s something that kind of gets overlooked a little bit of how you’re going to attack that.
“And just for us, more of the spin rate and kind of the launch conditions, especially if it gets windy or end of the wind, you want to make sure your ball is not falling out of the air or coming up shorter than you’re used to. So trying to get ahead of that as much as possible.”
So in short: In foursomes, the ball isn’t just a piece of equipment—it’s a piece of the partnership puzzle. Good pairings often take into account ball make and model so both players’ strengths can be optimized.
Experimentation in practice rounds will be key. Whoever adapts faster to someone else’s ball on approach shots and around the green will gain a slight edge in foursomes, especially under pressure or in wind.
Ryder Cup ball usage
Team USA
Sam Burns | Callaway Chrome Tour X
Patrick Cantlay | Titleist Pro V1x
Bryson DeChambeau | Titleist Pro V1x
Harris English | Titleist Pro V1
Ben Griffin | Maxfli Tour X
Russell Henley | Titleist Pro V1x
Collin Morikawa | TaylorMade TP5x
Xander Schauffele | Callaway Chrome Tour
Scottie Scheffler | Titleist Pro V1
JJ Spaun | Srixon Z-Star Diamond
Justin Thomas | Titleist Pro V1x
Cameron Young | Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot Prototype
Observations: Compared to the European squad, the U.S. has more ball brands (six) and models to contend with this week, not to mention a prototype that only Cameron Young is using. … Bryson DeChambeau recently switched back to Pro V1x from the V1x Double Dot, but he’d be an obvious choice with Young based on his familiarity with the prototype.
Team Europe
Ludvig Åberg | Titleist Pro V1x
Matthew Fitzpatrick | Titleist Pro V1x
Tommy Fleetwood | TaylorMade TP5x Pix
Tyrrell Hatton | Titleist Pro V1x
Rasmus Højgaard | Callaway Chrome Tour X
Viktor Hovland | Titleist Pro V1
Shane Lowry | Srixon Z‑Star XV
Robert MacIntyre | Titleist Pro V1
Rory McIlroy | TaylorMade TP5
Jon Rahm | Callaway Chrome Tour X
Justin Rose | Titleist Pro V1x
Sepp Straka | Srixon Z‑Star XV
Observations: On paper, Europe has the clear golf ball advantage in foursomes. With defined clusters of players using the same model—e.g. Straka, Lowry, Hojgaard, Rahm, Hatton and Åberg—the ball learning curve is non-existent.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
