Kostis On The Ball

Titleist "golf products design consultant" Peter Kostis writes about how everyone has to stop blaming the ball, merely noting for the record that he's "played Titleist balls and clubs for nearly 20 years."

Uh, played? You mean paid to play? Kostis says the ball is not to blame, and repeats the recent Titleist talking points. Though I'm not sure what this one means.

“Firm, straight fairways that encourage players to bomb away off the tee" are one of the distance culprits according to Kostis.

Firm is not always what you find at a PGA Tour stop, especially compared to previous eras, but we'll give that to Kostis. However, straight? What does a straight fairway do to allow players to hit it longer? As opposed to say, a dogleg or a jagged edged one?

Kostis surely knows by now that PGA Tour roughs could be laced with rattlesnakes, and Vijay, Tiger, Phil and Ernie would still to flog it out there.

"I’m by no means arguing that the golf ball hasn’t had an effect on driving distance," Kostis says, because after all, downplaying the ball would negate the golfer's need to spend $50 and up on a dozen of the latest balls. "Manufacturers today can combine the best elements of the old Top-Flite and Pinnacle distance balls with the soft feel of a balata cover, and it’s a technological marvel that all players enjoy. But it is only one of several variables at play. Don’t believe everything you hear about the 'hot' ball, because cocktail party conversation between golf’s power brokers does not equate to facts."

Haven’t we heard this argument before? It seems to be popping up in all sorts of places.

Kostis does seem to be acknowledging that there are negative repercussions from the many “variables in play.” Which is the point. He does not seem to be denying that. This week anyway.