Product Review: ProCheck Compression Tester

Studies have shown that golf balls stored under “normal” conditions can maintain performance levels for years. That’s great news, unless you’re one of the many golfers who keep their clubs in the truck of the car for convenience. It doesn’t take a scorcher of a day for the temperature of your trunk to climb to over 150 degrees.

Titleist Pro V1 matches my swing

While two-piece golf balls are remarkably resilient, their three- and four-piece counterparts are much more susceptible to extreme heat (and cold). How many people in your foursome swear by their Pro V1s, Chrome Softs, B330s, Q-Stars, etc.?

If you fall into both categories - trunk and better golf balls - you may want to check the compression of your bullets to make sure you’re not firing blanks during your next game. After all, you will not reap the rewards if the compression (hardness) of the ball doesn’t match your swing speed.

You can now check the compression of any ball in your bag with ProCheck. This handled device is quick and easy to use. Simply insert a ball, pull the trigger, hit the release (R) button and read the results - ranging from “very soft” to “very firm.”

You now know your ball’s number. Time to line it up with your game.

How far does your driver carry? Or, what’s your driver swing speed? If you can answer either of these, then you can find the corresponding compression that’s right for you. For me, it’s about 230 yards in the air and around 100 mph. That puts me in the medium range, which will show up as 5 ProCheck bars.

With this new-found knowledge, I went to my go-to balls - Bridgestone Tour B-RX and Srixon Q-Star. I’ve been playing well with both, which is why I turned away from my previous favorite - Pro V1. According to ProCheck, however, both were a little too soft for me (4 ProCheck bars). Oddly enough, the Pro V1 was right on the mark.

Top Flite lived up to its "rock" reputation

For shits and giggle, I tested one more ball. Growing up, we always referred to Top Flite as “Rock Flite” because of how hard they seemed. Sure enough, ProCheck confirmed our thoughts with the Top Flite XL 2000 registering a “Very Firm” reading of 8 bars!

There are a couple of disclaimers. Compression can vary from ball-to-ball even within the same model. Manufacturers take an average out of a sample to determine the whole run’s compression. Slight imperfections can alter a number.

Also, you may want to take into consideration the temperature when you tee it up. If it’s really cold, balls will play a little harder. If it’s really hot, they may play a little softer. I’d need a round on the sun for the Top Flite to come down to my level.

ProCheck ($139) is a unique tool that could keep you from losing 10-20 percent off your distance. Just think … My 260-yard drive could shrink to 208 yards with the wrong ball. Yikes!

Visit procheckgolf.com to learn more.