Choosing which ball in foursomes a big issue

By Jennifer Gardner
GPA Equipment Editor

Alternate shot pairings in team competitions, like the Presidents Cup, bring a special set of equipment challenges: Whose golf ball will be used and on which holes?

Some players prefer to be paired with a teammate who uses the same brand of ball so that adjustments to a ball with different feel and spin are not necessary. Others say they can use another ball without a major adjustment.

"Foursomes is such a tricky game, it really is," said Robert Allenby of the International team. "It's so important that you get the ball right. Because in the past, [one player] might play Srixon and the other guy might play Titleist and then you're up in the air a little bit. 'Well, which one should we use?' Well, we'll use Titleist off this tee so he can hit the next shot. It's important to have the same ball and if you can get that to work, it can work really well."

When players use different balls, a player typically tees off with the ball he prefers and plays that through the hole, then switches to their partner's ball when he tees off on the next hole. Even though each player gets to tee off with their ball, a different ball's performance around the greens may be a challenge.

Allenby, who said he liked being paired with Vijay Singh because they use a similar golf ball, said that the ball does factor in.

"It does make it a little bit easier, because then you don't have another factor to worry about, 'Well, I'm going to go try this ball out for nine holes or whatever it may be, or chip-and-putt,'" Allenby said. "You've only got two days to get used to a foreign golf ball. So there's a few factors in it that way."

Singh agreed, noting that a pairing with Ernie Els meant he had to use a ball he didn't like as much as his own.

"Robert made a great point earlier on, that if you play with ... I play exactly the same ball as Robert does, so it kind of takes one big equation out of the picture there," Singh said. "You don't have to switch balls. We don't have to say, 'OK, we'll tee up with your ball here and mine on the other hole."

Other players don't see the change as an issue.

"When I was little, I used all different kind of golf balls, because those were the used golf balls that you had to buy in a bag," said Anthony Kim, U.S. team member. "I'm used to playing whatever."

The change in balls does make for some interesting images. On Saturday afternoon, Tiger Woods made a long birdie putt using partner Steve Stricker's Titleist Pro V1 golf ball to square their match at the 17th hole. Woods usually uses a Nike One Tour.