Check-Go, "The World's Greatest Golf Gizmo"
What
began as an investigation into the ball balanced ball claims and
counter claims, led me to eye-opening discovery. While manufacturers
disagree over whether a balanced ball increases accuracy and adds
distance to the ball in the air, there is no question balance
affects putting. I found the Check-Go by Technasonic to be invaluable
in determining the optimal balance point (equator) of every ball
tested, including the Wilson True.
The
Check-Go has been on the periphery of golf for almost fifteen
years. It was even featured in the New York Times in October 1988.
The current balanced ball issue has brought it to the forefront.
According to Check-Go inventor Ken Burnett, on the second day
of the PGA show, he overheard a Wilson rep at his booth comment,"
Boy, I didn't realize we launched a multi-million dollar campaign
to sell the Check-Go."
While
spinning a golf ball at 10,000 revolutions per minute, the Check-Go
automatically realigns the golf ball's heaviest areas along its
equator, so that a less than perfectly balanced ball no longer
has a tendency to wobble, but rather roll more accurately on the
green. The Check-Go will not make an unbalanced ball perfectly
balanced. What it will do is show you the optimal balance point
of each and every ball you put in play.
During
testing for a balanced ball article, balls from every major manufacturer
were tested, including the Wilson True. At least two sleeves of
each type were tested (a dozen Wilson True balls) and in every
case, the Check-Go found the balance point of each separate golf
ball. Each ball was tested multiple times to confirm that the
initial point of balance was indeed accurate. Had there been any
perfectly balanced balls, each separate test would have produced
a different equator, which never happened. Every ball returned
to the same balance point time and time and time again.
The
world's foremost expert on putting, Dave Pelz attests to the fact
that balance definitely affects the ball as it rolls on the green.
In The Wire, an Internet news service, a promo for the July issue
of Golf Magazine talks about an article titled, Does Balance Matter?
It writes, "There's been a lot of talk lately about golf
balls and balance, but Dave Pelz has been saying for nearly 20
years that many balls are out of balance, sometimes enough to
affect the roll and result of your putt. In research conducted
at the Pelz Golf Institute, he calculated that when a ball's center
of gravity is off by just a few thousandths of an inch, it can
cause a short putt to miss the hole."
Teaching
pro extraordinaire Roger Gunn, who has numbered among his students
PGA Tour pros Tom Lehman and Steve Pate, says. "I don't get
excited about too many things at the PGA Show, but the Check-Go
was definitely the product of the year. It is simply the world's
greatest golf gizmo. I had to have one myself within 30 seconds
of seeing it work. I spin every ball I use prior to putting it
in play." In a game where every stroke matters, can any of
us afford to give strokes away?
While the Check-Go can't make an unbalanced ball perfect, it will show you its optimal balance point. I now mark the equator on every ball I put into play. To not take advantage of this state of the art technology would almost be a sin.