Polara Straight Ball Banned by USGA

Polara has engineered a new golf ball that is designed to not slice. When aligned properly with the easy to read arrow pointing toward the target, the ball will fly straight. The ball is manufactured with an irregular dimple pattern which (thanks to physics) causes the ball to fly straight, and (thanks to the United States Golf Association) causes the ball to be illegal in USGA sanctioned competition. So what makes this ball so special? The New York Times explains below:


“The performance of the Polara ball differs from that of a conventional ball largely because it has two distinct regions of dimples. Along the ball’s equator, shallow, truncated dimples lower its lift and create a more horizontal spin axis. Lower lift means less force is directed toward keeping a mis-hit ball moving left or right of the target. More horizontal spin axis, meanwhile, lessens side spin, a root cause of a hook or a slice.


On the two poles of the ball, the dimples are deeper and more concentrated and reinforce the horizontal spin axis. They work in tandem with the shallow dimples to generate lower drag, which combined with the lower lift creates a straighter and slightly lower trajectory. “



I fully support the ruling by the USGA for restricting equipment that gives, what some may consider, an unfair advantage. However it is hard to say if Pro Golfers would even be interested in this type of ball. It cannot correct misalignment of the golfer, and the easy to use arrow can only be lined-up on the tee shot (golfers may not readjust the ball in the fairway---even if it is the center of the fairway). Either way, I will leave it up to you, the golfer, to decide if it is acceptable to use this ball in non-competitive play. Golf is a sport of honor, integrity and self-improvement. While a straight ball may be impressive to your friends, it defeats the purpose of the game. Regardless, I found it interesting because physics and technology married to create a pretty cool (though illegal) product. Ref. nytimes.com, wired.com