Hey, Team Titleist.
This week the Korn Ferry Tour travels to Berthoud, Colorado for The Ascendant. The tournament is aptly named, as a climb of nearly a mile high is required to get to the host course, TPC Colorado (5,030 feet above sea level). The game changes at these heights and altitude presents some unique and noticeable challenges.
From 1986 through 2006, The International in Castle Rock, CO (elevation: 6,224′) was a regular tour stop on the PGA Tour. More recently, the WGC - Mexico Championship has been staged at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City (elevation - 7,349′). And today, the Barracuda Championship, hosted just outside Lake Tahoe, CA (elevation 5,817') has become a late-season mainstay on the PGA Tour. Bottom line, PGA Tour players are exposed fairly regularly to the adjustments needed to play well at elevation.
But what about the (predominantly) younger and inexperienced Korn Ferry players who might never have played thousands of feet above sea level? How will it affect their games? You probably know or have heard that the golf ball flies farther at high altitude, but is it impacted in other ways? For some answers, we reached out to the experts in Titleist Golf Ball R&D. Here are some key points to keep in mind the next time you have a chance to play where eagles dare.
EFFECTS OF ALTITUDE ON GOLF BALL PERFORMANCE:
• The golf ball does fly farther in high altitudes. This is mainly due to the change in air density, which decreases as elevation increases. Thinner air exerts less drag force on the ball. The ball moves more easily through the air and doesn't slow down as quickly as it flies, resulting in greater distance.
• The force of gravity also decreases the further we move away from the earth's center, but the change in force is too small to have any significant effect on the ball.
• You can calculate the distance gain you will experience (compared to sea level) by multiplying the elevation (in feet) by .00116. For example, if you're playing in Reno, at 1 mile elevation (5,280 ft.) the increase is about 6% (5,280 x .00116 = 6.1248). If you normally drive the ball 250 yards at sea level, you will likely drive it 265 yards in Reno.
• The golf ball does not spin any less at high elevation. However, because the air is less dense and imparts less force on the ball, the lift force is also lower. You'll see a flatter trajectory on your longer shots, a more shallow angle of descent and greater roll.
• Because the air is less dense at higher altitudes and imparts less force on the golf ball, the ball won't slice or hook as much. It will be harder to shape shots.
• The shorter the shot and the slower the ball moves through the air, the less impact altitude will have on golf ball aerodynamics. This means, on short approaches and greenside shots, you don't have to adjust for elevation.
FUN FACTS:
• Guinness World Records credits Yak Golf Course in Kupup, East Sikkim, India as the highest golf course in the world at 13,025 feet. The course is 6,025 yards long and is part of a military base.
• At one time, a different golf course held the title for highest elevation in the world. Tuctu Golf Club in Peru (elevation - 14,335') was owned by a mining company, but it has been abandoned since the early 1990s.
• Colorado boasts several courses that sit more than 7,000 feet above sea-level. Among these, Mount Massive Golf Club, at 9,640 feet above sea level, lays claim to the highest-elevation golf course in the U.S.
• The highest championship-caliber course in the U.S. is Copper Mountain. Its clubhouse sits at 9,500 feet, with some pieces of the 18-hole, par-69 course reaching 9,700 feet. At its highest point, the course is 9,863 feet above sea level.
For a deeper dive into the impact of altitude on the golf ball, please check out this article on the Titleist blog:
Golf Ball Aerodynamics and the Effect of Altitude
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