Best golf balls for high-handicap golfers

Gear: Bridgestone Tour B X, Tour B XS, Tour B RX and Tour B RXS golf balls
Price: $49.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece, urethane-covered golf balls in white and yellow
Available: February 16 (White and Tour B X TW), March 15 (Yellow X and RX

Who It’s For: Golfers who want more distance off the tee and tour-level greenside spin.

The Skinny: Bridgestone has modified the casing layer of the Tour B balls to help them generate more speed while complementing the unique urethane cover that provides more spin around the greens.

The Deep Dive: For golfers who may not be aware, Bridgestone has been making solid-core, urethane-covered golf balls as long as any brand in the industry, and the Nike golf ball that Tiger Woods used to win four consecutive majors (the Tiger Slam) was manufactured by Bridgestone. Nick Price won the British Open and PGA Championships using a Bridgestone ball, Nick Faldo won at Augusta National with a Bridgestone, and, more recently, Tiger won the 2019 Masters, and Bryson DeChambeau won at Winged Foot in 2020 using a Bridgestone ball.

Since 2020, the Japanese brand has focused on contact science, studying how different combinations of materials can enhance speed and distance off the tee while also providing more greenside spin and control for different types of players. The addition of impact modifiers to create the Reactiv cover of the 2020 Tour B X, Tour B XS, Tour B RX and Tour B RXS four years ago was the first fruit of that labor, followed by the ReactivIQ covers that were uniquely created for each ball in the 2022 Toru B lineup. Now, for 2024, Bridgestone is claiming it has taken another step toward creating the Holy Grail of golf balls by developing the new ReactivX system.

The ReactivX system is comprised of two parts: an Xclrnt mid-layer (pronounced accelerant) and a ReactivIQ urethane cover.

Instead of using multiple cores inside each of the four Tour B balls, Bridgestone has designed a gradational core that is very soft in the center and gradually gets firmer toward the perimeter. A firm mid-layer (mantle) is then applied over the core, but in the 2024 Tour B balls, that casing layer does a better job of transferring energy into ball speed.

The new Xclrnt mid-layer is also more dense, so golfers like Tiger and Jason Day, who started testing and using the ball in 2023, reported it has a lower, deeper sound at impact.

A ReactivIQ urethane cover encases the Xclrnt mid-layer, with the exact cover-material blend for each ball being slightly different. By using different combinations of impact modifiers, Bridgestone designers can make the urethane behave differently under different conditions. The cover behaves and feels firmer when hit with your longer, faster-swinging clubs like your driver and long irons but feels softer when you hit it with wedges.

Here is a breakdown of the four Tour B balls for 2024 and who each has been made for:

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Gear: Titleist TruFeel golf balls (2024)
Price: $24.99 per dozen
Specs: Two-piece, ionomer-covered golf balls. Available in white, yellow (March) and matte red (May).
Available: Jan. 24

Who They’re For: Golfers who want more distance from a budget-friendly ball.

The Skinny: Titleist updated the core and made the cover softer and thicker on the latest version of the TruFeel to give players more distance off the tee and spin around the green from a ball that won’t break the bank.

The Deep Dive: Around the offices in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, Titleist golf ball engineers and designers have a saying: “A ball has to earn the script.” That script refers to the flowing Titleist logo.

Balls such as the Pro V1 and Pro V1x, which typically cost about $50 per dozen, do that by delivering elite levels of distance off the tee and spin around the green. However, Titleist balls sold at half that price still need to provide performance and be the best ball Titleist can offer in that lower price range.

The Titleist TruFeel made its debut in September 2019 and took the place of the DT TruSoft. It was updated in 2022 and now has been updated for 2024.

Titleist TruFeel golf balls — The Titleist TruFeel golf ball has a massive core. (Titleist)

The latest version of TruFeel has a newly formulated core that Titleist calls TruTouch. While it is slightly smaller than the core in the previous TruFeel ball, it still helps golfers generate more ball speed for good distance off the tee.

The benefit of going with a smaller core is it allowed Titleist to make the TruFlex cover, which is made from a blend of ionomer and softening polymers, slightly thicker. The softer cover can be grabbed by the grooves of wedges and short irons more easily, so the 2024 TruFeel should give players more greenside spin and control.

Finally, Titleist gave TruFeel an aerodynamic dimple pattern and cover design that helps it create a low, penetrating ball flight for people with moderate swing speeds. The cover design should also help golfers who typically generate excessive spin hit straighter, longer shots.