Tag: golf balls 2024

TaylorMade’s Performance Decision Kit could be a great golf ball fitting option, but you can’t buy it

This is exactly what many golfers need.

With its namesake mountain looming in the background, twilight descending, and the empty, emerald-green fairway laid out in front of me, the 18th hole at Superstition Mountain Golf Club in Golf Canyon, Arizona, was the perfect place to have a little fun.

No one else was around that evening, so I dropped five or six three-ball sleeves of the newest golf balls on the ground and started hitting approach shots, pitch shots and chip shots until darkness made it too hard to see. I made little notes on a pad about how each ball felt and flew, how much it appeared to spin (I didn’t have a launch monitor), checked-up on the green and which balls seemed to end up closest to the hole.

It was the first time I’d really tested golf balls, and it has become a yearly ritual that starts my season every year, although, sadly, Central Connecticut is not as pretty as the Arizona desert in late March.

I have encouraged Golfweek readers to buy three-ball packs of newly released balls at the start of every season and test them against the ball they currently play on several occasions, so when I recently received TaylorMade’s Performance Decision Kit, I thought a brand had finally made the job of ball testing a little easier. Inside the box were six two-ball packs of each urethane-covered ball in the 2024 TaylorMade stable: TP5, TP5 Pix, TP5x, TP5x Pix, Tour Response and Tour Response Stripe.

One box, three different balls in both white and in each ball’s visual-technology version.

TaylorMade Performance Decision Kit
The TaylorMade Performance Decision Kit includes six two-ball packs of TaylorMade balls. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

But when I reached out to TaylorMade to find out when the Performance Decision Kit was going on sale to the public, I got the bad news: This unique box will not go on sale to consumers. It was created for select members of the media and influencers to make them aware of TaylorMade’s new offerings for 2024.

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I recently went to TaylorMade’s golf ball manufacturing plant in Liberty, South Carolina. I have also visited Callaway’s facility in Chicopee, Massachusetts, along with Titleist’s golf ball plant in New Bedford, Massachusetts, several times. These state-of-the-art facilities turn out millions of dozen boxes of golf balls every year thanks to lots of proprietary systems, customized machines and other automated processes. The assembly lines are built to make thousands of the same ball at a time, paint them, number them, add them to sleeves and then get those sleeves into dozen-ball boxes.

I assume creating something like the TaylorMade Performance Decision Kit involves a level of small-batch work that would be difficult to do at scale. In fact, it would likely fall to the custom golf ball department that handles corporate orders and other small-batch projects. Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t want TaylorMade and other brands to make dozens of boxes like this available to everyone.

For the last 20 years, the percentage of golfers who buy their clubs after going through a custom fitting season has dramatically increased because while a good-quality custom fitting session can take time, the result is a club that is ideally suited for the player. Once players go through a fitting for a driver or irons, they never buy “off the rack” again. Custom fitting for putters and wedges still lag behind woods and irons, but those numbers are going to climb.

Golf ball fittings? Almost no recreational golfers get fit for the ball they use, which is why a multi-ball pack sold as a fitting tool is something we need. It would make the process easier if you could buy a dozen box and get a sleeve of:

Any time I talk with a brand about helping golfers find the right clubs, they all say custom fitting is the key. If you don’t get custom fit for your woods, irons, wedges or putter, you are almost certainly leaving some performance behind. The same thing holds true with golf balls.

Unfortunately, TaylorMade’s Performance Decision Kit may be an example of a great idea that is not ready to become a reality for most golfers.

Best golf balls you can buy in 2024

Check out Golfweek’s list of the best golf balls available to purchase in 2024.

A decade ago, the sight of a non-white golf ball would raise a few eyebrows, but those days are long gone. TaylorMade, one of the largest golf ball makers in the world, predicts its non-white ball sales in 2024 – comprised of balls with stripes, special markings or customized logos – will eclipse traditional white ball sales for the first time.

Golf balls with corporate logos have been popular for decades, but tour pros like Rickie Fowler and Tommy Fleetwood compete in PGA Tour events, major championships and Ryder Cups using TaylorMade’s TP5 and TP5x Pix balls that have markings designed to aid in alignment and to reveal how purely you’ve hit your putt. Callaway’s Truvis balls, which are covered in pentagons, have been popular for several years and Srixon’s Divide balls are eye-catching in every weather condition and also help golfers perform better on the greens.

At the same time, manufacturers like Titleist, maker of the Pro V1, and Callaway, maker of the new Chrome Tour, have never made balls to a higher precisely, which means that from ball to ball, consistency is better than ever before.

With such a wide variety of balls on the market, ranging in price from about $22 to around $55 per dozen, finding a ball that matches your game and your budget can be tricky, but Golfweek’s 2024 Golf Ball Guide is here to help. Prioritize what you want from your golf ball (distance, short game spin, soft feel), and then think about a price range you are willing to pay. Keep in mind that if you go down in price, you will likely have to compromise something because the materials that make premium balls perform so well don’t come cheap.

Buy a three-ball sleeve of several different balls, go to the course and see how they perform on chip shots, pitch shots and short approach shots first, then see how they work for you with long irons and woods. The unique way you swing will make each ball play differently, but testing balls on the course will always be the best way to find your perfect golf ball.

Note: Golf balls are often released on two-year product cycles, which means updates are released every two years. For that reason, you will see several 2023 offerings alongside new 2024 putters.

Best golf balls in 2024

Bridgestone Tour B X, Tour B XS, Tour B RX and Tour B RXS golf balls

The 2024 Bridgestone Tou B balls provide distance off tee, spin around the green and come in four versions.

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:

Titleist AVX golf balls (2024)

The new AVX provides more greenside spin without sacrificing its low spin and soft feel.

Gear: Titleist AVX golf balls (2024)
Price: $49.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece, urethane-covered golf balls. Available in White and Yellow.
Available: January 24

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Who It’s For: Golfers who want a softer feel, lower flight and less spin than a Pro V1 without sacrificing greenside spin. 

The Skinny: The updated AVX has a new gradational core and a softer, thicker urethane cover to give it enhanced greenside spin, a lower flight and less spin with long irons.

The Deep Dive: With several premium golf balls in its portfolio, including the top-selling Pro V1 and Pro V1x (which do not change for 2024), Titleist designers and engineers were given very clear instructions when it came to developing an update to the AVX ball. The new alternative to the X and V ball needed to be longer from tee to green, but the bigger task was to make it feel softer while giving it more greenside spin. 

To achieve those goals in the new 2024 AVX, Titleist started by making the gradational core – which is extremely soft in the center and gets progressively firmer toward the perimeter – slightly smaller. The 2022 AVX also had a gradational core, but the firmness change in the 2024 ball is more substantial, making it more like a multi-core construction in a single-core ball.

Titleist AVX 2024
The Titleist AVX ball for 2024. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

A firm casing layer (which is the dark ring around the purple core in the photo above) covers the core. That firm material over the soft core is the key to effective energy transfer on wood and long-iron shots. The casing layer also helps to reduce spin when the ball is hit with a less-lofted, more-vertically-faced club like a driver, fairway wood or long iron. The result is more distance with lower spin off the tee and from the fairway with long clubs.

However, on short-iron shots and wedge shots, when the clubhead speed is lower and the impact is made with a more lofted club, the updated AVX’s softer urethane and thicker cover, which is on top of the firm casing layer, can easily be grabbed by the grooves to generate spin. The softer, thicker urethane cover also helps to make the AVX feel softer at impact, even though the ball’s overall compression (80) has not changed.

Knowing that Titleist wanted to keep the AVX’s playing relationship with its other balls about the same, designers knew they needed to give the 2024 AVX a low-spin dimple pattern, but they wanted it to be better than the pattern on the 2022 ball. Ultimately, they chose a quadrilateral dipyramid catenary design (say that five times fast!) that had previously been used in the two-piece, distance-oriented Tour Soft balls. On the 2024 AVX, the cover pattern makes it more stable in the wind. 

So where does AVX fit into the Titleist golf ball stable?

  • AVX spins less off the tee than Pro V1 and Pro V1x
  • AVX should have a lower launch angle than Pro V1 and Pro V1x.
  • AVX will feel softer at impact than Pro V1 and Pro V1x.
  • While the new AVX should generate more greenside spin than its predecessor, the Pro V1 and Pro V1x will spin more around the green and with short irons.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1364]

Srixon Q-Star Tour, Q-Star Tour Divide golf balls

Srixon modified the core, updated the dimple pattern and softened the cover of its Q-Star Tour balls.

Gear: Srixon Q-Star Tour, Q-Star Tour Divide golf balls
Price: $39.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece, urethane-covered ball with 74 compression. Available in white, yellow and two-color Divide versions in yellow-blue, yellow/red and yellow/orange.
Available: Jan. 11

Who They’re For: Moderate- and slower-swinging golfers who want distance off the tee and extra spin around the green.

The Skinny: By modifying the core, updating the dimple pattern to improve aerodynamics and softening the cover, Srixon’s updated Q-Star Tour ball aims to provide soft feel, solid distance and more spin around the greens for recreational golfers.

The Deep Dive: When a pro golfer like Brooks Koepka or Keegan Bradley hits a shot, it stays hit. These major winners generate elite levels of clubhead speed, and they strike tee shots and iron shots solidly almost every time. When it comes to a golf ball, they demand something that can handle their speed and maximize their skills.

Recreational golfers, however, don’t typically generate a clubhead speed of 120 mph, and the firm balls elite golfers gravitate to often feel too hard for players who shoot in the 80s, 90s, and 100s. Instead, weekend players want a soft-feeling ball that provides distance off the tee and spin around the greens, and with the fifth generation of the Q-Star Tour, that is what Srixon aims to deliver.

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Srixon Q-Star Tour
Srixon Q-Star Tour for 2024. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Srixon has made three significant changes to the Q-Star Tour for 2024, starting with the core, which is gradational. The core, which Srixon calls a Fast Layer Core, transitions from soft in the center to firmer around the outside. This design allows the Q-Star Tour to behave like a multi-core ball and transfer energy from a moderate swing to the center more efficiently. 

The core is encased in a firm mantle layer, which in turn is encased by a soft, ultra-thin urethane cover. Srixon used a softer urethane in this generation of the Q-Star Tour, so the grooves in wedges and short irons should be able to grab it more effectively and generate more spin on greenside shots and on shots hit with scoring clubs.

To further enhance spin around the green, Srixon applies a unique coating called Spin Skin to each ball. It gives the Q-Star Tour a slightly rubbery feel and does not affect tee or iron shots. On shortgame and wedge shots, however, the coating amplifies the friction between the grooves and the urethane cover.

Finally, the cover has been designed with a new 338-dimple pattern that is more aerodynamic, produces less drag and encourages lift. That combination of high launch, less drag and more ball speed should result in more overall distance for recreational players. 

Srixon Q-Star Tour Divide
The Srixon Q-Star Tour Divide for 2024. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

In addition to traditional white and yellow, the Q-Star Tour is available in three Divide combinations. The Divide balls have yellow on one half of the ball and another color (red, orange or blue) on the other. The Divide design can be used as an alignment aid while putting and also shows how much spin the ball has on short-game shots. Many golfers also use Divide balls as training aids to hone their putting stroke.

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Wilson Staff Model, Staff Model X balls (2024)

Check out the new Wilson Staff Model and Staff Model X golf balls.

Gear: Wilson Staff Model, Staff Model X balls
Price: $54.99 per dozen
Specs: Four-piece, urethane-covered balls, available in white and yellow.
Available: January 12

Who It’s For: Golfers who want to maximize greenside spin around the green and get elite distance off the tee.

The Skinny: Wilson reformulated the cores of the Staff Model and Staff Model X balls to improve distance off the tee and spin around the green. 

The Deep Dive: Wilson makes all the footballs used in the NFL and all the tennis balls used in the U.S. Open tennis championship, so you can trust that the brand knows a thing or two about making high-quality golf balls too.

Wilson offers the Staff Duo for recreational golfers who want a soft, low-spinning ball to help straighten a slice and hit more fairways. For golfers who are looking to enhance their game with improved greenside spin, it offers the perimeter-weighted Triad. For elite players who want distance off the tee and maximum control around the greens, it has provided the Staff Model balls, and for 2024, the standard Staff Model and the Staff Model X have been updated.

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The Staff Model and the Staff Model X are both four-piece balls designed with a large rubber core that is encased in two mantle layers. To help golfers generate more ball speed and distance, Wilson has modified the core composition and added material that magnifies energy on full-swing shots. 

Wilson Staff Model golf balls 2024
The cores of the Staff Model (left) and Staff Model X balls have been updated to provide more distance. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The core of each ball is encased in a soft inner mantle that is, in turn, covered by a firmer second mantle layer and then a thin urethane cover. The advantage of the two-mantle design is the softer inner mantle helps to reduce spin off the tee, while the firmer mantle layer helps the grooves in wedges and short irons grab the soft urethane cover more easily, so golfers should be able to create more spin on approach shots, chips and pitches.

The standard Staff Model has a slightly lower overall compression, so it will feel softer at impact, spin slightly less off the tee, and produce a lower ball flight with a golfer’s driver and long clubs. 

The Staff Model X will feel firmer, produce a higher flight off the tee and generate slightly more spin around the green. The Staff Model X also produces marginally more spin off the tee, so golfers who like to work the ball from right to left or left to right with their woods and irons may be able to do that more easily with the X ball.

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