Golf balls that will help your improve your game, without costing as much as your entire round.
For many amateur golfers, it’s tough to justify spending $40, $50, $60 on a box of golf balls. Odds are you’re losing one of the first tee if you had no time to warm up anyway.
It’s important to buy a golf ball that performs well and isn’t going to break the bank.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of some of the best affordable golf balls on the market from brands like Titleist, TaylorMade, Srixon, Callaway and more.
The best balls on the market — Titleist ProV1, TaylorMade TP5, etc. — go for $50-plus a box. So, every deal we found for you is $35 and under.
Get your all the golf gear your future champion needs.
Getting your junior the right set of clubs is important, but making sure their bag has everything in it that they’ll need is just as crucial.
So, we thought it’d be a good idea to put together a list of items every junior golfer needs. Shoes, golf balls, rangefinders, push carts and more are all featured in this post from brands like Nike, adidas, Callaway, Titleist and more.
The police posted images of the damage on Facebook.
A golfer – or golfers – in Cumberland, Rhode Island, is smashing golf balls through windows at a monastery, and police there are looking to put an end to it.
“In the past two weeks, including as recently as last evening (Tuesday 7/25), a person or persons have been working on their golf game and caused damage to a town building at the monastery,” says a recent Facebook post on the police department’s official page.
The police also posted a few photos showing the punched holes. The department is asking for those responsible to turn themselves in but in the unlikely chance of that, officials there are reminding people there are plenty of other places for golfers to work on their games.
As a general reminder, golfing is a prohibited activity at all town-owned parks and playground areas including the monastery grounds. There are plenty of local driving ranges around the area, but the monastery grounds are not one of them.
Whan and his team, along with with the R&A and its CEO, Martin Slumbers, are working to create support and momentum for the proposed Model Local Rule that would require elite players to use reduce-distance golf balls. Throughout the current “Notice and Comment” period, many players, including Justin Thomas, have come out against the idea, but other influential players like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have come out in favor of it. Fred Ridley, chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, also showed support for the idea of elite players using reduced-distance balls during his press conference before the start of this year’s Masters.
If support from McIlroy, Woods and Ridley gave Whan and Slumbers cause for optimism, Monahan’s memo was a reminder that nothing is settled.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. (Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
“As you know, we have spent the last two years undertaking a comprehensive analysis of distance on the PGA Tour and its impact. Although there has been some level of support for limiting future increases, there is widespread and significant belief the proposed Modified Local Rule is not warranted and is not in the best interest of the game. Following a discussion on the topic at a recent PAC meeting, we have notified the USGA and The R&A that while the PGA Tour is committed to collaborating with them – and all industry partners – to arrive at a solution that will best serve our players, our fans and the game at all levels, we are not able to support the MLR as proposed. As the formal feedback period to the USGA and the R&A comes to an end and this process evolves, I will be in touch with updates.”
Golfweek contacted the USGA for comment and was sent this statement: “We remain in a Notice & Comment period, accepting feedback from voices from across the game. The PGA Tour is an important stakeholder and we appreciate the feedback they have contributed to this conversation.”
Getting the PGA Tour (and, by extension, the Korn Ferry Tour and DP World Tour) on board with the MLR is critical for the USGA and the R&A. It would represent the most significant seal of approval possible and it has felt like a foregone conclusion to many people in the golf industry.
In the four months since the USGA and R&A jointly announced the proposed MLR, numerous executives and industry insiders who spoke with Golfweek shrugged their collective shoulders and begrudgingly seemed to have accepted that if the MLR were passed, the PGA Tour would adopt it.
Those feelings still exist, and industry veterans who spoke with Golfweek on Thursday morning see Monahan’s comments as the start of a bargaining process.
Monahan, who is likely on shaky ground with many PGA Tour members after surprising the golf world with the proposal of a merger with LIV Golf, is not in a position to go against a majority of players and tell them the PGA Tour will make them use a reduced-distance ball in a few years. Monahan’s memo to golf’s governing bodies is really saying that while they may feel that distance is becoming too big a part of the game and threatening the competitive value of historically significant courses, the PGA Tour has other things to consider.
The inclusion of, ” … a solution that will best serve our players, our fans and the game at all levels,” was also not an accident. We know players don’t want to lose distance. Fans who buy tickets and companies that purchase luxury boxes to entertain clients at PGA Tour events don’t want to see golfers hit the ball less far. Television executives who study TV ratings don’t see distance as a problem. For Monahan, golf is as much about entertainment as it is competition, and part of his job is to protect the entertainment value of his players and tournaments.
“I think what we came down to was, we didn’t feel like this proposal was warranted, but we’re not against doing something,” said PGA Tour executive vice president and chief player officer, Jason Gore in an interview with Michael Breed on Sirius XM Radio Thursday morning. “We agree with Mike Whan in that doing nothing is not an option. We just don’t feel that this is the best path forward. The bifurcation was really hard for us to swallow.”
While the USGA and the R&A insist that the creation and adoption of the Model Local Rules would not amount to bifurcation, a different set of rules to govern elite golfers, nearly everyone else in the golf industry does, and the PGA Tour and equipment makers see that as a problem. To them, one of golf’s greatest appeals is that pros like Rory McIlroy and the guys in your Thursday night league play the same equipment and are governed by the same rules. They argue that the adoption of a Model Local Rule pertaining to golf balls would change that.
Chief Executive of the R&A Martin Slumbers during a press conference ahead of The Open at the Royal Liverpool, on July 19, 2023. (Photo by Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
“As the formal feedback period to the USGA and the R&A comes to an end and this process evolves, I will be in touch with updates,” Monahan concluded in his paragraph on distance.
That’s the key sentence, a signal to Liberty Corners, New Jersey (home of the USGA) and St. Andrews, Scotland (home of the R&A), that the PGA Tour wants to negotiate. Monahan did not write that the PGA Tour would never adopt a distance-reducing MLR. He noted that it would not support the MLR as it is proposed now.
If the USGA and R&A modify the MLR, so balls for elite players get tested at lower swing speeds or at higher spin rates, so the distance reduction is not as drastic, Monahan could go back to his players and sell himself as someone who got a concession from USGA and R&A.
But the interesting thing that happens when you combine Monahan’s memo and Gore’s comments together is it might take a rule change governing golf balls, and not the creation of a Model Local Rule, to get the PGA Tour’s signoff on the idea of reducing distance. While the USGA and R&A have stated that they don’t want to change anything for recreational golfers, the PGA Tour may be signaling that a rule change governing all golfers is more appealing than a Model Local Rule that only applies to elite golfers.
In the end, the only thing that Jay Monahan’s memo clarifies with regard to distance is that a lot more talk and negotiations are needed.
The attention-grabbing bright yellow bag pays homage to the famous yellow scoreboard that the R&A erects.
As several other brands do during major championship weeks, TaylorMade creates unique golf bags for its staff players and then sells them on its website. We have shown you the special bags TaylorMade produced for this season’s Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open, and now, for the 2023 British Open, TaylorMade has released an eye-catcher.
As you probably guessed, the attention-grabbing bright yellow bag pays homage to the famous yellow scoreboard that the R&A erects next to the 18th green at every British Open. However, there are loads of details designed into the bag, as well as the clubhead covers and the commemorative TP5x Pix balls that TaylorMade has created to celebrate this season’s final major championship.
Golf balls can behave very differently when they are covered in rain.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — With rain soaking Oak Hill Country Club on Saturday, the 2023 PGA Championship is testing every player’s ability to hit shots in soggy conditions while trying to stay dry.
But as the golfers prepare to hit their tee shots, you may notice that caddies hold an umbrella over the ball instead of their player. There’s a good reason for that.
Modern rain suits do an excellent job of keeping players dry, and unlike the foul-weather gear from 20 or 30 years ago, today’s jackets and pants are breathable, so golfers don’t feel clammy. Rain gloves actually get tackier as they get wetter, and waterproof footwear does an amazing job of keeping golfers’ feet dry. So golfers can stay fairly dry even in heavy downpours.
Golf balls, on the other hand, can behave very differently when they are covered in rain.
The grooves of an iron can not dig into or grab the cover of a wet ball as easily as they can a dry ball. As a result, instead of compressing against the face at the moment of impact, wet golf balls tend to slide up the hitting surface, which produces a shot that flies higher and with less spin.
Carl Smith, Sahith Theegala’s caddy, keeps his ball dry on the first tee Saturday at the 2023 PGA Championship. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The same thing happens, to a slightly lesser degree, when players hit a wet ball with a driver, even though drivers don’t have grooves. The wet ball skims up the face and comes off with less spin, making its flight less controllable.
So on tee shots and putts, when a player has a chance to pick up his ball and place it either on a tee or the green, caddies focus on keeping it dry.
You will also notice that many players reach for a towel (which is often hanging in the spokes of their umbrella) and dry the face of the club they are about to use. Again, it’s to help create the driest contact possible.
Golf balls that are wet are harder to spin and control. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
On shots played from the fairway or around the green, there is no point in holding an umbrella over the ball because it is already wet. To reduce the effects of water getting between the ball and the edges of the grooves, many manufacturers design the grooves of wedges to be wider and deeper than the grooves found in irons, creating a channel-like effect that helps to enhance spin. Some companies also have microgrooves and surface-roughening treatments on their wedges to improve performance in wet conditions, but the main grooves are doing most of the work when it rains.
If players are able to hit pitch shots and chip shots with good spin, there is no guarantee that the ball will stop the way it typically would on a dry green. Low, spinning shots often hydroplane and slide on wet grass, reducing the effects of spin, while high-spinning shots that come down more vertically often peal back on rain-softened greens.
On rainy days, gauging exactly how the ball will react coming off the face and how it will behave on it hits the green is a skill that is as valuable as green reading.
Father’s Day is nearly here which means it’s time to start the hunt for the perfect gift for dad. Don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered.
Whether he’s a 30 handicap, a scratch golfer or somewhere in between, we’ve found gifts every dad will enjoy.
Apparel, equipment, accessories and more can be found on this list but be on the look out for more lists in the coming weeks which will have your gift list checked off in no time.
Unique alignment system can help aim a putt and determine if you hit the ball squarely.
In January of 2019, Callaway debuted a new alignment and aiming system called Triple Track on the ERC Soft golf balls, then Phil Mickelson won his fifth AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am a month later using a Chrome Soft X with the unique, three-lined Triple Track system. Odyssey, Callaway’s putter division, even started offering Triple Track in putters in 2020, and the alignment system remains a part of the newest generation of Chrome Soft balls.
Now Callaway is offering an updated version of Triple Track for the Chrome Soft, Chrome Soft X and Chrome Soft LS balls, called 360 Triple Track.
As the name implies, the two blue lines that bracket the red line in the 360 Triple Track system wrap completely around the ball, making it easier for golfers to aim the ball on their desired target line and to see if a putt is struck with a square face. If the lines stay smooth as the putt rolls, a player knows he or she hit the putt correctly with the face square to the target line. If the lines wobble as the ball rolls, the face of the putter was either open or closed to the line when it struck the ball.
The Chrome Soft is a three-piece ball that has a large rubber core, a firm casing layer and a urethane cover for enhanced spin around the green, while the Chrome Soft X is a four-piece ball that has a rubber core, two mantle layers and a urethane cover. The Chrome Soft X has a higher compression than the standard Chrome Soft, so it feels firmer. It also produces more spin and a higher launch than Chrome Soft.
The Chrome Soft LS is also a four-piece ball with a dual-mantle design and urethane cover. It is the lowest-spin ball in the Chrome Soft family and produces the lowest flight off the tee for players who generate excessive driver spin.
Before every round of golf, pros on the PGA Tour show the other golfers with whom they are playing what ball they are using and the identifying marks drawn on it. The marks can be anything, but most golfers use initials, dots, lines or a lucky pattern. Some players take things a step further, opting to only play a certain number on the ball. For instance, Rory McIlroy plays the TaylorMade TP5 ball, but instead of a 1, 2, 3 or 4, his are 22s.
TaylorMade has offered non-white and patterned balls for several seasons, including the TP5 and TP5x Pix balls and the Tour Response Stripe ball, but with the MySymbol program, the Carlsbad, California-based equipment maker is aiming to take personalization to another level.
Personalized golf balls have been around for years, with TaylorMade offering 00 to 99 balls starting in 2011 and corporate-logoed balls being available well before that. But starting today, golfers can order customized TP5 and TP5x balls by choosing from more than 100 symbols that can replace the number on a ball. (There is no rule stating your golf ball must have a number on it.)
The symbols include animals, food, states, flags, holidays and sports. Golfers can also pick the color of the TaylorMade logo (navy, green, red, orange or pink) and opt to add up to four alphanumeric characters instead of the logo or eight characters on three eligible lines of text on the side of the ball. The symbols and text are added under the clear-coat finish, making them just as durable as any other part of the ball.
Collin Morikawa’s MySymbol ball has his dog, Koa, on it instead of a number. (TaylorMade)
So if you want a red TaylorMade logo with a taco under it … done. A navy blue TaylorMade logo with a largemouth bass under it, easy. A green TaylorMade logo with a cactus, no problem.
TaylorMade said Collin Morikawa plans to start using a ball with a dog that looks just like his goldendoodle, Koa. Charley Hull, another TaylorMade staff player, is expected to begin playing a MySymbol ball marked with an illustration of herself, complete with a pink visor, sunglasses and a ponytail.
The company aims to have all its staff players, PGA of America professionals and partners using a MySymbol ball within two years.
Over the years, TaylorMade manufactured and stored special-number balls. When supplies of 23s, 55s and 99s ran low, production of its standard-number balls was stopped briefly to make more of a special number ball. MySymbol balls won’t be manufactured that way, because TaylorMade does not want golfers to view the MySymbol balls as a novelty. These balls are meant to be used, so the company has seven new machines dedicated to creating MySymbol balls to order.
Golf ball testing has become one of the hottest topics in the sport since the USGA and R&A proposed a new Model Local Rule that, if enacted, might force elite players to use golf balls that won’t go as far as balls currently on the market.
Some see this move as potentially bifurcating the game by forcing the best players to use different equipment than recreational golfers. Others see it as a long overdue move that would rein in distance for the strongest professionals while not affecting recreational golfers – the vast majority of players.
Golf’s governing bodies are in a comment period in which stakeholders such as golf equipment companies, professional tours, golf course operators and others can provide feedback on the proposed Model Local Rule. So far, equipment companies such as Titleist, TaylorMade and Bridgestone have voiced displeasure and skepticism, noting that a fundamental part of golf is that everyone plays the same course and is governed by the same rules, including equipment rules.
That concept, to some, is a unifying trait, but the USGA, R&A and the Model Local Rule’s supporters see it as a way to keep historically significant courses playable for championship-level events. They want to keep shotmaking in the game and reduce the need for courses to be lengthened, which would cost course operators money and have a greater environmental impact.
Most golfers don’t know how golf balls are tested, but understanding the process can help you understand the proposed Model Local Rule and how it could affect elite golfers. Here is how it works.
