• Like picking out the right clubs, choosing which golf ball to use for a day spent on the links is an important decision – and not all are created equal.
  • Whether you’re just learning the game of golf or have several years of the sport under your belt, you’ll want to make sure you find a ball suited to your play style and preference – and just because you like the balls the pros use on the weekends, doesn’t mean you’ll have the same outcome they do.
  • To help, we’ve tested a variety of the top golf balls currently available from brands like Titleist, TaylorMade, and Callaway to find the best for a variety of golfers.
  • Our top pick, the Titleist Tour Soft golf ball, delivers outstanding performance and feel, and has a distance that’ll work nicely for any mid- to low-handicap players.

One of the best things about the game of golf is that you can test yourself on many of the same courses and hole distances the pros you watch on television play. Better yet, you’re even able to use some of the same equipment they use to make the weekend cut.

Of course, once you take a look at the cost of some of the drivers and irons the pros use, you may want to seek out a cheaper way of copying your favorite pro’s game. One way to do that is to pick up a pack of the same golf balls they use. No matter if it’s Tiger’s signature Bridgestone ball or Jordan Spieth’s Titelists, picking up a pack of the same brand or style takes little more than a simple Google search.

And perhaps the golf skill to pull off using a ball intended for elite golfers.

How to shop for golf balls

Even though it may feel cool to use the same ball as whoever just won the Masters, you’re highly unlikely to receive the same performance from that pro-level golf ball as the pro does. Pro-level balls react differently to the skills professional players have versus the talent of the occasional weekend golfer’s skill level.

This means that those balls are often fine-tuned to respond exactly as that golfer sees fit. If they favor a fade shot while driving on the fairway, then a golfer who tends to draw will likely have a far different experience. The contact sweet spot which allows for greater driving distances can also be much smaller which may produce more off-the-mark strikes for less accurate golfers.

But even if you aren't yet cut out for the PGA Tour, it doesn't mean you have to ditch seeking out your favorite golfer's preferred ball altogether. Different levels of golf balls are available to meet the needs of different players, both in terms of skill and in terms of price. So, maybe you can play with a ball from the same company as your favorite pro but just choose a level or two lower than what they use.

To help, we've tested a variety of golf balls from a who's who in the industry such as Callaway, Titleist, and TaylorMade to find the best currently available. And don't fret, our guide includes picks for every skill level and type of player, too.

Here are the best golf balls:

Updated on 8/31/2020 by Rick Stella: Updated the section on how to shop for golf balls, checked the availability of each recommended set, and updated the prices and links where necessary.

The best golf ball overall

The Titleist Tour Soft has been redesigned for better distance and feel versus other two-layer golf balls.

The Titleist Tour Soft golf ball is a new ball from one of the best golf ball makers around, and it delivers a great mix of distance and feel. Whether it will be as popular as its predecessors - the Titleist NXT Tour and the Tour S - remains to be seen, but it's an interesting choice at a great price.

The Tour Soft is a two-layer golf ball with an extremely thin cover, which may leave some golfers skeptical that it can deliver the performance of a three- or four-layer ball. Titleist is banking on the huge core to give advanced golfers the control they want and expect from a multiple-layer ball.

Titleist redesigned the cover on the Tour Soft ball, making it with a mix of materials, to better handle the large core that allows for greater exit velocity for the ball.

The thinner cover delivers feel and spin. Golf Info Guide says the Tour Soft should give you a better level of feel than the balls it's attempting to replace. However, it's a little more difficult to spin the Tour Soft on short approach shots and chip shots than some other high-level golf balls.

The softness of the Titleist Tour Soft is noticeable on the greens, too. It takes far less force to putt with this ball, which should give you more control over your stroke on long putts.

Pros: Smart new design gives you more feel than a normal two-layer ball, huge core delivers more exit speed and distance, offered at a reasonable price point for a newly designed ball

Cons: Spin control on chip shots lags a little bit, only a two-layer ball, which leaves some golfers skeptical

The best golf ball for amateurs

Foto: Source: TaylorMade

When you want to learn how to spin a golf ball on approach shots, the TaylorMade Project (a) golf ball will give you more control than most balls aimed at bogey-level golfers.

One of the best ways for mid-level amateur players to make a jump in their scores is to improve their performance on approach shots and around the green. To become a high-level golfer, learning how to spin the ball off iron and wedge shots will help quite a bit, as the right spin can help you keep the ball closer to the pin.

When you're just learning how to spin and control the ball, the best ball to help you is the TaylorMade Project (a). This ball, which has been upgraded in 2018, carries a high spin rate when struck properly.

Of course, if you don't strike it properly, it can cause a greater severity of hook or slice, which means this TaylorMade ball probably isn't the best choice for high-handicap golfers. Still, this ball can potentially help a bogey golfer to start consistently shooting in the 80s.

TaylorMade uses a three-layer design to give the Project (a) golf ball its high level of spin. The better spin results should give mid-level handicappers the ability to keep the ball closer to the pin on approach shots, leading to shorter putts and better scores. However, you may notice more spin off the face of the driver, too.

Pros: High level of spin on approach and chip shots, good price point for such a responsive ball, TaylorMade recently gave ball a slight design upgrade, three-layer construction works great for many levels of golfers

Cons: Mis-hits will slice or hook more severely than other balls, thin cover on the ball will scuff easily

The best golf ball for straight flight

Foto: Source: Bridgestone

For less-skilled golfers, golf balls with high levels of spin could lead to more severe slices and hooks, so the Bridgestone e6 Speed golf ball's promise of less spin makes it a great choice.

One of the biggest frustrations for mid-to-high-handicap golfers is hitting the ball straight. It doesn't take long to ruin a solid score by slicing your drive on the 12th hole into the trees and taking five shots to work your way out.

Certainly, improving your swing is the best way to avoid unwanted slices and hooks that leave you in big trouble off the tee. The Bridgestone e6 Speed golf ball can help you stay straighter off the tee, too, while also delivering a nice level of distance.

These golf balls carry a really nice price point, closer to the value end of the market than the top end and it works well for amateur players who don't have a high club speed and exit velocity rate for the ball.

Don't expect to have a lot of spin control with these Bridgestone balls, though, as the design of the e6 Speed causes for a slower spin rate, which provides a straighter shot.

Bridgestone is betting on the fact that for most amateur golfers who are fighting their swings a bit, a straighter ball is more beneficial than a spin control ball. The company uses a three-layer construction with the e6 Speed, but its middle layer works to reduce spin, rather than enhance spin like many three-layer balls.

Pros: Designed to reduce the spin of the golf ball for straighter shots, when struck properly should give you a bit more distance, works well for amateur players who don't have a high club speed, nice price point

Cons: Less backspin means it can be tougher to hold the green, not really made for advanced players who want ball control

The best value golf ball

Foto: Source: Callaway

Even though it carries a value price point, the Callaway Warbird golf ball will give mid-to-high-handicap golfers really nice performance, especially in terms of distance.

If you miss the old days where nearly every ball was a two-layer golf ball and where distance was the primary concern, the Callaway Warbird will give you that old school performance.

Don't mistake the Warbird as an old-time golf ball design, though. Callaway has created the Warbird with an extremely thin outer layer, which is common on modern golf balls. Yet, the company was able to maintain a low price point for these golf balls.

Even though the Warbird uses a really thin cover to try to maximize softness and feel, it's the excellent distance you'll receive with this ball that'll grab your attention. This two-layer design features a soft core that is larger than average, helping to give you good distance performance.

The Callaway Warbird's distance is impressive, especially off the tee. The aerodynamics of the dimple design on the surface of the golf ball allow it to perform well in windy conditions.

With its large core, the Warbird delivers a higher level of exit velocity off the clubface than other types of value-priced golf balls, which results in more distance. It will better serve a high handicap player or a beginning player who isn't concerned about ball spin. The value price point of the Warbird also fits this type of player better.

Pros: Very nice price point, delivers a good distance off the tee and out of the fairway versus similarly priced balls, works nicely for beginning players, performs better than expected during high wind conditions

Cons: Doesn't give you a great sense of feel, only a two-layer golf ball that won't help low-handicap players

The best high-end golf ball

Foto: Source: Titleist

Low handicappers will be able to control the new version of the Titleist Pro V1 like they always have, but they'll also receive a straighter and longer ball flight.

If you've paid attention to golf ball technology in the past couple of decades, you've almost certainly heard of the Titleist Pro V1. This golf ball has been in regular play since 2000 among low-handicap players.

Because of its nearly two-decade lifespan, you may be tempted to ignore the Pro V1 these days. However, don't let this top-of-the-line Titleist ball's age deceive you. Titleist's designers have continually improved the Pro V1 over the years, and the latest upgrade, done last year, keeps this ball at the top of its game.

It delivers exactly the feel and performance you'd expect, yet it's still a better ball than previous high-end Titleist balls, which is no small feat for Titleist's designers to have achieved.

The new Titleist Pro V1 design still uses a three-layer construction with a solid rubber core, a soft mantle layer, and an outer urethane cover. The primary difference in the latest version of the ball is that the large core doesn't spin as much, providing greater distance without sacrificing the feel of the ball that the cover and mantle layers provide.

The ball achieves a great level of spin for low handicap players while giving you a consistent flight, thanks in part to the impressive dimple pattern. The Pro V1 now offers 352 dimples that cover the ball more evenly, helping create a better flight path.

Pros: New dimple design allows for straighter ball flight, yields excellent spin control on approach shots, will give low handicap golfers a good feel for shots, brand and model that's been at the top of the game for almost two decades

Cons: Very expensive golf ball, new version from last year isn't massively different from previous version

What to look for in a golf ball

Foto: Source: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Levels of golf balls

  • Tour: A tour-level ball is one that professional golfers play with. These are the most expensive golf balls, and they'll give you a high level of distance and spin control performance.
  • Premium: The premium level ball fits in the mid-range of the golf ball market, both in terms of price and performance. Average players will receive a nice ball that can enhance their games and help them work on shot-making at the same time.
  • Value: Inexpensive balls tend to have a limited number of features, but they'll work well for beginning and high-handicap players who are still developing their skills. They have a low price point, and many of them will work to yield a straight ball flight, which is nice for players who tend to mis-hit the ball more often.

Most mid-to-high-handicap players don't have the skills to manipulate a tour-level golf ball. If you cannot spin the ball to make certain types of shots, a premium-to-value-level golf ball should serve you well.

When your skills have advanced to the point where you're ready to try spinning and controlling the ball more precisely, you may want to switch to a high-end tour ball.

Design features of golf balls

Golf balls may look nearly identical on the outside, but the interior of the ball will vary quite a bit from model to model.

  • Compression: The compression level of a golf ball measures the deflection of the ball when the club strikes it. You can see this compression in a series of high-speed photographs. An average compression rating on a ball will be 90 to 100. Higher compression rated golf balls require more club speed to compress the ball and create distance, but they tend to fly straighter. A lower compression rated golf ball achieves good distance even with a slower club speed but it may not be as easy to control.
  • Layers: Golf balls can consist of anywhere from one to five layers. The rubber has a different consistency and thickness in each layer, too. Balls with more layers tend to cost more, as they're aimed at experienced players looking to gain more spin control. Designers can affect the distance and spin of the ball by making slight adjustments to the layers.
  • Spin: The design of the ball can lead to a high, average, or low level of spin. Balls that generate more spin off the clubface give low-handicap golfer more control around the green. Such balls typically have more layers but with a higher level of spin, mis-hit balls can slice or hook more severely than low-spin balls, which are aimed at beginning players.

Most golf balls are white, but you also can find bright yellow, orange, and pink golf balls. Color doesn't really affect the performance of the ball, but some people find it easier to follow the track of a yellow or orange ball in the sky.

You also may have an easier time finding a brightly colored ball in the rough or in the trees versus a white ball, should you spend a lot of your golf round in those areas.