Golf Balls

A Short History of the Golf Ball

15th Century — Not much is known, but actual wooden balls were thought to be used.

Mid 1800s and Earlier — The “feathery cube” was the very first golf ball, a leather-covered ball stuffed with feathers of some kind (usually goose). The outside was generally covered with some type of resin or paint and was very expensive and labor-intensive to make.

1848 — The “gutty” or the “gutta percha” ball was introduced. Made from the gum of tree sap, it became hard after cooling. It was also much less expensive to produce. As it would often break up in the air, rulings allowed a player to play a fresh ball where the largest fragment landed.

Late 19th Century — It was discovered that a pocked gutty flew truer than a smooth one, and dimples began to be purposely implemented in the balls.

1898-1901 — A rubber-cored ball made its first appearance when created by Coburn Haskell, in association with Bertram Work of the B.F. Goodrich Company. It was made of rubber thread wound around a solid rubber core. There were many deviations in size and weight.

Early 1900s — A Balata cover is introduced, and more of a standard dimple-pattern started surfacing.

1932 — Standardizations of golf ball weight and size are established by the United States Golf Association. Varied developments of plastics, silicones, and improved rubber elements are introduced.

How To Choose A Golf Ball

Beginners — Cheap, my friend, cheap. At this stage, none of us can really tell the differences of a golf ball other than the fact that we tend to lose a lot of balls. Why spend too much on a fancy ball that feels the same to us when we skull one into the lake? In addition, it is best to choose a ball that boasts distance to help us extend some of our shots, and to choose a ball that doesn’t “cut” easily — for longevity. One suggestion is the Top Flite Super Long Distance XL3000.

Intermediate — As you play more and see scores drop, it is time to find a ball that more fits in with your particular style and game specifics. One thing to start looking for is not just distance and durability, but how the ball can be more controlled around the green. Look for a nice, two-piece “low compression” ball such as the Maxfli Noodle or the Nike Power Distance.

Low Handicapper — Alright, hot shot. Time to really start using a ball for control. You get low scores and really like to show off a little when you stick that second shot about three feet from the pin. You do pretty well on contests and want your ball to reflect a little of your ability. You start to go with a “multilayer construction” ball and choose types like the Pro V1 or the Nike One Tour. Fancy. You’ll also need to start really paying attention when your ball ends up next to someone else’s. They’re likely to “switch” with you.

Read all of our Golf Ball reviews below:

Nike One Vapor Golf Balls

Seamless Ionomer 3 Piece Solid Core

Here's a sweet ball to play -- and it fits right along with my aversion to Nike. Let me be clear, though. I never allow a brand to skew my thinking into blind acceptance. If you doubt me, read my betrayal review of the Nike ...

Z Star X Golf Balls used by Tim Clark

This ball first caught my eye early last year when I saw PGA Tour professional Tim Clark playing it. It took me by surprise because I had never seen a tour pro play a yellow golf ball before. Usually I'm more accustomed to seeing a yellow ...

Economy Golf Ball w/ Thin Cover & Friction Coating

The Srixon Z Star ball is not my favorite premium ball based simply on performance, but it does stand out in one particular area. That is economy. This ball is a lot cheaper than my number 1 favorites -- Titleist's Pro V and Pro ...

Fast Golf Swing, Thin Soft Urethane Cover w/ Firm Core

This ball's cover is thin! "How thin?" you ask. The cover of this ball is thinner than Lindsey Lohan's blood at 5 a.m. It's thinner than Paris Hilton's nightie. This cover is thinner than a French vegetarian exchange student living with Texans.

Okay, enough of ...

Tour Ball for Amateur or Beginner Swing

This Bridgestone B330 RX ball is an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp and military intelligence (and sane golf enthusiast). It's a tour golf ball designed for amateur swing speeds. What does that even mean? I think it means you get to pay more money for a ball ...

Cheap, Inexpensive & Soft w/ Icosahedral Dimple Pattern

This ball is the first one I've seen that uses an icosahedral dimple pattern. And it's about time. Haven't we all been waiting for this? For you ignoramuses out there that don't know what icosahedral means, I guess I can be bothered to clue you in. ...

Easy Distance Noodle+ for Slow Swing Speeds

What makes a golf ball fly through the air? No, it's not clubhead speed. And no, it's not power. These things certainly contribute to the ball traveling farther, but the main thing that gets the ball moving towards the heavens is the angle of your clubface ...

Soft Long Distance & Low Spin

These Callaway Diablos are a good, moderately priced golf ball. I like the ball because it is very soft for a distance ball. Let's take a closer look.

This ball has a "high-resiliency core." This is designed to benefit a variety of different swing speeds. The core ...

Long Distance for Kids, Senior, Youth

Wow. These things are bright. They look more like Easter eggs than golf balls. One thing is for sure -- if you play these, you will never have to worry about somebody else hitting your ball on accident. (I hate that.)

These obnoxiously-colored balls are designed ...

Gag Joke Gift Set of 12, USGA Legal

Alec Baldwin said it best, "You are not going to be able to resist my Schwetty Balls!" These golf balls obviously are inspired by the hilarious Saturday Night Live skit where Alec plays a guest on a public radio show.

These balls will certainly be a conversation starter in ...

Check Go Pro Spinner Gyroscope

Here's a gizmo for you "type A" golfers. Although, I'm sure you already have your own way of finding the sweet spot on your golf ball. Some of the guys I play with are so anal that they throw away a golf ball after one hole. I can ...

Long Distance Urethane & Tungsten

This is the ball that Phil Mickelson plays. Obviously, it's one of Callaway's premier golf balls. Let's take a gander under the hood:

This is a four-piece golf ball consisting of a soft urethane cover, a high density mantle layer, and two core layers. The lower ...

Ionomer for Less Spin, Long & High Flight

This is a great middle-of-the-road golf ball that everybody can appreciate. The Callaway HX Hot Bite is very similar to a tour ball, just a bit harder, but much more affordable.

Let's give this ball a physical: "Open up and say Ahhhhh!" Looking down the throat of ...

Urethane & Surlyn

This Callaway Tour iZ is my favorite of Callaway's golf balls. Overall, it's really between this ball and Titleist's Pro V1X. The ball is Callaway's premier ball that their tour players use. This ball is the firmer, longer kissing cousin to the Callaway iS ball that ...

Soft Urethane for Distance and Spin

You are looking at Callaway's softest golf ball. If you don't like the feel of this puppy, you might want to go back to playing balata balls. The Callaway Tour iS is of course one of Callaway's premier tour golf balls. This ball is comparable ...

Hard Surlyn Cover for Low Flight

You're looking at the Bridgestone E7+. This ball has been out for a while and has since been replaced with the new Bridgestone E7, but I'm partial to the E7+. And I'll tell you why.

Both balls are constructed virtually the same. This is a multilayer ...

Hard Surylin Cover, Long Distance & Low Flight

This is the Bridgestone E7. It's geared more for distance, specifically for a low piercing trajectory. Let's open up the hood and take a look:

The E7 is the next generation of the E7+, only the E7 seems even harder to me. These balls are multilayer balls that go long ...

Low Spin for Long Distance

This is the top of the food chain for golf balls. It doesn't get any better than this. The Bridgestone Tour B330-S is a premium tour ball designed for tour pros and low handicappers. Of course anybody can enjoy them if they are willing to throw down ...

Urethane Seamless Cover w/ Less Spin

This is Bridgestone's E5 golf ball. It is designed for you golfers looking for a higher ball flight. Let's take a closer look.

The E5 is a two-piece golf ball consisting of a soft urethane cover and an energy core. The cover is completely seamless which ...

High Flight, Soft Feel & Spin

This is Bridgestone's E5+ golf ball. It is designed for you golfers looking for a higher ball flight with a very soft feel and a lot of spin around the greens. Let's take a closer look.

The E5+ is a two-piece golf ball consisting of a soft urethane cover ...

New B330-RXS for Slow Swing Speed

This is a new twist on the B330-RX. The concept behind these two golf balls (the Tour B330-RXS and the B330RX) is they are a tour-quality golf ball designed for amateurs without the tour-quality swings.

Let's get into the nuts and bolts: The main thing that makes ...

Titleist Tour Golf Balls NXT for Distance and Spin Control

I grabbed a sleeve of these NXT Tours last Sunday in the pro shop before my round. I believe the three balls cost me $8.99. I wanted to try them because I heard on television that it was basically the same ball as the Pro V1X ...

Low Spin, Soft Mantle, Long Distance

These Noodle Long & Soft balls are extremely popular -- and for good reason. The ball is a game-improving golf ball with a soft feel and a low spin to dampen some of that slice (or hook) spin and fly straight to your target.

The Noodle holds a sweet ...

Dimpled for Better Swing & Long Distance

What do you know? Dunlop is bringing up their game with this three-piece Sport Golf ball. I'm very impressed. Usually when I think of Dunlop, I think of inexpensive, lower quality items designed for beginners, but that's not the case with these balls. It's good ...

Budget Long Distance, High Loft

Confucius say, "Man who hit big ball before little ball, hit ball fat." These Tao golf balls from Dunlop will go, go, go! They should have put a different Confucius saying on each golf ball. This would really sell these golf balls. Dunlop, if you ...

Winter Golf 312 Dimples

"You likka da Juice, ay?? Da Juice is good, ay?" This is a reference to an old Saturday Night Live skit (not a congressional hearing with Mark McGuire).

These Nike balls are really juiced up and go a long way. This is a hard 2-piece distance ball ...

Soft Core, Slow Swing Speed

The brilliant marketers at Nike are playing to your conscious with this Karma ball. In fact, the packaging of these golf balls is made with 50% recyclable material. With most of us golfers being a superstitious lot, it is brilliant. Simply BRILLIANT!

Let's take ...

Swing Hook Training w/ Strikepad

These Birdie Balls only go 40 yards max. Thus, you can practice in your backyard.

I grew up in Florida. I was lucky enough to live in a house with a canal in the backyard. My friends and I used to tee up golf balls on the lawn ...

Big Bertha Blue, Soft w/ Rubber Core

This is a distance ball by Callaway. It's got a familiar name: Big Bertha. This name brings back some good memories, as I had some Big Bertha fairway woods back in the late '90s. They were great clubs. I still have them in my closet. ...

Cheap Super Long Distance XL3000

This is every man's ball, the quintessential golf ball. This is the Big Mac, the Coca-Cola, and the Budweiser. I probably find more Top Flite balls when I'm looking for lost balls on the course than any other golf ball.

True story: I just finished marking my ...

Soft Red HX

You found it. This is the Callaway HX Red golf ball. It's Callaway's premium player's golf ball. Get this: the cover of the ball is made with lettuce! (I don't know how they do it.) Wait! Hang on… Check that. The cover features ...

Urethane Spin Control Penta TP

This golf ball has more layers than a German Chocolate cake… five to be exact. Hence the "penta" in Penta TP. The idea was to create a ball that will benefit every swing speed.

Let's take a look-see:

The first layer is the cover. It's made of urethane. ...

Red for Long Distance, High Handicap

This is Callaway's distance ball made for high handicappers that want to hit the ball a long way. The name Big Bertha has been with Callaway for some time and has been a very successful brand in their irons and woods. Let's take a look at the ...

Earth Eco Friendly w/ Compensation Program

You knew it was coming. Here is a ball that is completely eco-friendly! The Earth Ball is 100% recyclable. In fact, the ball comes with a return mail package, and the company will give you a dollar credit on all balls returned. Now you have a ...

Tiger Woods Tour Golf Balls

This is the ball that Tiger Woods plays. Obviously it's Nike's premium Tour Ball. Let's take a look at the construction.

The ball is a 4-piece ball. The core is progressive to increase the velocity, control excess spin, and improve feel. There is a "Power ...

Long Distance, Slow Swing Speed

I like this Nike One Vapor for almost all golfers. It will not break your bank, and even better players will appreciate the feel and control of the ball. And HOLY COW is it long. Let’s take a look.

The Nike One Vapor is a good compromise between those rock-hard distance balls ...

Long Distance, Low Spin

This is Nike's Tour distance ball. This is the brother of the Nike Tour ball, only it goes further with less spin off of the tee. Let's take a look at the construction.

The Nike One Tour D is a 3-piece ball designed with distance in ...

Two for One

Is your golf game lacking balls? Ahem. Here's a great gag gift for that golf fanatic in your life, or perhaps a prize to give away at your next company golf tournament. It's a sack to keep your balls in. Your golf balls, ...

Swing & Putting Practice

I always keep some of these plastic wiffle golf balls in my bag. They can come in handy and make a great practice tool.

For one, if you are practicing your golf swing in the backyard and you don't have a net to hit into, these practice ...

Electric Ball Finder

It's golf gadget time. Here's an interesting concept for two hundred and fifty schmolies. But rest assured, this is going to pay for itself in lost golf balls. It's a radar detector for your balls.

The only catch is you have to use their special ...

Sports Gag Gifts

The first time is saw one of these, I didn't realize it was a decal. I thought, "Wow, that's really cool that somebody loves golf so much, he'd drive a golf ball into his car window and just leave it there."

I spent a lot of time trying to ...

Exploding Golf Ball

Everybody has "that guy" in his group. You know the one; he takes the game a little too seriously. Everybody is tiptoeing around on eggshells when he's lining up his two-foot putt. God forbid somebody dares sniffle, or he will launch into some angry tirade. ...

Soft Green Dozen Pack of 12

Golfers consist of all shapes, sizes, abilities, and swing speeds. Whatever your ability, you should employ the best technology to get the most out of your game. That means using the correct driver, the right woods, the irons, the putter – right down to the golf ball.

You ...

Butadiene Rubber Core

These Srixon Soft Feel golf balls are an inexpensive golf ball chock full of technology. One of the wonderful things about the advances in technology in our game of golf is cheap golf balls that go long and have a soft feel.

The Nuts and Bolts: This 2-piece ...

Perimeter Weighted w/ Tungsten Urethane

We all are familiar with perimeter weighted golf clubs, but have you guys heard of a perimeter weighted golf ball? I submit to you Callaway's Tour i!

The Tour i is a tour quality golf ball. (Okay you could've figured that out by the name.) The ball is ...

Freddy Couples | Mid to High Handicap

"Boom Boom" Freddy Couples is the Bridgestone man. I'm pretty sure he doesn't play these particular E6+ golf balls, but Lee Trevino might. And I'm betting you should.

This is a moderately priced ball for the mid to high handicappers. It's a three-piece ball consisting of a core, mantle ...

Slow Swing Speed | Soft Core & Feel

Well looky here… You've reached the top of the food chain of amateur golf balls. If you are looking at spending $40 on a golf ball, I'm going to assume you've got a pretty good golf swing and knowledge about golf balls, so let's cut to the chase.

This ball ...

Low Spin, Thin Cover | Mark Calcavecchia

Okay, I'll admit it; I can be a bit of a golf snob. Typically I would never be caught playing any kind of Top Flite Golf Ball. Actually, perhaps Amazon might even be worried about people being a bit biased, because they've left the words "Top Flite" ...

Mid to High Handicap | Surlyn Cover

It's stocking stuffing time! (That's if you are reading this in December. I'm aware my blogs may live on long after I'm dead, so disregard if you are reading this in July, and please enjoy the BBQ and fireworks.) Of course you are going to get Dad ...

Tiger Woods | Long Distance Speed

Tiger Woods plays these balls. Do I really need to say any more? (Unfortunately, I have a minimum word requirement, thus I will elaborate.)

This is 3-piece ball. The cover is a seamless urethane. Its 336-dimple design promotes carry and grabs the green. The middle layer is ...

Balls on eBay:

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