Golf Balls
Premium vs value, spin vs distance — how to choose the ball that actually fits your game.
The ball rollback just got kicked to 2030 — and the USGA admitted it isn't enough
On 17 June the R&A and USGA backed off the distance rollback and pushed it to 2030 at the earliest. The delay is defensible. What replaces it should worry you more than the original rule ever did.
By Tom Whitaker
The 2026 golf ball launches, decoded — does the new tech actually change anything?
Callaway's refreshed the Chrome Tour, XXIO's chasing easy speed, and every brand claims a breakthrough. The honest answer-first version: the year-on-year gains are tiny, and picking the right ball for your game matters far more than the model year.
By Ross Hamilton
Bridgestone Tour B XS review: the soft-feel tour ball for fast swingers
A three-piece urethane tour ball built around Bridgestone's fastest staffers, at the soft, spinny end of the line. Who should play it over a Pro V1 or TP5?
By Ross Hamilton
TaylorMade TP5x review: the faster, firmer sibling — and who it's really for
Same five-layer tour pedigree as the TP5, tuned for speed and a flatter flight. The question isn't whether it's good — it's whether you're the swing it was built for.
By Ross Hamilton
Wilson DUO Soft review: how soft is too soft?
At 37 compression it's about the softest ball you can buy. But soft isn't a performance stat, it's a feel — so here's what that daft-low compression actually does for your game, and what it quietly costs you.
By Ross Hamilton
Srixon Soft Feel review: the ball to play if you lose more than one a round
Premium urethane balls are brilliant and, for most amateurs, quietly the wrong purchase. The Soft Feel is soft, genuinely long at real-world swing speeds, and cheap enough that you swing without flinching. Here's who it's right for and who should still pay up.
By Ross Hamilton
Callaway REVA review: the golf ball that admits the game is hard
Every other ball on the shelf promises you tour performance. Callaway's women's ball promises something rarer — that the game gets friendlier while you find your swing. It keeps that promise, with caveats.
By Ross Hamilton
Kirkland Signature vs Titleist Pro V1: is the Costco ball really 90% of the Pro V1 for a third of the price?
The cult Costco ball has become the internet's favourite way to call out premium-ball pricing. The robot data says it's genuinely close — closer than the price gap has any right to allow. Here's exactly where it matches the Pro V1, where it doesn't, and who should stop paying full whack.
By Dan Mercer
Titleist Pro V1 vs TaylorMade TP5: which tour ball actually fits your game?
The two balls tour players genuinely cross-shop, and the difference isn't distance — off the tee they're within a yard of each other. It's feel, flight and greenside spin, and most golfers pick on the badge instead. Here's how to choose on the thing that matters.
By Ross Hamilton
48 golf balls are headed for a robot — and the marketing should be nervous
MyGolfSpy is prepping its 2026 ball test: 48 models, one swing robot, every distance and spin claim on trial. Before the data lands, here's what published robot testing keeps agreeing on year after year — and the one buying mistake to avoid until the results drop.
By Ross Hamilton
Vice Pro Plus vs Bridgestone Tour B XS: the tour ball you won't find in the pro shop
Two urethane tour balls for fast swingers, built on opposite bets — and most golfers never even consider one of them. Vice skips the shop to sell tour spin for less; the 2026 Bridgestone Tour B XS chases soft feel and biting wedge spin for swings over 105 mph. Here's which one is actually right for your game.
By Ross Hamilton
Callaway Chrome Tour review: the longest premium ball just got faster
For a fast-swing player who wants maximum distance without giving up greenside control, the Chrome Tour is the premium ball to beat — it topped a major robot test for distance, and the latest version adds ball speed without softening its short game. The one thing to check is the firm feel.
By Ross Hamilton
Srixon Z-Star review: the tour ball that out-spun the Pro V1 — for less
Most golfers default to the two obvious names and never try the Z-Star. That's a mistake: it's a genuine three-piece urethane tour ball with elite greenside spin, a softer feel than almost anything at the top, and a lower price. Here's who should be playing it.
By Ross Hamilton
Wilson Staff Model X review: America's oldest golf company makes the ball nobody plays
Wilson has been making golf equipment in Chicago since 1914 and claims more majors have been won with its irons than any other brand's — yet its tour ball is invisible next to the wall of Titleist. The Staff Model X won a major 2026 robot test outright, costs meaningfully less than the big premiums, and deserves far better than obscurity.
By Tom Whitaker
Match the ball to your game: spin, feel, and what your shots are telling you
A simple decision framework for choosing a golf ball based on your speed and your misses, not on what the tour plays.
By Ross Hamilton
Starting golf? The gear that matters — and the gear that doesn't
New golfers waste the most money on the wrong things. Where your first spend actually buys progress — and what to ignore until you're properly hooked.
By Dan Mercer
Are lake balls worth it? The honest answer
Grade-A lake balls give you most of a premium ball for a fraction of the cost — if you buy the right grade. Here's how to tell recovered from refinished, and who should bother.
By Dan Mercer
Will your golf ball be banned in 2030? No — and here's the 5-yard truth
The headlines want you scared into buying something. The reality: a tour-level rule that costs you about five yards no sooner than 2030, that keeps slipping, and that over 30% of today's balls already pass anyway.
By Tom Whitaker
TaylorMade TP5 review: the tour ball that asks less of your swing
Five layers chasing one promise — premium greenside spin without punishing you for moderate speed. It mostly delivers.
By Tom Whitaker
Stop buying premium balls if you lose three a round
The Pro V1 is a magnificent golf ball. It's also a waste of your money if it spends half its life in the trees. The honest maths.
By Dan Mercer
Titleist Pro V1 review: still the ball the whole game is measured against
The most-played ball in golf, full stop. Here's who should actually play it — and who's quietly wasting their money.
By Ross Hamilton
Pro V1 vs Chrome Tour: the premium ball question
The two balls most good players agonise over. They're closer than the tribalism suggests — here's how to actually choose.
By Dan Mercer
TruFeel vs Supersoft: the best value-ball face-off
The two value balls smart golfers actually play. Both are a fraction of tour-ball money — here's how to pick between them.
By Ross Hamilton
Most golfers play the wrong ball — and it's the expensive one
Compression charts, dimple counts, fitting flowcharts: noise. The ball you pick comes down to one honest question, and for most amateurs the right answer costs a third of what they're spending now.
By Ross Hamilton
Do expensive golf balls actually make a difference?
Yes — but probably not the difference you think, and probably not for you. The no-marketing answer, with the robot-test data to back it.
By Ross Hamilton
Kirkland Signature golf ball review: the cult value ball, honestly assessed
Costco's tour-level ball at a fraction of the price has a near-religious following. Is it really a Pro V1 killer, or just very good for the money?
By Ross Hamilton
Pro V1 vs Pro V1x: which Titleist is actually your ball?
Same family, two different balls — and most golfers pick wrong out of habit. How to choose between the two best-sellers in golf.
By Ross Hamilton
Golf ball compression explained (and why it matters less than you think)
Low compression, high compression, swing speed — there's a lot of myth here. The plain-English truth about what compression does for your game.
By Ross Hamilton
How long do golf balls last? (And when to actually bin one)
That ball in your bag from 2019 is probably fine. The scuffed one you played last week probably isn't. The honest guide to golf-ball lifespan.
By Ross Hamilton
