Golf Balls
Premium vs value, spin vs distance — how to choose the ball that actually fits your game.
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
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
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
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
