You might think golf balls are like gum balls – different looks, but really only one flavour. That might be why Golf Datatech research says only one in seven golfers plays the same brand every round – let alone the same model. It’s time to get more committed with your choice. To guide you away from gum-ball logic, we present the 2019 Ball Hot List. We rated products based on our four criteria (Performance, Innovation, Feel and Demand) and conducted player testing at the Marriott Grande Vista Resort in Orlando. Our process includes full swings and a lot of short-game shots. Yours should, too. We evaluated 65 entries at three price levels (premium, mid-range and budget).
We believe the best balls cost more because their designs don’t make any compromises from tee to green. Still, the other price points offer choices that might satisfy what your game requires. So review these 30 winners with one thought: will this ball help me execute all the shots I need?
It might be a multiple-choice question, but it shouldn’t be a multiple-choice answer.
Premium: Gold
Bridgestone
Tour b x/xs/rx/rxs
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★ ½
The X and XS are for better players who don’t mis-hit it often. For the rest of us who need low-compression help for our average swing speeds, there’s RX and RXS. The firmer X and the softer RX promote less curve on driver shots. The XS and RXS offer softer feel and the most greenside spin.
Callaway
Chrome soft with chrome soft x
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★
The nano-substance graphene strengthens a thin outer core over a larger, soft inner core. The inner core offers less spin and high launch on long shots. The firm outer core boosts energy and helps pinch the soft cover for short-shot spin. Fast swings will prefer the X version.
Callaway
Erc Soft
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★
*NEW* The dual core uses the same Nobel Prize nanoparticle found in Chrome Soft. That strengthens the outer core, allowing the large inner core to create distance through less driver spin. A hybrid cover brings more short-shot spin than typical distance balls, and three lines focus your aim.
Mizuno
rb tour with rb tour x
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★
Demand ★
*NEW* Twelve years of wind-tunnel testing yielded a cone-dimple design. The shape has more surface points, which provide more efficient airflow for better distance. The RB Tour reduces spin on swings with a downward attack angle. The X favours fast swings with an upward attack angle.
Srixon
z-star with z-star xv
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★
*NEW* The firmer, dual-core XV and the standard Z-Star have graduated cores and a more resilient mantle for better long-game distance. The thin cover still provides optimal spin thanks to a supermolecule in the urethane coating that better grabs your wedge grooves.
TaylorMade
tp5 with tp5x
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★
*NEW* These five-layer balls feature a new mantle material that’s designed to increase ball speed. How does it work? The material is stiffer and more durable so that when the ball is compressed on driver and long-iron shots, the ball returns to shape and comes off the face with more velocity.
Titleist
avx
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★ ½
The low-compression alternative in the Titleist multilayer, urethane-cover ball lineup combines a new urethane cover with a flexible mantle layer. Those two elements work with the core to provide greenside spin for short shots and ball speed off the driver and long and middle irons.
Titleist
pro v1 with pro v1x
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
*NEW* The changes to golf’s top seller might measure small, but the effect on distance is big. Reducing the cover by .005 inches and adding a thicker mantle boost driver and iron ball speed. As usual, the X will fly higher, spin more and feel firmer than the standard Pro V1.
Volvik
s3 with s4
Performance ★★★★
Innovation Η★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★
*NEW* These two balls use bismuth mixed in the core to add density for better energy transfer. The S4 features a firmer compression and is designed for swing speeds of more than 105mph. The slightly softer S3 is meant for those swinging 95 to 110mph.
Wilson Staff
fg tour
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★
*NEW* The firm core on this four-piece design is surrounded by two firm mantle layers, but an extra-soft urethane cover provides relatively higher spin on all clubs, including the driver. This results in a more workable ball flight off the tee and a high-spinning ball into the green.
Mid-Range: Gold
Bridgestone
e12 soft
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★★ ½
*NEW* The core is often referred to as “the engine”. But what if you could have two engines? That’s the approach Bridgestone took. A new mantle layer uses a compound that produces a more cohesive bond to the core and cover that helps deliver more energy at impact in a low-compression ball.
Oncore
elixr
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★
*NEW* Golf-ball chemistry is like baking – adding different ingredients alters the final product. In this instance, a composite core combines with a new mantle infused with high-density particles to boost perimeter weighting. That raises the ball’s stability for better control in breezy conditions.
Snell
mtb black
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★
A direct-to-consumer ball with a strong pedigree (founder Dean Snell’s name is on the Pro V1 patent), the MTB Black is a three-piece ball with a cast urethane cover that produces greenside checking. The dimple pattern delivers low lift and low drag to keep shots from floating in the wind.
Srixon
q-star tour
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★ ½
*NEW* Average swing speeds often benefit from a urethane-cover ball with a soft inner core. That’s because the soft core is easier to compress for low spin and high launch off the tee, and the tour-like cover (it’s virtually the same as the company’s higher-end Z-Star models) provides grip around the green.
TaylorMade
project (a)
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★ ½
To get driver distance and soft feel around the greens, more than two layers help. In the case of Project (a), there are three: a large, soft core combines with a firm mantle layer to increase velocity and mitigate spin on longer shots. The urethane cover gives a tour-ball type of grab on shorter shots.
Titleist
tour soft
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★★★★
Consumers want distance without sacrificing feel and ideally without spending $70 a dozen when losing a couple of sleeves a round. Titleist ticks those boxes with this large-core (the largest of any Titleist ball), thin-cover design. The cover is made from a combination of four ionomers and polymers.
Vice
pro w/ pro plus/pro soft
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★
*NEW* The three-piece Pro has a higher compression to help increase ball speed. The four-piece Pro Plus is for faster swingers, and the three-piece, matte-finish Pro Soft has a lower compression for moderate swing speeds. A new cover formulation is designed to reduce discolouration and scuffing on all models.
Wilson Staff
Duo Professional
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★
*NEW* This isn’t merely an upgrade but an overhaul of the previous version. The focus on soft feel remains, but among the improvements is a new urethane cover that is 40-percent thinner than its predecessor, creating added short-game spin when interacting with the firmer mantle section.
Mid-Range: Silver
Maxfli
tour with tour x
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★
Demand ★
*NEW* The Tour (three-piece) and Tour X (four-piece) feature multilayer construction with urethane covers. The focus here is the centre of gravity. After locating the CG, the sidestamp is applied: the idea is that placing the line with the CG facing towards the target leads to more consistent tee shots.
Pearl
pure pro with pure pro x
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Feel ★★★★
Demand ★
*NEW* Another online-only option, the Pure Pro X is a four-piece ball with a firm outer mantle to increase ball speed and lower spin to power tee shots on a flatter trajectory. The three-piece Pure Pro feels softer and spins higher on approach shots so that average golfers can hold more greens.
Budget: Gold
Callaway
supersoft
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
*NEW* The update to Callaway’s low-compression, two-piece ball focuses on improving distance through a revise of the ball’s hexagonal dimple pattern for better performance at low-spin rates. Offered in six colours, a softer cover enhances feel and boosts greenside spin.
Callaway
supersoft magna
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★★
*NEW* The Magna is 3 percent larger than standard balls. This means its centre of gravity (CG) is higher than standard balls and higher in relation to the club’s CG. That makes higher launch easier. A special surface pattern is dialled in for the ball’s larger cross-sectional area.
Srixon
q-star
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★
This two-piece ball features a mid-level soft compression that’s designed to maximise the performance of average golfers. The low compression helps tee shots spin less for better distance and accuracy. It also has the same dimple pattern as the company’s tour-level balls for extra distance.
Srixon
soft feel
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★
Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★ ½
*NEW* This lower-compression ball’s approach to distance stays true to its name, but engineers were careful not to go too soft. Why? The mid-level compression offers soft feel and low spin yet retains the energy transfer for optimal distance through its tour-ball dimple pattern.
TaylorMade
project (s)
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★★ ½
This three-piece model emphasises soft feel through a lower-compression rubber core, a flexible mantle layer and a resilient ionomer cover. The cover generates more speed on driver shots than a urethane cover, but it offers a softer feel than many ionomer-cover balls.
Titleist
DT Trusoft
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★★ ½
The focus on soft starts with the larger core in this two-piece model, the softest in the Titleist line. The size provides energy for more ball speed, and the low compression improves feel and reduces driver spin. The flexible cover material gives your shorter shots some grab.
Top-Flite
Gamer urethane
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★★
Feel ★★★★
Demand ★★
This three-piece model brings the groove-grabbing effects of a urethane cover for higher wedge spin to the low-price category. The design benefits from a firm mantle layer that helps limit driver spin for better distance. Each dimple’s interior dimple creates tighter air flow for longer carry.
Wilson Staff
Duo soft
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★
The leader in lowest compression (29), this two-piece ball uses its soft feel to reduce spin for maximum distance. The ultra-large core provides energy for even more distance, and the firmer cover enhances energy transfer at impact. Shallower dimples key high flight.
Budget: Silver
Cut
Blue
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Feel ★★★★
Demand ★
*NEW* Building on its original four-piece design, this version has two resilient mantle layers to build ball speed and boost trajectory. The urethane cover is now softer for greenside spin. The core’s redesign seeks to improve the feel and consistency of full shots through the bag.
Oncore
Avant 55
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Feel ★★★★
Demand ★
*NEW* Designed for players with low to mid swing speeds, this two-piece ball features a low compression that drops into the mid-50s to produce distance off the driver by reducing spin. The low compression assists high launch and makes for a soft feel on wedge shots and putts.
