Are premium golf balls any better than cheap ones? We put it to the test and the results are in

We tested premium balls against cheap golf balls to see if there's any difference in performance.

What does an expensive golf ball give you that a cheaper model doesn’t? We tested 24 golf balls on a launch monitor to find out…

We’ve all heard the saying “You get what you pay for” but does it ring true when trying to find the best golf balls?

The best premium golf balls promise unrivaled performance, feel, consistency, and durability, but they don’t come cheap. A dozen Callaway Chrome Tour or Chrome Tour X golf balls, for instance, comes at an RRP of £55/$55, which is £4.58/$4.58 per ball. If you go through three balls per week, you’re looking at an annual spend of £714.48/$714.48.

The best cheap golf balls are half that price or less. But what are you giving up if you opt for a budget golf ball instead of a premium model?

The recent Today’s Golfer Robot Golf Ball Test used a £100,000 robot to test 24 golf balls across every conceivable performance metric. Those golf balls ranged in price from premium models like the Callaway Chrome Tour and Titleist Pro V1 to budget options like the Kirkland Signature V3 and Srixon Distance. Let’s dive into the data and look at the difference between golf balls at different price points when it comes to driver, 7-iron, and pitching wedge performance.

Driver distance

The data shows that if you want absolute maximum distance, you have to pay for it.

We tested at three different driver swing speeds – 85mph, 100mph, 115mph – and premium models delivered the most driver distance at all three.

If you want maximum driver distance from your golf ball, the Wilson Staff Model (or Model X) or Callaway Chrome Tour (or Chrome Tour X) are the way to go.

But you’re looking at £52/$54.99 for the Wilson and £55/$55 for the Callaway, so how much yardage are you giving up if you opt for a cheaper alternative?

Plumping for mid-price balls like the Seed-02 or Vice Pro Plus would save you a considerable amount of money and cost you no more than a few yards in driver carry distance.

At 85mph, the Vice Pro Plus was actually the second longest of all the balls we tested and just 1.2 yards behind the Wilson Staff Model, which generated the longest carry distance at 193.6 yards.

At 100mph, the Vice Pro Plus and Seed SD-02 were both within 2.7 yards of the longest ball.

At 115mph, they ranked fifth and sixth of the 24 balls tested and again gave up less than three yards on the longest ball.

If you go to the budget end of the market, you will be giving up more yardage. The Kirkland Signature, Srixon Distance, and TaylorMade SpeedSoft are all cheap golf balls but ranked towards the bottom for driver distance at all three swing speeds. That said, at slower swing speeds you’re only giving up 7-9 yards, which you might feel is worth it for such a significant saving, considering you can often pick up these models for around 1/3 of the price of a premium golf ball.

7-iron performance

Driver performance is a key factor when picking the best golf ball for your game, but it’s not everything. It’s no good having a ball that flies miles off the tee if you can’t generate enough height and spin to make approach shots stop with some level of control.

Key metrics to consider for iron control are backspin and descent angle, as these determine how quickly your approach shots stop upon landing.

The Seed SD-01 and SD-02, as well as the Vice Pro, Vice Pro Plus, and Vice Tour, are reasonably priced golf balls that perform well in this area.

The Kirkland Signature V3 deserves a mention as it’s incredibly cheap ($34.99 for two dozen) and generated the second-highest backspin with a 7-iron of all the balls tested. It was, however, noticeably shorter than other balls, averaging 147.8 yards with a 7-iron. That makes it 5.8 yards shorter than the test average and 8.7 yards shorter than the longest. Distance isn’t as big a factor with irons as it is with driver, but it’s still something to consider.

Pitching wedge performance

As with irons, spin and descent angle are key to wedge control. Premium balls in the Callaway Chrome Tour X and Titleist Pro V1x topped the charts for backspin but were closely followed by the bargain Kirkland Signature V3. The Kirkland again gave up a bit of yardage, but losing a couple of yards with a wedge won’t be a dealbreaker for most golfers.

The competitively priced Srixon Distance was also a surprise performer here, ranking 8^th of all 24 balls tested for wedge spin. Its 7,636rpm was 201rpm higher than the test average and saw it spin more than premium balls like the TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x, Callaway Chrome Soft and Chrome Tour, and the Wilson Staff Model. It had the shortest pitching wedge carry distance of any ball on test, but it was only 1.7 yards shorter than the test average, and this isn’t an area of the game where maximizing yardage is particularly important.

Are premium golf balls worth the money?

As we’ve seen, you can buy a super cheap golf ball that generates heaps of spin. You can buy cheap golf balls that deliver as much distance as premium golf balls – or at least be so close you won’t notice the difference out on the course. You can buy cheap golf balls that will match the flight and control you get with a premium ball on approach shots. You can get cheap golf balls that feel great. You can get cheap golf balls with all the alignment aids you might want.

So why would you pay premium prices for premium golf balls?

Because you have to if you want the best of everything with no real weaknesses.

The cheap golf ball that spins more than a premium ball doesn’t match that premium ball for driver distance. The cheap ball that delivers great distance surrenders a bit of iron or wedge spin. There’s no one golf ball that tops the charts in every single category – regardless of price – but premium balls offer the strongest blend of all-round performance.

But remember, in most cases, the margins are fairly small. A few yards here, a few hundred RPM of spin there. If you want optimal performance regardless of cost, premium golf balls are the way to go. But if you want to save some money and don’t mind small sacrifices in performance, there are plenty of mid-range and budget golf balls out there that do a great job.

I prefer to play a premium golf ball to reassure me that I’m getting as much help as possible, but I’m also budget-conscious. For many years I played the Nike RZN Platinum because it was a premium ball that had been discontinued, meaning I could pick it up for under £20 per dozen, less than half its original price. When stocks of that ran out, I switched to the Bridgestone Tour B XS. Alongside the Tour B X, it’s Bridgestone’s tour-level golf ball and I’ve found it just as good as any other premium golf ball, but can be bought for a little over £30 per dozen if you shop around.

1

Bridgestone Tour B XS

Price: $49.99

PGA Tour Superstore

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Price: $49.99

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Pros & Cons

Pros

• Long and straight in the long game
• Incredible feel off the face
• Exceptionally soft and responsive on approach shots and around the green
• Lovely feedback off the putter face

Cons

• Doesn't perform as well for slower swing speeds

I’d happily swap to any other premium golf ball if I found them cheaper than the Bridgestone, although I wouldn’t recommend chopping and changing too often, as it’s better to get used to a ball and stick with it if you want to be consistent.