EDITED BY PETER MORRICE
HOW WE TEST Our process for testing golf balls incorporates player evaluations and robot tests conducted by Golf Digest partner Golf Laboratories, based in San Diego. The robot tests produced and compared typical spin and launch for each ball using half- wedge shots. (To see the full robot data for every ball we tested, go to golfdigest.com.) For player tests, we took elite golfers (5-handicap or less) on the course at Marriott’s Grande Vista Resort in Orlando. All brand logos and distinguishing marks were blacked out on every ball. Players hit a range of shots – short game, half-wedge, 7-iron and driver – and scored each ball on a five-point scale (5 for “excellent” to 1 for “poor”). They also provided Feel scores from 1 (“soft”) to 5 (“firm”). The slider graphs on the following pages reflect our player scores and form a Performance rating relative to other balls in the category. The Innovation rating is derived from our review of manufacturers’ technical submissions. Each ball that made the Hot List earned a Gold (93 to 100) or Silver (88 to 92.99) medal based on a combination of all of these metrics.
Hot List 2025: Golf Balls
T HE GOLF BALL, WITHOUT question the most used and least considered piece of equipment in your bag, might just be the missing piece that could complete your game – even if you’re Rory McIlroy. The future hall of famer switched balls at the begin- ning of this year almost by chance, realising after some idle chip shots that the softer TaylorMade TP5 might enhance more of his game than the firmer TP5x he had been playing for years. While many elements can be credited for his hot start this season, the only one that impacted every shot was the golf ball. McIlroy found his way to the right ball somewhat accidentally, but we think our golf ball Hot List lends a measure of intentionality to your search for a game-changing sphere. You’ll see how our players and robot testing broke down each ball’s perfor- mance across the short game and full
swing, as well as a feel assessment and the launch and spin characteristics on half-wedge shots. We divide the universe of golf balls here into multilayer urethane models and non-urethane models. Multilayer urethane balls offer a full suite of per- formance functionality, while the best non-urethane balls generally focus on a softer feel with more chance for distance. However, they lack the high spin found in urethane-cover balls for finesse shots around the green. In the end, McIlroy’s decision to make a ball change provides a lesson for golfers of every level: Don’t assume you’re playing the right model. We’re not saying a change is going to net you $15 million and 3 wins in five months, like it did McIlroy, but it could get you the same sense of satisfaction. Which is, of course, priceless, even if it doesn’t spend as well as cold, hard cash. – MIKE STACHURA AND E MICHAEL JOHNSON
GOLD
SILVER
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 97
JULY/AUGUST 2025
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