HOT LIST 2007: TOUR-PERFORMANCE BALLS

Gold (Editor's Choice)
TITLEIST PRO V1/PRO V1x: Street Price: $45 a dozen.; key technology: Both versions of the market and worldwide tour-use leader are constructed from a polybutadiene core, an ionomer casing and a urethane cover. Pro V1x has 60 fewer dimples than Pro V1 and is designed to spin less.; Panelist Comments: "Most consistent shot dispersion. . . . Felt great coming off the face of every club."; Judges' Verdict: The Pro V1 family continues to dominate, but hold the phone, a new version is coming this spring. The world awaits.; titleist.com

Gold
BRIDGESTONE B330/B330-S: Street Price: $40 a dozen.; Key Technology: The company's "speed elasticity" core is gradated, so its hardness increases by 45 percent as you move from the center to the perimeter. The molecular structure of the thermoplastic urethane cover has been strengthened to increase durability on hard wedge shots.; Panelist Comments: "Absolutely loved the ball flight. . . . Pure consistency. . . . B330 felt a little hard coming off the putter."; Judges' Verdict: An exceptional ball. These guys have figured out how to make products other than tires that come to an efficient stop.; bridgestonegolf.com

Gold
CALLAWAY HX TOUR/HX TOUR 56: Street Price: $40 a dozen.; Key Technology: Reaction Injection molding helps produce a very thin urethane cover, just .018 inches on the HX Tour and .021 on the HX Tour 56. A manufacturing technique is used to create six deep dimples that result in a more precisely centered core. The hexagonal dimple pattern is designed for aerodynamics.; "Good, soft feel on putts and chips. . . . Cover seemed to last longer than in the past. . . . Plays long."; Judge's Verdict: HX Tour is longer; HX Tour 56 plays softer around the greens. The difficult choice is yours.; callawaygolf.com

Gold
NIKE ONE PLATINUM/BLACK: Street Price: $40 a dozen.; Key Technology: Both versions share the progressive-density core design and a 336-dimple pattern. The Platinum's urethane cover is softer for better feel, and the Black has a slightly larger core and a thinner mantle to help generate more distance.; Panelist Comments: "It was very easy to work the ball on full shots. . . . Lower trajectory could be good for some players. . . . Seemed to scuff the most."; Judge's Verdict: Tiger wannabes take note: The Man plays the Platinum version. But the Black has been nicely softened, too.; nikegolf.com

GOLD
SRIXON Z-URC/Z-URS: Street Price: $40 a dozen.; A newly developed, shear-resistant urethane is used for the 330-dimple cover. Both models use the company's core technology that gets firmer as you move out from the center and a resilient ionomer middle layer. The Z-URC has a slightly thinner cover than the Z-URS and tends to spin more.; Panelist Comments: "Launched very high. . . . Performed well on all types of shots. . . . I plan to play this ball more often despite the commercials."; Judge's Verdict: We recommend the Z-URS unless your swing speed is 100 miles per hour or faster.; srixon.com

GOLD
TAYLORMADE TP RED/TP BLACK: Street Price: $43 a dozen.; Key Technology: The core is made from a neodymium-based rubber (Ndv4) that the company says generates a high ball speed but is still soft enough to minimize driver spin. The thinner mantle of the TP Red and its larger core promote a slightly lower launch angle than the TP Black does.; Panelist: "Excellent spin and distance control with middle and long irons . . . . The extra distance makes me think I could get used to the feel."; Judge's Verdict: Tough decision, but the short-game feel of the Red (the ball Sergio Garcia uses) is superior.; taylormadegolf.com