Why urethane golf balls are better—and 5 other takeaways from Hot List testing

Urethane balls are a better option for the vast majority of golfers, not just tour players. They simply offer more performance benefits across all clubs, distances, speeds and shots. Testing by Golf Laboratories showed that there is no distance advantage with non-urethane balls, and the short-game spin advantage of urethane can be staggering. Our robot testing saw as much as a 4,000 rpm difference on a 45-yard shot between balls with a urethane cover and balls with a non-urethane cover. This resulted in non-urethane balls rolling 15 feet farther from the hole. Some non-urethane balls are getting closer to the least-spinny urethane balls (within 20 percent). The non-urethane balls with the softest covers spun more than those with firmer covers. Those softer non-urethane balls also will feel better on mis-hits. But aside from their lower cost, which matters if you might lose a handful a round, we still see a big advantage for (properly fit) balls with urethane-cover technology.

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. In other words, because player testing was conducted with balls in the same category, a score that appears on the "soft" side or closer to "excellent" for a non-urethane ball is not equivalent to that same rating for a urethane ball. Robot testing ratings, however, are comparative to all types of balls, so a "high" rating for spin or launch on the robot is "high" regardless of the type of ball. 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.

How we use robotics

Founded by Gene Parente, Golf Laboratories is the leading robot testing company in the game. Parente estimates he has run nearly 10,000 independent tests in his 35 years of not only manning robot simulations worldwide (and with the USGA and R&A) but designing the rig, too. His latest robot can mimic all kinds of swings from the shortest chip to the longest drive. For our ball testing, the robot replicated a low-trajectory 45-yard pitch shot, with the 2023 Titleist Pro V1 as the control ball. The range of launch and spin for all balls tested was diverse. The lowest spinning balls were just under 3,000 rpm, while the highest spinning balls were just over 6,900 rpm. The vast majority of multilayer urethane-cover balls were over 6,000 rpm. Launch angle on the 45-yard shot ranged from just under 30 degrees to just over 40 degrees. The vast majority of multilayer urethane cover balls launched at 32 degrees or less.

Price check

If you think egg prices have gotten high, how about these eggs? The average cost of a dozen golf balls is $43. That’s 45 percent higher than 10 years ago, according to Golf Datatech. The change reflects a consumer shift: Nearly 60 percent of balls sold are the more expensive urethane models. A decade ago, it was about 40 percent. More golfers want to play what the pros play.

Dimples

How often have you heard golf balls are all the same: round, white and dimpled? That’s too simplistic. Dimple patterns are designed to minimize drag and create lift. A general rule is, the larger the total volume of the dimples, the lower the lift and the lower the trajectory. Oh, they help with distance, too. The USGA once ran a test with a normal golf ball and one without dimples at tour swing speeds. The dimple-less ball flew a mere 145 yards.

Why you need a fitting

If you’re going to make your new golf ball a proper asset, we suggest getting a ball fitting. Most top fitters offer this service, but there are a number of online tools and apps that will help you customize your choice. Ballnamic, which was developed by Ping engineers, lets the user dial in key performance metrics to narrow the selection to your five best-fitting balls. The Scan My Golf Ball app produces recommendations following a series of questions about your game. Golf Galaxy offers an online ball selector tool, as well as in-store custom ball fittings, and many manufacturers (Bridgestone, Callaway, Srixon, TaylorMade, Titleist, Vice) have online fitting tools, but of course these tools focus on only that company’s offerings. However you go about it, the benefit is clear: Thinking systematically will help you make the right ball work for you.