Cheap is good.
In fact, lower-price golf balls are not just a whole lot better than they used to be, they may be as good for your game as the priciest of balls. That's because the difference in performance between golf balls that cost $35 or more a dozen and those that retail for $25 or less can be much less than the price tags suggest. Nowadays, lower price is not necessarily an indication of lower performance, especially if you're a golfer of average skill.
Frank Thomas, who tested thousands of golf balls as technical director for the U.S. Golf Association, puts it this way: "Ninety percent of the golf equipment made today is better than 90 percent of the golfers' ability to utilize it. For most of us, we don't have to pay a lot of money to get a very acceptable ball and one which is generally better than we are."
Unquestionably, many of the new lower-price balls have benefitted from technology that has trickled down from high-end models. As a result, "The degree of trade-offs between the extremes is not as significant as it used to be," says George Sine, vice president of golf ball marketing for Titleist.
Two-piece balls feature a solid core and firm shell often made of Surlyn, a less-expensive but more shear-resistant material than the urethane covers of high-end balls. Not only is the material less expensive, it gives the typical golfer what he wants, says Dave Branon, former chairman of Dunlop Slazenger Group Americas. "The most desired characteristic in a ball, according to consumer studies, is distance, and it is the least expensive attribute to buy."
Today's premium balls are typically multilayer in construction--a solid core is surrounded by a thin hard mantle and soft-feeling cover made of urethane or a similar elastomer. "This is the combination that the very best golfers want," says Thomas, who now serves as Golf Digest's Chief Technical Advisor. "All golfers can benefit from using this type of construction, but all may not need it. And it is an expensive product."
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