The Best Golf Balls of 2021
Trying to find the best golf ball to buy can seem like an impossible task. With all the different brands, models, and styles out there, who can tell what will be the best purchase for them? To make this a bit easier, the team has put together a list of the best ball options available. These balls fall into different categories based on your budget and ball preferences. Hopefully, this will not only simplify the ball search but also help you play your best golf.
Best Overall
Pro V1
It’s not hyperbole to say that Titleist changed golf with the introduction of the Pro V1 back in the year 2000. They created a ball that flew further, felt better, and simply outperformed any other ball in the field.
Several years and releases later, the Pro V1 remains the gold standard for a premium golf ball and still accounts for over 70% of professional tour play. While still a 3-piece ball, the 2021 Pro V1 does feature several enhancements over previous iterations. This includes a softer core, new urethane cover material, and updated dimple pattern to improve launch, spin, and feel.
In a highly competitive market, the leader won’t stay on top without good reason, and this ball certainly has plenty of reasons cementing its place. This makes the Titleist Pro V1 the Best Overall ball available today.
Best Value
Snell MTB-X
Understandably, some people may have been skeptical when Dean Snell created his own ball brand. While his work with TaylorMade and Titleist produced some of their most popular balls of all time, trying to establish a company from scratch is a different story. Now, we can undoubtedly say Dean succeeded, and the Snell MTB-X is proof.
This ball checks all the boxes of a “tour” ball. Its three-piece design provides low spin and high ball speeds off the driver for great distance, as well as a urethane cover for excellent spin and feel around the greens.
All this performance is packed into a ball priced well under big brand competitors. This makes the Snell MTB-X the Best Value ball you can buy.
Best Distance
Pro V1x Left Dash
By this time, even non-golfers are likely familiar with the Titleist Pro V1 (as well as the Pro V1x). These balls have been the undisputed leaders for two decades now. Even avid players might not be familiar with the Pro V1x Left Dash, however. That’s because this ball design was formerly on the “secret menu” for Titleist tour pros looking for specific characteristics but is now available to the general public.
The specific characteristics that make this ball notable are a low-spin and high-launch design combined with a high compression that can stand up to high swing speeds. These factors combine to make the Pro V1x Left Dash the longest ball out there, providing extra distance to every club in the bag. A thin urethane cover also means that this is accomplished without losing too much touch around the greens.
Distance is always going to be an advantage, so it’s something golfers are going to stay on the hunt for. The Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash is the best ball for distance.
Softest
Callaway Supersoft
We like to imagine that sinking our putt for double-bogey on the 18th was to win the Masters. Still, the fact is that the average weekend golfer is very far removed from a tour player. This is most obvious in swing speed as regular golfers swing significantly slower than professionals, particularly as they get older.
For this golfer segment, playing a soft golf ball can provide several benefits. The Callaway Supersoft ball is ready to prove it. First, the low compression of the Supersoft encourages higher launch and lower spin, maximizing distance for slower swing speeds. While it won’t provide tour-level spin, a new PARALOID Hybrid cover utilized by Callaway should provide better spin over previous models. Additionally, for those looking for a bit more variety out on the course, the Callaway Supersoft is available in a wide selection of colors and a matte finish.
A soft golf ball can provide the performance and feel they are looking for without breaking the bank for the right player. The Callaway Supersoft is the softest ball you can get.
Best Greenside Spin
Bridgestone Tour B XS
Golf ball selection tends to be a comparison of trade-offs. Traditionally, one of these has been balls built for spin sacrifice distance and vice versa. Bridgestone is trying to break that accepted fact with the Tour B XS and seems to have succeeded.
Famous as the ball used by Tiger Woods, the Tour B XS has several features that make it the right choice for regular golfers. Particularly those focused on short game performance. The heart of this is Bridgestone’s new REACTIV cover technology. The tire & rubber giant spent years developing this material to create a ball with excellent spin without sacrificing distance.
Even Tiger gained a few hundred RPM of spin on short pitches with the Bridgestone Tour B XS. With that, it’s easy to name it the Best Ball for Greenside Spin.
Best Under $20
Kirkland Performance+
Golf balls in the “tour” category generally share a few characteristics. They are multi-layer, usually 3 or 4-piece, and have a urethane cover. Another feature they also tend to share is a high price tag. One exception to this rule is the Kirkland Performance+ golf ball.
The Kirkland ball features a three-piece design and a urethane cover, checking the primary boxes for a performance product. While the quality and results may not fully match the truly premium balls out there, the most significant difference between them likely is the cost.
For many golfers, the possibility of losing a ball or two (or ten) during a round is genuine. If you want to always have another ball to pull out of the bag, the Kirkland Performance+ is the Best Golf Ball under $20.
