Choosing a golf ball.

What the rules say

Part 4 of the Equipment Rules sets the same limits for every ball: no heavier than 1.620 ounces (45.93 g), at least 1.680 inches (42.67 mm) across, spherically symmetrical in how it behaves, and within the Initial Velocity Standard and the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) kept by the R&A and USGA. The ODS limit is 317 yards with a 3-yard tolerance.

Under Rule 4.2a of the 2023 Rules of Golf, in effect from 1 January 2023, every stroke must be made with a conforming ball, and you must not play a ball whose performance you deliberately changed, for example by scuffing or heating it. The penalty is disqualification. Marking your ball with a felt-tip pen is not a breach, and Rule 6.3a encourages an identification mark. The R&A says the next edition of the Rules is due on 1 January 2028.

The conforming ball list

The R&A's Conforming Ball List holds balls submitted in the last 12 months and ruled to conform. It is updated on the first Wednesday of every month, and the edition current on 20 October 2026 was labelled October 2026. It describes each model's pole and seam markings so you can tell similar balls apart.

The list only becomes a requirement where a Committee adopts Model Local Rule G-3, which the R&A recommends for professional and top amateur competitions; the penalty is disqualification. Model Local Rule G-4, the one ball rule, applies only when a Committee adopts it and is recommended only for competitions of highly skilled players. Without G-3, Part 3 says a ball is presumed conforming unless there is strong evidence otherwise, and the R&A says a ball that has dropped off the list or was never submitted should still be treated as conforming for non-elite play. We never say a ball conforms: if you play in events that use G-3, check the current list yourself.

The ball testing change, as of October 2026

On 6 December 2023 the two bodies announced faster test conditions for every ball, originally from January 2028 for elite play and January 2030 for everyone else. The R&A estimated a loss of 5 yards or less off the tee for recreational golfers. In 2026 the plan moved towards a single date, and the June 2026 notice said there would be no change before January 2030 while alternatives, including Model Local Rules, are assessed.

Sources read that notice differently. ESPN describes a single implementation date of January 2030; Golf Today reads it as a pause, with what follows an open question. The notice itself says only that the ODS will not change before January 2030. In September 2026 Golf.com reported three proposed elite-only Model Local Rules, one of which would require a listed ball model testing at 317.0 yards or less, removing the tolerance; it reported the earliest effective date as January 2028, for the highest professional levels only. The full history is on our ball testing change page.

Our picks by category

How to choose

Cover: urethane or ionomer

Lynx Golf says urethane covers tend to grip the grooves more and feel softer, while ionomer (Surlyn-type) covers last longer and usually spin less. Wikipedia says Surlyn, an ionomer resin introduced by DuPont in the mid-1960s, and urethane blends replaced the older balata covers because they were more durable.

Compression and swing speed: makers disagree

Wikipedia says compression depends mainly on core hardness, with higher-compression balls feeling firmer. Ball maker Bridgestone claims that matching compression to swing speed gets the most distance, with faster swings needing higher compression. Not every maker agrees: GolfMagic reported a rival maker's representative calling swing-speed matching nonsense and favouring fitting from the green back, though we could read that report only in summary. Our club fitting page covers ball fitting alongside clubs.

Dimples

Wikipedia says most modern balls have about 300 to 500 dimples, which reduce drag and add lift from backspin, and that the rules set no limit on dimple count.

Cold weather

Ball-testing specialist Gene Parente told Golf.com that ball performance starts to drop below about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and advised storing balls indoors because a cold core takes about an hour to warm. Deliberately heating a ball to change its performance breaches Rule 4.2a, and the penalty is disqualification. See weather gear.

Test a few

Try more than one category on the course before buying in bulk. If you play in events that use Model Local Rule G-3, check every ball against the current Conforming Ball List and the Terms of the Competition.