Golf balls come in a variety of different colors from classic plain white to more colorful colors like yellow, but does Golf ball color matter? Let’s find out.
Yellow balls are far easier to see in the air, especially if you have bad vision, and easier to find once they hit the ground. Using different colored balls helps distinguish which ball is yours, and bright colors might seem bigger and easier to hit on the ground.
Colored Golf balls are nothing new, Jerry Pate used an orange ball to win the 1982 Players Championship.
I will explain the benefits of using colored balls, which color Golf ball is the easiest to see, and if any pros use colored balls read on to find out.
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Why You Should Use Colored Balls
Are Coloured Golf Balls Easier To See?
Colored Golf Balls are easier to see than white balls, and they help distinguish Golf balls no matter the weather. Although blue balls can get lost in the sky on clear days, and orange balls can be harder to find in autumn due to leaves on the course.
How many times have you hit a Golf shot, only to spend 20-30 minutes finding your ball? This is a common issue in Golf and if you have bad eyesight this problem gets even worse.
Mark Crossfield in the above video did an experiment where he used both a yellow and white ball and found the yellow ball not only easier to track in the air but also to find on the fairway.
The yellow ball also seemed bigger on the ground, which might have the psychological benefit of being easier to hit, he asked several people in the video to see what they used, and the majority said yellow balls are far easier to see and seem bigger.
Get some reasonably priced Titleist TruFeel yellow Golf balls from Amazon here.
If you’re trying to find someone in a crowded space what would be easier to see if they wore a white or yellow T-shirt? It’s the same thing with Golf balls.
Not every color will be easier to see than white, blue balls will disappear in the sky on clear days and orange balls will be harder to find during fall as leaves will cover your course.
If you play during the winter, a red, yellow, or orange ball will help your ball stand out in the snow, can you imagine the struggle trying to find a white ball in the snow?
If you like playing as the sun goes down, yellow balls are perfect to see when teeing off in the evening, there are even illuminated LED golf balls meant to shine on a dark course!
They are designed to light upon impact and can stay lit for nearly 10 minutes to help you track them down. Get the R&L to glow golf balls for a bargain on Amazon, who said you can’t play golf at night?
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Colored Golf Balls Tell You Which Ball Is Yours
One struggle playing Golf in a group is knowing which ball is yours, on the fairway or the green using different colored balls prevents these arguments from ever happening.
Yes, you could use different Golf brands but what if everyone loves Callaway balls? Using different colors removes the guesswork and helps you play more efficiently as you see immediately which ball is yours.
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Colored Golf Balls Allow You To Express Yourself
Golfers love to gloat and take pride in what equipment they use, why not have the same feeling about your golf ball color? It can be part of your personal expression and identity on the course, you can even personalize your ball with your name or favorite saying.
Here is what Brian Cairns a PGA tour player and 4-time winner of the Michigan Open had to say about yellow balls.
“The color itself portrays a different mood,” he added. “I don’t know if it is right or wrong, but if you see yellow in the air, it will change your attitude., I’ve always been able to see it (better).”
Brain Cairns Courtesy Of Golf Pass.com
Whether or not a yellow or another color goes mainstream depends on how many PGA players start using colored balls, as Tennis used to be played with only white balls before yellow became the standard, we might see the same with Golf.
Golf ball companies are ahead of the curve and trying to find more colorful balls to meet the needs of the aging population of a stereotypical Golfer.
Volvik has released tons of Golf balls and TaylorMade has released the TP5 Pix golf ball, a model that has advanced visual technology with several red crosses on the Golf ball, grab a set from Amazon here.
Why not get a Golf ball that’s your favorite color? Along as it makes sense, it might even give you that psychological boost to improve your game.
What Golf Ball Is Easiest To See?
| Color | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| White | Most common Golf ball color that has good visibility in most conditions | Will get dirtier than other balls and has less visibility than yellow or Orange |
| Yellow | The best visibility of all Golf ball can be easier to hit on the fairway | Not as common as white |
| Orange | Excellent visibility for every season apart from fall/autumn | In fall/autumn will be hard to see due to leaves on the course |
| Illuminated | The best visibility for playing at night or in the evening | Need to be charged with a flashlight/torch, not made by the top Golf brands and more expensive than normal balls |
| Red | Good visibility during the day | Poor visibility in the evening and does not reflect well with artificial lights |
| Neon | Neon balls offer great visibility and are becoming more popular. | Expect to pay a higher cost for neon balls. |
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Can Pros Use Colored Golf Balls?
The United States Golf Federation (USGA) does not restrict the color of Golf ball used in tournaments, but they do restrict changing the color of a Golf ball during a round. If a professional Golfer starts with a yellow Golf ball, they must use a yellow ball for the entire round.
You can check out the USGA rules yourself in their official guidelines here.
Colored Golf balls are not a new thing, Jerry Pate used an orange ball to win the 1982 players championship leading to the memorable jump into the water on the 18th hole which you can see in the video above.
More recently Bubba Watson used the yellow Pro V1x in 2020 which you can grab from Amazon here with a driving distance of 314.4 yards. Other pros like Kyle Jones and Rory Sabbatini use yellow Titleist balls and Triplett won the PGA Tour Champions’ Hoag Classic with a yellow Titleist.
Here is what Bubba Watson had to say about the Pro V1x yellow, who used to play with a pink ball by Volvik.
“I’m loving the new Pro V1x Yellow,” There’s just something about that bright yellow finish where I feel like I can see it better. For me, it was a no brainer.”
Bubba Watson
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