Golf balls were first created by stuffing feathers into a leathery cover, and hand-sewing it into a round shape. Better than rocks, but unpredictable, especially on rainy days.

Today, golf balls are all the same size (1.68 inches in diameter and not heavier than 1.62 ounces), regulated by The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the United States Golf Association. Together, they produce a uniform code of rules so that wherever the game is played the same laws apply… including the size of a golf ball.

To look at two different golf balls, most people could not tell what the differences are.

Basically, your choices, besides the brand name and what you pay, starts with what the cover is made of.

Balata

A balata-covered ball is typically a three-piece ball: a liquid-filled core wound with rubber and covered with balata. Balata is a ‘soft’ substance. This ‘softness’ is said to offer ‘better playability’ meaning the golfer can ‘shape’ his/her shot, and get more backspin on the greens. However, this softness also leads to more cuts and nicks in the golf ball, leading to a shorter useful life. They are usually more expensive too.

Surlyn

A Surlyn covered golf ball is typically a two-piece ball: a solid core with the Surlyn                         cover. Designed to eliminate cuts and nicks, Surlyn is a man made ‘uncuttable’ substance. This ‘harder’ golf ball is more difficult to ‘shape’, (as in fade or draw) and it is also harder to get backspin on the greens. It is, however, usually less expensive and lasts longer.

An additional factor in what makes one golf ball different from another is compression.

Typical compression ratings are between 80 and 100, with most players using a 90 compression ball as a compromise. Average golfers won’t ‘feel’ that much compression difference, while pros will usually prefer less than 100, which they refer to as feeling like ‘a rock’, and even 90. Contrary to golfing myth, there is no correlation between compression and distance.