While you may not be able to drive the ball as far as Rory McIlroy or putt as well as Cameron Smith, one thing you can do like them is use the same golf ball.
The best players in the world use the best golf balls in the world. It's as simple as that. So, to help you figure out which ball you want to game this winter, we've put together a list of which balls the current world top 20 are using right now and where you can buy them.
Titleist currently leads the way in the top 20, with more than half of the best players in the world currently using the Pro V1 or Pro V1x.
Aiming to keep up with the #1 ball on Tour, Callaway, TaylorMade and Srixon are all represented, with Callaway and Srixon staffers Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka both having experienced major success this year.
Cons: Low-spin players would be better suited to the Pro V1x
Best Suited For: Players who prioritise performance and need increased flight and spin
Arguably the most famous ball in golf, the Titleist Pro V1 is used by four of the best in the game. The ball has experienced a great deal of success in 2023, with Harman having won the Open Championship, Hovland taking home the FedExCup and Sheffler solidifying his position as world #1 thanks to two wins on the PGA Tour.
Homa also enjoyed a successful year on Tour, lifting two PGA Tour titles and securing his first Ryder Cup appearance, in which he was one of Team USA's only shining lights.
The Pro V1 is trusted by the best in the game for good reason: it delivers outstanding all-around performance and has no notable weaknesses.
Pros: Outstanding distance, high ball flight, increased greenside spin
Cons: High-spin players would be better suited to the Pro V1
Best Suited For: Players who prioritise performance and need increased flight and spin
The Pro V1x is the Pro V1's lower-spinning little brother, and it's currently the most popular ball amongst the top 20 best players in the world.
Taking home five PGA Tour titles in 2023, including a US Open courtesy of Wyndham Clark, the Pro V1x has solidified its spot as the ball to beat on the Tour.
Thanks to it's ability to produce more spin than the Pro V1, it's favoured by players due to it's receptiveness around the greens and soft feel
Pros: Excellent spin levels on shorter shots, explosive ball speed off the tee, easily workable with irons
Cons: Not as soft feeling as direct competitors
Best Suited For: Faster swinging players who also desire tour-level greenside control
Callaway's Chrome Soft X was utilised with great effect by both Jon Rahm and Sam Burns when they met at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. The ball offers outstanding performance and is best suited to players with high swing speeds due to its low spinning characteristics.
The Chrome Soft X produces outstanding speed off the driver face, with high launch and low spin. On short shots around the green, the ball is engineered to produce incredibly high spin rates for complete short-game control.
While not the softest ball, the Chrome Soft X is incredibly workable, allowing for excellent shot-shaping, especially with long to mid irons.
Best Suited For: Low spin players looking to maximise distance off the tee
Offering a fantastic combination of high ball speeds and low spin off the tee, the Chrome Soft X LS is the choice of one of the most consistent golfers in the world, seven-time PGA Tour winner Xander Schauffele.
The Chrome Soft X LS is designed for high-spin players who want to maximise their distance off the tee, and it also offers exceptional spin rates around the green, making it an ideal choice for accomplished players who want to bomb and gauge their way to low scores.
Pros: One of the best feeling balls we tested, really impressive ball speed with driver, easy to manipulate ball flight
Cons: TP5 X is a better choice for players needing a higher launch
Best Suited For: Players looking for extreme workability without sacrificing distance or feel
Offering a distinctive 5-piece construction, the TP5 from TaylorMade is the brand's premium offering. Providing complete performance that stands up to the very best, the TP5 is trusted by Collin Morikawa thanks to its impressive distance off the tee and excellent workability.
TaylorMade's unique 5-piece construction delivers excellent ball speeds without sacrificing spin or feel. The Tri-Fast core is designed to achieve maximum carry and reduced drag, paired with a Dual-Spin cover that produces an excellent soft feel, while still retaining durability.
Rory McIlroy
TaylorMade TP5x
Used by: Rory McIlroy
Construction: 5-piece
Colours: White & Yellow
Price: £41.99
Pros: Slightly softer than the TP5, allowing for greater spin control and feel
Cons: Not best suited to slow swing speed players
Best Suited For: High swing speed players who prioritise responsiveness and feel
Trusted by the longest hitter on the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy, the TP5x is designed for Tour-level speed and high launch with the driver.
There is a reason McIlroy can hit the ball so far, and the TP5x is a big part of it. Slightly firmer than the TP5, the TP5x also produces a lower flight with irons and wedges, as well as being slightly less receptive to spin on shorter greenside shots.
Pros: One of the best feeling balls we tested, really impressive ball speed with driver, Pix graphics provide excellent alignment and roll feedback
Cons: TP5 X is a better choice for players needing a higher launch
Best Suited For: Players who want help with alignment and instant roll feedback from putts
Offering all of the same performance benefits as the TP5, the TP5 Pix also features a unique pattern to aid with alignment on the greens. The Pix is available with a wide range of funky graphics, and as we witnessed at the Ryder Cup, Tommy Fleetwood certainly knows how to utilise it to the best of his abilities on the greens.
Pros: Combines high spin characteristics on short shots with low spin off the driver for increased distance
Cons: The outer layer gets scuffed quite easily
Best Suited For: Players who prioritise spin control on short chips and pitches
The Srixon Z Star is currently the ball of choice for Keegan Bradley, and he showed off exactly what it can do during his fantastic 2023 season, which saw him return to the form that saw him win the US PGA in 2011.
Combining high spin characteristics for shorter shots with the low spin desired by Tour pros off the tee, the Srixon Z-Star is one of the best overall performing balls on the market.
Brooks Koepka
Srixon Z-Star Diamond
Used by: Brooks Koepka
Construction: 3-piece
Colours: White
Price: £39.99
Pros: Spin Skin+ coating produces excellent spin on long and mid irons, soft feel on short chips and putts
Cons: Not an ideal ball for slow swing speed players
Best Suited For: Players with swing speeds over 90mph
The third member of Srixon's Z-Star family, the Diamond is designed to offer the compression levels of the Z-Star XV with the spin and feel of the Z-Star. The brand was so successful in blending the two that current US PGA champion Brooks Koepka placed his faith in the ball upon his singing with the brand in 2021.
Best suited to players with a moderate to high swing speed, the Z-Star Diamond produces particularly impressive spin rates and stopping power with mid to long irons.
Johnny joined GolfMagic as Reviews Editor in 2023 having worked for Sports Impact for two years as Head of Social Media, working alongside prominent golf brands including Galvin Green, Motocaddy and Wilson.
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