How often should you change your golf balls?

It’s a question I get asked a lot as a bunkered‘s gear expert. So how often should you change your golf balls?

We know the guys and girls at the very top of the game tend to switch out their balls every few holes to make sure they’re always using something in the best possible condition – but they get handed them for free, so that doesn’t apply to us commoners who have to part with our hard-earned wages every time we require a new sleeve.

Many people reading this will be thinking, ‘Surely you just play it until you lose it?’ And there is an argument for that, sure. You do you and all that. But at some point your golf ball will lose its shape through dints and scratches, or from being fished out of a pond, for example. (There’s a reason lake balls are so cheap!)

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So we wanted an expert to give us a definitive answer, and who better to ask than Michael Rich?

Michael is the manager of golf ball fitting and education at Titleist, and I caught up with him at the PGA Show in Orlando to find out.

“If you hit a full wedge and there’s a little bit of sheer on the golf ball, that is not going to impact performance,” he explains. “But we would always say that our golf balls will continue to perform longer than a golfer is going to have it. They are going to lose it before that.

“Typically what we see is the golf ball is still in really good shape after a round – as long as you haven’t hit a path or a tree or anything like that. For the golfer that wants to go out and use that for the next round, they can do that, but we recommend you put a fresh golf ball in play every time you tee it up and that’s going to be your best practice.

“Our golf balls are incredibly durable – but over time they can only last so long.”

How often should you change your golf balls?

In conclusion, don’t worry about what the pros are doing. At their level, they’re playing for millions of dollars and a yard here or there can cost a lot of money. Of course, if you’re doing well and your ball is starting to look a bit worse for wear, it won’t hurt to reach in the bag for something fresh.

Otherwise, a slightly scuffed Pro V1 won’t affect much for you – so use it till you lose it!

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James Tait is bunkered’s Gear Editor. Want to know how the latest Callaway driver, Vokey wedge or Scotty Cameron putter performs? He’s the guy to ask. Better yet, just watch his videos on the bunkered YouTube channel. One of the biggest hitters in the UK, James also competes on the World Long Drive circuit and is a descendent of former Amateur champion Freddie Tait.

Gear Editor