Scheffler, McIlroy, Woods: what golf ball do the world's best players use and why?

14/09/2024 15:00

The leading players in the world, either through vast sponsorship deals or personal choice, use a variety of golf balls for a variety of reasons.

But what are their thought processes?

We look at what goes into a player's thinking when choosing the one constant in a round of golf: the ball.

Scottie Scheffler – Titleist ProV1

Titleist says: “Pro V1 is the optimal premium performance choice for most players, and the most played ball model in golf. Pro V1 has a softer feel, less spin and flatter trajectory than Pro V1x, which makes it the preferred model for players who like exceptionally long distance, the ability to flight shots, and score with precision and touch.”

Scheffler says: "It was the best ball when I was introduced to it, everybody wanted to play Titleist and still to this day I feel like everybody wants to play Titleist and you see the consistency over time. You're always playing a different type of shot. Rarely am I just hitting a straight up stock shot, you're always trying to do a little something with the ball.

“And so having that consistency and knowing that golf ball’s going to react the way I need it to react when it comes off the face and when it goes into the green – especially when you get in a Tour set-up where the greens are crazy firm, the wind is blowing – you got to have total control over where that golf ball is going to go. I feel like I've gotten that consistency with the Titleist ball over the years, and I really trust how it reacts.

"One shot that I'm always practising is when I take some off of it. I need to see that it's still the same distance gaps between my full shot and when I'm taking some off of it. If I have a little mishit or if a shot doesn't feel right, I usually have a really good feel for how far it actually carried.

“If my stock wedge is 140 and I'm trying to hit it 135, and maybe I catch a little bit off and I'm like, 'man that really feels like 132,' if it goes that distance, that's really important to me. And that gives me a lot of faith in what that golf ball's going to do.”

Ludvig Aberg – Titleist Pro V1x

Titleist says: “Pro V1x is the optimal premium performance choice for players looking for maximum distance, who need higher flight and more stopping power. Pro V1x is most frequently recommended for players with launch conditions that are naturally low in height and low in spin.”

Aberg says: “I like to put spin on the ball. I like to hit it a little bit higher to have a little bit of a different angle coming into the firmer greens that we play here on the PGA Tour. So I think the Pro V1x helps me with that and it helps me to be able to compete against the best players in the world. I just love the feel around the greens, putting, chipping, I love the softer feel (of 2023 Pro V1x), and it flights the way that I want to.

"What you want when you're chipping is that little extra feeling of checking up on the green, and making sure that when the greens get a little firmer and faster, you're still able to put that spin on it. Which I feel like [the Pro V1x] allows me to do. Chipping and short game is such feel-based – what you like to feel, what you don’t like to feel. And this allows me to have that creative mindset.

“You always look for the perfect shot and the perfect execution. It’s not always going to show up that way, but at least this golf ball allows you to have that consistency and that way I know exactly what it's going to do when it reacts on the green, when it reacts in the air. This allows me to have my spin rate in a very consistent level, which allows me to score a bit better as well."

Bryson DeChambeau – Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash

Titleist says: “Left Dash golf balls are designed for players seeking a high flight similar to Pro V1x with dramatically lower full swing spin and firmer feel. This model delivers a different combination of performance characteristics than Pro V1 and Pro V1x and allows players to fine tune their flight, feel and spin.”

DeChambeau says: "It's not a spinny golf ball, and you need a lot of spin to control the golf ball around here (Pinehurst). But it's what I'm comfortable with. It's what I like using for my irons. It's what flight I need for wind.

“I put my golf balls in Epsom salt, essentially we float golf balls in a solution to make sure that the ball is not out of balance. Heavy slide floats to the bottom, and then we mark the top with a dot to make sure it's always rolling over itself. It kind of acts like mud. If there's too much weight on one side, you can put it 90 degrees to where the mud is on the right-hand side or the mud is on the left-hand side. I'm using mud as a reference for the weight over there. It'll fly differently and fly inconsistently.”

Rory McIlroy – TaylorMade TP5x

TaylorMade says: “TP5x is TaylorMade’s fastest 5-layer Tour ball, prioritizing ball speed for golfers seeking increased velocity off the clubface. It delivers low-spin performance with driver and long irons for more distance, while maintaining exceptional greenside control. The new Speed Wrapped Core means a ½ club longer while delivering a softer sound and better feel.”

McIlroy says: “It was a good opportunity to at least test it in Dubai, you’ve got desert conditions and there’s not a ton of wind. I obviously tested it a little bit at home, liked that it was a touch of a lower launch than the golf I was previously playing, then a touch lower spin as well.

“The greens got pretty firm at the weekend on both courses, so it was a good test to still make sure that the mid-irons were spinning enough going into greens and still being able to hold greens. And it’s fast, it’s a really, really fast golf ball. Definitely feel like I’ve picked up a little bit of speed with it, especially off the tee. It’s a lower-spinning ball but it feels a touch softer to me around the greens, so I like that feel of it.”

Xander Schauffele – Callaway Chrome Tour

Callaway says: “The core is engineered for better players who want the best balance of long distance and soft feel. This new, uniquely designed aerodynamic package is built for consistently stable ball flights in any condition. Better players can aggressively go after shots through added spin through the bag, while the cover system provides outstanding control and Tour-level feel.”

Schauffele says: "The new golf ball has been amazing. It really checks all the boxes for me. It's got a very stable flight off the tee. It maintains spin really well on half shots. It's got great spin and feel around the greens.

“Maybe the most impressive thing about the ball, though, is its stability in the wind. It can be tricky to find a ball that performs so well with every club in the bag, but that's exactly what Chrome Tour does."

Jon Rahm – Callaway Chrome Tour X

Callaway says: “Exceptionally fast ball speeds from a new Hyper Fast Soft Core. The core is engineered for the best players who want maximum ball speed and distance, especially off the driver. Optimised greenside spin and control from a new high-performance tour Urethane soft cover. Better players can take advantage of the spin and workability in Chrome Tour X to hit the most precise iron and wedge shots.”

Jon Rahm says (of his switch to Callaway in 2021): "I saw an opening to improve my short-iron game, which has been improving the past few years, but it's something I feel I can improve a lot more. I can add a variety of shots now. The golf ball was one of the key ingredients. Once I saw I could hit it good off the tee, as I have the last few years, I could try to strengthen a weakness.”

Callaway’s former PGA Tour Manager Jacob Davidson says: “We gave him a bucket of balls and we knew that in order to win over his trust with the ball, we needed to work from the green backwards. He went over to the pitching green and just started hitting shots. He's hitting shots with our ball and his previous ball. He was comparing how they were coming out from a launch perspective, and how they were reacting into the green. I think from that point he got really excited because he saw some things he hasn't seen before.

"Then we went back to the middle of the bag. It was a windy day so we were able to test some different shots and Jon's very much a feel player and wants to hit all different types of shots. He felt comfortable with how the ball was performing, from there we moved into the woods, and once we got to the driver, he saw the increase in ball speed over what he was playing."

Tiger Woods – Bridgestone Tour B X

Bridgestone says: “The Tour B X delivers increased ball speed for maximum distance off the tee and hit and sit performance on approach shots. Tiger Woods and Jason Day assisted in the development of the Tour B X and play it in professional competition.”

Woods says: "I am always seeking more distance off the tee and more control around the green, that’s the Holy Grail and what Bridgestone's delivered with the Tour B X. I tell people all the time how important it is to get ball fit, and if you've been fit, to get fit again. Bridgestone re-fit me into the Tour B X and it's got a little more pop off the tee and the control I need around the greens."

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