When you talk to golf lovers, it’s hard to find even one negative to the game of golf. However, most will agree that the expense of being a golfer can add up. Finding that balance between the best equipment on the market and the most affordable can be really challenging.
Luckily we have done some testing to give you a rundown of the best cheap golf balls on the market. These golf balls are going to have impressive performance benefits without breaking the bank. In the end, the golf ball you use matters, but not enough to make it worth going broke.
Here are the best cheap golf balls on the market.
Best cheap golf balls: Top picks
- TaylorMade Tour Response – Best value for beginners
- Mizuno RB Tour X – Best value for spin
- Maxfli Tour – Best value for distance
- Titleist Tour Speed – Best value for high swing speed
- Vice Pro Plus – Best value for low swing speed
TaylorMade Tour Response – Best value for beginners
Beginners really don’t need to break the bank when it comes to golf balls. The main reason for this is that beginners will lose balls much faster than experienced golfers. The TaylorMade Tour Response ensures that beginners do not miss out on distance, spin, or performance, but they also help keep the budget in check.
Distance
When it comes to distance, TaylorMade Tour Response is one of the best on the market. In fact, it almost won our best for distance category in addition to best for beginners. Most beginner players benefit from high ball speed, and the Tour Response, with its super-fast core will help encourage that.
Spin
Three-piece golf balls help players that need low spin from the tee and medium spin around the greens. This ball will not spin like a Pro V1, but that’s actually not a bad thing for beginners. The Tour Response will give you a bit more roll from your drives while at the same time helping you stop the ball on the green.
Feel
The Tour Response is a soft feeling golf ball, which we like for beginners. In the beginning, when clubs feel like foreign objects, the miss-hit can be kind of harsh. The Tour Response has a good mix of firm and soft to ensure you have better control around the greens. It doesn’t feel as good as the TP5, but it’s tough to compare a 3 and 5 piece golf ball.
Longevity
Golf ball companies like when you lose golf balls, it’s more money for them. However, they don’t like it when you continually cut through a ball after a bad swing or a missed bunker shot. The golf ball gets a bad name, and people won’t buy it. TaylorMade incorporated a new Crosslink Chemical Reaction formula to help ensure that you won’t easily cut the Tour Response.
Value
The value of the Tour Response is what got them on this list. For the performance that the TaylorMade Tour Response offers, the price is fair.
Golf Insider verdict
Beginners aren’t quite ready for premium golf balls; that’s just a fact. However, it also makes no sense to play with junk; it will only prolong your path to becoming a great player. The TaylorMade Tour Response does a great job of combining performance and value for a golfer.
Mizuno RB Tour X – Best value for spin
Golfers have come to learn that spin is something you pay for. If you want the high spin wedges and the high spin golf balls, it comes at a cost. Luckily with the Mizuno RB Tour X, you can get a glimpse into this high spin world without it costing you an arm and a leg.
Distance
The best golf balls for spin can sometimes struggle with distance from the tee. The problem is that these golf balls end up stopping your drive a little sooner than you may like, and the additional backspin causes extra drag through the air. The good news is the four-piece construction of the Mizuno RB Tour X gives it a high energy core that only improves distance. Bottom line, not your longest golf ball, but likely only a few yards shorter than the longest balls on the market.
Spin
The Mizuno RB Tour X has some of the highest spin rates on the market with irons and wedges. What does this mean for the average golfer? You will be able to stop a ball on the green. Even out of the rough, we found that we got some extra greenside spin with the Mizuno RB Tour X.
Feel
Four-piece golf balls are known for having a pretty good feel. The RB Tour X has a medium soft feel. This played well around the greens and on the putting green as well. The compression of the four-piece Mizuno RB Tour X is a little high, so faster swing speeds may find the feel of this ball to be a bit better than the slower swing speeds.
Longevity
The Mizuno RB Tour X holds up well to an occasional missed shot. Even with a brief interaction with a cart path, the ball did not show any mark. This helps improve the overall value of the RB Tour X.
Value
The value of the RB Tour X is good. Compare it to other four-piece golf balls from Titleist and Callaway, and you will see exactly what we mean.
Golf Insider verdict
We have found that when you add a layer to a golf ball, you get better greenside benefits. Staying within the value category and finding a four-piece golf ball can help to improve your overall experience on the course.
Maxfli Tour CG – Best value for distance
Maxfli Tour CG golf balls are the best value golf balls when it comes to distance. To be honest, a lot of cheap golf balls are considered distance golf balls. This is because they are made as a two-piece model that has a highly reactive core. However, the Maxfli Tour CG has much more to it than that.
Distance
The best distance golf ball and the worst distance golf ball will probably have 10-12 yards of difference between them. This means that you cannot choose a golf ball that will ruin the distance but with the right selection you can gain some precious yards. When comparing the Maxfli Tour CG to other cheap golf balls, you will on average gain a few (3 to 5) extra yards with this ball on your drives.
Spin
Not surprisingly, the spin from the Maxfli Tour CG golf balls is quite low. Low spin results in less drag, lots of roll and plenty of extra yards. In addition, the lower spin rates on a distance ball can also help increase forgiveness and eliminate a bit of the sidespin.
Feel
When we tested the Maxfli Tour CG golf ball for the feel we found it quite good; however it’s nothing like a Pro V1 or a Bridgestone Tour BXS. Let’s remember we are looking at more of the value type golf balls, and feel is one of the categories that you will have to give up a little more quickly when the price goes down.
Longevity
Overall the cast urethane cover on the Maxfli Tour CG is durable and will hold up to several bunker shots before the scuffs start to show up. One of the best ways to get a better value for your golf balls is to use them for more than one round.
Value
Overall we were surprised by how good a golf ball the Maxfli Tour CG is. You just don’t hear about this ball the same way you do a Bridgestone or a Titleist. The next time you need something a little different that won’t break the bank, give the Maxfli Tour CG a shot.
Golf Insider verdict
For a golfer that is on a budget, needs distance but doesn’t want to play with a poor feeling golf ball, the Maxfli Tour CG is a good fit. This won’t be the highest performing short game ball on the market, but in the distance category, it does very well.
Titleist Tour Speed – Best value for high swing speed
Titleist makes some of the best golf balls in the game, but they don’t typically land on the list of the best golf balls for the money. However, the Titleist Tour Speed does an excellent job balancing the price and the performance.
Distance
If you have a high swing speed, you need a golf ball with several layers and higher compression. DIstance is where high swing speed players can thrive, but you have to have the right equipment in play. The new Technology Driven Core in the Tour Speed helps seriously improve distance.
Spin
Cover technology is typically what helps a golf ball spin properly. The brand new TPU cover allows players to create a better spin around the green. The spin will not be quite as high as the Titleist Pro V1x, but the golf balls are not really in the same category.
Feel
The Tour Speed is a distance ball that typically leads to a harder feel. If you like a golf ball that is a bit more firm, the Tour Speed is a good choice.
Longevity
Testing out the new TPU cover was new for us, and we were concerned about longevity initially. However, after several rounds, the same ball is still in play, and it holds up well.
Value
As we mentioned, it’s hard for Titleist to fully be considered a value ball. However, if you want to look at technology for the money, the Tour Speed has a lot to offer.
Golf Insider verdict
The Titleist Tour Speed just barely makes it into the value golf balls category. However, if you aren’t quite ready for the pricing of the Pro V1 and Pro V1x, the Tour Speed makes a good alternative.
Vice Pro Plus – Best value for low swing speed
Vice Pro Plus is the best value golf ball for low swing speed players. With lower swing speeds, it can be hard to get distance and spin, so finding a golf ball that makes it possible is very important.
Distance
Vice Pro Plus has really impressive distance and tends to be an even better choice for a low swing speed player than the Pro V1. With four pieces and a cast urethane cover, you are not going to lose out on any distance switching to the Vice.
Spin
Spin from Vice Pro Plus is fair. Don’t expect to start zipping shots back on a green, but at the same time, you won’t be frustrated by too much forward roll on your approach shots.
Feel
The feel of the Vice Pro Plus is one of our favorite things about it. The combination of the materials and reactive core helps you feel as though you have complete control over your golf shots.
Longevity
Urethane cover golf balls last a long time, and the Vice Pro Plus is one of them. Even after a few miss-hits, we were happy with how the ball looked at the end of the round.
Value
The Vice golf brand is a direct-to-consumer model. By eliminating the middleman, they made it possible to offer the best technology at a reduced price to the end-user. You can check out their full range in our Vice golf ball review.
Golf Insider verdict
Slower swing speed golfers need the low spin from the tee, and the Vice Pro Plus will provide that. In addition, some great feel also helps the slower swing speed golfer get better performance around the greens. This is just an all-around good golf ball.
Frequently asked questions
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about the best golf balls for the money. Remember that the best value golf balls are not always the cheapest; instead, they will have a mix of performance and features for a very fair price.
How much do golf balls cost?
Golf balls can cost anywhere from around $15 a dozen to $60 a dozen. The majority of premium golf balls are priced at $49.99. Cheap golf balls are those in the $15 to $35 range. When golf balls are priced higher, they typically have more performance benefits or unique material compositions.
Do cheap golf balls make a difference?
Cheap golf balls tend to have a single great feature. Essentially you can find an inexpensive golf ball with long distance off the tee or high spin around the greens. It is very hard to find an inexpensive golf ball that has performance from the tee, fairway, and around the greens. With a cheap golf ball in play, you may miss out on some of the performance benefits you need on the course.
Do golf balls matter for average golfers?
Average golfers that care about their game and improving their score will find that the golf ball they play with matters. If you are in it just to have fun and want to hit the ball as far as you can with your friends on a Saturday afternoon, you can play with any golf ball. If you are analyzing performance and looking deeply into a player’s abilities, then golf balls matter.
What are the best cheap golf balls for beginners?
The best cheap golf balls for beginners are the TaylorMade Tour Response. This is an affordable three-piece ball with the perfect combination of distance and spin benefits for a beginner player.
Which cheap golf balls have the best spin rate?
The Mizuno RB Tour X and the Kirkland Performance golf balls are two of the best options for spin in a cheap golf ball. High spin can be an excellent thing for stopping your golf ball on the green or hitting those chip shots within a few feet. Golfers need to be sure of the type of spin they are looking for when shopping for a golf ball.
Check out this article on the Kirkland vs Pro V1 golf balls to see how they compare.
What are the best cheap urethane cover golf balls?
The TaylorMade Tour Response are some of the best cheap urethane cover golf balls on the market. The Tour Response is similar to the TP5; it just costs quite a bit less and has a slightly different feel in the short game. For average golfers, the Tour Response makes a great choice.
More golf ball reviews
- Best golf balls for beginners
- Best golf balls for women
- Best senior golf balls
- Best low compression golf balls
- Best golf balls for mid handicap golfers
- Best golf balls for high handicappers
Summary
The best golf balls for the money are not always offered at the lowest price. Value is all about finding a golf ball that is a perfect balance between cost and performance. The five golf balls on this list have impressive distance, spin and feel benefits that will be a good fit for low to high handicap golfers. The key is to narrow down the performance benefits that mean the most to your game.
