The difference between driving range ball and ordinary golf balls

They are also golf balls, although they look similar, in fact they are fundamentally different.

The so-called driving range ball is exactly a golf ball specially produced for use on the driving range. Usually the balls on the driving range have colored lines on them, usually black, red or green. They may also have the name or LOGO of the driving range on them.

① Manufacturing process

Driving range balls and ordinary golf balls are not exactly the same in manufacturing process, because driving range balls need to be hit many times on the range by golfers of different levels, so they must have the function of resistance to play.

The average driving range ball is solid, mostly two-layered.  The outermost shell is so hard that it must withstand cutting, rubbing and any other surface damage much better than a regular golf ball.  Sometimes the core of the driving range ball is even harder than the core of a regular golf ball, which somewhat limits how far the driving range ball can travel.

Some large golf manufacturers produce both driving range balls and regular golf balls, the only difference being that driving range balls have harder shells.

②Distance difference

Often, driving range balls do not travel as far as regular golf balls, and some balls can be 20 to 30 yards shorter than regular golf balls. But the real biggest difference between the two is not the performance of distance, but the stability of the ball itself.

In 2014, a lab compared the old Titleist Pro V1 ball with 20 golf balls randomly selected from several driving ranges.   It was found that the performance of ordinary golf balls was very stable on each swing, and the driving distance fluctuation was no more than 10 yards under the premise of the same swing speed and the same hitting quality.   And the driving range ball in the same situation, with the same 7-iron hit the difference between the farthest distance and the closest distance can be 50 yards!

③What balls do tour players practice with?

Do the professional players practice with the same balls we use on the range during the tournament?  Of course not.

At the majors, for example, before tournament week, sponsors ship thousands of golf balls that have been used by tour players to the event for their sponsored players to practice with.  The balls have the word "practice" printed on the surface, but are otherwise indistinguishable from those used by players on the field.  The game's staff and volunteers will sort the balls by brand and place them in the respective playing positions.

Outside of the tournament, some courses fish out any balls that fall into the water hazard and send them to the driving range to be used as driving range balls, so sometimes you'll come across a few ordinary golf balls in the driving range.

In addition, the range ball can also be used as a consolation for a failed shot.  For example, when a member of the same group hit a bad shot, the other member can say, "That was a bad shot.  Did you use a range ball?"