At the start of the 2026 season, paint became an oddly hot topic in golf ball circles. Callaway and TaylorMade touted refined paint processes that promised more consistent flight and TaylorMade sued Callaway over demonstrations that used blacklight to show paint inconsistencies. For what it’s worth, Titleist stood by its paint process while Bridgestone was quick to point out that it doesn’t paint its golf balls at all (the pigment is part of its urethane formulation).

You could easily chalk all of that up to the usual industry bluster that arrives every January but it’s an incontrovertible fact that paint or, more specifically uneven paint, can meaningfully influence how a golf ball flies. When paint is applied unevenly, dimple depth (a key factor in a ball’s lift and drag properties) can become inconsistent. To an extent, the ball ends up fighting itself as it tries to produce its designed flight.

Functionally, that type of manufacturing defect mirrors the intentional design of the Polara golf ball (we tested it more than a decade ago). For those unaware, Polara is a non-conforming ball that uses asymmetrical dimples (shallow on one portion of the ball, deep on the other) to help golfers correct a slice. To work, a Polara ball needs to be teed in a specific orientation.

Simply put, Polara is perhaps the strongest commercially available example of how uneven dimples can alter ball flight. We’ll come back to it because it’s a critical piece of this conversation but, for now, file all of that away as background.

The idea

As we were putting together orders for the 2026 golf ball test, we stumbled across the Vice Pro Neon and Vice Pro Tan. “Stumbled” probably isn’t the right word. We knew they existed (I wrote about the Pro Tan when it launched) but with all the paint talk still occupying space in my brain, I started thinking about the potential implications of Vice’s paint strategy.

Everything we’ve learned from industry insiders, and from our own years of testing, suggests painting a golf ball one color with near-absolute precision is tricky enough. Layering multiple colors evenly and getting consistent fill in every dimple without introducing any downrange impact? The more I thought about it, the more it seemed nearly impossible.

And so, alongside the 120-something dozen white balls, we added Vice Pro Neon Sunset (pink and yellow) and Vice Pro Tan to the mix.

The fundamental question we wanted to answer is this: Do Vice’s aggressively bold designs fly meaningfully differently depending on the orientation of the paint?

About the test

To find out, we hit 12 Vice Pro Tan and 12 Vice Pro Neon Sunset balls in four orientations. As a control of sorts, we also included 12 standard white Vice Pro balls. Testing took place in Scottsdale, Ariz., after the primary portion of the 2026 golf ball test. We set the robot to swing driver at approximately 100 mph with a slightly positive angle of attack.

Balls were hit in four-shot bursts, moving to the next model (or, more accurately, the next paint design) after every four shots. Once all 12 balls of each design had been hit, we retrieved them and moved to the next orientation.

The dashboard below uses language like “facing the wall” and “facing the robot.” For clarity, we started with the most prominent color (pink for Neon Sunset, tan for Pro Tan) facing the wall opposite the robot. The second orientation turned the prominent color toward the robot. The third placed it up (toward the ceiling) and the fourth pointed it down. For the white ball, we used the side stamp as the reference mark.

Eyeball observations

To be clear, there are often differences between what you see (or think you see) and what the data shows. To the naked eye, Neon Sunset appeared to fade almost every time the pink side faced the wall. Pro Tan did the opposite: With the tan side toward the wall, it drew.

Rotated 180 degrees, the patterns flipped. Neon Sunset appeared to draw while Pro Tan faded. Notably, the shift looked more pronounced with Neon Sunset.

In the up and down orientations, nothing jumped out at me. As you’ll see, the data tells a slightly different story for Pro Tan.

Key Insights

• Rotating the ball 180 degrees moved Neon Sunset’s average landing spot 8.5 yards. With the pink side facing the wall, it faded 5.6 yards more than the white ball. Rotated so the pink side faced the robot, it drew 3.8 yards more.
• It wasn’t a few odd balls. When rotated, 11 of 12 Neon Sunset balls shifted the same way. The solid white balls, rotated the same way, split eight of 12, close to a coin flip.
• Pro Tan shifted 4.8 yards, in the opposite direction from Neon Sunset. With the tan side facing the robot, it faded 3.8 yards more than the white ball. Ten of 12 Pro Tan balls shifted the same way.
• The start line didn’t change; the curve did. Launch direction was the same in every orientation but curve changed significantly. The balls started on the same line and bent differently.
• The paint didn’t make the balls less consistent. In any one orientation, shot-to-shot sideways scatter was 4.0 yards for Neon Sunset, 4.3 yards for Pro Tan and 4.3 yards for white.
• There’s no distance cost. Average carry was within 1.2 yards across the three finishes (250.2, 249.8 and 249.0 yards) and ball speed was within 0.3 mph.
• Pro Tan’s flight also depended on whether the tan side was up or down. Tan side up, it spun 143 rpm less, peaked 3.9 feet lower, stayed in the air 0.21 seconds less and landed 2.6 mph faster, with no change in carry. We didn’t see the same behavior with Neon Sunset.
• The gaps we measured were inside the USGA symmetry test’s limits. Our largest carry gap was 2.8 yards (the limit is 4.0) and our largest hang-time gap was 0.22 seconds (the limit is 0.40). The test has no sideways measure so the 8.5-yard shift is something it never looks at.

To give all of this some additional context (and to give you something to do at work), we’ve built a dashboard with summary findings, dispersion patterns and a whole lot of additional data. It also includes an overview of the relevant USGA rules and a brief rundown of how we tested.

Should these balls be non-conforming?

The data suggests the Vice Pro Neon Sunset and Vice Pro Tan produce different but repeatable downrange results depending on orientation. Said another way: there’s a case to be made that, oriented a specific way, Neon Sunset (and, to a lesser extent, Pro Tan) could be considered a draw-biased golf ball. Rotate it 180 degrees and it’s fade-biased.

And that brings us back to Polara.

The original Polara launched in 1977, marketed as cutting hooks and slices by up to 75 percent when teed in the proper orientation. At the time, the USGA didn’t have a specific rule against such designs but it refused to approve the ball anyway. In 1981, as it loves to do, the USGA created a new rule. The symmetry rule says a ball “must not be designed, manufactured or intentionally modified to have properties which differ from those of a spherically symmetrical ball.”

Polara sued. The USGA settled for about $1.4 million. The rule is still on the books today.

So how does the symmetry test apply to the Vice balls? By the letter, the test measures only carry and hang time. Polara’s benefit was sideways so, arguably, the test doesn’t measure what the rule was written to stop. What we observed with Neon Sunset and, to a lesser extent, Pro Tan falls into the same gap. Both are inside the limits on carry and hang time while curving differently depending on orientation.

Worth a quick note: The USGA’s conforming list isn’t always specific about product names but we found an entry matches Neon Sunset. From what we can tell, Pro Tan, which was more of a limited edition offering is not on the list.

As with many things in the USGA rulebook, the wording of the symmetry rule is ambiguous and open to interpretation (and reinterpretation). Vice could reasonably argue that the shot-shape bias is an unintended side effect of the paint, not a design goal, whereas an anti-slice bias was irrefutably the design goal behind Polara. The answer to the conformance question lies somewhere between accident and intent.

The reality is that, intentionally or otherwise (mostly intentionally), golf equipment manufacturers have made a habit of exploiting the gap between the letter of the law and its spirit. Within that context, the Neon Sunset and Pro Tan are doing what countless other products do. That said, shot shape-biased golf balls aren’t just against the spirit of the symmetry rule; they’re exactly what it was written to prevent. One might argue that if the Vice balls conform, the Polara should, too. Functionally, they do the same thing.

What matters more: result or intent?

Whether these Vice balls conform is ultimately a question for the USGA. As of now, they do, and if nothing else, I’d suggest it’s yet another example of the USGA failing to fully enforce the spirit of the rules already on the books while it spends its time looking to create new ones.

Have your say

What do you think? Should Vice Pro Tan and Neon Sunset be deemed non-conforming? Is the USGA enforcing its existing equipment rules the way it should?

The post We Robot-Tested These Vice Golf Balls. Are They Non-Conforming? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

So what happens when there isn’t? I’s frustrating, especially if you’re trying to make every dollar count. Here are eight purchases that often don’t deliver and what to spend on instead.

1. Custom headcovers

They look great but they don’t necessarily protect your clubheads any better than the stock covers. Hearing two clubs click together is fingernails on a chalkboard for me. I see covers as protection first. There are some great ones out there but I’m not sure they’re worth the price when a stock cover does the same job.

What does pay off: The stock covers that came with your clubs. If you want one nice cover, make it for the putter.

2. Cheap rain gear

Either get good rain gear or don’t waste your money. There’s no point spending money on something that lives in the bag and when you finally pull it out in a downpour, you still get soaked. We tested some rain gear in 2026 and while it’s not cheap, good rain gear can get you through a rough round without having to pack it in.

What does pay off: One real waterproof jacket, bought once and kept in the bag. Check that it says waterproof, not water-resistant. There’s a huge difference.

3. A bag bigger than you need

Big bags are pretty and they carry a ton of stuff: extra balls, layers, all the little accessories. Then you have to lift it. Or you just want to run to the range quick and you realize the whole thing is kind of pointless. You probably spent more than you needed to, too. It’s important that all your clubs and grips fit just fine with some room for golf balls and tees. That’s probably enough.

What does pay off: A lightweight stand bag sized for what you actually carry.

4. Custom-printed logo balls

The custom-printed logo golf balls get lost in the woods like any other ball. If you want to get creative, grab a Sharpie and mark them and then spend the money on golf balls that fit your game. Custom logos can make a nice gift once in a while but most of the time it’s fine to just mark your ball so you know it’s yours.

What does pay off: A Sharpie and a dozen balls that fit your game.

Find the Right Golf Ball for Your Game

Use the MyGolfSpy Golf Ball Selector to compare 48 golf balls using data from our 2026 robot test. Filter by swing speed and see how each ball performs from driver to wedge to find the best fit for your game.

Tony Covey

Employee #2, Editor, Jack of All Trades

5. Training aids that won’t travel

If a training aid doesn’t transfer easily from home to course, it ends up in the garage. If you want something that helps your game, think about how much you’ll use it as well as where and when you’ll use it.

What does pay off: Portable aids you’ll use at the range like a simple alignment stick; even the new smaller Divot Board is a good choice.

6. Cheap slope rangefinders

They just aren’t necessary anymore. There are good slope rangefinders at a fair price. If you don’t want the slope adjustment option, skip the cheap slope model and get a good non-slope unit with targets that are easy to hit. The cheap ones take too long to lock on and when there are trees or plants behind the flag, they struggle to pick up the flag.

What does pay off: A good rangefinder at a fair price with slope you can switch off for tournaments, such as the Shot Scope Pro L2 at $149.

7. Equipment you think you’re ready for

Make sure you’re really ready for it because it gets expensive fast when the blades or the extra-stiff driver shaft don’t work out for you. Tour pros and amateurs need different clubs and going for a fitting is the best way to tell what works for your game.

What does pay off: A proper fitting before you buy. It tells you what you can use today, not what you hope to grow into.

8. Lessons when you can’t put in practice time

As a golf professional, I loved watching people make progress. But if you can’t put any time in between lessons, you won’t get far. It reminds me of the summer slide kids take when school ends, when they forget everything they learned during the two months off. It’s the same concept.

What does pay off: Waiting until you can commit to practice time between lessons and then booking them close together.

The post 8 Golf Purchases That Never Pay Off appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Right now, Callaway has marked down Quantum drivers by $200, the Quantum mini driver by $100, Quantum fairway woods by $100, Quantum hybrids by $50 and Quantum iron sets by $100.

The driver discount is the one that really jumps out.

The Callaway Quantum Max is now $449.98, down from $649.99. For comparison, TaylorMade’s Qi4D, our top-ranked driver of 2026, is still sitting at $649.99. The Quantum Max finished runner-up by a hair with a 9.1 MGS Score compared to the Qi4D’s 9.2, yet it now costs $200 less.

That price difference looks is really significant when you dig into the testing. The Quantum Max finished first for distance and second for accuracy in our 2026 driver test. At high swing speeds, it was actually the highest-scoring driver in the entire test with a 9.7 MGS Score and averaged 295.7 yards.

The rest of the lineup gives you plenty of other opportunities to save. The Quantum Max D fairway wood finished runner-up overall in our 2026 testing and led the field in accuracy with a 9.5 accuracy score. The standard Quantum Max fairway wood was one of the longest we tested, finishing second for distance and first in average ball speed.

The iron and hybrid discounts add even more depth to the sale, especially if you’re looking to build out more than one part of the bag without paying full current-generation pricing.

This is a great opportunity to get top-performing current-generation equipment at a substantial discount and to make a very special Christmas for someone on your list (or yourself).

The post Callaway Just Slashed Prices Across Its Quantum Lineup appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Before you tell me what you think went wrong, let me see the face. You might be right about standing up or lifting your arms but I’d rather start with something we can both look at. The mark is still there even if you can’t remember much about the swing.

It doesn’t give you the entire diagnosis, though. Low contact can have more than one cause. Before changing the motion, find out whether a simple adjustment to the tee or setup helps you reach a better part of the face.

Make sure you’re looking at a repeated miss

Impact tape or clubface-safe impact spray will make this easier to see. Put some on the face before you hit and then check after each drive. I also like having a photo of the marks. Otherwise, a whole bucket’s worth can leave you with a face you can barely read.

Look at the whole pattern. Are most strikes below the middle or did one poor shot get your attention? Do they also favor the heel? Those are different situations. A group of low heel marks needs a broader look than shots that are consistently centered side-to-side but low.

Low marks concern me for a reason. The lower part of a driver’s curved face has less loft so catching the ball there can bring the launch down. The off-center collision can add spin, too. You may have made a perfectly energetic swing and still lost carry because of where you caught it.

If your marks are centered despite the low flight, you’re dealing with a different question. Show that flight to your coach or fitter rather than working on a low-face miss you aren’t making.

Give tee height a fair test

Set the driver on the ground behind the ball. Roughly half the ball above the crown is a useful place to begin. It won’t suit every golfer or driver exactly but it gives you a reference you can see.

If you’re well below that height, raise the tee toward it and hit another small group. Leave your ball position and distance from the ball alone. Try to make the same swing you just made. Otherwise, you won’t know whether the tee adjustment helped or you simply found a different way to reach the ball.

MyGolfSpy’s tee-height test found changes in strike and launch at different heights. For your own test, the face marks will tell you whether contact is moving toward the middle.

If the strike improves and you like the flight, mark the tee so you can repeat that height. If nothing changes, don’t keep raising it until the ball is perched far above the head. Return to a sensible height and look at the rest of the setup.

The fixed rubber tee at a driving range can make this awkward. Use a height that fits your driver or an adjustable tee if the facility allows it. A short tee that works for a fairway wood may not let you make a useful driver comparison.

Check the ball and Your Hands at Address

Where have you put the ball in your setup? I’d have someone take a face-on photo of you, safely out of the way, before you answer. A common starting place for ball position with a driver is near the inside of the lead heel. Your own coach may have helped you find a position that suits you better.

If the ball has crept much farther forward, the club may already be too high when it reaches the tee. Moving it well back changes where contact occurs along the swing arc, too. The photograph won’t prove either is your problem but it can reveal a setup change you hadn’t noticed.

Check where the handle is while you’re there. You don’t need to press it too far toward the target, as though you’re setting up to hit an iron. Let your arms hang comfortably and make sure you haven’t crowded the ball or started reaching for it. This explanation of driver hand position covers that part of the setup.

Correct one obvious difference and hit again. Give yourself a chance to see what that adjustment did before changing something else.

Resist the urge to lift It

Trying to help a low drive up into the air can make this problem more confusing. You can hit the ball with the driver traveling upward without pulling your arms toward your chest or leaning back to scoop it.

I’d want video before asking you to change that motion. Record a swing from face-on and another from down the line, keeping the phone safely clear, and show your coach the face marks too. Remember that driver and iron contact ask for different things. Digging into the turf with a driver isn’t the goal.

When you find the middle, enjoy it and then hit another toward a target at your normal playing effort. Can you still do it? That’s the swing you’ll need when you get back on the first tee.

If you’re stuck with the same miss, book some help. Bring the photos and explain what you tried. A coach or fitter can look at how you’re delivering the club and whether the driver fits you. There’s no need to keep guessing at tee height indefinitely.

The post Why Do I Hit My Driver Low On The Face? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Nobody benefits from a tee sheet that operates solely on the honor system or a player that decides bunker maintenance is somebody else’s problem, right?

Having said that, some policies leave you wondering whether the person who wrote them has ever booked a round, paid for it and tried to enjoy the next four hours.

The worst ones tend to make the golfer absorb a problem the facility could handle more reasonably.

Here are seven golf course policies that are the absolute worst.

Agree? Disagree? Send me an email (sean.fairholm@mygolfspy.com) and I may respond to your comments in an upcoming newsletter post.

7. No outside food or beverages

I understand why a golf course doesn’t want someone bringing a cooler full of beer. Outside alcohol can create licensing and liability issues and food and beverage sales help support the operation.

But a blanket policy that prohibits a water bottle, a sandwich or a granola bar goes too far.

Golf takes several hours. People get hungry and thirsty. Some have dietary restrictions that a hot dog at the turn won’t accommodate.

Others would simply prefer to bring lunch rather than add another purchase to an already expensive day.

A golfer carrying a peanut butter sandwich shouldn’t be treated like someone sneaking an entire case of beer onto the property.

A better policy would be to separate the restriction to just a ban on outside alcohol. You might not like it but it’s a reasonable thing for a facility to ask.

6. Every player must have their own bag

Four golfers sharing one set of clubs would be a logistical nightmare. A course has a reasonable interest in preventing that.

But an absolute requirement that every player have a separate bag can become an unnecessary barrier for beginners.

Consider someone bringing their spouse out for a quiet evening nine. The beginner might hit a few shots, pick up when needed and share clubs with the person beside them. Requiring another bag—or a full rental set—adds an expense without necessarily improving the experience or the pace.

It also creates a strange loophole because two people with separate bags and a handful of clubs each might satisfy the rule while the same clubs in one bag supposedly create a problem (the math is not mathing here).

The policy should address delays caused by sharing with room for staff judgment about the circumstances.

Also, offering a lower-tier starter set as a rental (as another option compared to nicer rentals) can be helpful.

5. Requiring a phone call to book or cancel a tee time

A phone call in 2026? No thanks (I haven’t listened to a voicemail since 2005).

Booking a round shouldn’t require calling the pro shop. Let me book online, please.

A phone-only system limits golfers to the hours someone is available, makes comparing openings cumbersome and gives the staff another task while customers are waiting at the counter.

It’s even more frustrating when a course lets you book online but requires a call to cancel. How does that make sense? If you’re within the cancellation window, releasing your reservation should be straightforward. Making it harder also delays getting that opening back onto the tee sheet so the course shouldn’t be advocating for this one, either.

Keep the phone available for people who prefer it or need help. Give everyone else another option.

4. Dress codes that are unnecessarily strict

We’ve talked about this one a lot but a golf course can ask customers to arrive looking presentable without policing every detail of what they wear.

Banning hoodies, insisting on tucked-in shirts or rejecting someone over the style of their collar creates opportunities for confrontation over things that have no effect on the round.

PGA Tour players wear hoodies, mock necks and all sorts of apparel that facilities like to take issue with when it comes to common golfers.

If your course measures the length of a golfer’s socks, I don’t want to play your course.

There’s also the question of consistency. Dress codes in golf suffer from TSA syndrome: you never really know exactly what the rules are. And a dress code also shouldn’t depend on who happens to be working the counter or whether they recognize the customer.

Set a few clear, practical standards, publish them before booking and enforce them courteously. And leave room for golf clothing to evolve!

3. Prohibiting golfers from changing shoes in the parking lot

The 1970s called. They want your archaic policy back.

Somehow sitting on the bumper of your car and putting on golf shoes has been deemed unacceptable by many clubs.

A quick shoe change beside your car is an ordinary part of arriving for a round. Treating it as an etiquette violation feels particularly unnecessary at a facility without an obvious, accessible place to change.

If a club provides a locker room and prefers golfers to use it, staff can at least politely point people in that direction. But getting a reprimand before someone has reached the first tee? That’s insanity.

Nobody’s enjoyment of the course should depend on whether another golfer tied their shoes in the approved location.

2. No advance notice (or discount) when a course punches greens

Few things grind my gears more than getting to the first green and realizing the greens had just been aerated.

If putting is meaningfully affected, that should lead to a heavy discount. And it should definitely be explained prior to playing.

This goes deeper, too. If a course has several temporary greens, asks you to play the same nine holes twice or has a major maintenance issue, that has to be explained to the golfer before they book.

A blanket no-refund policy for unsuspecting golfers becomes difficult to defend when those conditions weren’t disclosed beforehand.

The course knows when a project is scheduled. The customer booking online may not.

A golfer shouldn’t have to call and conduct a maintenance interview before every reservation.

1. Charging a non-golfer a full cart fee to ride along

You’re really going to get me fired up on this one.

You’ve paid for your round and your cart seat. Your wife wants to come along, enjoy the scenery and watch you play.

Then you learn that occupying the empty seat requires another full cart fee.

They aren’t even playing! I’m already paying to use the cart!

They aren’t hitting shots, using the practice facilities or taking a tee time someone else could purchase.

Golf should welcome opportunities for people to experience the course with a friend or family member. That could, you know, help someone get interested in your product.

I do understand that there are high-demand times when carts might be scarce so a better policy would be to allow a non-playing guest to occupy an otherwise empty seat without an additional charge subject to cart availability and clearly disclosed restrictions.

Anyway, those are the top seven worst policies. What do you think? Let me know below in the comments.

The post The 7 Worst Golf Course Policies appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Measuring for the next size

I measured my daughter while in her golf shoes so I’d have accurate numbers for her next set. Personally, I like to build in a little extra. If she has to choke down on the grip for a while and that gets us another year or two out of the clubs, that works for me. I don’t want clubs that come back fitting her perfectly but only last a few months.

Kids are a guessing game when it comes to growth spurts. Her last set fit perfectly for about a year and a half and I swear she woke up one morning and they were too short. Parents, you know how this goes.

So I added about an inch to her measured height (not to the club length) before calling PING.

The process

The process was simple. I called PING and gave them the serial number on the clubs along with her current height (that I had already adjusted a little) and her wrist-to-floor measurement. They entered everything into their system and emailed me directions.

The directions are straightforward: put a $20 check in the box to cover return shipping and ship the clubs to PING. I packaged them as carefully as I could so nothing would get damaged and I added insurance to the box. Sending them from Georgia to Arizona via UPS cost me about $65.

The timeline

• Tuesday: We shipped the clubs.
• Friday: They arrived at PING.
• The following week: PING worked on them.
• The next Tuesday: The clubs were back in our hands.

All told, my daughter was basically without her clubs for one week and she was pumped to get them back.

The result

PING lengthened her shafts. We know it’s the same shaft because her name labels are still on the clubs we sent in. She also has fresh new grips and is ready to hit the course. All in it cost me $85 and she’s set for another few years.

She has gotten better in the last year or two so I’m also going to call PING and get her a 6-iron and a 54-degree wedge to fill in this set. They have all her information and specs so it will now be simple to get this done.

If you have questions about this process or anything junior golf related, don’t hesitate to reach out at brittany.olizarowicz@mygolfspy.com. I’m happy to help. And thanks to PING for doing such a good job for kids who deserve real equipment.

The post I Sent My Daughter’s Junior PING Clubs Back For Resizing. Here’s How It Went appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

(It also makes me fun at parties. At least, I think so. If I ever get invited back to one, I’ll let you know.)

Anyway, Callaway and Acushnet released their Q3 financials last week. As always, they’re full of fascinating tidbits inside the sales and profit headlines.

So, for those of curious mindsets, these reports offer more insight than you’d think. As is our quarterly routine, we’re going to take a deep dive into what these reports say and try to decipher what, if anything, they mean for people like you and me.

First, however, it’s time for our standard, corporate-mandated disclaimer.

We are not, nor do we claim to be, financial experts, investment counselors or Wall Street-level business analysts. We’re simply golf industry geeks who like to read.

If you’ve read this far, you’re clearly a golf industry geek, too. So let’s do this together, shall we?

These guys are BIG. I mean really BIG

We throw a lot of numbers around in these financial report articles but it’s important to put those numbers into perspective. Callaway is reporting Q3 sales of $436.9 million while Acushnet is posting $649.2 million. Year-to-date (the first nine months), Callaway sales stand at $1.736 billion while Acushnet is at $2.222 billion.

Keep in mind that these figures are almost all wholesale pricing. Retailers mark these prices up to cover their costs and profit. Annual global golf equipment, accessories and apparel retail sales are estimated in the $20-billion to $24-billion range. By applying estimated markups (based on varying reports by industry groups, such as the Association of Golf Merchandisers) to each company’s projected 2026 sales, it’s reasonable to presume that Acushnet and Callaway together make up somewhere around 25 percent of annual equipment, accessory and apparel sales worldwide.

Throw in PING and TaylorMade (estimates only, both are privately held) and it’s fair to say those four companies make up nearly 50 percent of the global golf retail market.

That’s not necessarily news but it’s important to state how staggeringly big these guys are. That’s why what we’re going to discuss next matters a lot.

 Longer product cycles are good, aren’t they?

Titleist is a two-year product cycle brand and has been for as long as we can remember.

Callaway hasn’t committed to two-year product cycles for its core lines yet (TaylorMade has) but in the Q2 report last August, CEO Chip Brewer said Callaway’s margin improvement plan “included extending product life cycles in our irons business.” Last week, he said Q3 results reflect “strategic changes to our launch cadence, which we believe will benefit us in the long term.”

He did not, however, say anything about drivers.

The rest of the golf industry is backing away from one-year cycles. Based on what we hear you demanding every January during launch season, that should be a good thing. Right?

Let these words from Titleist CEO David Maher sink in.

“It invites a healthier marketplace. You’re going to have fewer periods of discounted, prior-generation product on the market and you’re going to have more periods where it’s principally about performance rather than generation new versus generation old.”

To me, that says if you’ve come to rely on end-of-year discounts for a specific driver, you’re going to have to wait. And, due to inventory belt-tightening, those discounts probably won’t be as steep, either.

That’s life in the big city, gang.

Both sell a lot of clubs and balls

One of the cooler elements of these quarterly reports is the breakdown of club and ball sales. If nothing else, you get a crystal-clear look at just how golf ball-dominant Titleist is.

Acushnet reports $209 million in golf ball sales for Q3 (up nearly four percent) and $717.5 million year-to-date (up nearly six percent). Callaway reports $68.2 million in Q3 ball sales (down four percent) and $287.6 million year-to-date (up five percent).

Callaway says it has the biggest market share it’s ever had yet it’s still so far behind it can barely see Titleist’s taillights.

Industry estimates suggest Callaway and Titleist combined sell well north of 50 percent of all the golf balls sold on this here planet. TaylorMade, Bridgestone, Srixon, Wilson, Kirkland, Vice, Snell, Seed and every other brand and off-brand are fighting for whatever’s left.

Club sales paint a similar picture. Acushnet reports $220.7 million in Q3 club sales (down slightly from last year) and $716.7 million YTD (up nearly 15 percent). Callaway’s Q3 club sales reached $213.3 million (down nine percent) and $910.4 million YTD (up three percent).

Remember, friends, these are wholesale prices.

And just for giggles and grins, Mizuno’s fiscal 2025 club sales are estimated to be in the $150-million to $170-million range wholesale for the year. Titleist beat that in Q3 alone.

Bigger doesn’t mean better

Bigger is, however, bigger. And bigger can do things, like spend on R&D.

Callaway’s P&L statement shows it spent $15.7 million on R&D in Q3 and $46.7 million YTD. Acushnet, being the bigger company, spent nearly $19.5 million on R&D in Q3 and nearly $60 million so far this year.

That money gets you things like Callaway’s Tri-Force Face technology that propelled the Quantum line to take three of the top five slots in this year’s MyGolfSpy driver test. That’s also how Titleist drivers went from slow and spinny a decade ago to speedy and long today.

Speaking of money, neither company discloses what it spends on your favorite topic: marketing. That’s wrapped into their Sales, General and Administrative budgets which include everything from office and sales salaries, general office overhead, IT and other costs. We scoured the internet for various sources on what each company spends on its PGA Tour players (including their vans and support staff) but could only come up with “estimates.” Translated, that means “educated guesses.”

Either way, those “estimates” agree it would be a surprise if either company spent more than $100 million altogether on their Tour operations. A more realistic estimate might be in the $60-million to $80-million range. That’s less than three percent of either company’s total revenue, not nearly enough to dramatically impact what you pay for clubs or balls at retail.

So that line DTC brands like to dish out, saying we’re-less-because-we-don’t-pay-Tour-players is technically true. In reality, however, it’s red meat to satisfy the masses more than it is a substantive point of cost differentiation.

What the fringes tell us

I love digging into minutiae and quarterly reports are filled with it.  

For example, Acushnet doesn’t just tell you that year-to-date sales are up nearly seven percent; it gives you the recipe. It’s due to higher sales volume of drivers, fairways and wedges (GTS and Vokey SM11), coupled with higher volumes and higher selling prices for golf balls. Those increases are offset by lower volumes of second-year model T-Series irons and GT hybrids.

Acushnet’s ongoing FootJoy problem doesn’t appear to be going away. The company has reported declining FootJoy sales in 10 of the last 14 quarters including a seven-percent drop in Q3. The reason sounds like a broken record: lower volumes partially offset by higher selling prices.

Year-to-date FootJoy sales are $465.5 million. While that’s still a lot of cabbage, it is down 1.6 percent compared to last year. Maher has said FootJoy has been harder hit by tariffs than other Acushnet business units and that it has gone through a long post-COVID inventory adjustment. In the bigger picture, the simple truth is there are more shoe and apparel competitors out there today than there were four years ago.

They gotta be taking a bite out of someone’s hide.

Additionally, Acushnet’s Golf Gear division bears watching. Sales are up slightly for the year but for at least for the second report in a row, we’re learning of lower volumes in the travel product category. That’s Club Glove which Acushnet purchased in 2023.

Both FootJoy and the Golf Gear categories reportedly dealt with custom order delivery issues in Q3. Acushnet says that was due to a new ERP system implementation. If you’ve ever been part of one of those, you know they never go smoothly.

Callaway and Acushnet financial reports: Final thoughts

Both companies are approaching 2027 on solid footing.

Acushnet remains a steady, just-keep-swimming type of company (its YTD net profit is $255.4 million, up 14.3 percent from last year).

Callaway, on the other hand, continues to love its post-divorce life after splitting with Topgolf. Its Q3 net profit of $45.7 million is a $60-million swing from last year’s $14.7-million loss. YTD net profit of $214 million is up from only $7.7 million last year.

The outlook for 2027 looks interesting. We’ll see the new Pro V1 series in January and new Titleist irons. Those will likely drop in May-June since that approach worked so well for the GTS line. New hybrids are expected as well.

Callaway should be more intriguing. We’re expecting a new driver and iron family, continuing the one-year cadence. There will no doubt be additional drops throughout the year. We’re very excited to learn what will come from Callaway’s new 3D printing facility in Fort Worth. The company is clearly going all in on the technology. It’ll be fascinating to see how that develops.

The post The Quarterly Financial Reports From Callaway And Acushnet Matter More Than You Think appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

The golf ball is the only piece of equipment you use on every single shot. It has to be right.

Yet most golfers still choose their ball based on price, feel or because some tour pro uses it. Some chase softness, others prioritize distance, but neither approach guarantees the ball actually fits your game.

If you’ve been wondering whether your golf ball might be holding you back, here are six signs it might be time for a change. A few of these can also come from your swing, so I’ve added a way to tell the difference at the end.

1. You fitted your ball to your driver but not your irons or wedges

One of the most common mistakes in ball selection is starting with the driver. If your logic was, “This one goes far,” you’ve got it backward.

The correct approach is to start at the green and work backward.

The ball should first fit your wedges and irons, specifically the flight windows and spin rates you need to hold greens. Then, you can use your driver’s adjustability to dial in performance off the tee.

Our 2026 Golf Ball Test backs this up: at mid swing speeds, total distance barely separates the field, so a ball that “goes far” may not be giving you anything.

2. Your irons don’t launch high enough or stop fast enough

A low, flat ball flight with your mid and short irons isn’t a power move. It’s a problem. Average golfers often struggle with low trajectory and not enough spin which makes it harder to hold greens. If the greens are firm, you won’t have much of a chance of getting the ball to stay.

Pay attention to descent angles. Ideally, you want to see 45–55 degrees of descent with your irons for consistent stopping power.

3. Your driver shots balloon (Or fall out of the sky)

Let’s look at both ends of the tee shot spectrum:

• If your drives balloon, you may be playing a ball with too much spin off the driver.
• If they fall out of the sky, you’re not getting enough spin or launch to keep the ball in the air.

Both are signs that your ball isn’t matched to your swing.

4. You bought a “soft” ball expecting it to fix everything

While some golfers prefer the feel of a soft ball, the feel won’t always fix performance.

Many golfers assume soft equals control, but a softer ball often launches lower and spins less on approach shots, which is the opposite of what you need to hold a green. Swing speed doesn’t settle it either. Our robot testing found that a slower swing doesn’t automatically call for a softer ball, and you can see the data in What Golf Ball Compression Do I Need?.

Spin, launch and descent are what matter when looking for the right golf ball.

5. You upgraded your wedges but still can’t stop the ball

New grooves can help only so much. If your upgraded wedges still aren’t helping you stop shots, the problem might be your golf ball.

Your ball needs to complement your wedge design. Otherwise, no amount of groove tech will generate the friction and launch window needed for short game control.

Ideal wedge launch is (loft ÷ 2) – 2. For example, with a 56-degree sand wedge, the ideal launch is around 26 degrees. If you’re consistently launching lower than that—even with clean contact—it could be a sign your ball isn’t generating enough spin or lift. It might be time to test a different model.

6. You’ve never seen your launch and spin numbers

If you haven’t tested your golf ball on a launch monitor, you’re guessing.

Many golfers rely on feel, brand loyalty or online quizzes. A good ball fitting is data-driven and brand-agnostic. If a fitting only offers one company’s balls, treat the result as a starting point. Real performance comes from understanding how your ball launches, spins and lands across all your clubs.

Go for a ball fitting or take a look at how the golf ball you are currently playing performs in our 2026 Golf Ball Test, with results coming soon.

Is it the ball or your swing?

Not every sign above points to the ball. A shot that balloons, or a wedge that won’t stop, can also come from where you strike the face, your angle of attack or a worn clubface. Before you switch, hit the same club with two or three different balls and compare the results. If nothing changes, the swing may be the cause.

Final thoughts

The golf ball is not just a feel decision or a budget choice. It’s a performance component that has to match your game.

If you have one or more of these indicators, it might be time to rethink your golf ball. Get fitted from the green back, pay attention to launch windows and spin, and always test with data when you can.

Use our golf ball selector tool to find the right match for your golf game.

Find the Right Golf Ball for Your Game

Use the MyGolfSpy Golf Ball Selector to compare 48 golf balls using data from our 2026 robot test. Filter by swing speed and see how each ball performs from driver to wedge to find the best fit for your game.

Tony Covey

Employee #2, Editor, Jack of All Trades

The post 6 Signs You’re Playing The Wrong Golf Ball appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

If you’d rather get your shopping done now instead of fighting through the Black Friday rush, these are the early deals you need to know about.

1. 40% off sitewide at Jones Sports Co.

Buckle up: this is Jones’ biggest sale of the year by far. For Early Black Friday, Jones is taking 40 percent off sitewide which means the discount applies across essentially its entire lineup of golf bags, travel bags, backpacks, accessories and apparel.

This a true sitewide sale and goes well beyond golf bags. The A2 Backpack is one of the best backpacks on the market and has become a legitimate travel staple for a couple of us here on staff. The A2 is an excellent travel piece.

You’re also getting a discount on Jones’ entire bag inventory and that includes the Rover, Trouper, Utility X. Jones products already stand out because they look different from almost everything else in the category. At 40 percent off sitewide, this sale is for you if you’ve had your eye on anything they make.

2. Up to 35% Off at Callaway Golf Certified Pre-Owned

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Callaway Certified Pre-Owned is one of the best-kept secrets and best deals in golf. Right now, you can save up to 35 percent across the site.

I’ve ordered “used” clubs from Callaway Pre-Owned on numerous occasions and had them show up still shrink-wrapped and in like-new condition. That doesn’t happen every time but the condition has consistently been far better than you’d expect from the word “pre-owned.” Golf clubs keep getting more and more expensive and going the used route looks better every day.

If you want to buy clubs this Christmas without spending a ton, Callaway Certified Pre-Owned’s early Black Friday Sale should be one of the first places you look.

3. Up To 25% Off Indoor Golf Gear At The Indoor Golf Shop

Indoor Golf Shop has already kicked off its Black Friday sale and there are discounts everywhere.

You can save 25 percent on hitting strips, impact screens and select accessories, 20 percent on GTRAK retractable impact screens and up to 25 percent on golf nets. There are also discounts of up to $3,000 on select golf simulator packages.

If you’ve been thinking about building or upgrading a home simulator, there’s no time like the present.

4. 25% Off Golf Bag Bundles Or 15% Off Sitewide at Sunday Golf

Sunday Golf has already kicked off its best sale of the year with 25 percent off golf bag bundles or 15 percent off sitewide.

We highlighted this deal in our latest Deals of the Week roundup and it’s going to be one of the best bag deals this holiday season. The Ranger is a perennial top performer in our testing so if you’ve been waiting to buy one, this is a very good time to do it.

The bundle discount is the biggest savings but the sitewide offer means you don’t have to buy a package to get a deal.

5. 30% Off Sitewide at RADMOR

RADMOR is one of the most unique brands in golf and right now the entire site is 30 percent off.

They do an excellent job of pairing fashion, whimsy and function with bold patterns, texture and plenty of pieces that are very different from your run-of-the-mill golf apparel.

If you like RADMOR’s aesthetic, 30 percent off sitewide is their best sale of the year.

The post These 5 Retailers Couldn’t Wait Until Black Friday appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Fairway woods are versatile and plenty of golfers will tell you they matter as much as the driver. Still, it’s hard to talk yourself into driver money for one. Now, a few years later, used LSTs are around $230. So is it worth it used?

That’s the idea behind Worth It Used?, our used club edition of deal or no deal. Let’s dive in.

Tried. Tested. True. MYGOLFSPY

Worth It Used?

PING G430 LST Fairway Wood

2023 3-wood, 15°, low-spin head

$230 asking $600 at launch

Distance STRONG 6th in the 2023 test

Accuracy STRONG 7th in the 2023 test

Forgiveness STRONG 7th in the 2023 test

Value STRONG About 62% off launch

Verdict

DEAL IF…

Buy it if you swing fast enough to use a low-spin head.

Grades come from MyGolfSpy testing. Prices checked [date]. mygolfspy.com

Is the PING G430 LST fairway wood worth it used?

Our testing suggests there was something behind that high price. It scored 9.6 overall and finished third in our 2023 fairway wood test, ranking in the top seven for distance, accuracy and forgiveness. Our reviews knocks were the price, the sound and that it isn’t for every golfer.

At around $229.99, this used listing is about 62 percent off the launch price.

The verdict: Deal if

The price was the hesitation and, at $230, that’s mostly gone. What’s left is fit. The LST is a low-spin head built for faster swingers, it is a club you probably want to hit before you commit. If you swing fast and want a fairway wood you can hit off the tee, buy it. If you don’t, the G430 Max below costs about the same and is more forgiving.

What I’d buy instead

A few ways to spend your money, depending on your swing. Prices are as of November 2026 so check current listings.

My top pick, used: PING G430 Max, about $230 to $250

Pick this if you don’t swing fast. It costs about the same used and ranked sixth for forgiveness and ninth for accuracy in our 2023 test although it gave up distance (15th).

If you want newer: PING G440 Max, about $350

It was the best fairway wood in our 2025 test with the best overall consistency across distance, accuracy and forgiveness.

If you want the newest low-spin: PING G440 LST, about $550 to $600

Its successor tested well in 2025 at 8.8 overall but you’d pay more than double the used price of this one.

The post Worth It Used? PING G430 LST Fairway Wood At $230 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.