What Balls do Professional Golfers Use on Tour

Ever wondered what balls the pros are hitting on the tour every week?

Well wonder no more as we've hunted down most of the world's top golfers to find out what golf balls are in their bags

Click here to see our analysis of the OWGR Top 100 and the golf balls they play .....

Men's Top Golfers - What balls are they hitting!

World Top 10 - Dustin Johnson - TaylorMade TP5x

Dustin is near the top of the world rankings and will be looking to add more majors to his collection next season. He's currently playing with the TP5x from TaylorMade - along with a number of other top 100 players. If you're looking for these then be warned, they aren't the lowest price options, so while they are very good balls, they probably are not the best balls to play if you lose a few when you're playing! (Hint - check out our best value golf ball reviews here)

Check TaylorMade TP5x Pricing & Reviews

TaylorMade allows their professional golfers to select their ball number and colors. Dustin is currently hitting a number 1 in reference to him being a former number 1 in the world and because he "always wants to one putt."

Other players hitting a TaylorMade ball include Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and John Rahm although they prefer the TP5 version of the golf ball.

The TP5 series are all excellent balls packed with years of experience and technology from TaylorMade.

Online reviews from amateur golfers are generally positive with some reporting that they're hitting the ball further than ever and would never go back to another ball.

See the full line of TP5 options (and more) available from Amazon. You too can be hitting these balls next time you play!

Multiple Major Winner Jordan Speith - Titleist Pro V1x

Titleist golf ambassador Jordan Speith relies on the Titleist Pro V1x.

Check pricing on Titleist Pro V1x ball

These balls come with some snazzy tech like "spherically-tiled 328 tetrahedral dimple design". Which basically means it has 328 dimples all perfectly positioned from the center (we've not counted to check!). The Pro V1 and Pro V1x have similar technology, but suit different player preferences. Titleist says that the Pro V1 feels softer off the club face, generates slightly less iron spin, and creates a more penetrating ball flight. The Pro V1x typically will launch higher and offer more iron spin.

Speith is also one of many golfers who uses the Vokey range of wedges - along with 3 of the 4 major winners in 2018!

I'm a low handicapper and I prefer the Pro V1x but your game may be better suited to the Pro V1 if you want a softer cover for chipping and putting.

Here's how Speith marks his Titleist when he's playing:

Justin Thomas - Titleist Pro V1x

Same ball as Jordan Speith above, here he is hitting one at the open!

Justin Rose - TaylorMade TP5

Justin Rose plays the TP5 along with Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and John Rahm. These players all teach a valuable lesson for golfers everywhere - find a ball that suits your game rather than changing as soon as the next "latest distance technology" ball comes out. This will help you learn more about your game and hopefully improve your all around play.

As mentioned above TaylorMade allows their golfers to pick the number of the ball and the color as a custom option. Rose hits 99 as 9 is his wife's lucky number and he thought it would bring double the luck. He has also played with a gold 99 after winning the gold medal in the London Olympics but we can't confirm if it's still gold.

Hideki Matsuyama - Srixon Z-Star XV

The Srixon Z-Star XV comes with a strong ball flight and excellent short game control and is the golf ball of choice for Hideki Matsuyama. There's a choice in the range of the Z star and the Z-Star XV. Here's an excellent video on how the ball is made and what performance it offers.

Hideki is not the only golfer on tour to hit the Srixon with a few others following him. It's not quite as popular as the Titleist but is still a top quality ball.

Ricky Fowler - Titleist Pro V1

Ricky Flower is a Titleist golfer but unlike Jordan Speith and Justin Thomas he chooses to hit the Titleist Pro V1 and not the V1x. This is again an example of a player choosing the right ball for their game. I also think there's some psychology in the decision that once you are happy with how you are hitting a ball then why change it.

Jason Day - TaylorMade TP5x

Another golfer hitting the TP5x is Jason Day, No. 1 ranked for a total of 51 weeks and the 2015 PGA Champion.

Brooks Koepka Titleist Pro V1x

Like Jordan Speith and Justin Thomas, Brooks is one of world's best players (if not THE best) hitting the Titleist Pro V1x. He likes to keep his golf simple and just marks his ball with a red dot as shown below.

Rory McIlroy - TaylorMade TP5

Rory has hit the TP5 since joining TaylorMade in May 2017. After testing a range of manufacturers Rory settled on TaylorMade for his clubs and ball .... for a huge sponsorship fee! He settled on number 22 for his ball and has RORS printed on the side. He got married on the 22nd and says this about the number:

“We looked up the meaning of numbers and the number 22 means powerful and high risk, high reward, and that’s sort of everything I am on the golf course so I thought that was appropriate,” McIlroy said.

Here's his ball

Selected others

Tiger Woods - Bridgestone Tour B XS

Primarily known as a Nike athlete, Tiger has a range of different manufacturers in his bag now including his specialized TGR irons and a Titleist putter. The ball he now chooses to hit is the Bridgestone Tour B XS ball which has a softer cover using the SlipRes technology. This ball has a Gradational Compression core which promotes more distance in flight which really suits his game. The distance the ball travels is also enhanced by the dual dimple technology. This really is the ball for the big hitter.

This is a ball for the golfer who likes to attack the course with long drives and wedges. It's soft cover still makes it suitable around the greens so it's a solid choice for both power and touch.

Phil Mickelson - Callaway Chrome Soft X

Leftie is a Callaway golfer and has been for a long time. He is one of a few top players on the tour to hit the Callaway ball. His choice is the Chrome Soft X with is a ball that offers excellent levels of control around the course. This ball has a dual soft core made from graphene which offers excellent levels of spin, while still maintaining the distance of a top ball.

Buy the Callaway Chrome Soft X at Amazon