Golf can be an expensive game. A lot goes into paying for equipment, green fees, and of course golf balls. I am providing a list of the most expensive golf balls and offering some insights on what makes each so expensive.
Most expensive golf balls on the market.
Here are the most expensive golf balls on the planet! Spoiler alert, I wouldn’t rush out to buy any of these.
Attomax Golf balls – $249/dozen
What’s the most expensive golf ball? Attomax!
A name unknown to the majority of the golf community, Attomax offers 3 different golf balls. They are marketed to a player’s swing speed. Soft, Medium, and Hard.
Their Claim
Attomax claims their golf balls are the “longest golf balls you’ll ever own“. They use an “amorphous metal alloy” in their manufacturing, that somehow changes the atom structure and creates some amazing bounce. Metal alloy in a golf ball sounds crazy, its actually more like an amorphous metal powder.
They also claim that a “certification test” confirmed their ball flew 15-20 yards further than 13 different balls tested against.
You can find additional details on their technology here.
Independent Testing
The only real testing that I was able to find on these comes from Rick Shiels on YouTube. To summarize, Rick noted they were really hard golf balls. Their trajectory was much higher than the ProV1’s he tested against, and the final result was the ProV1 traveled further.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgRC8wR5zjs
Final Thoughts
I’m not saying Attomax’s certification test was flawed, but details are lacking. What were the 13 balls tested against? Who was the certifying agency? They offer no details whatsoever, at least not that I could find.
These golf balls also do not appear on the USGA conforming ball list. They are my “biggest flop” for illegal golf balls.
Based on the results shared from Rick, I’d recommend taking a hard pass on these!
Dixon fire golf balls – $74.99/dozen
Dixon golf is a name that is starting to gain some traction within the golf community. Although the majority of their golf balls are not expensive, the Fire is definitely outside of the normal price range we’d see for a golf ball.
I was first introduced to Dixon golf balls after receiving a sleeve at a charity tournament, I believe it was their “Earth” ball.
Their Claim
Dixon is a sustainability company, they use “heavy earth salts” to produce an eco-friendly golf ball. Most golf ball manufacturers use heavy metal fillers in their ball production. You can read more about Dixon’s sustainability initiatives here.
Dixon offers four different golf balls. Earth, Spirit, Wind, and Fire. Each marketed to various swing speeds.
The Fire golf ball is by far their most expensive golf balls. The rest of their product line is around $25-$35 per dozen. The Fire is marketed to players with swing speeds above 100mph and has a high spin rate and firm compression.
Independent Testing
Independent tests with the Fire golf ball is lacking, at least from what I can find. There is some very positive test results on their Earth balls, but I was unable to locate anything on their Fire ball. I have reached out to the Dixon PR team for information and will update this if I hear back.
Final Thoughts
I am sure Dixon realizes it, high spin will get you a lot less distance off the tee. They market the fire as a high spin ball. I assume they mean high spin around the green, not long game spin, but I honestly don’t know for sure.
I am not sure why their Fire golf ball is so much more expensive than the rest of their lineup. This particular ball is built for higher swing speed golfers, so perhaps it is manufactured a bit differently than their others. Perhaps some special material that is more costly, or maybe its just simple supply and demand. I can only speculate.
Titleist ProV1x Left Dash golf balls – $68/dozen
The ProV1x left dash is certainly the most expensive golf ball in the Titleist lineup, but only if you are buying outside of their online store. The reason? Supply!
Once it got out that the left dash was the highest performing distance ball on the market, these things have been sold out from Titleist and on backorder. It seems they are bought out and then resold at a huge markup. I’ve seen them for as high as $120 per dozen on Ebay at one point.
Their Claim
There is no special claim here with the left dash, it is marketed as a high flight, low spin ball with extraordinary distance off the tee.
Independent Testing
Several legitimate tests are available on the left dash. Notably, they get low long game spin, high greenside spin, great ball speed, and amazing distance. Testing from MyGolfSpy shows the ball performs best at either a low swing speed, or high swing speed.
Golfers with a mid swing speed will not get quite as much distance out of the left dash as some other golf balls on the market.
Final Thoughts
Although the Left Dash can get you a bit more distance off the tee, it’s an expensive golf ball that I’m not sure is actually worth the extra cost. Are you willing to pay an extra $15 per dozen for a couple of yards? My skill level is not good enough to actually take advantage of those extra two yards, so I’ll spend the $15 on some beer at #19.
Are the most expensive golf balls worth it?
I guess it depends on your motivation. For me, I just want performance and distance out of my golf ball. But I absolutely weigh that against cost, but that’s just me.
The Attomax doesn’t perform any better than a regular old pro v1, so there’s really no chance I’m buying that ball.
If you are passionate about sustainability, the $75 Dixon Fire golf balls may be worth it to you. But they also have way less expensive golf balls that offer the same level of sustainability.
Now to the ProV1X Left Dash – This one performs, so I can definitely see why so many golfers want them. Feedback indicates they are great around the greens, very low spin on long shots, and perform really well for players with low and high swing speeds.
I kind of look at the Left Dash as one of the most expensive golf balls in the “typical golf balls” category. If one of those exist…I guess I am trying to say they are not some sort of “specialty ball” like the Attomax or Dixon.
So, it’s a reputable manufacturer for sure, and we know they perform. I guess the question is, are you going to get added value from the extra cost? Most golfers are not skilled enough to actually take advantage of that benefit.
But then again, if it is going to boost your confidence and the extra few bucks is worth it to you, go for it!
Less Expensive golf balls – How do they compare?
I have done a ton of research on golf balls over the last year or two. Combing through studies, doing my own testing in the simulator, reading countless reviews from others. There is a ton of data. The fact is, golf balls do matter!
There is also a correlation between overall golf ball performance and cost. At the lowest tier price point, you can certainly get a ball that will do really well distance wise. But, that same ball will likely be terrible around the green. To get a ball great at both, you’ve got to move up the ladder in price.
That being said, there are some really good golf balls out there that are far less expensive. And honestly, most amateur golfers won’t be able to tell the difference, or take advantage of the benefits, of some of the most expensive golf balls.
Several independent studies show that many golf balls that cost around $25/dozen perform just as well as golf balls selling for $50/dozen. The problem most golfers face is actually knowing which to choose. Golf balls perform differently at different swing speeds.
So what works for me may not work quite as well for you.
Why are golf balls so expensive?
Marketing campaigns, tour sponsorships, and R&D are some of the most significant factors in why golf balls cost so much.
Manufacturers like Titleist put significant effort into research and development. Once they create a prototype, they do extensive testing and iterate on the product based on the results. This can be a massive undertaking.
Then you factor in the marketing campaigns from manufacturers. Titleist sponsors 323 PGA Tour players worldwide! Take a look at their full list of sponsored players here.
Then of course you have all of the other normal day-to-day business operations costs to factor in.
There are some manufacturers who remove much of that cost. Take Vice Golf for example, they are a direct-to-consumer company. They do not have resellers and they do not have Tour sponsorships. This allows them to pass on significant cost savings to the consumer.
The highest performing Vice golf ball costs about 30% less than the higher-end Titleist balls. And it’s actual performance on the golf course is right there with a Pro v1! Snell is another company that offers similar cost savings and high performance golf balls.
Final Thoughts
Picking a golf ball can be as difficult as you want to make it. If you are a data geek like me, you’ll probably obsess over the numbers. But I think most golfers just want a simple recommendation. That’s why I created the golf ball selector tool.
It has thousands of data points on the back end, but only asks you a handful of questions to spit out a few recommendations.
Personally, I like the initiative Dixon is taking with their sustainability approach. It is a noble cause and most of their golf balls are very reasonably priced. Attomax on the other hand, I feel like it’s a bit of a gimmick. Maybe there is something to their technology and we will see iterations that produce a golf ball that performs as they say.
Until then, I won’t be trying it! I do plan on picking up a variety pack from Dixon and putting each golf ball in their lineup to the test in the simulator. That’ll be a future post.
Good luck on the course!