How we rate every golf ball

Where the numbers come from

We don't start from our own opinions. Every score is built by combining multiple independent, published tests — the kind done on robots and with real golfers under controlled conditions — and mapping their findings onto one consistent scale. Taking our own gut feel out of the founding data is the point: it makes the independence structural, not a matter of trusting us.

Our sources, in order of weight:

• Independent robot and launch-monitor testing is the quantitative backbone — drawn from multiple published independent test programmes and cross-referenced so no single lab's methodology or weighting can dominate a score.
• Player-test and review outlets — among them Today's Golfer, Golf Monthly and GolfWRX — corroborate the numbers and inform feel, which a robot can't measure.
• Manufacturer information is used only to confirm a ball exists and its build (cover, layers, compression) — never for performance claims.

We aggregate the findings of independent tests. We don't republish anyone's copyrighted tables, charts or text.

How to read a score

Two different kinds of number appear on every ball, and we keep them strictly apart:

• Facts — cover material, compression, number of layers, price. These are objective and verifiable.
• Performance scores (1–10) — these are relative rankings, not lab readings. A "9" for greenside spin means "near the top of every ball we've rated," not a specific rpm figure. Scoring this way keeps ratings stable even as testing methods change, and lets you compare any two balls fairly.

We never dress a 1–10 judgement up as if it were a measured lab figure.

Confidence — we tell you how sure we are

Not every score is equally certain, and we don't hide that. Each carries a confidence level, driven mainly by how much the independent sources agree:

So a recommendation can say honestly "based on high-confidence test data" rather than asking you to take every number on faith. Where we're less sure, we say so.

Why we fit on swing speed — and never on gender

The right ball is determined by how you actually deliver the club: your swing speed, launch, spin and what you want the ball to do. Gender tells us none of that — two golfers of the same speed need the same ball regardless. Asking your gender (we do, optionally, and only for our own statistics) never changes your fitting. Anyone "fitting" you by gender is guessing; we use the number that actually matters.

What we don't pretend

Honesty is the product, so here's the straight version:

• Every recommendation shows its trade-offs. No ball is best at everything. When we pick one, we tell you what it gives up — and we show you the balls to avoid for your game, with reasons.
• The database is continually growing. We'd rather rate a ball well than list it badly, so coverage expands as the evidence does.
• This is a rules-based fitter, and we're proud of it. Your result comes from transparent, explainable logic you could follow yourself — not a black box. As real golfers use it, that engine only gets sharper.