Over 80 guests gathered at The Bramshaw and Bell Inn in Hampshire on December 7 to celebrate the impact of women in the golf industry at the inaugural Women in Golf Awards.

The night of celebration shone a spotlight on every corner of the industry, with six award winners coming from a wide range of professional backgrounds, including a greenkeeper, WPGA members and industry legends.

The biggest award of the night, for Inspirational Achievement, went to IMG’s Vicky Cuming, Head of Golf Client at IMG, in celebration of her remarkable career.

Nicole Wheatley, co-founder of the Women in Golf Awards, said: “Over the last 30 years, Vicky has managed Ryder Cup captains and players, Major winners, a Solheim Cup winning captain, a dame and a few sirs along the way.  In addition, Vicky is a tireless champion of the women’s game and gives up her time as mentor to help future generations realise their own potential. For so many women in the room on the night and throughout the industry, Vicky represents what can be achieved. She has shown that there are no glass ceilings. Just opportunities.”

On receiving her award, Vicky said: “I’ve never really been aware of barriers, but I would say that when I started I couldn’t have sat in a room full of women working in the industry – so we have made some progress. It’s a great time for women’s golf and for women’s sport and I feel that all of us have a responsibility that golf keeps up with those other sports. Let’s make sure this becomes an annual event. It’s so important for us to keep supporting each other. What a brilliant group of women we all are, so let’s keep doing what we’re doing!”

“This has been a phenomenal evening,” added Wheatley. “I feel quite overwhelmed by the response from the room and thoroughly inspired by the people I have met tonight. Our winners are all excelling in their respective areas of the industry, but most significantly every award winner we have heard from tonight is committed to making golf better for the women who play the sport, or the women who have chosen golf as a career.”

Ben Blackburn, co-founder of the Women in Golf Awards, added: “I have no doubt that this event will become a significant date in the calendar for men and women alike. I have been privileged to be here tonight and it’s clear that The Women in Golf Awards can play an important role in attracting the best female talent to golf and in nurturing our future leaders, many of whom were in the room tonight.”

2022 WOMEN IN GOLF AWARD WINNERS

Venue of the Year: Highwoods Golf Club, East Sussex

Women’s Initiative: The R&A Women’s Leadership Development Programme and Project Ukraine

Trailblazer: Lucy Sellick, Head Greenkeeper, Wenvoe Castle Golf Club, Wales

Brand of the Year: Surprizeshop

Unsung Hero: Emma Booth, Winchester Golf Academy

Inspirational Achievement: Vicky Cuming, VP Golf at The IMG Group

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Ever wondered what the best golf balls on the market are?

Whether you’re new to MyGolfSpy or a returning reader, it’s no secret we are committed to finding the best-performing equipment for every golfer—including the best golf ball.

Our one-of-a-kind Ball Lab was born from curiosity of quality after our original robotic Golf Ball Test in 2019. Most every golfer focuses on things such as speed, launch, spin and more “observable” characteristics. But what about the quality aspect? Just how well—and how consistently—a ball is made.

“It’s what’s on the inside that counts,” could not hold more true.

After years of speaking with industry experts, embarking on countless ball plant inspections and shelling out an exorbitant amount for testing equipment and boxes of balls, we thought it was time to highlight those which have withstood our rigorous examination.

Scoring is on a 100-point scale. Those balls listed are all available at retail. They have been studied and ranked with a score of 85 or higher in our Quality Comparison Tool. This list, as well as the tool, will be continually updated as we test more of the best golf balls in the future.

So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

2021 TITLEIST PRO V1 – 97/100

COMPRESSION: Excellent

DIAMETER: Good

WEIGHT: Average

The Titleist Pro V1 golf ball gets an overall grade of 97.

The score is the highest we’ve recorded so far with the Excellent rating for compression consistency pushing it past the others.

To an extent, this is what golfers should expect, given the $49.99 price point and Titleist’s emphasis on quality and consistency.

TRY THE PRO V1

2022 TAYLORMADE TOUR RESPONSE – 93/100

COMPRESSION: Good

DIAMETER: Good

WEIGHT: Good

This is far and away the best Ball Lab result for a TaylorMade golf ball and makes a strong argument that the current Tour Response is best in class among urethane-covered golf balls designed for moderate (i.e., slower) swing speed golfers.

The Tour Response is TaylorMade’s offering in what can either be looked at as the “value urethane” category or urethane-designed for moderate swing speed golfers. It’s a three-piece cast-urethane offering notable for soft feel.

TRY THE TOUR RESPONSE

2021 TITLEIST PRO V1x – 93/100

COMPRESSION: Good

DIAMETER: Good

WEIGHT: Good

The 2021 Titleist Pro V1X is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Titleist. Our data suggests it’s an extremely consistent ball. While we don’t expect all of them to be perfect, the lack of significant defects in our sample should provide plenty of confidence that, whatever issues you experience on the course, the ball probably isn’t to blame.

TRY THE PRO V1X

2019 TITLEIST PRO V1x LEFT DASH – 93/100

COMPRESSION: Good

DIAMETER: Good

WEIGHT: Good

Consistency for compression, weight and diameter measurements each qualify as Good.

As we’ve come to expect, Left Dash isn’t perfect. Minor defects, specifically slightly off-center cores, and layer concentricity issues, while not prevalent, are not entirely uncommon. It’s also a reasonable assumption that some golfers will have an issue with the firm feel.

We should also note that, as a small “percentage of the market” ball, the Left Dash isn’t produced in the same quantities as other Titleist offerings. With smaller quantities likely come tighter tolerances.

TRY THE LEFT DASH

2021 MAXFLI TOUR X – 91/100

COMPRESSION: Good

DIAMETER: Good

WEIGHT: Good

A significant improvement over the previous generation, the 2021 Maxfli Tour X fell within the good range for each of our key metrics. It’s also noteworthy that 100% of the sample conformed to USGA regulations for both weight and diameter. The only blemishes of note were a couple of balls with thin spots on the outer mantle.

At $35 a dozen, it’s likely the best value 4-piece ball on the market right now.

TRY THE TOUR X

2020 WILSON STAFF MODEL – 91/100

COMPRESSION: Good

DIAMETER: Good

WEIGHT: Good

Relative to the other balls in the Ball Lab database, the weight consistency of the Wilson Staff Model was one of very few that reaches into the Good range. Foremost covers are typically excellent. That was the case here with only a single minor defect being noted across all samples.

Even if you don’t consider yourself Wilson-inclined, the lower launch and higher spin properties of the 2022 Wilson Staff Model may be for you.

TRY THE STAFF MODEL

2022 WILSON TRIAD – 89/100

COMPRESSION: Good

DIAMETER: Average

WEIGHT: Good

Limited though it may be, we’ve come to expect good things from Wilson’s premium lineup.

You can add the Triad to that list. At $39.99 a dozen, it loosely qualifies as a value ball and while many value offerings bring with them a quality compromise, with the Triad, you’re getting exactly what you pay for.

The Wilson Triad features three-piece construction and offers a soft cast-urethane cover. While swing speed and target score are often overblown as fitting factors, Wilson suggests the Triad is an excellent choice for golfers looking to break 80.

TRY THE TRIAD

2022 CALLAWAY CHROME SOFT X LS – 89/100

COMPRESSION: Good

DIAMETER: Average

WEIGHT: Good

The Chrome Soft X LS is the best ball we’ve tested from Callaway to date. Given that it’s produced at the same factory as the other Chrome Soft offerings, it’s reasonable to believe that Callaway has turned the corner. High scores may be the norm moving forward.

At the time of review, the 2022 Callaway Chrome Soft X received a Ball Lab score of 89. That’s significantly higher than the average score of 74.

TRY THE CHROME SOFT X LS

2022 TITLEIST AVX – 87/100

COMPRESSION: Good

DIAMETER: Good

WEIGHT: Average

Titleist continues to set the standard for quality and the new AVX is no exception. At $50 a dozen, it’s at the top end of the market but for golfers who place a premium on consistency there is value to be had, I suppose.

On the performance side, the AVX is a bit of an anomaly. It’s a bit firmer than the majority of balls designed for moderate swing speed golfers. It also flies a bit lower. While that can be problematic for some, it also makes AVX viable for higher swing speed golfers who generate excessive spin.

TIP: The AVX is primarily designed for moderate swing speed golfers.

TRY THE AVX

2022 SRIXON Z-STAR DIAMOND – 85/100

COMPRESSION: Good

DIAMETER: Average

WEIGHT: Average

With absolutely no red flags anywhere in the sample, the Z-Star Diamond is No. 1 for the Srixon brand inside the Ball Lab.

The Srixon Z-Star Diamond ostensibly was designed for Brooks Koepka to be a “best of both worlds” cross between the standard Z-Star and the Z-Star X, offering higher compression than the former and more spin than the latter.

All of that made things a little awkward when he ditched the ball prior to the U.S. Open. The reality is that Srixon designers were working within a narrow window and it’s hard to get things perfect on the first try. A new Z-Star Diamond is in the works so it shouldn’t be too long before we can find out how that ball stacks up against the original.

TRY THE Z-STAR DIAMOND

2021 MAXFLI TOUR – 85/100

COMPRESSION: Good

DIAMETER: Average

WEIGHT: Average

The most underrated best golf ball?

The Maxfli Tour absolutely belongs in the conversation with the leading direct-to-consumer balls on the market and there’s a strong argument to be made that it’s one of the most consistent balls that doesn’t have a Titleist logo on it. For golfers looking to save a few bucks, the Maxfli Tour is an exceptional offering.

Your wallet can thank us later.

TRY THE TOUR

As mentioned, our “Best Golf Balls” ratings will be routinely updated as we continue to test each of the market’s offerings.

Didn’t see your favorite ball? No need to panic. You can check the quality of your gamer with our easy Quality Comparison Tool. Still don’t see your choice? Drop a comment below of the make and model golf ball you’re looking for.

As always, we are happy to answer any questions you may have about our procedures, protocols, results and more. The more you know, right?

*We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

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