Equipment
Remember these great golf balls of years past?
When it comes to classic gear, few pieces of equipment stir up as much conversation as golf balls, especially in the modern era when talking about distance and short game control specifically. Just like clubs, they are carefully constructed and designed to fit certain swings and provide performance benefits for different types of golfers.
Some well-known brands have been around for over a half-century, and in the case of the Titleist Pro V1, has remained the staple by which all other modern golf balls have been judged. But this list isn’t about new, it’s about the forgotten.
Here are some of the forgotten greats of the past two decades.
Strata Tour Ace
Best known as the ball used by Jim Furyk to win the 2003 U.S. Open, the Strata Tour Ace was a four-piece urethane ball with a very soft cover that allowed for what Strata called “one hop and stop” spin around the greens.
One quirky way to quickly distinguish the Tour Ace from other balls in the Strata lineup was the use of card suites instead of numbers to identify balls that came in a sleeve—it also allowed you to really flush one (dad joke, I’ll see myself out).
Maxfli Revolution Solid
Introduced in the early 2000s to compete with the Pro V1, the Maxfli Revolution Solid was engineered to provide improved distance without sacrificing approach or around-the-green spin. It was a three-piece ball that featured an oversized core and urethane cover. What also made the Maxfli Revolution interesting is that its main endorser was none other than Jack Nicklaus.
TaylorMade InerGel
The golf ball made more famous for its packaging than its performance, the InerGel was the first TaylorMade golf ball to market. What really made it stand out was the plastic tube the balls came in to help prevent them from being exposed to moisture (hey, it was an angle).
TaylorMade R&D estimated that golf balls had the potential to lose as much as six yards in distance by being exposed to moisture and this was one way to prevent that from happening. Although it was never a big seller, the InerGel tubes lived on for a long time carrying tees and other things in a lot of golfers’ bags.
Callaway HX Tour 56 (Hogan Tour Deep?)
The HX Tour 56 was the softer brother to the original HX Tour (also referred to as the HX Black) and offered an extremely soft feel and higher spin around the greens. The Tour 56 was introduced the second year after Callaway bought Top-Flite, its manufacturing plant, and all its IP—why do I bring this up?
Here’s where it gets interesting. At the time of introduction, Hogan was still owned by Callaway Golf and they were producing both Hogan and Callaway branded clubs and balls. One of the key design features of the HX Tour 56 were six strategically placed deeper dimples around the ball to help with aerodynamic stabilization. You know what other ball has this feature? The Hogan Tour Deep, the only difference being the HX Tour 56 has the patented HX dimple pattern while the Hogan had the traditional round dimples.
Were they the same ball with different dimple patterns? I can’t 100 percent confirm, but considering how much R&D goes into a ball design, and that these arrived at almost the same time, I would put a few bucks on it.
Precept Lady
You could argue the Precept MC Lady was the ball that changed the way average golfers thought about compression. It was introduced late 1999 as strictly a value ($20 a dozen) ball designed for women with slower swing speeds, Precept really didn’t even market it. By late 2000 it set the golf world ablaze to the point of many shops having a hard time keeping them in stock—it was the number two selling ball at retail behind the $40/dozen Titleist Pro V1.
It was a two-piece ball that performed way above its price point and the softer compression kept spin down and created longer flying straighter drives that average golfers only dreamed of. Technically the Lady still exists today as the Laddie under the Bridgestone brand (Bridgestone owns Precept).
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Ewald
Oct 17, 2020 at 6:33 am
Anyonr know what the Strata tour ace specs were ie construction materials, compression etc?
Joe
Mar 20, 2020 at 10:48 am
Dating myself, but I recall as a beginning golfer the Penfold Ace, the Acushnet Club Special,and the Spalding “Green Eyes” ( a green dot on either side of the number), which were always in plentiful supply in a large glass jar on the pro shop counter
MikeB
Mar 20, 2020 at 10:45 am
NIKE DD & TW, although the DD was the better ball of the two. Callaway SR series 1,2 and 3. SR1 being the softest and SR3 being the firmest. Played the SR3 up to a year and a half ago when my hoarded supply ran out. Dicks kept selling them for $20/doz, had more dozens of them than toilet paper!
ChrisJ
Mar 20, 2020 at 9:55 am
What about the Tour Edition that was played by Greg Norman that would spin off the planet?
Also the Precept EV Extra Spin, and the Top Flite Z Balata
DAVID J. CLEMENT
Mar 20, 2020 at 9:54 am
Going back a bit further – to the 1960’s and ’70’s – I was always glad to find a MaxFli “Blue Max” out on the course as a kid. Remember that the George Peppard movie was out then about WW1 German fighter aces?
Steve Cantwell
Mar 20, 2020 at 9:15 am
Things I recall…the Precept Lady was a great cold weather ball. Balata balls had wonderful feel off the club face (putter included)….but “thinning” one would result in a big ol’ smile (cut). Balata balls could also become out of round after 36 holes of golf. Gosh, we here making comments are old!
Joe
Mar 20, 2020 at 10:38 am
Some of those balata balls were out of round tight out of the box
joro
Mar 20, 2020 at 11:01 am
The Black Maxfli was one that was a great ball if you got a good one, but some were so out of round they looked like stones.
David Arbuckle
Mar 20, 2020 at 8:47 am
Nice story and can relate to those remembering even more balls. Did anyone ever appreciate the Dunlap ball with the different divots? It corrects in flight! I have arguably the largest collection of logo balls and have given away more than 15,000 balls to friends, charities and anyone who respects the game, and really enjoy the difference in the various balls. PS, am not a good enough golfer to get mad.
Jeff
Mar 19, 2020 at 3:35 pm
This list could be a lot longer. Where are the Precept U-Tri Tour, Callaway Hex Red; Maxfli M3, Strata Tour, TM TP Red, Nike ONE Gold, Top Flite ZBalata?
15th Club
Mar 19, 2020 at 2:50 pm
You do a great job on these “Remember this old equipment” stories. They are always well done and entertaining.
This is no exception.
But I have to say that apart from some curiosities with branding and marketing, and some things that had nothing to do with Tour golf (like the Precept Lady) golf balls have always been to me the least interesting, least comprehensible things in the game.
Acemandrake
Mar 18, 2020 at 10:00 pm
I’ll always remember being pleasantly surprised by the Wilson Staff ball in the 1990’s.
They were great and I couldn’t understand why no one talked about them.
Rich Douglas
Mar 19, 2020 at 2:12 am
They had one version labeled “Balata,” but I’m pretty convinced it was artificial, not real, balata. Imagine a two-piece ball with a balata cover. Oh, my!
juanny
Mar 18, 2020 at 9:50 pm
Tour Prestige was a great ball too despite getting shredded by the third hole.
Loved the Stratas and the Wound Maxfli Rev.
I found two dozen inergel’s in my garage a few weeks ago, sans plastic cases, and threw them on ebay and they sold for $25 which I thought was strange.
Brandon
Mar 18, 2020 at 6:10 pm
What was the deal with those goofy ping balls that were 2 different colors and felt like rocks?
Swirley
Mar 18, 2020 at 8:45 pm
I had one that was Green and Neon Yellow. Needless to say, i hit one in the rough that landed neon yellow side down.
Big Earl
Mar 18, 2020 at 3:03 pm
Cool article! Always fun to get nostalgic.
Maxfli revolutions were my jam back in the early days. Also finding a DT wound 80 or 90 was really exciting!
Nihonsei
Mar 20, 2020 at 8:47 am
+1 for Revolutions and the side stamp predecessor to lining up for putts perfectly. Do I remember an arrow at least on one side of the Revolution print?
Gunter Eisenberg
Mar 18, 2020 at 12:58 pm
As I remember correctly, the Maxfli Revolution solid wasn’t as revered as the original wound version. Most of the technology that you see in Callaway’s current tour level balls are derived from Strata and Ben Hogan when Callway bought Top Flite in 2003 and their patents.
BillyG
Mar 18, 2020 at 12:57 pm
Lady. Yeah!