Golf ball colour

A question asked by a patient today. Which colour golf ball is easiest to find on the green? According to tests of visual acuity, players can follow a coloured golf ball in flight almost 50 percent better than a white golf ball in the air on 200-yard drives. However, things get a bit more complicated on the ground, as the human brain interprets patterns differently when objects of one colour are displayed against a background.

Even so, test results skew towards the easier visibility of green and yellow golf balls over white. Yellow golf balls are the most popular alternate color for golf ball manufacturers. Titleist, Callaway, Bridgestone, Srixon and others all offer multiple lines of yellow golf balls.

High-optic orange golf balls do not have the enduring popularity of yellow in the marketplace. One of the concerns seems to be that orange golf balls cannot be found as quickly in leaves and other debris found on the course. Red and blue golf balls also do not stand out visually when hit off the fairway.