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We are working on getting the new balls robot tested, and we’ll get those results to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, we’ve dug a little bit deeper to find out more about the specifications of the new ball.
Here’s what we know so far.
A Familiar Factory
The Amazon Core Soft is produced by SM Global. That’s the same factory that produces the Kirkland Performance+, both PXG Xtreme Models, and the Malbon golf ball.
Where the stories diverge is that while those other balls feature urethane covers, the more affordable (that’s saying something when Kirkland is in the mix) Amazon ball is an ionomer-covered offering.
Dimple patterns are equally familiar
It’s not unusual for balls from the same factory to feature the same dimple patterns. Great examples are balls from Maxfli, Vice, OnCore and more that share Foremost’s 318-dimple cover.
What’s interesting about the Amazon Core Soft is that not only is the dimple count the same, but the mold stamps on the cover suggest it’s being made with the same tooling as the urethane models I mentioned.
This isn’t something we’ve seen before, and in doing some digging, I heard from one senior-level R&D source who told me that it would be highly unusual to use the same molds for urethane and ionomer. So much so that he’s never seen it done.
We can’t be 100% sure of that detail, but the mold marks and the dimple patterns are identical, and that alone is strange.
I’m guessing the target consumer doesn’t care, but certainly if you’re looking to keep costs down, one way to do that is to use the tooling you already have.
Consistency looks pretty good
We’ve noted that the quality and consistency of the products coming out of SM Global have improved with the latest generation of both Kirkland and PXG balls, so in that respect, it’s not entirely surprising that, at first pass, the Amazon Core Soft appears consistent.
With the caveat that we only ran a dozen through our ball lab procedures, variations in weight, compression, and diameter weren’t remotely close to concerning.
About that compression
On our gauge, the Amazon Core Soft has an average compression of 55. Based on measurements taken as part of our 2025 Golf Ball Test, that puts it in the same general ballpark as Callaway Supersoft, TaylorMade Speedsoft, and Srixon Soft Feel.
Every indication thus far suggests it’s among the softest handful of golf balls on the market right now. Frankly, that’s a smart play as golfers who play those balls tend to be sensitive to both feel and price.
And spin rates?
The compression value also provides a strong indicator of the spin characteristics. We’ll be able to put some hard numbers on this once we have some robot data, but given the realities of ultra-low compression, it’s safe to say it’s going to be among the lowest spinning balls on the market as well.
Diameter is interesting
We’ve noted before that ionomer/Surlyn-covered balls are almost invariably larger than their urethane counterparts. It’s one of the lesser-discussed downsides of ionomer balls. There is a performance advantage to a smaller ball (it’s why the USGA has a minimum size requirement), so it’s interesting that the diameter of the Amazon Core Soft is in line with what we’d typically see in a urethane offering. That is to say, it’s appreciably smaller than most ionomer balls.
In addition to offering a performance advantage, it also lends credence to the idea that the urethane molds are being reused.
Weight is unremarkable
The weight of the Amazon Core Soft ball falls squarely in the average range relative to everything else in our database. There’s not much to say about that beyond the fact that the Amazon ball isn’t heavy enough to risk breaking USGA rules, nor is it so light as to leave performance on the table.
More to Come
As I said, we’re working on pulling together a robot test to see how the Core Soft compares to other leading balls on the market. We’ll get that to you as soon as possible.
In the meantime, if you’ve played the new ball, let us know what you think.
The post Amazon’s $1 Golf Ball: Is It a Steal or a Total Disaster? Here’s What We Know So Far appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
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