Last Updated on May 11, 2024 by Britt Olizarowicz

Years ago, the color of golf balls was a novelty. Today, things have changed, and golf ball color is viewed as more of a technological advancement than a novelty. In fact, some golfers swear by playing with yellow or green balls and are fully convinced that it has helped their game. If you are tired of white golf balls or simply want to know the best color golf ball for your game, you are in the right place. I will tell you that as a golf professional, I’m still a fan of the white golf ball, but every once in a while, I put the yellow or bright green ball into play, and it works out just fine. 

Which Golf Ball Color Is Best? 

The colors that are most visible and easiest for the human eye to see are typically bright and have a high wavelength. Colors like green and yellow are often the best; some would say they are better than white during daylight hours.

Green, in particular, falls around 555 nanometers on the spectrum, where the sensitivity of the human eye peaks. This makes it very visible on the golf course, even when it has to contrast with the green grass. 

If you are playing some twilight or early morning golf and the light is not overall strong, yellow stands out more prominently. If you have ever wondered why yellow was on road signs, it’s because it’s more visible at night; the same thing can be said for a high-visibility golf ball.

One thing to remember here is that color golf balls are really good for two reasons – visibility and increased concentration. 

Some players find that playing with a colored ball helps them focus and really dial in right before they swing. Others are looking for the most visible color to avoid losing more balls on the course. Outside of that playing with a color ball is just a matter of personal preference. It’s not going to fly further or spin more simply because you have a colored golf ball in play.

Golf Ball Color Options

In addition to golf balls being offered in different colors, some models have unique patterns or designs on the ball. Again, the only difference you should note between most of these golf balls is their color, but double check to make sure the cover material and internal components are the same. 

Here is what you should know about some of the different golf ball color options you can choose from. 

White 

The traditional golf ball color. It’s highly visible and gives a more classic look. The standard white gofl ball is highly visible against green grass in most conditions. Some golfers find it to produce too much glare on sunny days. 

Yellow

​Yellow is one of the most highly visible colors for the human eye. As far as bright colors are concerned, yellow really stands out from others. The only time you’ll have a hard time seeing a yellow ball is when the background is yellow. Some players have struggled with this in the sand, but the standard white golf ball doesn’t show up all that well in the sand either. 

Orange

Orange is quite visible thanks to its brightness and the fact that it stands out so well against green and blue. The only time golfers struggle with the orange balls is when they are paying in the fall. Orange golf balls tend to blend in a little too well with leaves and debris from trees, making them hard to find. 

Green

At first green seems like it’s not a good choice against all the green you find on a golf course. However, the bright green golf balls are very high visibility golf balls. I found these to be some of the easiest to see. Do not however, choose a dark green golf ball or even some of those mint green ones can be difficult to find. 

Pink

Pink tends to be a standard for women golfers. Manufacturers make pink balls for women as if the standard white golf ball was not fun enough. The contrast is good, but it’s not like yellow golf balls or even the bright green. If you are a woman golfer looking for better visibility but a variety of colors, consider yellow or green instead. 

Red 

Red is bright, but it’s terrible on the golf course. I recently tried some red golf balls in a matte finish and could not find them. My eye site is generally quite good, but these were terrible to try and find. If you are playing in a tournament or have a hard time following your golf ball- stay away from red. 

Blue 

In addition to red being terrible, I also really struggled with the blue ball. When you follow the line of your golf ball, most of it is against the blue sky. You’ll lose these golf balls quite easily and have a hard time picking them up again. It comes as no surprise to me that professional golfers are not using the blue golf ball in their golf game. 

How Do Golf Sunglasses Play Into This?

I always wear sunglasses on the golf course. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to see any of my tee shots or approaches. However, certain sunglasses reduce the visibility of the golf ball.

If you wear sunglasses with polarized lenses, you may have a hard time seeing darker-colored golf balls. As bad as I said the red and blue golf balls were, it gets worse when you have polarized sunglasses on.  

Are Colored Golf Balls Worth It?

If you have yet to play with a colored golf ball and are still using traditional white balls, try a few rounds with a colored golf ball. Start with yellow or green and see if you find it easier to keep track of your golf ball. I’ll admit that it took an adjustment period for me.

I thought of these colored golf balls as novelty or even range golf balls when I started using them.

Once I moved past the psychological factors, I found it easier to stay focused on the ball and certainly easier to find it when it’s in the rough. Ball manufacturers are going to keep playing with the concept of the best golf ball color. It’s worth taking some time to test this concept and see if you like it.

Do I think it’s going to save you a ton of strokes – probably not.