Illegal golf balls. Sounds so illegal. They are just golf balls that are not allowed in tournaments.

But it’s essential not to take the game too seriously. You may burn out and give up on the game altogether if you do. And we understand this. We know that sometimes you want to let loose on the course and watch your drives fly – rules be damned.

So in today’s review, we’ll look at the best illegal golf balls on the market and answer some frequently asked questions about these types of balls.

Definition: ILLEGAL GOLF BALLS

First of all, what is an illegal golf ball? Most golf balls are manufactured in strict accordance with PGA rules and standards. The PGA does its best to make the playing field as level as possible for official tournaments.

This means not using any material that could give a player an unfair advantage. And illegal balls are just that: an unfair advantage. Of course, it’s only unfair if you’re playing in an official amateur or professional tournament.

Outside of these official settings, “unfair” translates into much fun. These balls are generally banned because they are made to give you more distance. Some balls also help to correct hooks and slices on their own.

Some illegal balls can add up to 50 feet to your shots. Of course, there are some problems with illegal balls. While they are fun for casual play, they won’t do anything to improve your game. If you use them too often, they may even hurt your game.

Second, extra distance and slice correction usually coincide with a lack of playability on the green.

 

1. VOLVIK 2020 MAGMA GOLF BALLS – THE BEST CHOICE

• 90% compression ratio
• 3-piece construction
• Ionomer cover

These Volviks are our top choice because they offer complete performance.

Not only were we able to get an extra 10 yards on our drives, but these balls were straightforward to hit. Whether it was from the tee or a problematic lie, we were able to hit these balls far and high.

And that’s partly due to the wider design of these balls. The larger surface area, which features 432 wide dimples, gives you lift when needed. These balls take off high while providing a smooth feel.

Benefits:

• Available in 2 colors
• Resilient cover
• For all swing speeds

Disadvantages :

• Poor feel on the green
• Not the longest balls

 

2. 2-PIECE POLARA SELF-CORRECTING GOLF BALLS (BEST PREMIUM)

• 2-piece construction
• High compression
• Fine coverage

If hooking and slicing seem to be your main problems, these balls will be a pleasure to play for you.

The dual-core provides exceptional balance while the ball is in flight and at impact.

These balls reduce the slice angle by about 75%, which is pretty impressive. That’s also why they’re #2 on our list… and that’s also why they’re illegal.

One of the reasons these Polara balls reduce hooking and slicing so much is that they prevent spin.

They were designed to have a less overall aerodynamic lift, which allows them to hold their lines better.

We liked how these balls performed off the tee and down the fairway.

We could have used a little more spin with our wedges, and the lower apex height was also an issue on approaches.

Pros:

• They fly very straight
• Easy alignment cues
• They minimize lateral spin

Disadvantages:

• Not great on approaches
• They are a bit expensive

 

3. MG GOLF BALLS

• Low compression ratio
• Durable coating
• 2-piece construction

 

But seniors aren’t the only players who could benefit from playing with these balls.

They take off from the clubface very quickly and provide a soft feel.

We noticed that they picked up more ball speed at the point of impact, even when using drivers and stiff flex woods.

The dimple pattern also helps reduce lateral spin, but not as well as the number two on our list.

And you get a good feel on the green, which is undoubtedly a bonus for a non-conforming ball designed for distance.

Pros:

• Ideal for senior players
• Affordable
• Comes in an easy-to-spot neon yellow color

Disadvantages:

• Pretty useless for faster swing speeds
• It can’t be monogrammed

 

4. BANDIT GOLF BALLS MAXIMUM DISTANCE

• Lithium Surlyn cover material
• 2-piece construction
• Medium compression

If you’re looking for a ball that strikes a good balance between distance and shot correction, these balls will work for you (no pun intended).

The core of these Bandit balls is genuinely the best. They feature a progressive synthetic rubber core and a metal jacket.

The result is a ball that carries almost all energy from the clubface to the ball flight. And they’re very stable.

You point in the direction you want to go, and they hold their line surprisingly well, even on high arc shots.

The aerodynamic dimples also provide a good amount of control and maneuverability. And we were able to get reasonable spin control with our shorter wedges and irons, which was very impressive.

Pros:

• Surprisingly maneuverable
• Reasonable distance/performance balance
• Synthetic cover

Disadvantages:

• They have a weird sound
• Only one color

 

5. KAEDE FLY DISTANCE GOLF BALLS (HALF DOZEN) 6 BALLS OF 2 COLORS

• 2-piece construction
• Extended dimple coverage
• Low compression

These may be the unique illegal golf balls we’ve ever come across. For starters, there are only 270 dimples.

And they all have an elongated oval shape. So what does this do to the flight of the ball? It reduces the drag significantly.

And as you can imagine, reduced drag equals slightly higher ball speed. And that’s precisely what we’ve achieved with these balls.

They take off low off the tee, which maximizes distance. They also come in quirky colors for all the “out of the ordinary” golfers.

The inner core of these balls is large enough to improve the bounce at impact to maintain as much inertia as possible.

Pros:

• Unique colors
• They reduce drag
• Low flight

Disadvantages:

• Expensive for 6 balls
• Spin control is close to zero

 

6. SAINTNINE X GOLF BALLS (ONE DOZEN)

• 3-piece construction
• 90 percent compression ratio
• Ionomer cover

The first thing you’ll notice about these balls is that they’re smaller and heavier than your average golf ball.

As you can imagine, these balls were designed for distance, so they are suitable for any player looking to add 10-20 yards to their drives.

The extra weight and smaller size also allow for surprisingly good spin control in shorter irons and wedges.

Pros:

• They have a great sound
• They hold their line well
• You get unmatched flight stability

Cons:

• Better for faster swing speeds
• The cover is not very durable

 

 

7. BANDIT SB (SMALL BALL TECHNOLOGY) GOLF BALLS – DOZEN

• High compression
• Synthetic cover
• 2-piece construction

These Bandit balls look like the Saintnine balls that are number 6 on our list.

They are smaller than average and very firm. They are only 1.65″ in diameter. There are also 338 aerodynamic dimples on the lid.

As you would imagine, with a smaller, heavier ball, they fly pretty straight and have low apex heights.

They also produce slightly less resistance than the average bullet on almost all shots, which is one of the reasons they are illegal.

Most importantly, these bullets were designed to increase distance. And they do that quite well, as we averaged 8-10 yards from the tee and fairway.

That said, they performed very well with our longer irons.

Pros:

• Expanded core
• Good energy transfer
• Low drag

Cons:

• A little expensive
• They offer very little control of the effects.

 

8. POLARA XDS 3-PIECE GOLF BALLS (PACK OF 12)

• 3-piece construction
• Ionomer cover
• 80% compression ratio

We end our list with another Polara offering that offers a little less hook and slice correction but a little more distance and loft.

Right off the bat, we’d say these balls are more for players who care about distance.

Some are deeper, and some are shallower, which allows for better mass distribution. These balls come off the tee, with the heavier pole of the ball acting as a guide and the lighter pole holding the line.

This asymmetrical design/distribution of the dimples on the ball allows for a low-lift, low-drag effect, making them surprisingly maneuverable.

Pros:

• Better spin control
• Better for approaches
• Comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee

Disadvantages:

• They offer less slice and hook correction
• A bit expensive

 

Conclusion

Our final thoughts are: if you’re going to play with illegal balls, you might as well use the best illegal balls. In our list, we’ve tried to cover the needs of a wide range of casual golfers.

Whether you need better slice/hook correction or struggle with distance, you’ll find the perfect ball for your game on our list.

And one of the common attributes of all the balls we’ve listed today is that they save your course time.

It’s never fun to put a game behind you, and all the balls on our list have helped us play at a faster pace. So please pick them up for your occasional game.