COLORED BALLS

Colored golf balls date back to early golfers who painted their balls to improve visibility, but the first mass-produced colored balls were introduced by Wilson in 1923 in yellow and orange. After white became the industry standard, Spalding launched yellow balls in the 1970s, leading to modern high-visibility colored balls, with companies like Volvik successfully bringing them to the professional market in the 1980s and later. 

Early history and the rise of white

Early days: Before modern manufacturing, golfers painted their feathery balls with white paint to make them easier to see against the grass.

Early colored balls: In 1923, Wilson introduced the first mass-produced colored golf balls, the Hol-Hi Ball, in canary yellow and oriole orange. These were not very successful, and the market favored white balls.

White's dominance: White became the dominant color due to production costs and its strong contrast against green fairways and blue skies. The advent of television further cemented white balls in the public eye, as they looked crisp on screen. 

The resurgence of color
1970s innovation: The 1970s saw the introduction of new materials and manufacturing techniques that allowed for vibrant colors without sacrificing performance, with Spalding releasing the first yellow ball in 1971.

Tour visibility: In the 1980s, Wilson tried again with tour-level colored golf balls. Wayne Levi won the Hawaiian Open using an orange ball in 1982, and Jerry Pate won THE PLAYERS Championship with an orange ball in the same year, briefly boosting sales.

Modern era: While many professional golfers still prefer white, high-visibility colored golf balls are now widely available from many manufacturers. 

Companies like Volvik have built a business around them, and other companies, such as Chromax, have developed high-visibility, tournament-approved colored balls.

Today: Colored balls are popular for their visibility, which helps players track them in flight and find them more easily in the rough. They also offer a way for golfers to express their personality on the course. 

We offer different models of used COLORED golf balls in three different grades – mint-condition golf balls (AAAAA/5A), near-mint condition (AAAA/4A) and value-condition (AAA/3A). Golf ball performance tests show no appreciable difference in game performance between new and mint-quality COLORED golf balls. Read more.