Golf Ball Covers Chart

Learn the Basics of Golf Ball Covers

Golf ball term “Cover”: The golf ball’s outer most layer. Typically made from urethane or a material called Surlyn, the cover is dimpled and has a major effect on the ball’s performance characteristics. Play a round or two with each ‘contender’ with different covers until you have decided which golf ball cover provides you with the correct performance characteristics.

The nice thing about purchasing golf balls, as opposed to a set of golf clubs, is that you don’t have to invest hundreds of dollars to put them into use in your game. If you settle on a specific golf ball, only to later decide that it isn’t quite right for your game, you can always make a switch the next time you need to buy a box. Also, you can always compare and test out golf balls that you find on the course to see which cover might work for best your game.

Category key Golf Ball Cover

Urethane Golf Ball Cover: Urethane is widely used as a cover material in Tour/Advanced/Performance balls. Softer and less durable than Surlyn, urethane enhances spin while providing a feel preferred by highly skilled players.

Surlyn Golf Ball Cover: An ionomer manufactured by DuPont, Surlyn is a popular cover material found on many golf balls. Surlyn is extremely durable and resilient. Balls made with Surlyn typically spin less than those made from urethane.

Ionomer Golf Ball Cover: A specific type of plastic (polymer) that is very durable and resilient. Surlyn is the best known and most widely used golf ball ionomer.