Are Golf Balls Hollow? [Look Inside A Golf Ball]

Whether we’re buying them, using them or losing them, golf balls are one of the most important pieces of equipment a golfer can own.

But as a golfer, one of the questions I get asked most about playing golf by my non-golf mates is “Are golf balls hollow?”.

It’s certainly not obvious, when you take a look at a golf ball, whether or not it’s hollow or not. So, in this article, we’ll take a look inside a golf ball and see whether it’s hollow or solid.

Are Golf Balls Hollow Or Solid?

Are Golf Balls Hollow?

The inside of a golf ball is not hollow and is actually solid, usually with a range of different types of core.

The reason golf manufacturers don’t make a golf ball hollow because they’re designed to be hit a long distance, but also offer a level of control on golf shots from shorter distances. Hollow golf balls wouldn’t be a good weight for a golf ball because they’d be too light.

Here’s a look at the inside of a Druids golf ball.

Most golf balls are solid and usually range from a 2-piece to a 5-piece core. The inner core is made up of a selection of rubber to create a solid rubber core.

The outer core of the golf ball cover is made using either a Surlyn or Urethane cover.

Two-piece golf balls tend to be a little harder and are designed for distance rather than feel and spin.

The outer cover on these two-piece balls is Surlyn which is also a material more commonly used in distance golf balls such as the Srixon Distance which features a thin ionomer cover material.

The more high-end golf balls tend to be three-piece golf balls such as the Titleist Pro V1 and four-piece golf balls such as the Titleist Pro V1x.

A five-piece golf ball is also available such as the Taylormade TP5 and TP5x, however, five-piece balls are far less common.

These premium golf balls are traditionally designed for the better golfer with higher swing speed, offering a great feel on shots and better levels of control from around the greens.

This is because better players are more interested in how they can get the golf ball close to the flag, rather than hitting it as far as possible.

A modern golf ball also has a cover which includes many dimples, which allows it to travel further and straighter. They also feature a number, which is used to help identify the ball.

Were Golf Balls Ever Hollow?

Modern golf balls have come a long way from where they were when golf was invented all those years ago.

Although golf balls have never actually been hollow, the original versions were closer to being hollow than the balls of today and it’s taken plenty of different golf balls to get to the standard of today’s ball.

Golf started with wooden golf balls, however, this quickly moved to feathery golf balls made from a leather cover filled with goose feathers. Although packed together tightly, the feathers never were never anything overly solid, and certainly, not quite like the four-piece golf ball we see today.

Following on from the feathery golf ball, other versions such as the gutta-percha and a wound ball were used which again weren’t hollow and were built with solid construction.

During the gutta-percha, which were golf balls made from a solid piece of sap, golfers discovered that the more used the ball was, the easier it became to use. The playing characteristics were far better compared to a smooth ball, with more distance and straighter flights.

This was when the first dimple pattern was introduced on the golf ball and dimple patterns have since been a key element of the golf ball we see today.

Final Thoughts

Golf balls have come a long way over the years, however, they’ve only ever been solid rather than hollow.

The wooden balls of old are a far cry from the two-piece golf ball, even up to the six-piece golf balls which we see nowadays.

Golf ball manufacturers create balls which fit all sorts of golfers, from more spin to greater distance and none of them are made with a hollow core.

FAQs

What is inside a golf ball?

Modern golf balls are typically made using a rubber core with a Surlyn or Urethane thin outer cover. The overall construction usually ranges from two-piece golf balls up to six-piece golf balls.