The best glow-in-the-dark golf balls for a nighttime round

If you’re looking for a fresh way to play your favorite game and see the course in a whole new light, why not give nighttime golf a try? While you may struggle getting your rangefinder to ping the flag stick in the dark, courses across the country are no longer closing up shop when the sun goes down — they’re lighting up their putting greens with glow sticks instead. Golfers who want to try something a little different — and escape the daytime heat while doing so — are hitting the course at night for some casual fun. Some even sign up for night golf tournaments to scratch that competitive itch.

Whether you want to play a riveting game of night golf or earn bragging rights, your choice of glow-in-the-dark golf balls can make or break your experience. That’s why we’re shining a light on the best golf balls for nighttime.

Top 7 glow-in-the-dark golf balls

Staff favorite: GlowGear GlowV1 Night Golf Balls with UV Flashlight
Best runner-up: BattlePulse Glow in the Dark Golf Balls
Best brightness: Crestgolf Glow in the Dark Golf Balls
Best budget: Cipton Light Up Golf Balls Glow Led
Best quality: THIODOON Glow in the Dark Golf Balls
Best continuous glow: Night Eagle CV LED Golf Balls
Best UV-powered: R&L Glow Golf Balls

How we chose the best glow-in-the-dark golf balls

We did our homework to learn what customers are saying about the glow-in-the-dark golf balls they purchased and tried out for themselves. Based on online customer reviews, we compared each ball’s brightness, glow duration, and durability and considered how well each ball mimics the play of a normal golf ball. (After all, even casual night golfers want the practice they put in during the day to pay off after dark.)

Staff favorite: GlowGear GlowV1 Night Golf Balls with UV Flashlight

Staff favorite: GlowGear GlowV1 Night Golf Balls with UV Flashlight

$49.99 from www.amazon.com

Benefits
— Plays like a daytime golf ball
— Glow lasts up to 10 minutes
— Includes UV flashlight

Drawbacks
— Only available in 1 color

We’re ranking the GlowGear GlowV1 Night Golf Balls as the Best Overall because customers consistently praised both their responsiveness and brightness. In other words, the GlowGear GlowV1 balls are the most well-rounded of the bunch.

With their compression core and soft urethane skin, the GlowV1 balls are designed to maintain the energy transfer and shot distance you’d expect from tour-quality daytime balls. In fact, you can use the same club at night that you’d use during the day and expect a similar — if not identical — shot performance. On the glow side of the equation, the GlowV1 balls provide a consistently bright glow for up to 10 minutes.

And when you’re prepping for the first stroke of the night or need to recharge your ball midplay, the GlowV1 set comes with a UV flashlight that recharges the balls in under 60 seconds. The GlowV1 balls are available in sets of two, six, and 12.

Type: UV light | Colors: 1 | Duration: Up to 10 min.

Best runner-up: BattlePulse Glow in the Dark Golf Balls

Best runner-up: BattlePulse Glow in the Dark Golf Balls

$27.99 from www.amazon.com

Benefits
— Vibrant glow
— 50-hour battery life per ball
— Up to 10-minute duration time

Drawbacks
— All balls are the same color until lit

According to the manufacturer, the BattlePulse Glow in the Dark Golf Balls were tested alongside 12 other brands for brightness and were 30% brighter than the average ball. Plus, they’re water-resistant for those rainy nights on the course.

Customers routinely noted that their BattlePulse balls felt much like regular golf balls. Although a bit heavier, the three-layer design intends to give each ball a soft feel and add durability.

As far as LED glow-in-the-dark golf balls go, the BattlePulse balls come closest in recreating the same performance as a normal golf ball. Combine this performance with their intense brightness level and 10-minute duration time, and you have yourself a high-quality set of six glow-in-the-dark LED balls.

Type: LED | Colors: 6 | Duration: Up to 10 min.

Best brightness: Crestgolf Glow in the Dark Golf Balls

Best brightness: Crestgolf Glow in the Dark Golf Balls

$23.99 from www.amazon.com

Benefits
— Features 4 LED lights
— 4-layer design for performance
— 52-hour battery life

Drawbacks
— May damage driver clubs

The Crestgolf Glow in the Dark Golf Balls came in a very close third behind our Best Overall and Runner-Up picks. They’re the only LED balls on this list to feature a four-layer design intended to protect the electronic components (the two innermost layers), improve elasticity, and increase flight.

Another feature worth mentioning is that each ball’s surface color matches its LED light color. In other words, if a ball is blue, you know exactly which color its light will be before you activate it. Although these glow-in-the-dark golf balls lack in duration, their ultralight brightness and durability make them a worthy purchase.

Type: LED | Colors: 6 | Duration: 8 min.

Best budget: Cipton Light Up Golf Balls Glow Led

Best budget: Cipton Light Up Golf Balls Glow Led

$29.99 from golf-galaxy.selw.net

Benefits
— Budget-friendly
— Up to 60-hour battery life per ball
— Exceptionally bright

Drawbacks
— Durability is unknown
— Duration may vary

If you’re not looking to sink too much money into a pack of glow-in-the-dark golf balls but don’t want to throw quality to the wayside, check out the Cipton Light Up Golf Balls Glow Led in their three-pack option.

According to customer reviews, they’re surprisingly bright and stay consistently lit for the advertised eight-minute duration — with some customers reporting duration times of up to 13 minutes. We did, however, come across some mentions that the balls might sporadically stay lit for only a minute or two. (You can either tap the ball or strike it with your club to activate it.) 

One other drawback is that you won’t know how many hits to expect from each ball until you put them to the test. Still, aside from the typical trade-offs that come with swapping a UV golf ball for an LED one, Cipton is offering a pack of three exceptionally bright golf balls for about $20. Now that’s a deal you won’t want to miss.

Type: LED | Colors: 3 | Duration: 8 min.

Best quality: THIODOON Glow in the Dark Golf Balls

Best quality: THIODOON Glow in the Dark Golf Balls

$22.99 from rstyle.me

Benefits
— Rave reviews regarding the quality
— 8-minute duration time
— 40-hour battery life per ball

Drawbacks
— Rock-hard impact can damage some clubs
— May require playing at least 2 clubs up for the distance that matches a regular golf ball
— Unpleasant sound on impact when using drivers

No other glow-in-the-dark golf balls on our list have received the sheer number of customer reviews as the THIODOON Glow in the Dark Golf Balls. Out of the roughly 4,500 Amazon reviews, more than 80% have four or five stars. That’s a testament to consistent quality.

These balls receive high marks for their brightness and ease with which they can be found in the dark. While they include the drawbacks typical of LED light-up golf balls (increased weight, rock-hard impact, and an unpleasant sound), they’re designed to ensure you don’t lose sight of your shot’s trajectory — even in the dark.

Type: LED | Colors: 6 | Duration: 8 min.

Best continuous glow: Night Eagle CV LED Golf Balls

Best continuous glow: Night Eagle CV LED Golf Balls

$45.99 from www.amazon.com

Benefits
— No duration timer
— Light-activated
— 3-layer design to replicate regular balls

Drawbacks
— Short battery life
— Rock-hard impact
— Unpleasant sound when using driver

If you’re tired of having your glow-in-the-dark ball lose its UV glow or deactivate before you have a chance to retrieve it, check out the Night Eagle CV LED Golf Balls. These are continuous-voltage golf balls, meaning batteries continue to supply their LED lights with power until you manually deactivate them.

Customers report enjoying not feeling rushed to find or hit their ball before the light fades. They also appreciated the balls’ light-activation feature: When you want to activate or deactivate a ball, simply shine a light over its sensor.

Continuous voltage does mean shorter battery life, however. The Night Eagle CV LED Golf Balls last about 30 hours. That’s respectable, but it falls short of the battery life spans you’ll find elsewhere on this list — especially the Champkey Premium Glow Golf Balls. Still, if you want greater peace of mind knowing you can spot your ball in the dead of night, the Night Eagle CV LED Golf Balls are designed to give you just that.

Type: LED | Colors: 6 | Duration: Until deactivated

Best UV-powered: R&L Glow Golf Balls

Best UV-powered: R&L Glow Golf Balls

$13.95 from www.amazon.com

Benefits
— Fluorescent glow
— Plays like a daytime golf ball
— UV flashlight included

Drawbacks
— Glow may fade after 5 minutes
— Some cracking can occur after 30 hits
— Only available in 1 color

Typically speaking, a UV light-powered glow-in-the-dark golf ball can’t compete with an LED-lit ball when it comes to brightness. But R&L Glow Golf Balls give LEDs a run for their money, literally outshining other UV golf balls in a comparative test conducted by the manufacturer.

Based on the test results, the R&L Glow Golf Balls could very well be among the brightest in their category. And since they replicate the same construction and design as normal daytime golf balls, you get a club-accurate ball that’s easier to spot without the heft or rock-hard impact of their LED counterparts.

Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, the ball that burns twice as bright burns half as long — and customers can attest to that, noting this ball’s light can fade in as little as five minutes.

Type: UV light | Colors: 1 | Duration: 5-10 min.

Try your hand at nighttime golf 

We searched far and wide to bring you some of the best-reviewed glow-in-the-dark golf balls available today. Now, you’re one mighty leap closer to swinging your club well after the sun goes down. You may be wondering how to narrow this list down even more to find your ideal glow-in-the-dark golf ball. Don’t worry, we can help with that, too. Keep reading to learn what to consider when shopping for a glow-in-the-dark golf ball.

How to pick the right glow-in-the-dark golf ball for you

Choosing a glow-in-the-dark golf ball comes down to deciding whether you want a UV-light or LED-light golf ball. Both categories have their pros and cons across a few key factors, which we’ll touch on in this section. Considering these factors before you make a purchase, you’ll be more likely to get the glow-in-the-dark golf ball that’s right for you.

Performance

Golf balls lit by LED lights get their power from an internal battery source. This naturally changes the dynamics of the golf ball. It’s heavier and harder on your clubs, affecting your actual gameplay.

Meanwhile, UV-powered golf balls are essentially the same as daytime golf balls, protecting their fluorescent layers within an outer urethane skin. It’s these layers that absorb ultraviolet light and create the ball’s glow. If you don’t like the idea of losing 10, 15, or even 20 yards on your shot, glow-in-the-dark golf balls that utilize natural UV light are your best bet.

Brightness

LED-lit golf balls are typically far brighter than UV-lit balls. That’s because UV light escapes from the UV-lit balls when in use, while the batteries in LED golf balls provide a continuous source of energy when the ball is activated. If you care more about lighting up the sky and finding your ball with greater ease than retaining shot distance, lean toward buying LED-lit golf balls.

Duration

Duration is all about how long the ball stays lit. For a UV-lit golf ball, duration is the time between recharging it with a UV light source, like the flashlight that comes with each set of GlowGear GlowV1 Night Golf Balls. In the case of an LED-lit golf ball, duration is how long the ball stays lit (or “activated”) before an internal timer turns the LED light off to conserve battery life.

Manufacturers advertise duration times for UV-lit golf balls that are as short as five minutes and as long as 12 minutes, give or take. LED-lit golf balls have advertised duration times, typically ranging from eight to 10 minutes. (Or, in the case of the Night Eagle CV LED Golf Balls, no duration timer at all.)

But there’s a difference between the advertised duration times and actual duration times. That’s because how well a ball retains and releases UV light and how long a timer keeps an LED light activated can vary greatly in real-world use. Make sure to read customer reviews to get an accurate picture of duration times.

Durability

Because LED-lit golf balls pack more electronics and components, they’re less durable than UV-lit golf balls. As noted in some of our listings above, glow-in-the-dark LED golf balls can be more prone to cracking and malfunctioning. They also have a much shorter life span than traditional golf balls. On the other hand, UV-lit balls can be just as durable as daytime balls — and you don’t have to worry about a UV ball malfunctioning after a solid hit.

FAQ

How long do glow-in-the-dark golf balls last?

The duration of glow-in-the-dark golf balls is based on their light source: UV or battery-powered. Golf balls that use UV light can burn anywhere between five and 12 minutes, according to the advertised duration times we researched for this article. Once a UV-lit ball loses its glow, it can be recharged using a flashlight or other UV light source. 

Meanwhile, LED-lit golf balls use internal timers to turn off after a certain number of minutes, typically between eight and 10, after contact with a club. Each stroke of a club reactivates the LED light and resets the timer. When the battery is fully depleted, the ball will no longer be able to activate. An LED-lit golf ball can have a battery life of anywhere between 30 to 70-plus hours.

Are glow-in-the-dark golf balls any good?

Glow-in-the-dark golf balls make it possible to enjoy night golf. Whether a particular glow-in-the-dark golf ball is any good depends on your personal preferences. Fortunately, there’s a variety of glow-in-the-dark golf balls available that cater to everyone, from players who want to retain the feel and handling of a traditional golf ball to players who just want to hit the course after dark and have a little fun shooting lights across the sky.

Can you hit a glow-in-the-dark ball with a driver?

Yes, especially UV-lit golf balls. However, take caution when using a driver on an LED-lit golf ball. Because golf balls that glow in the dark using LED lights are heavier and denser than traditional golf balls, they can damage driver heads.