How much do golf balls weigh? Here’s everything you need to know

When it comes to golf balls, there’s a lot to wrap our heads around. From best practices for choosing the right golf ball, to the correct way to clean golf balls, to golf ball rules and regulations and beyond, it’s a topic we could spend weeks discussing. But this guide deals specifically with one question: How much do golf balls weigh?

Below we’ve addressed several big questions when it comes to golf ball weight. So let’s get to it.

What’s the maximum legal weight for golf balls in ounces?

When it comes to golf equipment, both amateurs and pros alike are required to only use gear approved for use by the game’s two primary governing organizations, the USGA and R&A. These entities set rules and regulations for all golf equipment, balls included, and they also review new golf equipment to make sure it meets the required specifications.

One of those specifications is golf ball weight. The USGA and R&A have set a rule by which no golf ball can weigh more than 1.62 ounces (or 45.93 grams). Any ball that exceeds that weight is considered non-conforming and not allowed to be used by any golfer. But there is a lot of variation beneath that maximum weight, as we address below.

Is there a minimum golf ball weight?

While the maximum weight for a golf ball is 1.62 ounces, there is no legal minimum weight for golf balls. Essentially, golf balls can weigh as little as a manufacturer wants to make them, as long as they follow all the other required regulations.

Balls

And we can see this in the modern golf ball market. While no legal balls exceed 1.62 ounces, golf ball weight does differ from model to model. For example, you could have one golf ball that weighs 1.58 ounces and another than weighs 1.61 ounces. That being said, weights of golf balls don’t differ much more than a few hundredths of an ounce.

Do heavy golf balls go farther?

In short, yes, heavier golf balls tend to fly farther. But it’s a little more complicated than that. While a heavier ball will provide more momentum, if it’s also bigger in diameter, then the increased drag could make it fly shorter.

Additionally, heavier balls can produce more inconsistent results. And as stated previously, golf balls heavier than 1.62 ounces are considered non-conforming and players are prohibited from using them.

Can golf balls be too big?

There is no maximum limit for a golf ball size in terms of diameter. However, there is a minimum size. No golf ball is allowed to have a diameter smaller than 1.68 inches (or 42.67 mm.)

That has not always been the case though. In the past, the USGA and R&A had different minimum sizes for golf balls, with the R&A setting the floor at a much smaller 1.62 inches. Pros playing primarily in the U.S. would often switch to a smaller ball for the Open Championship every year.

But in 1990, the USGA and R&A agreed to a uniform minimum ball size of 1.68 inches. Since then, all pros and amateurs have been bound to that minimum size.

Do pro golfers use same balls as amateurs?

Yes, as of right now, pro golfers use the same golf balls as the rest of us. While PGA Tour players often use the most expensive, premium offerings from their preferred company, they are the same balls you can buy.

In 2023, the USGA & R&A were considering creating a Model Local Rule that pro tournaments could adopt that would force players to use a golf ball that doesn’t fly as far as current ball models, while recreational golfers would continue to use the current models.

But reaction to that plan was negative, so the governing bodies came up with a new idea: create new golf ball specifications so that all golfers, pro and amateur, would have to use golf balls that don’t go as far.