What I love about it
- Feel: Hitting this ball feels fantastic because it is situated on the softer end of the scale.
- Durability: Normal use warrants pretty good durability. However, it scratches easily upon impact with a tree/path.
- Color: The vivid white color contrasts nicely with the green.
- Green Spin: Compared to more expensive covers, the TaylorMade Noodle Long and Soft golf balls perform noticeably better on the green.
- Distance: This ball is not a distance ball. There’s a noticeable decrease in distance (approximately 3-5% less) when compared to Titleist ProV-1% or Bridgestone Tour B RX, my usual ball. This ball can be played, but it’s important to know that you’re leaving that extra 5% on the table to cut the cost in half, which is worth taking into account.
Noodle Golf Balls Review: Long and Soft Performance
Let’s focus on the crux of this story:
I used inexpensive Noodle Long and Soft golf balls to play a $400 round of golf at TPC Sawgrass (which will cost over $600 in 2023!).
And I don’t regret it for a second.
If you’re a scratch golfer, these balls won’t provide you with the feel and performance of a Pro V1.
But the reality is, my game is far from consistent. Tour-level balls give me more feel, spin, and control when I’m playing at my best.
However, the ball frequently has very little bearing on my performance and score.
The Noodle’s unexpectedly good feel right off the tee, however, caught me off guard.
I felt great about the 86 I shot at Sawgrass in the end. The back 9 in particular was quite stellar.
Still, I thought the ball compressed nicely and that using it didn’t cause me to lose any distance. The ball, in my opinion, truly lived up to its name—it was long and soft.
See this summary of my 18-hole round at TPC Sawgrass from Arccos Golf:
275, straight down the middle. 8 iron to 5 feet.
I missed the putt, but that’s beside the point.
I really thought I had a lot of control over my shots, and they weren’t at all like the cheap balls you usually see.
Hitting cheap Top Flites or range balls can make it feel like you’re hitting a large, dimpled rock.
That isn’t the case with the Noodle golf balls. Drives and irons felt good, and while they certainly don’t give you quite the feel of say pure-ing a tour ball, it was much better than expected, and on par with some mid-range balls in the $30-35 a dozen range. Best Cheap Golf Balls
I was surprised by how good these balls were. Now, its all relative, theyre no Tour-level ball. However, these will do just fine for the average golfer who does not have a single-digit handicap at this price.
What I was looking for
I usually play a Bridgestone Tour B RX, but it hurts to lose a $50 box of golf balls in a week during the first few months of the season or when I’m not hitting the ball well and losing shots in the woods or water. I therefore wanted a cheap golf ball that is durable and performs better than its price range.
