What Do the Numbers on Golf Balls Mean?

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm PGA member Jay Golden, talking about the numbers on a golf ball, and what they mean. First, I'll say what they don't mean. They don't mean that the ball is a different weight, or a different size, or that the dimple pattern is different. If it's the same ball out of the same package, they'll have different numbers, and basically, the reason that a ball has different numbers, is so that you know your ball. For example, I have two balls here, both of them made by the company Srixon, and they both have a number 1 on them. Well, let's say that I'm playing with someone, and I say on the first tee, I have a Srixon 1, and he said, Well I also have a Srixon 1. We would not know whose ball is who, unless we put another identifiable mark, which is generally a dot or two dots on the ball. Another reason that you say the number ball, is that if I say I have a Srixon 1, and someone says, Oh, I also have a Srixon, but it's a Srixon 3. In that case, we would know whose ball is who, because if you hit the wrong ball, it's a two stroke penalty. Another reason that there are numbers on the ball, let's say you hit a ball that is near out of bounds, and you want to hit a provisional ball. You might say, Well, I'm hitting a Srixon 1, but this time I'm going to hit a Srixon 3, and the reason you don't want the same number on the different balls, is that when you get there, if one is a little out of bounds, and the other one is a little in bounds, which one is your original ball? Actually, according to the rules, you would have to declare both of them lost, go back to the tee, and you're hitting your fifth shot, so there's no real reason for numbers, except for identification purposes. Other people put marks on the ball. Sometimes you might feel that you play better with a certain number. I used to like Titleist 8, and I would do every thing I could, to get as many eights as I could on my golf ball. A lot of people will have a favorite number, and that's it. Pick your favorite number, put different marks on them, to make sure you're hitting your ball."