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The 2025 MyGolfSpy Golf Ball Test presented by UNRL confirmed that while driver spin differences are often subtle, spin becomes a much larger performance separator between irons and wedges. The data below highlights which golf balls produced the highest spin rates at each swing speed in both the driver and mid-iron portions of testing.

A final section covers wedge spin, where the test found the biggest gaps of all.

What does high spin mean (and what does it do for you)?

In MyGolfSpy’s 2025 Golf Ball Test, spin proved to be one of the biggest factors affecting how a golf ball flies and stops. Higher spin creates more lift and a steeper descent angle, helping approach shots land softer and hold the green. It also adds control for players who want to shape shots or manage trajectory.

Off the driver, lower spin can help tighten dispersion and add roll, while higher spin can increase carry and height for golfers who need more lift.

The test confirmed that spin differences are subtle off the tee but become far more significant with irons and wedges. The biggest differences were seen on short shots, where high-spin urethane balls can generate nearly 4,000 more rpm than the lowest-spinning models.

In the 2025 Golf Ball Test presented by UNRL, the Titleist Pro V1 served as our calibration ball and, as expected, it performed exceptionally well. At 5,689 rpm of spin off the 35-yard wedge, it remains one of the most balanced golf balls on the market.

But that doesn’t mean it spun the most.

Several balls in our 2025 test produced more greenside spin than the Pro V1, offering serious short-game bite and control. Here’s a look at the models that topped it in the 35-yard wedge test and how they performed across the rest of the bag.

Maxfli Tour X

The Maxfli Tour X outspun Pro V1 on the 35-yard wedge (5,948 rpm). It also ranked among the fastest off the driver and was the mid-speed driver distance leader. While keeping driver spin on the lower side, the Tour X is a rare mix of speed, distance and short-game stopping power. Tour X stayed stable through the irons, creating a consistent flight without needing a towering launch.

Vice Pro Plus

The Vice Pro Plus beat the Pro V1 on the 35-yard wedge (5,823 rpm). At high speed, it sat firmly in the low-spin driver category. The pairing of low driver spin and above-average wedge spin makes it one of the few balls that can help off the tee and still check up around the green.

My wife and I are expecting our first child about five weeks from now.

One of my first thoughts early on in the pregnancy was, “I can’t wait to get him his first set of golf clubs.”

That had me racking my brain about my first set of clubs as a youngster. They were cut-down PING i2s my dad played back in the day. Even though the height was right, the weight was out of whack. It was like trying to swing a dumbbell.

I would soon get junior clubs but not until nine years old when I confirmed I was interested.

I wonder how many kids have been given hand-me-down clubs and given up golf completely because making contact with the ball was too hard. Fortunately, I kept going, but there must be many who are too frustrated to continue.

I’m a faithful follower of the Groucho Marx School of private clubs.

I would never want to belong to a club that would have someone like me as a member.

That said, I’m not sure how I feel about the private courses in the Southworth stable of golf clubs. The Boston-based golf community developer/operator has recently instituted a formal, written “No A-Holes” policy for its properties.

Yes, you read that correctly. No A-Holes. You can fill in the missing letters.

Why am I ambiguous? Well, if I applied and they let me in, I’d have to apply Groucho’s law. If I applied and they didn’t let me in, well…

We hear so many conflicting stories about the state of the golf industry as we steam toward the close of 2025.

No one is happy about pricing. On that we can agree. However, we hear from industry sources that year-to-date sales are up eight percent through the end of August. We also hear that those numbers reflect dollars, not actual volume.

Depending on with whom you talk and what their angle is, it’s either unicorns and show ponies or that impending doom is right around the corner.

Folks, neither is true.

As you know, we faithfully follow the quarterly reports from Acushnet and Topgolf Callaway, golf’s two biggest publicly traded beasts. The cool thing about reading those reports is that numbers don’t lie. Rosey scenarios aside, the numbers are the numbers.

You’re on the range with the driver in hand. You set up with perfect posture, rotate back smoothly, then fire through impact. The ball starts left and hooks into the next area code.

The issue isn’t your swing path or your grip. Your upper body lunged forward during the downswing, pulling everything left. You’ve heard the advice a hundred times: “Stay behind the ball.” So, on next swing, you consciously hold your head back. Now you’re stuck on your right foot, the club bottoms out three inches behind the ball, and you’ve just hit a weak push that travels 210 yards instead of 250.

Same intent. Opposite problems.

Why “stay behind the ball” backfires

The advice itself isn’t wrong. The interpretation is. Most golfers hear “stay behind the ball” and think it means keeping their head motionless and their weight on their back foot through impact. So they freeze their upper body, preventing any forward pressure shift.

What actually happens: Keeping your head locked in place while your lower body tries to rotate creates a reverse spine angle. Your club reaches the ball while your weight’s still on your trail foot. Your hands flip to compensate. You either hit it fat or produce weak contact with an early release. Hip rotation stops. Distance drops 15 yards. Contact gets inconsistent.

Rory McIlroy has had a long, successful year. He could put a great bow on it in Dubai this weekend, so long as two players don't stop him.

The post Rory McIlroy closes in on 1 of his top goals. Will anyone get in his way? appeared first on Golf.

Plus, Luke Donald's considering a Ryder Cup trifecta and sounds interested in returning to Captain at Adare Manor. And Mickelson hires a defamation attorney as more embarrassing chats revealed.

Ben Griffin won for the third time this PGA Tour season at the World Wide Technology Championship with a new putter in the bag.

The post Ben Griffin’s clubs: Inside his WWT Championship-winning bag appeared first on Golf.

As I sat in my living room and watched the first of many flakes of snow fall to kick off a rabid Michigan winter, it was nice to live vicariously through those competing at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico. In a day filled top to bottom with football, the action at El Cardonal in Los Cabos was perfect for a bit of second screen watching.

Most golf tournaments are described as a marathon, not a sprint. You want to pace yourself, take it one shot at a time and not run out of gas. Not this week, though. This was an all out sprint. As Andy Jankowiak said so eloquently during the Daytona 500 last year, golfers like Ben Griffin had to “put the pedal to the floor and not lift it until they see God or a checkered flag”. 

This period of the year is where the middle-of-the-pack PGA Tour player is looking to cement his status for 2026. Golfers like Sami Valimaki took advantage of this week and vaulted themselves safely inside the all important top 100 to secure their card for next year. 

Then you have guys at the other end of the spectrum, like Ben Griffin, who walked away this week with his third win of the season (and of his career). He now joins Scottie Scheffler (6) and Rory McIlroy (3) as the only golfers to win three or more times on Tour this year.

Being named in a group with those 2 guys can only mean you’re doing good stuff. 

Ben Griffin avoided the mistakes that slowed his two challengers Sunday and rolled in three long birdie putts for a 9-under 63 to win the World Wide Technology Championship for his third PGA Tour title of the season.

LIV Golf's sudden change is made with multiple reasons in mind. We debate about who stands to benefit from it most.

The post Tour Confidential: What’s behind LIV’s major change? Does it help? appeared first on Golf.

When Ben Griffin won for a third time this year, he ascended to a level only Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have matched this year.

The post Ben Griffin joins Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy in rare air Sunday appeared first on Golf.

On this week's episode of GOLF's Fully Equipped, Callaway's Johnny Thompson recalls stories from working on Phil Mickelson's golf clubs.

The post What was it like working on Phil Mickelson’s golf clubs? | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

Tiger Woods' former caddie Steve Williams witnessed historic feats by the 15-time major champion, but one Tiger gesture surprised him most.

The post ‘He was remarkable’: Why Tiger Woods’ kind gesture shocked his ex-caddie appeared first on Golf.

Tour Edge Golf is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their Exotics lineup with a brand new complete family of products. Let's test it out.

The post Let’s make Tour Edge great again | New Tour Edge Exotics for 2026 appeared first on Golf.

Nasa Hataoka won the Toto Japan Classic on the first playoff hole after the final 18 holes were washed out by all-day rain and what officials termed "unplayable course conditions."

Aaron Rai made a birdie on the first playoff hole to beat Tommy Fleetwood and win the Abu Dhabi Championship.

Here's the total 2025 World Wide Technology purse, payout breakdown and winner's share for this week's event at El Cardonal.

The post 2025 World Wide Technology Championship purse: Payout breakdown, winner’s share appeared first on Golf.

In a dramatic finish in Abu Dhabi, a pro left off the European Ryder Cup team narrowly defeated Tommy Fleetwood and a charging Rory McIlroy.

The post Ryder Cup snub narrowly tops Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy in Abu Dhabi appeared first on Golf.