We put Amazon’s ultra-cheap Core Soft golf ball head-to-head Callaway Supersoft using a robot. The results may surprise you.
When the Amazon Basics golf ball hit the market, there weren’t many details — at least not nearly as much as you’d get from a mainstream OEM.
Between Amazon and the USGA conform list, we were able to confirm that the Core Soft is a two-piece ball (ionomer cover), likely manufactured in the same factory as Kirkland and PXG’s offerings, and whether or not it was suitable for “ALL USE” Amazon claims, there’s no argument that it’s dirt-free.
At $14.49 for a dozen or just over $24 for a two-dozen pack, the Amazon ball is one of the most affordable golf balls on the market. If saving money is all that matters, Amazon is hard to beat. But for players interested in learning a little more about Amazon Basics Core Soft and how it works, we decided to dig deeper (and do some testing).
With two-piece construction, it will never be mistaken for one For V1 (or even one Kirkland’s signature). Perhaps the most interesting detail about the Amazon ball is its compression. On our gauge, it measures 55, which puts it among the softest on the market and just a few points stronger than Callaway Supersoft.
Supersoft stands out not only for its (super) soft compression, but also for being the best-selling two-piece ball on the market (by many).
Amazon Basics Core Soft: The Value Alternative to Supersoft?
While most DTC and house brands aim openly For V1 or to Pro V1xAmazon seems to have taken a different approach. To the best of my recollection, Amazon Basics Core Soft is the first DTC to offer (apparently) intentional competition with the market leader in the soft category.
It’s an interesting strategy given the inherent constraints on prices (they have to be cheap), but thinking (and all the evidence so far) suggests that Amazon can make up for what should be extremely tight margins with high volume.
Since their launch, Core Soft has been out of stock as often as not, so it looks like Amazon might be on to something.
To be sure, I’m not entirely convinced that the golfer spends less than $13 for a dozen Amazon balls or less than $25 for a dozen Supersofts is making a lot of decisions based on performance. Still, we thought it made sense to see how Amazon Basics Core Soft stacks up against the market leader in the category.
Let’s dig into the data.
About the test
For this test, we hit the Amazon Basics Core Soft side by side with the Callaway Supersoft.
The data were collected with Trackman (drivers and irons) and GCQuad forecast (wedge).
While we do our larger three-speed ball tests, for this smaller test, the driver speed was set at 100 mph. The irons were tested at 80 mph, while the wedge test was designed to replicate a greenside shot of about 25 yards.
As I’ve noted before, we’ll often use these smaller ball tests as an opportunity to experiment with different bot environments and sticks. This time, we used an iron model (Srixon ZX5) previously we only used lower speeds. Our distance to the green was also slightly shorter.
Driver details
| Club | BALL | Ball Speed (mph) | Launch angle (degrees) | Rotational Speed (RPM) | Maximum height (yards) | Descent angle | Keep yards | Total yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | Amazon Basics | 146.00 | 13.43 | (1945 | 24.26 | 29.65 | 235.59 | 273.06 |
| Driver | Callaway Supersoft | 145.73 | 13.34 | 1972 | 25.04 | 30.40 | 241.96 | 277.63 |
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Observations:
- The first thing you’ll notice is that there is very little difference between the two balls off the driver.
- Differences in speed, launch angle, spin and height are minimal and not statistically significant.
- In the conditions tested, the driver spin for both balls is extremely low and may be unplayable for some golfers.
- Supersoft has the edge in carry and total yards, but a good portion of that can be traced to a single shot with the Amazon Basics Core Soft that flew significantly shorter. There is no evidence that wind was a factor, nor is there anything in the records to suggest a misreading.
- The most likely culprit is an aerodynamic shortcoming caused by spoiling the dimples (uneven paint or similar manufacturing defect.
Driver distribution and stability
Observations:
The observed Amazon cuckoo ball is evident in the distribution pattern which shows greater variation in front-back distance. Beyond that, the actual distribution areas (square wards) are nearly identical.
The firing patterns reinforce what we see in the launch monitor data. This means that there is not much difference in the way of difference in driver performance.
7-data of iron
| Club | BALL | Ball Speed (mph) | Launch angle (degrees) | Rotational Speed (RPM) | Maximum height (yards) | Descent angle | Keep yards | Total yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-Iron | Amazon Basics | 113.65 | 20.80 | 4831 | 31.39 | 44,61 | 166.70 | 179.51 |
| 7-Iron | Callaway Supersoft | 113.73 | 20.78 | 4830 | 31.32 | 44.19 | 168.63 | 181.87 |
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Observations:
- As with driver data, the difference in performance between the two balls is minimal to the point of being indistinguishable.
- Speed, launch, spin … across the board, there are no statistically significant differences in the data.
The broad framework taken here is that Supersoft and Amazon Basics Core Soft are as similar as any two balls you’re likely to find.
Quick aside… yes, the Srixon is a fast iron. While the ball speed was consistent with our larger ball test, switching from the player’s iron to a more speed-focused design produced significantly faster ball speeds and more distance. The upside is that speed helps identify differences (not that we found much here), but we’ll probably stick with player irons moving forward.
7-Dispersion and consistency of iron
Observations:
- Again, we find small differences in the distribution patterns (Callaway is wider, the Amazon is shallower).
- The scale of the graphics exaggerates the differences, but the models themselves are roughly the same size.
Wedge data
| Club | BALL | Ball Speed (mph) | Launch angle (degrees) | Rotational Speed (RPM) | Maximum height (yards) | Descent angle | Keep yards | Total yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Wedge | Amazon Basics | 34.9 | 35.03 | 3516 | 13.75 | 38,58 | 24.13 | 28.17 |
| Sand Wedge | Callaway Supersoft | 34.8 | 35.72 | 3295 | 14.18 | 39.3 | 24.22 | 28.18 |
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Observations:
- With the wedge, we again find minimal difference between the balls.
- The only significant difference is found in the spin speed where the Amazon ball spins approximately 200 rpm more.
Wedge dispersion and consistency
Observations:
The scale of the chart inflates the differences between balls.
- Even with additions for small numbers, Callaway Supersoft it was more consistent from front to back and similar from left to right.
Which one is better?
Given the cuckoo ball that was observed with the Amazon Basics driver sample, the larger (though not as much as the chart scale suggests) wedge distribution pattern, and the slight distance advantage across the board, I’m inclined to say that Callaway Supersoft performed slightly better.
That said, considering the performance outside of the driver, 7-iron and wedge, it’s entirely reasonable and fair to suggest that there is very little, other than price, that separates these two balls.
If cost is a key factor in your buying decision, I’m not sure there’s enough between them to justify a $10 or more difference in price. Honestly, I’m pretty sure there isn’t.
conclusion
neither Callaway Supersoft nor is Amazon Basics Core Soft designed for tournament-level (or perhaps mid-range) performance. Point e Supersoftand apparently the Amazon ball as well, should provide an extremely soft feel. That’s it. That’s the whole story. Anything you get beyond that is little more than chance.
The dirty little secret of the golf ball industry is that, as much as golfers love soft balls, they are extremely difficult to make (or at least to make well). The quality/consistency will be unchanged for stronger balls.
The thing is, when you’re playing at the absolute softest end of the market, no one is making a high-quality product that makes a strong case that, if soft feel is what you’re after, there’s no reason to spend a penny more than you have to.
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