Amazon is one of the premier destinations for golf balls, and they now have their very own to offer. Here’s my review of the Amazon Basics Core Soft golf balls…
There aren’t many products you can’t buy from Amazon, and you can now buy one of the cheapest golf balls on the market – their own Amazon Basics Core Soft golf ball.
Given the price point of the Core Soft, my expectations weren’t particularly high, and I don’t think anyone is expecting this model to enter the conversation for the best golf balls. However, a low price doesn’t always mean a bad golf ball.
I’ve tested numerous cheap golf balls and been pleasantly surprised by how they perform. Was that the case with the Amazon Basics Core Soft golf balls?
The minute I received these golf balls (24 in white, 24 in yellow), I headed to my home course at Cleveland Golf Club and put them through their paces. Here’s everything I learned…
Pros & Cons Ratings Specs Features
Pros Competitive distanceRolls nicely on the greens Cons Dull feelSerious lack of spinPoor soundDurability isn’t consistent
Feel and Response
Tee-to-Green Performance
Versatility
Durability
Construction 2-piece Cover Ionomer Dimples 338 Feel Very firm Flight Mid-high Long game spin Low Short game spin Low Color options White; Yellow Low compressionAdvanced core and cover technologySide stamp alignment feature
Before I begin talking you through my experience of the Core Soft, I want to touch on the packaging. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is very… basic. There is no information about the golf ball on the packaging, and they arrive in a plain brown box.
But performance is more important than packaging, so let’s see if the Amazon Basics Core Soft golf ball delivered where it matters.
Feel and Response: 1/5
I’m a fan of firm golf balls, but this is beyond firm. The Core Soft is anything but soft, and it reminds me of distance golf balls from years ago that felt like rock.
The feel is uncomfortably harsh. Every impact has that same hard, concrete-like quality that robs shots of any satisfaction. I doubt anyone will play with the Core Soft for its feel.
Out of the box, the Core Soft has a very distinct feel, and sadly, it’s not a good one. The cover is notably thin and has a plasticky texture that instantly gives away its budget nature.
After rolling the ball around in your hand for a couple of seconds, it doesn’t fill you with much confidence that this ball is going to come to rest quickly when playing into greens.
Unfortunately, the Core Soft’s response is on par with its feel. Impact feels dull and heavily dampened, with little response.
Throughout the bag, feedback is incredibly muted, meaning it’s incredibly difficult to gauge how you’ve struck the ball. It feels fairly uniform, no matter where you make contact on the club face.
Response is poor with a wedge in hand, and I think that’s largely due to the fact it doesn’t create any friction with the grooves.
Long iron shots are where this golf ball feels worst, and I had to hit a few with my usual ball to make sure it wasn’t me, because every shot with the Core Soft almost sounded thin.
This is not a ball you’ll grow attached to for its sound or feel. Both are functional at best, and neither will win over golfers who value those sensory elements.
Tee-to-Green Performance: 1.5/5
I’ll talk you through my experience of the Amazon Basics Core Soft, starting on the putting green, moving back to the tee box.
After taking the balls out of the box, my expectations were low, but they did peak on the putting green. I had previously tested the Bridgestone e12 Splash, and the Core Soft felt better and rolled smoother than that ball.
That being said, it is still fiery and lacks the feel you might be accustomed to if you regularly play with a more premium golf ball.
This ball jumps off the face with plenty of pace and energy, yet feels more controlled and pleasant than expected for a ball at this price.
After spending some time on the putting green, and establishing that there’s no difference in performance and feel between the white and yellow models, I made my way over to the short game area. I played a variety of shots, and the results were unanimous. This ball does not spin.
I was trying my hardest to get the Core Soft to stop, and no matter how I played the pitch or chip, the ball always rolled out. I even recorded a couple of videos of the ball landing to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me, and you can clearly see it shoot across the green.
For the majority of golfers, this lack of spin will be disastrous, and having gone from the slight win on the putting green to this, it was a major let-down.
Before heading out onto the course, I hit a couple of shots in the net with some irons and woods, and it was there where I really heard the difference in pitch between the Core Soft and my regular golf ball. The sound is much lower and less pleasant.
On-course, I almost got off to the dream start, as m ball grazed the hole for an ace. But that dream quickly turned into reality as the Core Soft rolled 20 feet past the hole, having landed considerably short. My strike was fine with a little cut into a 20mph wind with a 7-iron, so I would have expected any golf ball to have at least some stopping power.
Sadly, it was the same story throughout. Every single shot I hit into the green either flew off the club face and traveled further than I expected, or struggled to grab the green and rolled out substantially.
I really disliked how the Core Soft felt when playing with long irons, but the area I struggled with most on-course was gauging distance control playing out of the rough. The Core Soft fired off the club face the second I was off the fairway. At one point, I hit my 50° wedge 145 yards into the breeze, putting me 20 yards over the green.
Distance is strong, but it’s definitely not enough to outweigh the losses with spin and control. Off the tee, I hated the feel and response. Hitting the Core Soft felt as though I was hitting concrete.
After somewhat enjoying the Core Soft’s performance on the practice green, it was all downhill from there, and I’ve never disliked a golf ball as much as I have this one.
Versatility: 2/5
The Core Soft is really versatile… because it will be equally poor for most golfers. Frankly, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
Even if you’re a golfer who just wants a cheap golf ball, there are many better options at a very similar price. Also, if you want a golf ball that sounds and feels pleasant, then you don’t want this ball.
I think a score of two for versatility reflects my opinion that some golfers will get away with the Core Soft, but for the vast majority of golfers, this isn’t going to satisfy them.
As a golfer with a quicker swing speed, there wasn’t enough spin off the tee, and there was nowhere near enough spin when hitting into greens – whether I was 20 yards from the pin or 200.
Golfers with slower swing speeds might enjoy the extra distance from irons and wedges, but it will take some getting used to the roll out, sound, and feel.
Durability: 1.5/5
Worryingly, some of the balls seemed to hold up better than others. A couple scuffed far too easily in the practice net and at the short game area, where some others fared much better. It’s a sign to me that quality control isn’t as high on the list of priorities as it should be.
The golf ball above is the one I played with, and the cover was battered after just nine holes.
Final verdict: 1.5/5
The Amazon Basics Core Soft makes other models of a similar nature feel like the Titleist Pro V1. I couldn’t recommend this golf ball to anyone. It feels terrible, sounds awful, and I think it will negatively impact most golfers’ performance.
Yes, it’s a cheap golf ball, but it doesn’t compete with any of the best cheap golf balls. I don’t think you could pay me to use this golf ball.
Alternative models
Rrp: £40.99
Price: £37.33
