Quantifying the performance of biodegradable golf balls
Quick Summary
We tested biodegradable golf balls from Albus Golf, Chinese Factories, and our Zero® Ball to measure their Carry Distance, Carry Distance Standard Deviation, and Dispersion metrics using a robotic golf arm from Golf Laboratories, Inc. The Zero® Ball measures as having the highest Carry Distance, lowest Carry Distance Standard Deviation, and lowest Dispersion for both Driver and Five Iron. These results indicate that the Zero® Ball is the best performing biodegradable golf ball on the market.
How We Tested Biodegradable Golf Balls
Independent testing was done using a robotic golf arm from Golf Laboratories Inc. Photo from GolfLabs.com
There are three main suppliers of biodegradable golf balls in the world.
One manufacturer is Albus Golf, which is based in Spain. Albus manufactures a biodegradable golf ball with fish food or coral in the core of the ball. They sell under their own brand name.
There are also a handful of manufacturers in China that produce biodegradable golf balls. These golf balls are made with Polyvinyl Alcohol and are sold as private label under other brands. Brands like Biodegradable Golf Canada and Off The Deck (B1E) sell these Chinese balls under their own brand names.
Lastly, we manufacture the Zero® Ball in the USA. Our biodegradable golf balls are made with high quality Polyvinyl Alcohol and other biodegradable materials.
We sent each of these golf balls to Golf Laboratories, Inc to get a better understanding of their ball flight characteristics. This company uses a robotic golf arm to deliver a consistent strike, which removes the variability of a human swing and delivers fair testing results.
Golf Laboratories, Inc used a Driver and Five Iron for the testing. The Driver was set to a 95 MPH club head speed, and the five Iron was set to a 85 MPH club head speed. This testing was independently done but paid for by Splash City Golf.
Key Metrics
In the analysis we focused on three key metrics:
Carry Distance (Yards)
Carry Distance (Standard Deviation)
Dispersion (Yards)
Carry Distance reflects the distance a biodegradable golf ball will travel in the air when struck with a golf club. The higher this metric is, the further the ball will go. The best performing biodegradable golf balls will have the highest Carry Distance Metric.
Carry Distance Standard Deviation and Dispersion metrics reflect how consistently a biodegradable golf ball performs. The lower these metrics are, the more consistent the ball is. The best performing biodegradable golf balls will have the lowest Carry Distance Standard Deviation and Dispersion metrics.
Driver Carry Distance (Yards)
The Zero® Ball has a Driver Carry Distance of 196.6 yards. The China Ball has a Driver Carry Distance of 186.8 Yards. The Albus Golf Ball has a Driver Carry Distance of 137.4 Yards. These results indicate that the Zero® Ball outperforms both the China Ball and Albus Golf Ball in Driver Carry Distance.
Driver Carry Distance Standard Deviation (Yards)
The Zero® Ball has a Driver Carry Distance Standard Deviation of 3.6 yards. The China Ball has a Driver Carry Distance Standard Deviation of 6.2 Yards. The Albus Golf Ball has a Driver Carry Distance Standard Deviation of 10.5 Yards. These results indicate that the Zero® Ball outperforms both the China Ball and Albus Golf Ball in Driver Carry Distance Standard Deviation.
Driver Dispersion (Yards)
The Zero® Ball has a Driver Dispersion of 291.7 yards. The China Ball has a Driver Dispersion of 2,089.5 Yards. The Albus Golf Ball has a Driver Carry Distance of 658.4 Yards. These results indicate that the Zero® Ball outperforms both the China Ball and Albus Golf Ball in Driver Dispersion.
Five Iron Carry Distance (Yards)
The Zero® Ball has a Five Iron Carry Distance of 114.8 yards. The China Ball has a Five Iron Carry Distance of 79.2 Yards. The Albus Golf Ball has a Five Iron Carry Distance of 93.0 Yards. These results indicate that the Zero® Ball outperforms both the China Ball and Albus Golf Ball in Five Iron Carry Distance.
Five Iron Carry Distance Standard Deviation (Yards)
The Zero® Ball has a Five Iron Carry Distance Standard Deviation of 2.1 yards. The China Ball has a Five Iron Carry Distance Standard Deviation of 26 Yards. The Albus Golf Ball has a Five Iron Carry Distance of 5.9 Yards. These results indicate that the Zero® Ball outperforms both the China Ball and Albus Golf Ball in Five Iron Carry Distance Standard Deviation.
Five Iron Dispersion (Yards)
The Zero® Ball has a Five Iron Dispersion of 201.6 yards. The China Ball has a Five Iron Dispersion of 3,031.1 Yards. Golf Laboratories Inc was not able to collect Five Iron Dispersion Data for the Albus Golf Ball. These results indicate that the Zero® Ball outperforms the China Ball in Five Iron Dispersion.
Get the Full Performance Report
We are happy to share the full performance report from Golf Laboratories, Inc. Please send a message to daniel@splashcitygolf to request the report.