By default in Golden Tee, all players hit what is called the “stock” ball. It is free, and you never run out of them.  The standard ball used in Golden Tee LIVE provides good distance and spin control. These balls are perfect for beginners!

However, you can also buy a 12-pack of any of the high-performance balls for $0.50. This category contains breakdowns of each ball available for purchase.

One more note — you can only select which balls to use when you are on the first tee. After you start your round of Golden Tee, you are stuck with those balls the rest of the way, UNLESS you lose all of the current type of ball you are playing. If that happens, the game lets you play with the free stock balls for the rest of the round.

DISTANCE — Players seem to have more “feel” with these Gamer v2s, allowing them more distance control on thumb shots (especially when taking off distance).  Compared with the D2s, the Gamer 2s travel up to 30 yards farther on full-full shots (A1 or C3) and 10-20 yards farther on hammer shots (B2).  Thumb shots are almost identical, and judging from the distance marker, you should gain one extra yard on these shots.  However, some people still insist that thumb shots fly shorter, so you can determine that for yourself.  Also, drives into the wind seem to carry 10-15 more yards than the D2s.  Of course, the red balls give you the boost distance on B2 shots, but if you’re having consistency issues with that ball, then the Gamer 2s should be in your collection as the longest ball of 2010.

CURVE — The Gamer 2s curve better than the D2s, and many agree that the curve is very similar to the Orange balls from 2 years back.

SPIN — Spin is comparable to the Freaks from last year.  There’s enough of it, but not so much that it’s hard to control.

OVERALL — Some people think that these balls actually travel higher as well, especially with a 3-wood, so pay attention to that next time too.  It can provide benefits on some holes, but it can also endanger skipping over water!  The height issue is just a theory at this point, though.  Overall, this is the most consistent ball of the bunch.  With distance and curve, they are playable under most all conditions.

The low compression core creates better distance with slower swing speeds. This means you get more distance out of a “slower” shot, and the ball just settles on the green instead of having a moderate amount of spin. So, this could be good for people who can’t pound long shots, but they don’t seem to offer any other advantage.

A firmer cover provides increased distance on straight shots off the tee. These balls are my favorite right now, because I love the extra distance off the tee with a B2 shot! BUT, it also becomes difficult to gauge accurate distance off the tee, because of the boost. Practice some big B2 shots off the tee with different clubs to get the feel, and then enjoy the consistency that these balls offer on all other types of shots.

The Gamer features a resilient rubber core for better distance. The soft ionomer cover creates all the spin and control needed for curve shots. These balls are great for amateurs still getting a feel for the game as they provide a great combination of distance and spin that’s easy to control.

With maxed-out aerodynamics and a faster core the Freak generates nasty distance with a touch lower spin for curve shots. These balls are my favorite right now, because I can’t really notice much drop-off in curve, AND you still get the extra distance!

This ball gives you maximum distance and is best for low-lofted shots that can cut through the wind. The ball curves well to get maximum distance off your A1 and C3 shots.  However, you don’t get much backspin/roll at all with this ball, so it makes it difficult to get approach shots closer to the pin.

This ball is best for high, lofted shots and gives you maximum backspin/roll. Sometimes I think this ball gives me too much roll, and I’d rather have the extra distance while keeping the normal roll of other balls.

Another very long ball described to “travel the farthest, but backspin and roll are less effective”.  Very comparable to the Streak balls — slightly less distance, but slightly more curve.

This ball goes just slightly farther than the stock ball but has lots of spin. It’s described to have “maximum backspin and roll, with extra spin for superior curve shots”.  You can make this ball do about anything!

A good all-around ball that gives you lots of curve and doesn’t hurt you in other areas, except perhaps straight distance shots.

This ball adds distance but maintains normal amount of spin for your hooking shots and backspin/roll.  It’s a great “control” ball that gives you a little extra distance to boot.

This ball is still tied for the longest ball Golden Tee has ever made. It’s described to have “ultimate distance, with more distance on straighter shots, and less spin control for curve shots”.  As you can tell from the graph, distance is about all you’ll get, making sacrifices on backspin/roll and curved shots.

Want to blast 400+ yard drives?  Sure, you can do it with stock clubs and balls with the right conditions and proper A1/C3 technique, but obtaining the right equipment is one way to automatically add 50 yards or more off the tee.  Let’s break it down, starting with the longest drivers amongst all the available club sets.

Currently there are 4 club sets featuring a 310-yard driver:
2010 Callaway FtiQ (9.5 degrees)
2010 X-22 Tour (9 degrees)
2009 Big Bertha (9 degrees)
2008 APEX FTX (low-loft)

First off, for straight shots off the tee, the D2 Distance (red box) balls from 2010 are the best.  B2 hammer shots with these balls add 50 yards to your drive, so even though the distance indicator still only says 310, you’ll easily be over 400 yards using these balls with any driver above.

When you combine any of these drivers with the other longest virtual balls in the game (2007 TL Distance (Blue box) or 2008 XL Extreme Distance (Yellow balls, red box)), your dynamic distance indicator will already be showing 326 off the tee!  These balls add distance but don’t curve as well.  Breaking it down a little further, the low-loft club set (2008 APEX FTX) probably gives you the best distance across all clubs in the set.

Okay, so we’ve talked about distance on straight shots, but you can get even more distance using different equipment and hitting A1 or C3 shots off the tee.  Using clubs and balls that create maximum spin upon contact creates the longest A1/C3 shots.

The 2008 APEX PLUS and 2010 X-22 Tour clubs generate a ton of spin on curve shots.  If you were to combine these clubs with the 2007 Quartz balls or the D2 Feels, you would get sick, uncontrollable spin on your shots and could generate some massive distance in the process.  However, you probably wouldn’t be able to hold any greens because backspin or roll would react too aggressively.

Ever hear of the pros playing the “funbag”?  Well the original funbag is the 2008 APEX PLUS clubs with the 2008 XL Extreme Distance (yellow, red box) balls.  This combination creates tremendous distance off the tee because you’ve combined high-spin clubs with distance balls, and pros can really crank out long drives with this set.  There’s actually a “Funbag 2.0″ version now consisting of the 2010 X-22 Tour clubs and these same balls, and some pros prefer this set because it offers a lob wedge.  WARNING — newer players should probably not be using these combos, because it’s still  difficult to hold greens with the excessive backspin and roll (although the balls cancel out some of the spin from the club, making them manageable).  It’s fun to crank drives off the tee though if you’re just playing around!

Finally, every now and then there are holes that can give you a “ramp” effect for super distance.  You’ll know it when it happens — the ball seems to jump off a ramp (usually in the fairway) gaining a lot of extra yardage.  Some confirmed ramping holes are Heather Pointe #8 (lower fairway), Kangaroo #15, Summit Lakes #8, Sunny #13 (C3), Savannah #10 (can drive green with ramp!), Southern #13 (can drive almost 500 yards with an A1 ramp!), and Bella #9 (I’ve seen a 480 that didn’t stay on the fairway).  I’ve also heard of a 1-iron going 417 after being skipped off the water in GT 2005.   There’s also Whispering #8 (one went over 600 that landed in the water), that way uphil par 5 on Glacier (saw a buddy who was goin over 600 and slammed the last tree at the top) and the infamous Summit hole that had the “jetpack” guy (you could also ramp the top of that hill and get over 500 in the fairway).

In conclusion, there are tons of possibilities for generating distance off the tee, especially if you have access to older versions of Golden Tee where you can collect club sets and stock up on balls.  If you’re limited to 2010 equipment, use either 2010 club set with a 310 driver and the red distance balls for the longest straight shots, or the X-22 Tour clubs and the Gamer 2s or Ds Feels for the longest curve shots!

The table above shows how all the virtual balls released by Golden Tee stack up with each other in terms of distance.  The Straight Jackets are tied with the Streaks for the kings of distance, with the Hurtles not far behind.  Most players love the Maniax too, happy to have the added distance and still retain some spin.  Finally, the Trackers are still a very durable ball with some distance.

UPDATE — The Gamers are here!  So what does everyone think?  I’ve rounded up the opinions of many and here is a summary of how best to describe them:

DISTANCE — Players seem to have more “feel” with these Gamer v2s, allowing them more distance control on thumb shots (especially when taking off distance).  Compared with the D2s, the Gamer 2s travel up to 30 yards farther on full-full shots (A1 or C3) and 10-20 yards farther on hammer shots (B2).  Thumb shots are almost identical, and judging from the distance marker, you should gain one extra yard on these shots.  However, some people still insist that thumb shots fly shorter, so you can determine that for yourself.  Also, drives into the wind seem to carry 10-15 more yards than the D2s.  Of course, the red balls give you the boost distance on B2 shots, but if you’re having consistency issues with that ball, then the Gamer 2s should be in your collection as the longest ball of 2010.

CURVE — The Gamer 2s curve better than the D2s, and many agree that the curve is very similar to the Orange balls from 2 years back.

SPIN — Spin is comparable to the Freaks from last year.  There’s enough of it, but not so much that it’s hard to control.

OVERALL — Some people think that these balls actually travel higher as well, especially with a 3-wood, so pay attention to that next time too.  It can provide benefits on some holes, but it can also endanger skipping over water!  The height issue is just a theory at this point, though.  Overall, this is the most consistent ball of the bunch.  With distance and curve, they are playable under most all conditions.

ORIGINAL TEXT — I don’t know that there’s ever been so much anticipation for a new piece of equipment being released in Golden Tee than there is with this virtual golf ball!  Not only that, but this may be the first time new equipment is introduced in the middle of the “season.”  Golden Tee wanted the release of the Gamer 2.0 to coincide with Top Flite’s release of the actual ball to the public, so here we are, waiting for January 15, 2010!

A lot of people have been frustrated with the selection of the 2010 virtual balls, and most people are hoping that this ball will be the one to use for them on Golden Tee 2010.

So what’s all the excitement about?  Well, if you have a little history of the game, then this ball is best described as a combination of the orange balls from 2008 and the Freaks from 2009.  The “Long and Soft Distance” (Orange) balls from 2008 were my favorite from that year, because they added distance while also maintaining a good amount of spin.  And the Freaks from 2009 were my favorite from that year also because of the increased distance you got while still being able to hold the green and curve shots.

The expected result is that we’re going to end up with the longest ball of 2010 (besides the B2 hammer shots off the tee with the red balls) that also provides you with enough spin to get the job done on almost all your shots!  We’re counting on that consistency and performance to help elevate our games for the rest of the 2010 season.

Please provide me with feedback after you’re able to play a few rounds with these highly anticipated virtual balls, and I’ll gather feedback from the community as well to share with you!  Good luck and good golfing!

For most of my 2+ year Golden Tee career, I’ve had the pleasure of playing almost every round with the “old birds” — the 2005 hybrid set.  These clubs are preferred by a large percentage of players because they provide a nice set of distance gaps and have a lob wedge, and in general the lower-lofted hybrids are easier to control than low-lofted irons.  After playing several rounds on 2010, however, I’ve realized it’s time to make a change.

Below you’ll see a breakdown of each course and you’ll learn why you should be playing the X-22s and the red distance balls on every course, with Monument Valley possibly being the exception where the D2 Feel balls could benefit a bit more.  As you’ll see, the distance balls and the option of having a 7-wood or 9-wood available can help you shave strokes off a lot of holes in Golden Tee 2010!

THE GREAT WALL
Off the tee: The 7-wood can make your tee shot easier on holes #5, #7, #9, #12, #15 (up onto The Great Wall), and #17.  The distance balls can rarely make #1 and #16 driveable, they can allow you to drive past the square landing area on #4, they can allow you a more lofted club on #15 if it’s tight, and they can make #5 and #14 driveable where they might not otherwise be.
On the approach: The 7-wood can make the approach shot easier on holes #2, #11, and #16.
As a bonus: The 4-wood can be an excellent option on every hole on the back 9 except for #13 and #17!

BELLA TOSCANA
Off the tee: The 7-wood can make your tee shot easier on holes #8, #12, #14 and #17, and it can make #7 driveable where it might not otherwise be.  The distance balls can rarely make #1 and #2 driveable, they make #4 a lot easier by allowing you to go over the trees, they can give you a shorter approach shot on #6 which helps over the river guarding the green, they can help you drive the second fairway on #11, they can help you drive the grassy pods on #13, they can help you drive the second fairway on #16, and they can make #17 driveable where it might not otherwise be.
On the approach: The 7-wood can make the approach shot easier on holes #6, #9 and #11.

TAHITI COVE
Off the tee: The 7-wood can make your tee shot easier on hole #11.  The distance balls can make #15 driveable, they can allow you to drive straight down the fairway on #5 for a shorter, unimpeded approach, they can help you drive past the neck of the fairway on #16, and they help with the tee shot on #7, #9, and #10.
On the approach: The 7-wood can make the approach shot easier on holes #4, #10, and #16.
As a bonus: The 4-wood can make #14 driveable with the distance balls in setups where the 3-wood clips the hill and the 5-wood clips the trees.
On the contrary: Holes #6 and #18 would be easier with a 2-iron available.

MONUMENT VALLEY
Off the tee: The 7-wood can make your tee shot easier on hole #12, and sometimes on #16.  The distance balls can rarely make #1 and #15 driveable, they can make #9 driveable from the back box with a 5-wood over the top, and they can make #4 always driveable over the top where it might not otherwise be.
On the approach: The 7-wood can make the approach shot easier on hole #10.
On the contrary: The D2 Feels can rarely make #2 driveable.  They can make the tee shot and approach shot easier on #5.  They can really help curve your shot off the tee on holes #7, #14, and #16, sometimes making them driveable where they might not be with the distance balls.  The 2-iron can also be an advantage on #14 and #18.

SOUTHERN OAKS
Off the tee: The 7-wood can make your tee shot easier on hole #16 .  The distance balls can rarely make #1 driveable, they can help set up an easier approach on #2, and they make it much easier to drive the green on #7 and #14.  They can also enable you to use a more lofted club on #17.
On the approach: The 7-wood can make the approach shot easier on holes #11 and #15.
As a bonus: The 4-wood gives another option to drive the green on #18.
On the contrary: The D2 Feels make it easier to drive the green on holes #4 and #18, and #16 can be much more difficult if the wind is in your face or blowing left.