Surlyn vs Urethane Golf Balls: Golf Ball Construction Explained

Pick up any box of golf balls and you'll find one of two words on it somewhere: Surlyn or urethane.

Both describe the cover, the thin outer skin with the dimples in it. It's the only part of the ball your club ever touches, which is why it has so much say in how the ball spins and feels.

This guide explains what each material does, where the trade-offs are, and how to work out which one suits the way you actually play.

The Short Answer

• Surlyn is firmer and tougher. It spins less, tends to fly straighter, lasts longer and costs less.
• Urethane is softer and grippier. It spins more on short shots, feels softer and costs more. It also scuffs more easily.

If you remember one thing, make it this: the biggest difference shows up inside 100 yards, not off the tee.

What Is Surlyn?

Surlyn is a brand name for a type of plastic called an ionomer. It was originally developed by DuPont, and it's been used on golf balls for decades. You'll see "Surlyn" and "ionomer" used almost interchangeably.

It's a hard, resilient material. That gives it two useful traits for golf.

First, it's very difficult to damage. Cart paths, trees and thin wedge shots leave far less of a mark.

Second, it doesn't grip the clubface much. Less grip means less spin, and that includes the sidespin that turns a small miss into a big slice or hook.

What Is Urethane?

Urethane is a softer, more elastic material. When a wedge strikes it, the grooves can bite into the cover for a split second. That bite is what produces spin.

It's the cover you'll find on nearly every ball played on the professional tours. It's also harder to manufacture, which is a big part of why urethane balls cost more.

Surlyn vs Urethane, Side by Side

Where You'll Actually Feel the Difference

Around the green

This is the big one.

Think of it like car tires. A soft-compound tire grips the road and wears out faster. A hard all-season tire lasts for years and slides a little sooner. Urethane is the soft compound.

On a 40-yard pitch, a urethane ball will usually land, take a hop and slow down. A Surlyn ball hit the same way will land and run. Independent testing backs this up. In its 2023 ball test, GOLF.com found the spin gap between urethane and Surlyn balls was significant on 50-yard wedge shots.

Neither result is wrong. You just need to know which one you're playing so you can plan for it.

Off the tee

Here the gap narrows. Modern balls of both types are built to keep driver spin down.

A Surlyn ball's lower spin can help if you fight a slice, because less sidespin means the ball curves less. It won't fix a swing path, but it can take the edge off a miss.

A urethane ball gives a skilled player more ability to shape shots. For a lot of us, that's a polite way of saying it also curves more when we don't want it to.

On the putter

Urethane generally feels softer and sounds quieter. Surlyn feels firmer and clickier.

This one is pure preference. Some golfers putt better with a firmer feel because they find it easier to judge distance.

Over a full round

A Surlyn ball can look nearly new after 18 holes. A urethane ball that's seen a few full wedge shots and a cart path will show it.

If you tend to finish a round with the ball you started with, that matters. If you don't, it's another point in Surlyn's favor, because losing a cheaper ball stings less.

The Cover Isn't the Whole Story: 2, 3 and 4-Piece Balls

You'll also see balls described by how many layers they have.

• 2-piece: a core and a cover. Simple, durable and built for distance. Most Surlyn balls are made this way.
• 3-piece: a core, a middle layer called a mantle, and a cover. The mantle lets the designer tune how the ball behaves on long shots separately from short ones.
• 4-piece: a core, two inner layers and a cover. More layers give more control over how spin changes from driver to wedge.

Why does that matter? A good golf ball has two jobs that pull against each other. You want low spin with the driver for distance, and high spin with a wedge for control. Extra layers are how designers try to deliver both in one ball.

So a 3-piece Surlyn ball isn't the same thing as a basic 2-piece Surlyn ball. The mantle gives it more to work with.

Which One Should You Play?

A few honest pointers.

I'd lean toward Surlyn if:

• You're new to the game or shoot above 90 most rounds.
• You lose more than a couple of balls a round.
• Your main goal is keeping the ball in play off the tee.
• You'd rather your chips run out than check up.

I'd lean toward urethane if:

• You hit a fair number of greens and want the ball to hold them.
• You play courses with firm or fast greens.
• You rely on your short game to score.
• You notice and care about feel.

The downside nobody mentions: a urethane ball won't lower your scores if you aren't yet making consistent contact with your wedges. Spin comes from a clean strike. Without one, you're paying extra for a benefit you can't use yet.

There's a sensible middle path, too. Start with Surlyn, and move to urethane once you're finding greens more often. GOLF.com's testers reached much the same conclusion, noting that a ball will refine your game, not redefine it.

Whichever you choose, pick one model and stick with it for a while. Switching balls every round makes it very hard to learn how far your chips will roll.

Where the MintGOLF Balls Fit

We make three golf balls, and they map onto this choice quite neatly. All three are USGA conforming, come 12 to a box and have a putting alignment aid printed on them.

DISTANCE is the Surlyn ball. It's built for low driver spin and less sidespin off the tee, with a durable cover. Because it's a 3-piece design, it has a mantle layer that most budget Surlyn balls don't. If you're in the "keep it in play" group, this is the one I'd look at first.

STRAIGHT is the step into urethane. It pairs low driver spin with more iron and greenside spin, so it suits a golfer who wants more control into greens without giving up a stable flight.

SOFT is the 4-piece urethane ball. The extra layer is there to keep driver spin down while giving you the most spin and the softest feel around the green. It's the one for players who score with their wedges.

The trade-off runs the way you'd expect. As you move from DISTANCE to SOFT, you gain short-game control and feel, and you pay more per ball for a cover that marks more easily.

One practical note: these are limited-edition balls, with 333 boxes produced of each model.

You can see all three in the MintGOLF collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is urethane better than Surlyn?

Not for everyone. Urethane gives you more spin and a softer feel around the green. Surlyn gives you durability, a straighter flight and a lower price. Which is better depends on where you lose shots.

Do urethane golf balls go farther than Surlyn?

Usually not by much, and often it's the other way around. Low-spin Surlyn balls are designed with distance as the priority. For most golfers, the difference off the tee is smaller than the difference around the green.

Should high handicappers use urethane golf balls?

Most will get more value from Surlyn. It's cheaper, tougher and spins less sideways. Urethane starts to pay off once you're hitting greens and want the ball to stop on them.

Why are urethane golf balls more expensive?

The material costs more, and urethane covers are harder to manufacture. Urethane balls also tend to have more layers, which adds to the cost.

Do urethane balls scuff more easily?

Yes. The softness that lets wedge grooves grip the cover also makes it easier to mark. A Surlyn cover will generally look fresher for longer.

What does "3-piece" or "4-piece" mean on a golf ball?

It's the number of layers. A 3-piece ball has a core, a mantle and a cover. A 4-piece ball adds another inner layer. More layers let designers control spin differently for long shots and short shots.

Is ionomer the same as Surlyn?

Close enough for buying purposes. Surlyn is a brand name for an ionomer. Many balls labeled "ionomer" use similar materials from other suppliers.

Can I tell which cover a ball has by looking at it?

Not reliably. Check the box or the product page. If it doesn't say urethane, it's very likely an ionomer cover.

Final Thoughts

Surlyn or urethane comes down to one question: where do you want the ball to help you most?

If the answer is off the tee and in your wallet, go with Surlyn. If it's on the shots into and around the green, urethane is worth the extra money, provided your contact is consistent enough to use it.

There's no wrong choice here. There's only the ball that fits your game today, and you can always change your mind next season.