Will a tour ball cost me distance?

On modern balls, the distance gap to low-spin distance balls is typically 2–5 yards off the driver for most golfers — well worth the short-game gain.

Should beginners play tour balls?

Beginners should play whatever ball they can afford to lose without anxiety. The short-game spin advantage is wasted until you can reliably hit greens.

Library

The Learn Library

Long-form, expert-reviewed essays on the ideas that move the game forward — written without shortcuts and edited for permanence.

Guides: 8
Pillars: 8
Format: Editorial
Updated: This season

PGA-Cited MethodologyUSGA Rules AlignedReviewed by Teaching ProsEditorially Independent

Featured

Where to start

If you read three things on ResortGolfer, read these. They define how we think about the game.

Analytics

Strokes Gained, Properly Explained

The single most useful framework in modern golf — and the four mistakes amateurs make using it.

14 min read

Instruction

The Kinematic Sequence

Why the world's best swings — different in style, identical in physics — share one signature.

11 min read

Equipment

How to Choose a Golf Ball (Without Marketing)

Compression, cover, dimples, and the three questions that actually matter.

9 min read

Complete Index

The entire Learn Library

Organized by pillar. Each guide is reviewed against published research and practitioner methodology.

Analytics

1 guides

Strokes Gained, Properly Explained
The single most useful framework in modern golf — and the four mistakes amateurs make using it.
14 min read

Instruction

1 guides

The Kinematic Sequence
Why the world's best swings — different in style, identical in physics — share one signature.
11 min read

Equipment

1 guides

How to Choose a Golf Ball (Without Marketing)
Compression, cover, dimples, and the three questions that actually matter.
9 min read

Strategy

1 guides

Course Management for Real Players
The decision framework that beats raw skill — and why aiming at the flag is usually the wrong call.
10 min read

Putting

1 guides

The Three Skills of Putting
Speed, line, and start direction — taught in the order they actually matter.
8 min read

Architecture

1 guides

How to Read a Golf Course
Strategic design from MacKenzie to Doak — and why the best courses ask questions rather than give instructions.
12 min read

Rules

1 guides

The World Handicap System, Demystified
How a single global system replaced a half-dozen national ones — and what it actually measures.
9 min read

Method

1 guides

Practice That Actually Transfers
Block, random, and deliberate practice — and why most range time fails to improve scores.
10 min read