A simple fact: One golf ball looks much like another. Yet, if you believe some of the hyped-up marketing by golf ball manufacturers, there are dozens to choose from, each with different flight characteristics, each promising to be the magic ball with a magic fix for your game. The five balls shown within this article constitute the very best available in today's market and are highly recommended.

Regardless off your skill level, you'll never know which ball really works best for you unless you experiment. Ball companies are forever offering specials to get you to try their new products. Take full advantage of these offers. When you do test, check carry, ball flight and distances with your driver, fairway woods and irons. Pay special attention to those balls that best work for "scoring" shots- those from 100 yards in with a lot of spin, bump-and-run shots and pitches.

Golf balls are divided into two basic types: the distance ball, which feels hard off the clubface and produces relatively little backspin, and the performance ball, which has a softer skin and offers more spin.

However, due to well-funded R&D departments and technological advancements, a new category of ball has surfaced - the so-called compromise ball, which aims to combine distance with a degree of feel. The difference in feel and performance are significant and the lesson of this is clear - whichever ball you choose, you need to think about its key characteristics every time you step up to play a shot. By combining compression and spin, manufacturers have done an amazing job creating balls that are soft and long. They can even make a ball spin when hit at one swing speed and not at another. Take advantage of it.

Golfers often choose golf balls without really understanding what the balls can or can't do for their games. It's prudent, for example, to find a ball that works well on the course you play most often. If that course is fast and hard with countertop greens, go for lots of spin. If it's soggy and long, with greens that hold like Velcro, go for distance and feel. If you must work the ball, spin has to be a priority.

Of utmost consideration in the purchasing of the "Balls used by Pros as seen on TV", remember that unless you have the ability to generate ball speeds in excess of 155 m.p.h., the ball is of no benefit to you and status can be very expensive.

The balls that will most benefit the average player minimize spin off the tee and maximize spin around the green. Two-piece solid and multi-layer balls reduce backspin and the sidespin that results in slices and hooks. They also boost velocity for greater hang time. The softer covers on these balls also allow you to generate more backspin on your iron shots.

• www.titleist.com - The new DT SoLo ball
• www.maxfli.com- The Noodle and the new Noodle Spin ball
  
• www.topflite.com- The new TOUR ball
  
• www.nike.com - The new Double C ball
  
• www.preceptgolf.com - The new Lady Diamond - This web site has a marvelous article on the "Science of the Golf Ball" for all those addicted to analysis of why things work the way they do.

Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America. He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, the California Golf Writers Association, and serves both as a Consultant and Mediator to the golf industry. He is also the author of numerous books, including "333 Best Web Sites for Golfers" and his current book, "How to Build Business Relationships Through Golf" is in the Top Ten Golf Business Book's best seller list.

He can be reached at www.pgtaa.com or drlotz@cbsgolf.net