The next great innovation in golf balls apparently is going to be the hollow metal core. A company called Nanodynamics Innovations says that their hollow ball has less spin, and thus will help the average hacker keep the ball in the fairway, and moving in a straight line toward the hole.

I seem to remember reading about a hollow metal ball that was experimented with back in the 1970s. Perhaps someone can remember the name.

In the under $20 category comes the Loco Dart Golf Balls. It’s another of those low compression golf balls that are all the rage among us higher handicap golfers. I’ve played the last season or so with the Titleist SoLo, so I’m a believer in the concept. I really think that, at my swing speed, I get more distance with a low compression ball than with a higher compression one.

Aside from that, I think that you have to try out the different balls to see which one fits your game best.

Here’s Dunlop’s take on the ball:

With the introduction of the LoCo® Dart, which stands for Distance-Accuracy-Response- Technology, Dunlop builds on its reputation for providing sophisticated ball technology at a price that can’t be beat. The Dart, a three-piece ball with Surlyn cover, HPF mantle and 442- dimple pattern, offers improved driving performance for the lower swing-speed player and better feel around the green. With an MSRP of $20, the Dart sets itself apart from a plethora of two-piece balls at this price point.

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Precept’s new Laddie Extreme is an updated version of the Laddie, which itself was a reimagining of the Lady, a ball which set off a craze among golfers. I remember when boxes of the Lady were going for hundreds of dollars on Ebay.

Anyhow, Precept says that

The next generation Laddie Xtreme delivers a unique combination of hot distance off the driver with soft greenside control resulting in the best all-around golf ball Precept has ever engineered. Off the tee, the pumped up Muscle-Fiber Core produces a high launch and low spin. This core combined with a new wind cheating 372 dimple design results in extreme distance. The shear resistant cover compound stands up to punishing wedge shots while maintaining superior greenside performance.

Wow. That’s a mouthful.

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Callaway’s new HX Hot is out.

Callaway says that the ball

boasts significant improvements over traditional 2-piece distance offerings. The new, highly resilient core—essentially the ball’s engine—is super-fast, and kick starts a chain reaction that produces explosiveness off the clubface. The revolutionary HEX Aerodynamics on the cover also are improved, with the hexagons and pentagons optimized to reduce drag, increase lift and maximize distance.

The cover of the HX Hot Golf Ball also has been improved to reduce spin off the driver for a penetrating trajectory. Like other balls in the HX family, the HX Hot has 332 geometries on the cover, blanketing the surface of the ball with 100% coverage—unheard of in competitors’ golf balls and critical to the superior flight properties and overall performance of the HX Hot Golf Ball. Achieving 100% surface coverage allows Callaway Golf engineers to tune lift and drag properties of the ball in order to reduce distance-robbing initial drag and increase length-promoting lift during flight.

There’s also a HX Hot contest for a gussied up Ford Mustang in the HX Hot black and orange colors.

I tried out the HX Red late last fall and liked it. So maybe I’ll give the “Hot” a try this year.

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Titleist is releasing its new 2005 balls today, including the new Pro V1, which retails for $58 a dozen.

I’m not that good.

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