Curious about the golf ball an all-time great like Gary Player trusts in his bag? The answer isn't as simple as one single brand because his choice has evolved right alongside golf ball technology and his own legendary career. This article breaks down the golf ball he uses today and walks through the different models that helped him win nine major championships.
Today, at 88 years old, Gary Player is a proud ambassador for OnCore Golf. While he isn’t playing a full competitive schedule, he relies on their innovative golf balls for his rounds, exhibitions, and personal enjoyment of the game he has given so much to.
He's most often associated with two of their premium models:
Player’s choice of OnCore is telling. The company is known for its unique perimeter weighting technology, which they claim enhances stability and forgiveness. For a senior golfer, even one with the skill of Gary Player, getting a stable, piercing ball flight and reliable performance is a huge advantage. These modern multi-layer balls offer a perfect combination of distance to keep up off the tee and refined feel for scoring around the greens.
To truly understand "what golf ball Gary Player uses," we need to look back. His career spanned multiple eras of golf technology, and his bag changed with the times. He didn't just stick with one ball, he adapted, always seeking the best equipment to compete at the highest level.
When Gary Player turned professional in 1953, the golf world was dominated by the wound balata ball. This was a completely different beast from what we play today.
The Technology:
The leading balls of this period were models like the Dunlop 65 and the Slazenger B51, which Player used for many of his biggest victories. Later, the Titleist Tour Balata became the gold standard for professionals.
Playing with these balls required immense skill. The soft cover generated incredible spin, allowing players like Player to hit high, stopping iron shots and pitches that would "check up" aggressively on the greens. However, they were not durable. A single bladed iron shot or a bunker shot could easily cut the cover, rendering the ball useless for play. They also spun far more off the driver, making errant shots curve more dramatically. This technology fit Player’s legendary work ethic perfectly, you had to be a master of your craft to control a balata ball, and no one out-practiced the "Black Knight."
The 1980s brought a significant shift. The introduction of two-piece balls with solid cores and durable Surlyn covers, like the original Top-Flite, changed the game for amateurs. These balls offered more distance and were nearly indestructible. While professionals, including Player, largely stuck with the softer-feeling wound balata balls for their spin and control, the winds of change were blowing.
During this period, Gary Player was dominating the Senior Tour (now the Champions Tour). He continued to use premium wound balls that offered maximum performance around the greens. Manufacturers made advancements in wound ball technology, trying to give players like Player the feel they demanded with slightly more durability.
This was an era of experimentation, with every brand trying to find the perfect blend of distance, feel, and spin. Player, ever the global ambassador and competitor, would have tested and used various top-tier balls that provided the control he needed to stack up wins on the senior circuit.
The launch of the Titleist Pro V1 in 2000 permanently changed golf ball technology. It combined a large solid core, a soft mantle layer, and a thin urethane cover to deliver something revolutionary: high-distance, low-spin performance off the tee and exceptional feel and high spin around the greens.
This technology rendered the wound balata ball almost obsolete overnight. Player, like every other professional, made the switch to modern, multi-layer golf balls.
For a significant portion of this era, Gary Player had a long-standing relationship with Callaway Golf. He played their tour-level golf balls, which included successful models like:
Player’s move to these advanced balls allowed him to maximize his distance as a senior player while retaining the greenside precision that had defined his career.
Reading about Gary Player's equipment history isn't just a fun fact, it's a guide for your own game. Here’s what you, the everyday golfer, can take away from his approach to selecting a golf ball.
Player’s choices always reflected the needs of a world-class ball-striker. When he was young and in his prime, he used high-spin balata balls that only the best could control. As he got older and technology evolved, he moved to balls that helped him maintain distance without sacrificing feel.
You should do the same. Take an honest look at your game:
Gary Player has been affiliated with Dunlop, Slazenger, Titleist, Callaway, and OnCore. He didn't lock into one brand for life. He chose the ball that performed best for him at that stage of his career.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to play a specific ball because the pros do. Your goal is to find the ball that helps you shoot lower scores, regardless of the logo on the side. Be open to trying different brands and models.
Great players are constantly testing. You can bet Gary Player spent countless hours on the range and practice green comparing different golf balls.
You should do this too! But it needs to be more structured than just finding one on the course and giving it a hit. Here’s a simple test you can do:
By the end of this process, you'll have a much better idea of what type of ball construction truly suits your game - not just the one you think you're "supposed" to play.
From the delicate, high-spinning balata balls of the 1960s to the technologically advanced OnCore VERO X2 of today, Gary Player’s golf ball choice tells a bigger story. It’s a story of adaptation, a constant quest for excellence, and leveraging the best available technology to compete at the highest level.
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