Range balls and course balls indoors

Neither type wins on its own. Ordinary balls and range balls each have a weak point indoors, and screen makers talk mostly about condition and cover softness.

What a range ball is

A range ball is made to be inexpensive and durable, and still behave much like a tournament ball.¹ One reference says these balls have a firmer, more durable cover.¹

What a course ball is

A course ball is the one you'd play with. If it has a soft, high-spin cover, the same reference says those covers are typically less durable, which shortens the ball's useful life.¹

GolfBays, a screen seller, goes further about screens. It says premium balls can cause more wear on the screen due to their high spin rates and softer construction.² Its advice is to use clean, new balls free from scuffs, markings or designs.²

In that same advice, GolfBays names clean, brand-new golf balls as the only ones it recommends.²

That's one seller's view. Other makers may word it differently, so read the guide that came with your own screen.

The catch with range balls

Here's where it gets awkward. Range balls often have one or more bars or lines printed on them.¹ Elite Screens tells owners to steer clear of scuffed or marked balls if they want the screen to last.³

Neither source says whether a printed stripe counts as a "marking" in that sense. Don't guess. If you plan to use striped range balls, ask the screen maker before the first session.

Wikipedia's name for used or recycled balls with obvious surface deformation or abrasion is "shags".¹ Elite is blunt about that kind of ball: never use golf balls with scuffs, damaged or chipped ones.³

So which should you use?

Think of it as a short list of questions, and let your screen's guide answer the first one.

• What does the screen maker say about scuffs, markings and soft covers?
• Is the ball new or close to it? Elite says to always use new golf balls when possible.³
• Does the ball have a printed line you're unsure about?
• Does your monitor want a mark on the ball? The marked ball page explains.

Some people keep a small clean set for the screen and a worn set for a net or outdoor practice. The sources here don't say either way, so that's a housekeeping idea, not a maker rule.

Watch the surface as you go

Hit one ball, then look at it. A mark that wasn't there a minute ago is a sign. Pull it out and don't hit it again. The page on how long balls last covers when a ball is done.