Orange. Blue. Pink.

Those colours were all vividly apparent at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, splashed on all sorts of products. The traditional white golf ball? While not exactly a thing of the past—white golf balls still dominate the market. Practically every golf ball company at the show was offering some version with colour, from Callaway’s runaway success with its Truvis ball, to companies like Volvik, whose line is dominated with colour, or, if you’re interested, Marvel comic book characters.

Small, but growing.

“We do it because it is fun, and golfers are really enjoying it.”

That’s the take of Eric Loper, who runs the golf ball division for TaylorMade. The company’s new Project (s) ball comes in three colours with a matte finish, which he says creates a look almost like the flight tracer shots golf fans are so used to seeing on television.

“There’s no reason a golfer can’t differentiate themselves based on colour”, Loper says, noting that depending on where you play and where you hit it, balls with colour are sometimes more easily located following a wayward shot.

Of course, there’s also Volvik, played last year by Bubba Watson, who offer golf balls in bold colours, but also with Marvel characters like Captain America and Spider Man.

A fad?

That’s what Michael Mahoney, vice-president of golf ball product marketing, wondered while talking about Titleist’s latest balls in Orlando.

Mahoney said the market for non-white golf balls is about 15%, and while Titleist offers colour in its value-based lines (you won’t likely see a yellow Pro V1 anytime soon, he admitted), he isn’t sure it is a trend that will continue to build.

“Colour comes and colour goes,” he said, pointing to past industry trends.

Nonetheless, Titleist’s new Velocity golf balls come in VISI-White, Orange and Pink, and the company says that golfers identify with the colours as one of the product’s benefit.

Callaway

Callaway’s Truvis Chrome Soft golf ball—yep, the one that looks like a soccer ball—has been a huge hit since it was launched and the company expects demand to continue to increase. With balls in red, yellow, and black, Truvis has captured the golfer’s imagination since it was first introduced two years ago. At its Massachusetts facility, Callaway continues to refine its ability to produce more Truvis balls.

The company also made a bold statement with colour by recently releasing its Superhot Bold line. A matte finish golf ball available in red, yellow and orange, this ball features a three-piece construction and High Energy Core.

More than just golf balls

Colour is catching on in other ways as well. Shafts could be found in bright colors, and customized head covers, like those created by Nova Scotia-based Dormie Workshop continue to generate a lot of attention at the show. A couple of the brightest stood out. G/FORE, considered one of the leaders in offering colour beyond white and black, was recently acquired, and HJ Glove had a prominent booth showcasing golf gloves that come in 36 different colours and patterns. The same was readily apparent for Zero Friction, whose booth featured matte golf balls in a variety of colours, and a golf gloves that come in colours ranging from grey to purple.