Noodle Long and Soft Review: Are Noodle Golf Balls Good?

The Noodle Long and Soft is a cheap TaylorMade ball with a goofy name, and if you play for fun and lose a few balls a round, it’s a good buy.

Is the Noodle Long and Soft worth buying?

So let’s get into what you’re actually getting, what that soft label really means, and the one place this ball lets you down.

Quick Overview

• It’s the white Noodle ball, not the Neon or Easy Distance.
• It’s sold on distance and feel: 342 dimples and a 34 compression core.
• That 34 is the core’s number, not the finished ball’s.
• There’s no published swing-speed range, so don’t pick it by your swing speed.
• It isn’t sold direct by its maker right now, but golf retailers still list it.

Noodle Long and Soft Golf Balls

4.6

Softness is great, but does it last? Our long-term review of the Noodle Long and Soft looks at material quality, wear-and-tear resistance, and final value.

Pros:

• Distance.
• Feel.
• Price.

Cons:

• Spin.
• Durability.
• Wind.

Buy on Amazon

Noodle Long and Soft Golf Balls Specs

Here’s what’s listed for the ball, and what isn’t.

The Noodle Is Cheap Enough to Lose, So Count Balls, Not Boxes

Here’s the real reason to buy a Noodle. You’re going to lose golf balls. In the water, in the trees, over the fence into somebody’s backyard. And every one of those hurts a lot less when it’s a cheap ball and not a tour ball.

Now, when you shop for it, watch the box. The Long and Soft comes in 15-ball and 24-ball packs, not dozens. So if you’re comparing it against a ball that’s sold by the dozen, figure out what you’re paying per ball. Put a 15-pack price next to a dozen price and you’re comparing two different things.

And make sure you’ve got the right Noodle. There’s a Neon, an Easy Distance and a yellow one too, and they’re different balls. This review is the white Long and Soft.

If you’re losing more balls than you’re keeping, it’s also worth knowing whether used golf balls are worth buying before you stock up. That’s the other way to keep your ball money down.

The Pitch Is 342 Dimples for More Carry, and It Stops There

The whole pitch for this ball fits in one sentence. It’s got 342 aerodynamic dimples to cut air resistance for a longer carry, and a soft core for feel.

Longer than what? They don’t say. There’s no yardage and no ball it’s measured against. So I wouldn’t buy a Noodle expecting it to add yards to your drive. I’d buy it for the price and treat any extra distance as a bonus.

Under the cover, it’s simple. The older Long and Soft balls were two-piece, a core and a cover, and the official product page lists an ionomer cover it calls durable and soft. If you’re wondering what the extra layers on pricier balls actually get you, here’s how 2-piece and 3-piece golf balls compare.

The 34 Compression Number Is the Core, Not the Whole Ball

If you’ve looked this ball up, you’ve probably seen 34 compression. And that number gets taken a lot further than it should.

TaylorMade calls it an ultra-soft 34 compression core. Read that again. It’s the core. They’re not telling you the whole ball is 34, and the ball you’re hitting has a cover wrapped around that core.

So don’t fit yourself to that number. You’ll see swing-speed ranges thrown around for the Noodle, and there’s no official one. If you’ve got a fast swing, nothing on the box says this ball isn’t for you.

What the 34 does tell you is who this ball is aimed at. Somebody who wants soft feel at a cheap price and doesn’t want to think about compression at all. If that’s you, treat it as a feel label and move on.

What I Don’t Love

Now it’s time for the catch, because there’s always a catch. With the Noodle, it’s around the green.

This is a distance-and-feel ball with that ionomer cover, not a urethane tour ball like a Pro V1. So don’t buy it expecting your chips and pitches to check up the way a tour ball can. Plan on a little more release, and lean on bump-and-runs more than flop shots.

If you’re the golfer who needs a wedge to bite on the second bounce, the Noodle’s not for you, and that’s fine. If spin around the green is what you’re after, here are the best golf balls I’d look at instead.

Noodle Long and Soft Golf Balls

4.6

Softness is great, but does it last? Our long-term review of the Noodle Long and Soft looks at material quality, wear-and-tear resistance, and final value.

Pros:

• Distance.
• Feel.
• Price.

Cons:

• Spin.
• Durability.
• Wind.

Buy on Amazon

Who It’s For

Buy it if:

• You lose a few balls a round and you’re tired of paying tour-ball money to do it.
• You play for fun and care more about price than about spin.
• You want a simple ball and don’t want to overthink compression numbers.
• You chip with bump-and-runs a lot more than you hit flop shots.

Skip it if:

• You need your pitches and chips to check up.
• Your club events require balls on the USGA’s conforming list, and you can’t find the Noodle on it.
• You’re fitting a ball to your swing and want published launch and spin numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts: Noodle Long and Soft Review

If you’re on the fence, buy one pack and play it next to whatever ball you use now. Before your next round, drop one of each on the practice green, hit the same chip with both, and watch where each one stops.

If the Noodle rolls out farther than you can live with, you found that out for the price of one box. If you can’t tell much of a difference, you just found your everyday ball.

About the author

Paul Liberatore

Paul Liberatore is the founder of Golfers Authority and a former three-year golf gear contributor to Sports Illustrated. He tests golf equipment hands-on to help golfers make better buying decisions.

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