Puetz Golf Price $19.99 Burner $24.99 Burner TP

Reading the literature on the back of a box of Taylor Made Burner golf balls might make your head spin, with technical diagrams and fancy jargon highlighting the Burner’s advanced features. Here’s some advice: throw the box away. Everything you really need to know about these balls, and their enchanced brethren, the Burner TP, you can learn simply by hitting one. Fancy words like “ionomer” and “urethane” describe the unique combination of properties that give the Burner unprecedented spin and lift, but when you smack one with your driver, you’ll forget all of that and notice two things: first, the feeling of impact is much softer than with other balls, due to the Burner’s unique construction; and second, your ball will fly longer and straighter — even if you don’t always hit it square. That’s where the techno-babble comes in: in addition to its super-soft, high-energy core, the Burner is finished with a complex dimple pattern arranged in what TaylorMade calls a “low-drag symmetry,” which helps keep the ball aloft longer to minimize distance loss, even on off-center hits. For the golfer looking to straighten out those shots, while balancing a budget, the Burner balls are a terrific, and affordable, alternative to a fancy driver or quirky swing aid. Just don’t try to read the box.