Caddie Missions — on-course A/B testing for golf balls
Last updated: April 19, 2026 · By the BallCaddie Fitting Desk — independent ball-fitting methodology since 2024.
Caddie Missions is a 3-stage on-course A/B test protocol for golf balls: 5 drives, 5 approach shots, and 5 chips per ball across a normal round. The Caddie Mode session scores both balls head-to-head against your actual game and produces a verdict with category winners. It’s a BallCaddie Pro feature ($4.99/month or $29.99/year).
How Caddie Missions work
One session compares two balls. You mark Ball A and Ball B with different dot patterns, then run three missions in order:
Mission 1 — Drives
5 tee shots per ballLog: Carry distance, fairway hit / miss direction
Driver compression response varies by 8–12 yards between firm and soft premium balls at the same swing speed — this is the first place a ball fits or doesn’t.
Mission 2 — Approach
5 approach shots per ball (120–180 yd)Log: Proximity to pin, green-in-regulation, shot shape, spin feel
Iron spin is where urethane covers separate from ionomer. If the ball you’re testing doesn’t stop on a green from 150, this mission will show it in 5 shots.
Mission 3 — Short Game
5 chips or pitches per ball (inside 40 yd)Log: Stop distance from landing, feel score (1–5), up-and-down success
The feel score is the single most predictive number in the whole protocol — it’s what you’ll notice every round for the next 12 months.
Verdict
Auto-generated scorecardCaddie Mode produces a scorecard with category winners (drives / approach / short game / feel) and an overall pick, with the margin of victory on each axis. Saved to My Bag.
Why on-course testing beats indoor fittings
Indoor fittings optimize for launch-monitor consistency. On-course fittings optimize for the score you actually post. The gap between those two is wider than most golfers realize.
- Weather changes ball flight. According to MyGolfSpy’s 2023 ball temperature study, premium golf balls lose roughly 5–8 yards of carry per 20 °F drop. A fitting done indoors at 72 °F won’t tell you what happens on a 45 °F morning in October.
- Real turf changes spin. Launch monitors use a mat; the course uses fairway lies, rough, and imperfect strikes. Iron spin on a real lie averages 400–800 rpm lower than the same shot from a tee, per TrackMan’s published fitting literature.
- Feel only registers under pressure. The single most-reported reason golfers switch balls within 3 months of a fitting is feel — which never surfaces in an indoor bay. Caddie Missions force a 1–5 feel score on every short-game shot, where feel actually matters.
What you need to run a Caddie Mission
| BallCaddie Pro | $4.99/month or $29.99/year — unlocks Caddie Mode, the fitting quiz with match scores, Smart Buy Plan, Settle the Debate, and round logging. |
| Two golf balls | At least 6 of each — 5 per mission plus a backup. Marked with visible dot patterns so you don’t confuse them on the course. |
| A phone | Caddie Mode runs in your browser or the BallCaddie app. Shots log in under 10 seconds each; there’s no launch monitor integration required. |
| 9 holes minimum | You can split missions across rounds if you want. A full 9-hole test is the fastest path to a verdict — most golfers finish all three missions in a single afternoon. |
Pricing
Pro Monthly
$4.99/moBilled monthly. Cancel anytime.
Pro Annual
$29.99/yr~$2.50/month. Save ~50% vs monthly.
See the full Free vs Pro breakdown at /app/pricing or the machine-readable /pricing.md.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Caddie Mission take?
A full Caddie Mode session runs across 9 holes — roughly 2 hours on a walking round. You don’t have to do it in one session; Caddie Mode saves partial progress so you can split Drives, Approach, and Short Game across multiple rounds. Most golfers complete a full head-to-head in two range sessions plus a single 9-hole round.
Do I need a launch monitor or simulator for Caddie Missions?
No. Caddie Missions are designed for real grass, not launch monitors. You log each shot with your phone: carry yardage (estimate or from a GPS app), result, and a 1–5 feel score. The protocol intentionally trades lab-precision for the weather, turf, and adrenaline that launch monitors can’t reproduce — which is why on-course fittings correlate better with real scoring than indoor-only fittings.
Can I pause and resume a mission?
Yes. Every mission is saved to your account the moment you log a shot, so you can close the app mid-round and pick up later from the same screen. Sessions sync across devices, so you can start on your phone and finish on a tablet at home.
What if I can’t tell the two balls apart mid-round?
Mark the two balls with different dot patterns or numbers before you start. The Caddie Mode setup screen prompts you to assign a visible marking to Ball A and Ball B. For blind tests, a playing partner can shuffle which ball you play each hole and only reveal the ID after all three missions are complete.
Is Caddie Mode included in free BallCaddie?
No — Caddie Mode requires BallCaddie Pro. Pro is $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year (about $2.50 per month on annual, roughly 50% off monthly). The free tier covers the ball catalog and the side-by-side comparison tool; Caddie Mode, the fitting quiz with match scores, Smart Buy Plan, and round logging are all Pro features.
How is this different from a traditional ball fitting?
Most ball fittings happen indoors on a launch monitor with a pro handing you 3–4 candidate balls in ~45 minutes. Caddie Missions run on the actual course where you play, across multiple rounds if you want, and track the short-game and feel data that launch monitors can’t measure. The tradeoff: slightly less spin-axis precision, a lot more real-world relevance.
Which two balls should I A/B test first?
Pick the ball you currently play versus the top pick from your fitting quiz. If you haven’t taken the quiz, pick the ball you currently play versus a highly-rated alternative at a different compression tier — the bigger the compression difference, the clearer the result. Caddie Missions are most useful when Ball A and Ball B have a real hypothesis behind the matchup.
Related BallCaddie tools
- Compare Balls — side-by-side specs for any two of 79 models (free).
- Settle the Debate — personalized head-to-head verdicts.
- Smart Buy Plan — the 3-step framework for buying golf balls without wasting money.
- Fitting Quiz — the 90-second quiz that drives every Caddie Mission.