Why is there such a price diff in golf balls?

there is a big difference in low priced golf balls to high ones. They are designed to improve your game and shoot lower. if you are serious about golf, i would buy more expensive ones.

There actually is a very major difference in golf balls. For a beginning golfer, you're not going to really be able to tell the difference. But for an experienced player, it is huge. The way the ball feels, sounds, and spins is very noticeable based on what ball you're using. I'm a scratch golfer and feel that the top two balls are the Titleist ProV1 (or prov1x, not a huge difference there) and the Callaway HX Tour. They have a very soft feel and spin very well. They have more advanced technology than other balls, like Top Flight or Spalding for instance (they're hard as a rock when you hit them), and also there is something to be said for the brand names. But it is worth spending a lot for the good balls if you're experienced, especially for tournaments

I personally can not tell the difference between the high end golf ball and the cheap ones, but many of my friends have their favorite brands. I feel for casual players it is more of a mental boost than an actual performance boost. If you find a ball you like and stick with it.

It's like anything else (watches, cars, clothing...) 1. The name brand (aka "designers" lines) pay SIGNIFICANTLY more for advertising, and pass that cost along to the consumer in the retail price. 2. Those companies also use better quality materials, have better quality assurance, bigger R&D departments, and generally more payroll all along the way. Again, this corporate cost is passed down to the consumer. FWIW, the casual golfer who barely can break 100 on his "home" golf course is NOT going to be able to tell the difference between a $45 / doz ball and a $6.95 / doz discount ball. The guys who have 0 handicaps can.