How to Select the Right Golf Ball
Finding the perfect golf ball to suit your game can be a tedious and confusing process for the average golfer. Factors such as trajectory, distance, spin, feel, compression, cover material, number of dimples, club head spead, and of course, price, are all important things to consider when choosing a golf ball. But which is more important to you? And which type of golf ball will best suit your level of golf? GolfSpyder has put together this section to help you learn about the differences in today's golf balls and to help you decide which golf ball is best for your golf game.
Golf Ball Construction
Golf balls are engineered for three major things. Distance, Spin, & Durability. Use the chart below to help find which type of golf ball is best for you.
| Golf Ball Selection Chart | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball Type | Distance | Spin | Durability | Price | Golfer Level |
| Two-Piece | + | - | + | $ | Beginner |
| Multi-Layered | - | + | - | $$ | Intermediate |
| HP / Hybrid | + | + | - | $$$ | Advanced |
Golf Ball Types
Two-Piece Golf Balls:
Solid inner core with a hard cover, these balls are designed for distance and durability. These balls are great for beginners and high-handicap golfers since the harder construction is less likely to cut or split when hitting the ball thin or driving it into the trees.
Multi-Layered Golf Balls:
Solid or liquid inner core with a woven or moulded rubber outer core and softer cover, these balls are designed to achieve higher spin rates. The higher spin and softer feel grant the intermediate golfer more control and better stopping power around the greens. Drawbacks to this type of golf ball are price, durability, and a sacrifice in distance.
High Performance / Hybrid Golf Balls:
The best of both worlds. A golf ball for lower-handicap golfers who want the feel and control of a high spin ball without sacrificing distance. These balls can be quite costly and will need to be replaced more frequently as they are less durable.
Golf Ball Cover Materials
Surlyn:
The duffers choice. A harder, cut resistant covering that allows for greater distance and cheaper cost.
Balata:
Softer covering for higher spin rates and better feel. More expensive and less durable than Surlyn.
Elastomer:
More expensive, offering good spin as well as better durability. Good choice for the low-handicap golfer.
Golf Ball Feel
Feel is the term used to describe how hard or soft the golf ball feels on impact and is directly related to compression and cover material. Softer cover materials and a less tightly compressed ball will produce a softer feel. A soft feel ball will produce a dull sound and not much feel through the shaft when struck squarely. A hard feel ball will make a click and feel solid when striking the ball.
Golf Ball Compression
80: Lowest compression is designed for senior, junior, and lady golfers. The softer core allows for a more spring-like effect off the club face, increasing distance while sacrificing some control.
90: The compression of choice for the majority of golfers.
100: Harder, tighter core that can really only be taken advantage of by advanced golfers with high swing speeds.
Distance, Spin, Feel, & Durability - Which is more important?
Only you can decide which factor is crucial to your game. And now that you know a little bit about the construction of the golf ball, its time to decide which ball is best for you. Do you want to hit those Hurculean drives miles past your buddies mere mortal tee shots? Or do you prefer to play a draw or fade and control the ball like it was attached to a string? Or maybe you like a ball with such soft feel that it barely makes a sound when you strike it and where it seems to float off the club around the greens? Or maybe you want a durable ball with skin like a rock so when it bounces off the trees, cart path, or clubhouse it won't show any battle scars? Whatever it is you want, GolfSpyder can help you find it! Check out our recommendations for golf balls that may suit your game or go to these manufacturer's sites for more information on their golf balls, then use the recommended golf ball retailers below to find the best deals on them.
Top Golf Ball Manufacturers
| Titleist | Srixon | Nike | Callaway | Precept |
| Top Flite | Wilson | Maxfli | Slazenger | Pinnacle |
Recommended Golf Balls
High-Handicap Golfer (18+)
With a powerful, high energy core and a low spin, durable Surlyn cover, the New Pinnacle Power Core golf ball provides long, straight distance and superior durability at an outstanding value.
- 2 - Piece Construction
- Durable Surlyn Cover
- Provide Long Straight Distance and Superior Durability
Looking for more distance with soft feel? The New Top-Flite® Long & Soft is the ball for you. The new seamless dimple pattern reduces aerodynamic drag and the large soft energy transfer core improves distance at all swing speeds, pushing this ball to the USGA limit. The thin, proprietary ionomer cover allows maximum energy transfer between the club and the core for unsurpassed Top-Flite distance and spin control.
- 2 Piece Construction
- Firm Ionomer Cover
- 384 Dimple Pattern
- 95 Compression
Move Over, Rover. The evolution Mojo is here, right in this boom box you're holding. Twelve perfect pills to take care of that Saturday Morning fever. A dozen dancin fools to put feel into the rock opera of golf. They're gonna blow you away. And check out the Nike karma ball. We took all the psychokinetic energy of a tangerine dream and squeezed it into a 1.68" shimmering ball of fire. One in every dirty dozen.
- 2-Piece Construction
- 432 mystical little craters inspired by the lift and carry of desert birds of prey
- Pearlescent Surlyn Cover
- Low Compression Ball
Mid-Handicap Golfer (10-17)
The New Titleist NXT Family of golf balls has been enhanced to provide even longer distance while maintaining a soft feel and optimum greenside spin to provide golfers of all levels with the game improvement options best suited to their needs.
- 3-Piece Construction
- Soft Fusablend® Cover Formulation
- High Coverage 392 Multi-Dimple Icosahedral Design
- New 1.580" Dual Core Design
- Provides soft feel and exceptional control tee-through-green
From the outside-in, the new Srixon AD 333 is unlike any other two-piece ball on the market today. Outside - The AD 333 utilizes a brand new, revolutionary "Rabalon" blended elastomer cover which is exclusive to Srixon. This soft and durable material is 35% more resilient than standard ionomer materials. It provides greater ball speed and initial velocity off the tee while providing soft feel and spin on all shots from tee to green. The AD 333 also features a new, aerodynamically superior 333 dimple pattern that provides greater low-velocity lift for increased carry and roll. Inside - The AD 333 is powered by Srixon's proprietary super-soft E.G.G. core which is firmer on the outside and gets progressively softer towards the center. It delivers the optimal launch conditions - high launch angle with low-spin.
- 2-Piece Construction
- Brand New "Rabalon" blended Elastomer Cover
- Aerodynamically superior 333 dimple pattern, the world's firts to feature an odd number of dimples
- E.G.G. Core
- Greater Carry and Roll & Tremendous Soft Feel on all shots from Tee to Green
The Tour proven U-Tri Tour features a newly designed patented 368 seamless single-dimple pattern, which provides unmatched consistency and control. In addition, the Soft Advanced Muscle-Fiber Core and newly designed Muscle-Fiber inner cover provide unparalleled distance and feel on all shots.The U-Tri Tour is for competitive players seeking advanced technology and Tour level performance.
- 3-Piece Construction
- Soft Advanced Muscle-Fiber Core
- Inner Cover: Muscle-Fiber Ionormer
- Outer Cover: Injection Molded Soft Urethane with SCT
- 368 Trigonal Trapezohedron Seamless Single-Dimple Pattern
Low-Handicap Golfer (0-9)
The New Titleist Pro V1x? is designed for serious golfers seeking outstanding distance and control from lower spin. With a high performance Urethane Elastomer? cover and soft dual core, the New Titleist Pro V1x provides low spin off the driver and short irons for longer distance and improved control while maintaining soft feel and Drop-And-Stop? performance into and around the green.
- 4-Piece Construction
- High Performance, Urethane Elastormer? Cover
- 332 Multi-Dimple Pattern; New Soft Dual Core
- Lower Spin off all shots for greater control; High Velocity and low spin for long distance
- Improved control with full iron shots; Optimized Aerodynamics for long distance
The all New Srixon Z-URS shares the same technology platform as the revolutionary, tour proven Z-UR; the thinnest urethane-elastomer cover in the world ? an astounding .020? thin, PBDS enhanced core, high velocity ionomer boundary layer, 330 based high trajectory aerodynamics. However, the engineers at Srixon have found a way to lower the core compression of the tour winning Z-UR by more than 10%, without sacrificing any of its performance features. The result is the new Z-URS. The lower overall compression provides a soft responsive feel and sound some players prefer, without sacrificing the explosive distance and short game playability you?ve come to expect from a multilayer tour performance ball.
Now there?s a choice. Players wanting the ultimate in tour winning performance in a softer feel can choose the new Z-URS. Those wanting a more solid feel can choose Z-UR. Choose either one and know that you?re in great company. Srixon staff players around the world are playing with and winning with both balls. What?s your choice?
- 3 Piece Construction
- Urethane Elastomer Cover
- Incredibly thin and soft cover surrounding our softest PBDS enhanced core
- Newly developed 330 dimple pattern provides high trajectory with strong penetrating ball flight
The Platinum Nike One: allows serious players to apply variable loads to the ball still get superior action on every shot: high-speed, high-energy tee shots, even-tempo irons, touch shots with the wedge, smooth rolls to the cup. Versatile. Consistent. Really Long.
- 4 Piece Construction
- Injection molded TPU Cover
- 408 Seamless Dimple Pattern
- Mid-High Penetrating Trajectory