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Picking the right golf ball for your game is a pretty important thing to do and most people are actually using the wrong ones. In this post, I’ll be talking about the 7 best golf balls for average players so you can improve your game. Here are the 7 best golf balls for average golfers:
That’s just my personal opinion from experience. Picks 1-3 are in that specific order for me but picks 4-7 are in no specific order. What all of these balls have in common is the 2 or 3 piece design, fairly low ball spin, and a low compression rating. All of those are super important for your ball to have. If you want to see which balls have a low spin and low compression you can see the full info list here. Continue reading or watch the video for a more detailed review of each of the balls. Are You An Average Golfer?The average player is a high handicap golfer that normally shoots above 90 on a par 72 golf course. Golfers who shoot 90 are considered “bogey” players but the average golfer scores a bit higher than this. I always thought that the average player shot in the 80s when I was first getting started but that’s not the case by far. Most people are just as bad as I was and that made me feel a bit better and more confident about my game. According to the USGA, the average golf score is 91 for all ages of golfers. That’s actually not that true because most weekend hackers don’t record their handicap. If you included those golfers, the average score would be closer to 100. That’s really not that great. And what makes things worse is that the average score has actually gotten worse. You’d think with all these advanced clubs and balls, the game would be easier. Nope, not the case. If you prefer talking about your handicap, anyone that’s above 20 is considered a high handicap. If that’s you then you’re still among the average. If you’re a beginner player and can shoot close to these numbers, I’d say you’re doing pretty good. I don’t know what the technical definition of handicap is but here’s how I like to think of it:
If you normally shoot below 90 then you might want to use a different ball. I’d recommend you check out our article on the best golf balls for mid handicappers. They should perform a bit better for you. RELATED: The Best 5 Golf Balls For Mid Handicappers What Does The Perfect Ball Look Like?If you’re a beginner or high handicap golfer, there are a few key things I’d look for in a golf ball. Everyone will be slightly different, but if you want to take your game to the next level, you’ll need a bit of help. These are the main things I’d look for in a golf ball:
If I can find a ball that’ll check all those boxes, I’d say it’s a winner. You’ll also have the choice between a softer or firmer ball but that’s not something that impacts performance. RELATED: Hard vs Soft Golf Balls: What You Should Play Let’s talk a bit about driver spin. What’s the most common shot for beginners and high handicaps? You’d be right if you said a slice. You’ve done it, I’ve done it, and it’s not something to feel proud of. There are a number of reasons people slice the ball but the thing that’s happening is the ball has a bunch of sidespin. You’re going to want a ball that’s designed to have less sidespin when you hit the driver. You’ll get more distance on your shots, you’ll be playing from more fairways, and you’ll lower scores (hopefully). That’s why this is probably the most important thing to look for in a golf ball. You’re also going to want a ball that has a higher ball flight. Most beginners and high handicaps don’t have the fastest swing speed and tend to hit a lot of low running shots. You might still hit the fairway but you’ll get no distance. Certain balls are designed to launch higher without having a super-fast swing. That’s what you’ll want because it’ll give you more distance, but it’ll also add forgiveness. The final thing you’ll want to consider is the price tag. I don’t know about you but I really don’t like losing a $5 every second hole. That’s the main reason I wouldn’t recommend a Pro V1 or some other high-end ball. Not only that but those balls probably won’t perform the best for you either. That’ll cause you to hit more balls in the trees or water. That’ll hurt your confidence and your wallet. You’ll probably be better off playing a ball with an ionomer or Surlyn cover. They’ll be quite a bit cheaper, but if you don’t already know, you can read our post on urethane vs ionomer vs Surlyn golf balls. What Ball Construction Should You Use?Golf balls come in a bunch of different designs and you’ll have the choice of picking a 1-5 layer ball. Each of them has its pros and cons but if you’re a beginner or high handicap player, you’ll want to stick with a 2 piece golf ball. This type of ball will most likely give you the straightest shots with the most distance. They’re also going to be cheaper than 3 layer (Pro V1), 4 layer (Pro V1X), or 5 piece golf balls (TP5), which is another plus. The main thing you should be focusing on is hitting more fairways and greens and I do think these balls will help with that. If you do try to use a ball with more layers you’ll probably get more spin. That extra spin will make it easier to hook or slice the ball (big curves) and that’s going to decrease your distance. I actually still use a 2 or 3 piece golf ball myself and I’m perfectly fine with the way they perform. When you do become a better player you might want that extra spin though. When you have more spin you’ll be able to control the ball a lot better. You’ll be able to hit it high if you want and you’ll be able to keep it low. You can also draw and fade the ball much easier and get the ball to stop on the green. That being said, it’ll hurt your game as a beginner. What about the other types of balls? 1 piece golf balls are used at a lot of driving ranges and are used because they’re cheap. They shouldn’t be used on the course, in my opinion, because they don’t go nearly as far and aren’t going to perform that well. You could use them at home if you’re hitting into a net though. 3 piece golf balls are designed for people who are getting a little bit better and want a bit of spin. They’re still pretty forgiving and will travel pretty straight but they’ll definitely curve more. The benefit is that you can get a little bit of stopping power on the green and work on drawing/fading the ball. RELATED: 3 Piece vs 4 Piece Golf Balls 4 piece golf balls are used by scratch and pro golfers. If you try to use these balls you’ll most likely struggle with distance and hitting the fairway. I wouldn’t think to use these balls myself and neither should you. You really have to make solid contact with these balls to get any sort of performance out of them. 5 piece golf balls are even harder to hit well and are only used by professional golfers. They’re going to be a lot more versatile for the better player who needs max control over the ball. They’re expensive and won’t perform that well for you. Should Your Golf Ball Spin A lot?If you’re a beginner or high handicap player you’ll want to use a low spinning golf ball. We talked about how spin will make the ball curve a lot more. That won’t be very good for your game. You can learn more about how spin affects a golf ball here. When you have less golf ball spin you’ll be able to get more distance out of your shots. The reason is that they’ll fly a lot straighter. You’d be surprised by how much distance is lost when you have a curve to your shots. You’ll also be able to hit more fairways and greens and that should help the scorecard. We did a test to see how spin affects distance and straightness, so if you want to see that, find out do lower spin golf balls go further? Like I was saying before, when you start getting better you’ll want to have a decent amount of spin. You’ll be able to control the height of the ball, the shape it flies, and how quickly it’ll stop on the green. Focus on the basics right now though and you’ll get better much quicker. RELATED: Golf Ball Spin Chart Should You Use A Low Or High Compression Ball?Compression is the amount of force it takes to properly compress the golf ball. If you’re a beginner or high handicap player you’ll want to use a low compression golf ball. Again, it’ll help with distance and straightness in your shots. A lot of weekend golfers I see are using the completely wrong ball for their game. They’re playing a mid to high compression ball because the pros are using them. Some people can get pretty good distance out of them but almost all of them have a major curve to their shots. If you don’t have a fast enough swing speed (over 95 MPH) you won’t be able to compress a higher compression ball, which means low compression is the way to go. RELATED: Best Low Compression Golf Balls We actually did a test to see how the two types of balls compared in terms of distance. If you’re curious, you should read our low vs high compression golf balls test and see which went further. Your distance will suffer and you’ll most likely hook or slice the ball every single time. When you compress the ball properly, you’ll fix these two issues and the game will be much easier. If you’re still unsure what compression golf ball you should use then I’d suggest reading our compression guide. It’ll give you a really solid idea of what you should be using. When Should You Upgrade Your Ball?You’ve been practicing, working on your control around the green, and shooting some better scores. You’re about to finally break 90, but you might be thinking, should I upgrade the ball I’m using? As I said before, high handicaps should be playing a different ball than mid handicaps and low handicaps. You could use the same ball, but I think you’d get better performance playing something else. The short answer is that yes, you should probably change your golf ball. The one key difference is that you might want a ball that’s a bit lower launching. As you get better, so will your swing speed. You won’t want something that flies low but using a mid launching ball might give you a bit more distance and control. Another thing you might want to look at is a ball that has a bit more wedge spin. We talked about low driver spin, and you’ll still want that. As you start getting better, you’ll want the ball to bite a bit harder on the green. You probably won’t be able to spin the ball back, but you’ll want something that doesn’t run out as much. RELATED: The Highest & Lowest Spinning Golf Balls These are things you shouldn’t be focusing on right now. They probably won’t perform as well for you right now and they’ll cost you more money. Stick to the following balls right now. Best Golf Balls For Beginners & High HandicapsThe majority of golfers just play whatever ball they found in the woods during their last round. That’s an alright solution, but it might not be the best way to improve scores. Most people are unaware, and I’ve heard people ask the question do golf balls matter for high handicaps? Golf balls matter for different types of golfers and the reasons are all different as well. Below, I’ve listed a few, they’re all great options and I could see myself still using any of them. Each of them is slightly different, so pick the one that feels right for your game. #7: TaylorMade Soft ResponseThis is going to be my second favorite golf ball from Taylormade for the average golfer who is around an 8-18 handicap. These balls are designed to produce less spin with the driver (for that dreaded slice) and give more spin with your wedges. I haven’t really used these too much but know people who do and they’ve noticed an increase in fairways hit, more control with their wedges, and a similar distance to the other higher-end balls. Check The Price On Amazon. Pros
Cons
#6: Titleist TruFeelThis is my favorite Titleist golf ball for the average golfer and it is fairly similar to Soft Response in that it’s low spinning off the tee but it wasn’t quite as good around the green (in my experience). I didn’t find them to be the longest or straightest off the tee but I did like them more than the Taylormade on the green. They are around 2 bucks per ball and that’s another reason I’d give them a thumbs up. Check The Price On Amazon. Pros
Cons
#5: Bridgestone e12 ContactThis is my favorite Bridgestone golf ball for the average golfer out there who prefers control and spin over pure distance. It’s designed for swing speeds below 105 miles per hour (which will be most average golfers). These will be great balls if you want to bomb it long and straight down the fairway but the downside is that they don’t give a whole lot of feedback and they’re bad for shot shaping. Read Review & Comparison: Bridgestone e12 Contact Pros
Cons
#4: Wilson Duo Soft+This is one of my top picks for the average golfer because they’re great for people who don’t have the fastest swing speeds and they don’t spin a whole lot off the tee. Most people laugh at the thought of a Wilson ball but it’s one of the better balls I’ve played for keeping my shots in play. Another big plus is that these balls are under 2 bucks each, which is perfect for the average golfer who loses a lot of them. Read Review & Comparison: Wilson Duo Soft+ Pros
Cons
#3: TaylorMade NoodleBelieve it or not but these are actually one of my favorite golf balls because of their price and overall performance. I’ve seen countless people pick up these balls, see that they’re a Noodle, and throw them back. Most average golfers can’t compress the ball very much and these are designed for that. Every time I’ve found a Noodle on the course it seemed to last me the entire rest of the round. Read Full Review: Noodle Long And Soft Pros
Cons
#2: Callaway SupersoftThese are my second favorite balls overall and like them because they’re the longest on the list. They’re able to hold really well on the green and they feel great when they’re hit. They’re pretty reasonably priced as well and offer some more workability than others on the list. The main reason I have them #2 is that they aren’t quite as consistent as my 1st pick off the tee. Full Review & Comparison: Callaway Supersoft Pros
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#1: Srixon Soft FeelThese are my absolute favorite golf balls and are still the main ones I’m using to this day. They’re also one of the best golf balls for slower swing speeds. When I was first getting started I always used random Callaway or Nike balls and always struggled to keep the ball in play. I found a Srixon one time and started playing with it and it actually lasted me a full 2 rounds. I didn’t find it as long as the Callaway but my fairways in regulation have been great since. Full Review & Comparison: Srixon Soft Feel Pros
Cons
Note. This article is part of our series on the best golf ball for your game. If you’re curious about the pros and cons of different balls and how different things impact your game, go check that out.
Interested In Writing About Golf?Calling all hackers, whackers, and golf enthusiasts, Out Of Bounds Golf is looking for writers! Click here if you want to get paid to write for us. Looking to get some new golf gear? Click here to check out our recommended gear page to see what our up-to-date recommendations are. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up-to-date with our gear giveaways! What is a good golf ball for the average player?The Callaway Super Softs take home our #1 spot for average golfers. Callaway is a great company that makes fantastic golf balls. The are a fabulous choice for average-level golfers. Folks who want plenty of distance off the tee, accuracy on all shots, and a soft feel on impact will love the Supersoft.
Do golf balls matter for average golfers?The average golfer will find that the golf ball makes a difference to their game. The compression rating of a golf ball indicates the hardness or softness of the golf ball. Higher compression ratios require a fast swing speed to compress the ball, while a lower compression is easier to compress.
Can an average golfer use Pro V1?On average, most golf coaches recommend that a beginner golfer avoid Pro V1 balls. The higher price and compression rating make the Pro V1 suited to better players. Most beginners will get better performance with lower compression and lower spinning balls.
What golf ball is best for my swing?Our Top Picks For Golf Balls For High Swing Speeds. Titleist Pro V1 Golf Ball.. TaylorMade TP5x Golf Ball.. Titleist Pro V1x Golf Ball.. Callaway Chrome Soft X Golf Ball.. Srixon Z-Star XV Golf Ball.. Bridgestone TOUR B XS Golf Ball.. Vice Pro Golf Ball.. |
Best golf ball for the average golfer
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