- Beginner golfers should choose a ball with high distance, high forgiveness, low spin, and a soft cover like the Titleist TruFeel or Callaway SuperSoft.
- Experienced golfers should play with a higher-spinning ball with better accuracy, like Titleist Pro V1 or Bridgestone Tour B RX.
- Average golfers fall somewhere in the middle of these two categories with balls like TaylorMade TP5x or TaylorMade Tour Response.
However, this is just a quick answer. You won’t want to buy the wrong ball for your swing speed and budget, so don’t miss out on the details I cover below about more types of golfers.
Golf Ball Fitting Quiz
The simplest way to determine ‘what golf ball should I use?’ is by evaluating yourself in these three categories.
- What’s Your Skill Level? Pick one
- High handicapper: Average scores of 20+
- Mid handicapper: Average scores of 10-19
- Low handicapper: Average scores <10
- What’s Your Swing Speed? Pick one
- What’s Your Preference? Pick one
Now, look at the balls based on your answer and select 2-3 to buy. You’ll now want to test them out, and over the next few months, you’ll know which golf ball you should use.
Choose a Golf Ball Based On Your Skill Level
High Handicappers: Average Scores of 20+
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Best Golf Ball Picks
- Titleist TruFeel – Best Overall
- Wilson Tour Velocity Golf Balls – Best Budget Pick
Features To Look For
- Cover: Mid-Soft
- Pieces: 2
- Compression: Low (30-60)
If you’re just starting your golfing journey, your main focus should be polishing your swing. This is why beginner golfers should choose a two-piece ball with high forgiveness, extra distance, low compression, and less spin, like the Titleist TruFeel.
You also want to buy budget-friendly balls like the Wilson Tour Velocity so it doesn’t hurt as much when you lose one in the water hazard or the rough. Ask anyone, it happens more than we admit.
For the short game, I recommend a more spinning ball like the TaylorMade TP5 or Callaway SuperSoft, which are good for beginners while being spinny on the greens.
If you have a fast swing speed, you should choose a golf ball with a harder cover and higher compression. This will help you channel your energy to keep your ball online more often. Ionmer covers are harder, cheaper, and have less spin, which makes them a good choice for high-handicapper with a fast swing speed.
However, if you have a slower swing speed, you want distance from a ball with a soft cover. If you go for too much distance, you may struggle on greens that are playing fast.
You can find a complete list of the best golf balls for high-handicappers.
Mid Handicappers: Average Scores of 10-19
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Best Golf Ball Picks
- TaylorMade TP5x – Best for Mid Handicappers With Fast Swing Speeds
- Bridgestone Tour B RXS – Best for Mid Handicappers With Slow Swing Speeds
- Bridgestone e6 – Best Premium Feel
Features To Look For
- Cover: Soft
- Pieces: 3-piece balls
- Compression: Mid-High (60-80)
Mid handicappers would be better to go for a ball with a ball that has a softer cover and is a 3-piece. This should add more feel to your game without sacrificing distance. In this case, the compression shouldn’t matter too much as long as it’s above 80.
Average golfers with comparatively faster swing speeds will benefit from golf balls that give good distance coverage and forgiveness while still having some spin and control over the shots, like the TaylorMade TP5x. If your swing speed is slower then the Bridgestone Tour B RXS is the right choice.
If you’ve got faster swing speeds, a high-compression golf ball is ideal, but if you have a lower swing speed, play with a low-compression golf ball.
Check out our full chart’s compression ratings on the most popular golf balls.
Low Handicapper: Average Scores of 0-9
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Best Golf Ball Picks
- Titleist Pro V1 – Best Overall
- Srixon Z-Star XV – Best Durability
Features To Look For
- Cover: Soft
- Pieces: 3, 4, or 5
- Compression: Mid-High (70+)
Advanced players already know their way around the game. By this time, you’ll have a fair idea of what your swing speed and handicap are, so choosing the right ball will be a lot easier.
Tour professionals or veteran golfers need consistency and reliability in their shots. This is why a low handicap golfer would benefit from high compression balls with a compression rating of around 90 and a high spin without compromising distance.
These balls are usually expensive, but they’re well worth the investment. Plus, since you’re investing so much in a dozen sets, you should also look for durability.
Read more: The Best Golf Balls for Average Golfers
Choose a Golf Ball Based on Your Swing Speed
- Low Swing Speeds: Less than 85 mph
- Medium Swing Speed: 85 – 95 mph
- High Swing Speed: More than 95+ mph
Low Swing Speeds: Less than 85 mph
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Best Golf Ball Picks
- Callaway SuperSoft – Overall Best
- Wilson Duo Soft – Best Value
Features To Look For
- Cover: Mid-Soft
- Pieces: 2 or 3
- Compression: Low (30-60)
It’s more common for high handicappers, women, children, and seniors to have lower swing speeds. Adding distance usually tops the priority list, but you want to ensure you will still feel good around the greens. This is why soft golf balls are usually the best choice for slower swing speed players.
Ideally, I recommend looking for low compression balls in the 30-50 compression rating region for maximum benefits. Instead of a Surlyn cover ball, a urethane cover ball would be your best bet, as these feel much softer right off the clubface.
Slower swing-speed golfers often struggle with getting the ball in the air, so watch for a high ball flight like the Callaway ERC Soft.
Read More: The Best Golf Balls for Women
Medium Swing Speed: 85 – 95 mph
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Best Golf Ball Picks
- TaylorMade Tour Response – Overall Best
- Kirkland Signature – Best Budget
Features To Look For
- Cover: Mid-Soft
- Pieces: 2 or 3
- Compression: Medium
Medium-swing speed golfers are at the biggest advantage since they can benefit from pretty much any ball on the market. It ultimately just comes down to their personal preference.
Some golfers may prefer distance coverage, whereas others look for more accuracy and control over their shots while still having a slight forgiveness element.
For your short game, I’d recommend a firmer ball with a higher spin to give you better greenside control, like the TaylorMade TP5x.
A softer cover ball with high-core compression would be your safest bet for longer games and approach shots. My personal favorite in this category is the TaylorMade Tour Response.
High Swing Speed: More than 95+ mph
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Best Golf Ball Picks
- Titleist Pro V1 – Best Tour Level
- Bridgestone Tour B RX – Best Premium (Used by Tiger Woods)
Features To Look For
- Cover: Soft
- Pieces: 3, 4, or 5
- Compression: Mid-High
Golfers with high swing speeds require consistency, accuracy, and good control over their shots. This is why most tour golfers play with higher-compression balls with a soft urethane cover.
In this category, you can’t go wrong with the Pro V1, which is also the best golf ball for my game and the most used golf ball on the Tour.
However, softer covers are generally less durable but offer better results for advanced players.
Choose a Ball Based On Your Preferences
Forgiveness
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Best Golf Ball Picks
- Bridgestone e12 Contact – Best Overall
- Callaway SuperSoft – Best Budget
- MaxFli StraightFli – Best For Slices and Hooks
Features To Look For
- Cover: Soft
- Pieces: 2 piece
- Compression: Low
If forgiveness is your primary goal, then two-piece golf balls would best fit you. Since beginner golfers are more prone to making mistakes, they should opt for low swing speed and lower compression golf balls, as these are usually the most forgiving options.
Distance
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Best Golf Ball Picks
- Srixon Distance – Best Overall
- TaylorMade Distance+ – Best For High Swing Speeds
- Callaway Warbird – Best For Slow Swing Speeds
Features To Look For
- Cover: Soft
- Pieces: 2 piece
- Compression: Low
Regardless of their skill level, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a golfer complain about their ball having too much distance, but we’ve seen how the golfing community reacted to the recent rollback rule. Distance is one of the most commonly searched-for features in a golf ball.
My personal favorites include the TaylorMade Distance+, which I’ve reviewed in-depth.
Generally, distance golf balls have a higher compression rating and lower forgiveness, so I recommend using distance balls if you’re experienced and have a faster swing speed.
Control and Accuracy
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Best Golf Ball Picks
- Vice Pro Plus – Best Overall
- Titliest Pro V1x – Best Premium
Features To Look For
- Cover: Soft-Firm
- Pieces: 3, 4 or 5 piece
- Compression: Mid-High
Control and accuracy should be one of your primary goals if you’re a mid or low-handicap player.
Generally, the level of control that you can have over a ball is directly related to its spin level (which determines the ball flight).
A ball with lower spin will give you less control, whereas a higher spin will give you more control over its trajectory and course. However, more spin can also result in emphasized hooks and slices if you’re a new golfer.
The more control you have over a ball, the more accurate your shots will be. This is why most pro-level golf balls have a high spin to them for added control and precision.
Softness
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Best Golf Ball Picks
- Titleist Tour Soft – Best Overall
- Srixon Soft Feel – Best Feel
Features To Look For
- Cover: Soft
- Pieces: 2, 3 or 4 piece
- Compression: Low-Mid
Newer players should go for softer golf balls since they have a smoother feel and are made with beginners in mind. These balls are also great for senior golfers as they’re easier to hit and require less energy.
Soft golf balls are labeled as such because of their compression rating, i.e., the lower the compression, the softer the ball. A ball’s cover also plays a vital role in its softness. The softest-feeling balls will likely have a Urethane cover.
The only golfers who won’t benefit from soft-cover and low-compression golf balls are high-swing speed golfers since the extra spin may alter the golf ball’s path if it’s too soft. For this category of golfers, I recommend using a harder ball with a soft cover like the Pro V1.
You can learn more about soft and hard golf balls in this guide.
What Golf Ball Should You Use?
When choosing the right golf ball for yourself, it’s important to keep your skill level (handicap level) and swing speed in mind. You can find your swing speed using a swing speed monitor and check which category you fall into by checking a swing speed chart.
Here are a few things that you must keep in mind while choosing the right golf ball for yourself:
- Spin: Less spin is usually great for beginner golfers since it’s more forgiving on slices and hooks. As a downside, you get less distance and backspin for greens.
- Distance: If you’re all about distance, look for balls with low spin, a harder feel, and a higher compression rating.
- Feel: Soft-feel balls are great for new golfers, seniors, women, and children. They’re softer at impact, have lower compression, and suit slow swing speed golfers.
- Price: As a rule of thumb, your golf ball price should reflect your experience. So, if you’re a beginner golfer, you don’t need to get high-end balls thinking they’ll be better. In fact, they might hurt your performance if they don’t suit your skills.
FAQs
Does It Matter What Golf Ball I Use?
Yes, it matters what golf ball you use if you want to improve your game by lowering your score. If your mission is to simply have fun, then by all means, find a cheap golf ball and enjoy your time out there. Selecting your ball will affect your ball flight and spin rate, so if you want more control, then it matters which golf ball you use.
Should I Buy Lake Balls?
Yes, you should buy lake balls if you plan on hitting balls in the lake or any body of water. Lake balls are specially designed to be biodegradable, so they won’t harm the ecosystem if left unrecovered. Lake balls are made to feel and perform similarly to traditional golf balls but are much different and should not be used on the golf course.
Summary
Don’t be afraid to experiment, especially as a beginner. New golfers should choose forgiving balls such as the Titleist TruFeel or the Bridgestone e12 Contact, whereas pro golfers should stick to the big guns like the Titleist Pro V1 and Srixon Z-Star.
The average golfer has much more flexibility, but the TaylorMade Tour Response and the Bridgestone e6 are my favorite picks.
In most cases, you won’t find the perfect combination of cover, compression, and pieces. Focus on what you feel are your top two characteristics and focus on those.
Above all, remember that nothing about golf is perfect, and sometimes it pays to just go via your gut instinct. Once you’ve scientifically married your search, use your natural instincts to make a final decision. That should result in seeing lower scores in a short time frame.
Read more:
Clint is PGA-certified and was a Head Teaching Professional at one of Toronto's busiest golf academies. He was also featured on Canada's National Golf TV program, "Score Golf Canada," twice. He graduated with a degree in Golf Management from the College of the Desert in California and studied under Callaway's co-founder, Tony Manzoni. He has a handicap index of 6.2 and spends the winters near Oaxaca, Mexico, where he plays twice a month at the Club de Golf Vista Hermosa. He's written over 100 articles at GolfSpan since 2021. You can connect with Clint at LinkedIn, FB, his website, or Clintcpga@gmail.com.
Abdul Moiz is a skilled golfer and professional writer. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the National University of Sciences and Technology in Islamabad and has played golf for over 5 years. He has a handicap index of 18.5, uses TaylorMade Sim driver, and loves his 60-degree wedge. He's tested and reviewed over 50 products and specializes in reviewing budget-friendly golf club sets. You can connect with Abdul at X, LinkedIn, or Work.AbdulMoiz@gmail.com.
