Best Golf Ball For Seniors – Top Picks For Slow Swingers In 2023

There is a dizzying array of golf balls on the market all of them claiming to be the answer to your golfing problems. Every manufacturer claims to have solved the puzzle for you no matter which segment of the market you fall into. As an older golfer, you might be wondering what is the best golf ball for seniors.

Many high handicappers and beginners assume that all golf balls are created equal but that is just not true I’m afraid. Finding a ball that better suits your game could shave some shots off your handicap index. You might even be able to save a few bucks as well!

Let’s have a look at the reasons for picking particular types of golf balls and which models you should be thinking about gaming in the future as a senior golfer.

Best Golf Ball For Seniors

If you would rather watch the video version of this article then click play below.

Best Golf Balls For Seniors

Picking The Right Golf Ball For Your Game

Most manufacturers will have a ball selector tool on their website so you can narrow down your choices based on a few quick questions.

Once you have a shortlist of three of four potential candidates it’s best to go and test them on the golf course to see which you think is the best choice for your game.

The perceived wisdom is to start with your short game to find the balls that give you the required feel around the green. Which models feel best off your putter face and when chipping and pitching? Which of the balls allows you to generate the sort of spin you expect?

Once you’ve decided on your favorites try moving on to your irons to see the sort of ball flight you can achieve. Does the ball stop quickly enough on the green for you? Can you shape the ball the way you like or do you find it difficult to keep the ball in play?

Finally, test them out with your driver to make sure you are happy with the ball speed you generate and the distance you can hit the ball. Pick the ball that covers most of the bases with the shots you use when playing golf.

You need to balance the three main characteristics of the ball to find the right one for you.

Spin

Do you need more or less spin? You can find balls that should help you either way.

Distance

Are you solely interested in maximizing distance? There are plenty of out-and-out distance balls to choose from.

Feel

Is the feel of the golf ball off the face the most important criterion? if so you have several options from all the major ball manufacturers.

Low Vs High Compression Golf Ball

A big trend over the past several years is the move towards “soft feel”. All the manufacturers now produce balls to appeal to players looking for a soft feel golf ball. Generally speaking in order to make a soft golf ball you need to reduce the compression rating.

MyGolfSpy in particular has shown that lower compression golf balls will tend to spin less and travel shorter distances than a higher compression golf ball. Whether a soft feel golf ball is right for you is open to question.

Traditionally lower compression balls were aimed at players with slower swings since it would be easier for them to compress the golf ball. Modern high-speed photography shows that even slow and moderate swing speeds are still able to compress the ball. This is just one of the reasons why Titleist tends to recommend the Pro V1/Pro V1x for the majority of players. Despite its relatively high compression the ball still performs well for all standards of players.

How Do Senior Golf Balls Differ From Normal Golf Balls?

The biggest and most obvious difference is going to be the compression rating of the ball. Balls designed to be played by senior golfers will have a low compression rating. This is because the average senior will have a slower swing.

The lower compression means that in general the ball won’t travel as far as a high-compression ball and it will spin less.

Another area where senior golf balls tend to differ is the range of color options available. It’s a fact that in addition to our swings getting shorter and slower as we age our eyesight will likely deteriorate. For this reason, many balls aimed at seniors are available in bright colors. I know that I find it much easier to follow the flight of a yellow or orange ball these days when I wouldn’t have considered anything but white 20 years ago!

Where To Buy Golf Balls

In an ideal world, we’d all be supporting our local PGA professional but unfortunately, online retailers tend to be quite a bit cheaper, particularly for something like golf balls where you don’t really need too much expert advice when making your purchase. In researching this I found that the major online golf retailers in the USA don’t seem to discount balls in the same way they do in the UK.

Looking at the prices on globalgolf.com, carlsgolfland.com, golftown.com and austads.com all seemed to be selling the overwhelming majority of golf balls at their recommended retail price. This is in contrast to the UK where several online stores will offer discounts on the majority of their stock. You’ll also find some stores selling logo overruns quite a lot cheaper than the recommended retail price. UK readers could try hotgolf.co.uk, clubhousegolf.com or cgdiscountgolf.co.uk.

You could try picking up some used golf balls but personally, I don’t see that the discounts are all that impressive.

Soft Feel and Q-Star Tour
Soft Feel and Q-Star Tour

Best Balls For Slow Swing Speeds

According to Trackman data, the average male swing speed for someone with a handicap in the mid-teens is 93.4 mph. So anyone with a swing slower than that is in the lower half of swing speeds. That results in a driver carry of around 215 yards. If you don’t know your speed but you don’t carry your driver that far then it’s probably safe to assume you’re not reaching 90 mph (or your ball striking isn’t very efficient).

While players in this category can use premium tour balls they may not reap the full benefit for the extra money that they cost. If you value feel and greenside spin then you might want to consider the Callaway Chrome Soft as this is the lowest compression tour ball from the major ball manufacturers.

Although softer balls tend to travel shorter than firmer ones at slower swing speeds the difference is less pronounced. So even if distance is your main objective using a softer ball with a slower swing shouldn’t cost you that many yards.

Sticking with softer golf balls you could try the Srixon Soft Feel which will be roughly half the price of the Chrome Soft so won’t put such a big dent in your wallet if you lose a few. The Soft Feel is available in a range of colors that should suit the senior player.

If you prefer to stick with Titleist golf balls then the Tour Soft or Tour Speed could be added to your shortlist although given their price you might as well stick with a tour ball.

Best Balls For Fast Swing Speeds

If you’re fortunate enough to still have plenty of clubhead speed and you don’t mind the extra cost then you would be advised to look at tour-quality balls. The Titleist Pro V1, TaylorMade TP5, Srixon Z-Star of Bridgestone B series. All these balls will provide you with plenty of spin around the green while still giving you the maximum distance from your driver.

If you’re looking for a penetrating ball flight then you might want to investigate the TP5 as a number of professionals have switched and mentioned that is one of the reasons.

If you’d like to use a urethane ball but are looking for a cheaper option then you could consider the Srixon Q-Star Tour. This ball is similar to the Z-Star but the compression rating has been reduced and it’s also around $10 per dozen cheaper.

Best Balls On A Budget

To be honest I’m always looking for the best ball offers. Not just the cheapest but the best bang for your buck. Over the years I’ve tended to stick with the Srixon Z-Star as it offers premium performance due to its urethane cover but is available for around 25 to 50% less than most of the other tour balls when you pick up some logo overruns.

If you’re looking for a ball that is cheap but still offers decent performance due to a urethane cover then you might want to test out the Kirkland Signature performance ball. You can pick these up at Costco for around $1 per ball. The biggest downside with this ball is that it generates an awful lot of spin. If you already generate adequate spin then the Kirkland might not be the right choice for you.

If you’re not so fussed about the performance of the ball then you could try the Pinnacle Rush which costs little more than $1 per ball.

Best Golf Ball For Seniors: Conclusion

that should give giving you some thoughts and a few different options to try out. Once you decided which ball you are going to play, try and stick with it so you can learn how it behaves on the golf course in all sorts of situations.

For more advice on golf balls take a look at this guide.

Similar Posts